Free Captured Bear (A Paranormal BBW Werebear Erotic Romance) by Jane McGanton

 
    “Hey, Evie can you finish mopping up the hallways? Thanks.” Tom’s back was toward me and he didn’t even bother to turn around and look me in the eye while he ordered me around. He was much too focused on Lily, the skinnier, blonder intern.
     
    To tell the truth, I loved interning at the zoo, and I didn’t mind staying late to finish up feeding the animals. What I did mind was that Tom basically ignored me, other than to dump some extra tasks on me, while he showered attention on Lily. I was much better at my job than she was, but as always, looks win out over competence when a horny male is in charge. I was pretty enough, but my curvy body basically made me invisible to some men.
     
    “Yeah, no problem,” I mumbled, turning to walk over to the supply closet before I could give Tom a piece of my mind. I really needed a good recommendation from this internship if I wanted to work with zoo animals once I finished my veterinary degree.
     
    Cleaning up the floors was pretty easy, mindless work compared to most of my tasks, but I was most excited about finishing up my feedings. A few new animals had been added to the enclosures this past week, and I wanted to go check them out. I had always felt a close connection to animals, and working at the zoo, tending to these beautiful creatures, made me feel happy and peaceful in a way that I never felt anywhere else.
     
    I finally put away the cleaning supplies and looked around. No one else was left, which meant I could feed the animals in peace before locking up. I smiled as I gathered the food. This was my favorite time of day. Mot of the animals had already been fed earlier, but I had saved the bear enclosures for last. We had several new acquisitions and bears were my favorites. I loved how they would playfully bat around toys we gave them. They were huge and looked clumsy, but had a powerful elegance to them. As a plus-sized woman, I felt a certain kinship with them.
     
    As I dragged the bucket of meat to the first enclosure, I saw the bears milling about. The newest acquisition, a large brown bear, was off by himself on the other side of the enclosure. I carefully carried the bucket down the stairs and turned the key in the door so I could leave the food for the bears. I knew better than to approach the bears while I was alone but I studied them for a few minutes, especially the new bear who seemed to be watching me back. I might have found it unnerving how he studied me, but there was also something sweet and intelligent in those eyes. Finally, I turned to go when I heard a voice behind me.
     
    “Wait!” the deep voice called out hoarsely.
     
    I turned in surprise. A naked man was standing over where the new bear had just been. I looked around the enclosure wildly, hoping the bears would remain uninterested. The zoo had had a few incidents with teenagers trying to enter enclosures and a few years back, one of them had died after being mauled by a lion. I wasn’t sure how to handle the situation without any help.
     
    “Come over here. Hurry!” I hissed at him.
     
    He didn’t look nearly as concerned as he should. Luckily, the bears seemed uninterested in him, staying over on their side of the enclosure. All of them, except for the new bear. I glanced around again, trying to locate the large bear. Was he hiding? I hoped he wasn’t getting ready to pounce on the man who was slowly and deliberately walking in my direction.
     
    “Hurry!” I cried out again.
     
    “It’s alright,” he croaked back, his voice sounding deep and graveled. “There is no need to fear.”
     
    “The bears…” I began.
     
    “They will not harm us,” he replied. He reached within arm’s length of me and stopped.
     
    I finally stopped panicking enough to notice how damn sexy he was. The man didn’t look like a crazy person or a hooligan who might climb naked into a bear’s enclosure. He was tall and muscular, with a deep tan and thick, dark hair. His eyes were a