Free Bear-ever Yours by Terry Bolryder

had haunted her nights and weekends for as long as she cared to remember of her adult life. And she’d thought she was done with him.
    Sky’s blonde hair was swept over his forehead and along his face. His full lips were pursed and his dimple was notably absent as he clutched the phone in his hand. “I’ll deal with him for you.”
    “No,” she said, a little too sharply. “Just let it go to voicemail. He doesn’t get access to me anymore.”
    Sky’s face tightened. “Let me tell him that then.”
    She frowned. “I know you’re going to be my mate, but right now I’m still my own woman. I just quit my job for you, so can I handle my boss on my own?”
    He sighed and handed her the phone. “Of course. But you should know that when we’re mated, I’ll be your alpha. That means I’ll handle this kind of thing.”
    She ruffled at that. He might know everything about bears. He might be her hot scuba diver who was a walking wet dream of a man and knew what to do to make her scream in bed. But no man, no man ever again would claim complete control of her. “I don’t like the sound of that,” she said.
    He came forward to place steady hands on her shoulders, and then used one hand to gently tilt her chin up so her eyes would meet his. His were turning from green to blue, like a kaleidoscope. It was mesmerizing, unlike anything she’d ever seen. “I think you’re misunderstanding. I’m not saying I would control you, or take care of your life when you don’t want me to. I’m saying that it will be my job to protect you from anything that threatens or bothers you. To put your life before my own. To give it for you if necessary. You will be my everything, and I will be your alpha. Is that more clear?”
    She nodded, feeling tears sting her eyes again. She sat down on the bed and looked at the phone in her hands. It beeped with a voicemail. “I’ll have to listen to that, in case there’s something pertinent about my job, but I’m not going to do it now.”
    “Good,” he said. “Because right now, I’d just like to snuggle.”
    She raised an eyebrow in shock. Okay, now he had to be joking. Men didn’t want to just snuggle, did they? The ones she had met were either just interested in sex or food, or just weren’t interested at all. “You’re kidding,” she said.
    He looked disgruntled and the adorable dimple twitched in his left cheek as he pushed his sun-streaked hair out of his face. “No. Of course I want to snuggle. We made love earlier. You’re my mate. I’ve been waiting forever to find you. Why wouldn’t I want to hold and touch you as much as I can?”
    “Well,” she said, feeling her neck heat with a blush. “I guess I can’t complain about that.”
    “Come on,” he said. “Let’s go out on the hammock.”
    She couldn’t believe her luck, but she wasn’t going to complain. She loved the idea of snuggling with him, but wondered how comfortable his muscular body would be. He got on first and helped her in against him, tucking her against his side and swinging the hammock lightly with his foot on the ground. His tanned legs were long and it was easy for him to keep them gently rocking.
    She loved how big he felt next to her. Loved the scent of the rain on the ocean, the wet look of the sand, the call of the birds. She never wanted to leave this place, and now, if she didn’t want to, she wouldn’t have to. But she did want to learn more about her birth parents, and figure out how to explain all of this to her adopted parents. They meant everything to her. If they didn’t understand…
    But she’d help them. And as long as she was happy, they’d be okay.
    His hand curled around her waist and gave her a gentle squeeze that made her feel loved. “You okay? You’re quiet over there.”
    “Just thinking about how quickly things have changed. Wondering if I’m crazy for running into this so quickly.”
    “You’re not,” he said. “Sometimes things just happen that