Free Boarlander Boss Bear (Boarlander Bears Book 1) by T. S. Joyce

the best day of her life, by a lot. After lunch, she’d spent the entire afternoon window shopping with Harrison. It had been an incredible opportunity to get to know him better, and the more she learned, the harder she was falling for the alpha of the Boarlanders.
    He’d changed into a pair of navy blue swim trunks that hung just right on his tapered waist, and as he peeled off his shirt, she was stunned once again that he was hers. Or at least, he felt like hers. And from the purr in her throat, her inner tiger agreed.
    Audrey kicked off her flip-flops and pulled her cover-up over her head, only a little self-conscious when Harrison dragged his gaze down her body and back up. His “Damn, woman” had her nerves settled right down, though.
    She couldn’t explain it, but she was more confident around Harrison. More open, and it was easier to be outgoing. Outside of the restaurant, a trio of kids had asked to take a picture with him, and he’d told them Audrey was a white tiger shifter. Though she’d been mortified about him outing her, the kids had asked to take a picture with her, too. And afterward, they’d asked her to sign an autograph, right under Harrison’s signature on a piece of paper. How cool was that? No one in Buffalo Gap had ever asked her for her signature unless she was signing for a speeding ticket.
    The hobo hot spring looked like a pool with a bath house and everything, but the water was from a natural spring that filtered into it. Steam rose from the surface, and just as she was about to make her way down the steps, Harrison wrapped an arm around her and hooked a finger under her chin. He kissed her until her legs went numb and then smiled against her lips. “I like you.”
    “I like you two months more,” she countered.
    With a playful growl, Harrison picked her up and carried her over his shoulder into the pool, and she gasped at how shockingly warm it was. It was close to sunset, and they had the hot spring to themselves, so she slid her arms around Harrison’s neck and wrapped her legs around him as he turned them in lazy circles.
    “You read my scrapbook,” she said.
    “I sure did. And I’ll read it again when you make a page dedicated to Saratoga.”
    “Now it’s your turn. Share your scrapbook with me.”
    “Booo,” he murmured. “Let’s keep having fun instead.”
    With a happy sigh, she laid back into the floating position. “Tell me all your secrets, Boss Bear.”
    “Fine,” he grumbled, placing his hands under her back and spinning her slowly. “When I was five, I lost my first tooth at baseball practice, and when I was eight, I stole a pack of tootsie rolls from the grocery store and had to return them and apologize, and when I was nine—”
    “Harrison.”
    “I didn’t have a mom, either.”
    Well, that drew her up short. “What happened to her?” Audrey asked cautiously.
    Harrison twitched his head and stared at the sunrise, and for a while, the only sound was the gently lapping water against her body. “She’s buried in a cemetery where I grew up in Montana. I used to go visit her all the time. I couldn’t really remember what she looked like without studying a picture, but I remember how she used to hug me up tight before bed. I slept best when she was squeezing me. Safe,” he murmured. “My dad was an asshole who liked to beat on us both, but my mom somehow made my room feel like he couldn’t hurt us there.”
    “Oh, my God,” she whispered, sitting up in the water. She shouldn’t have done this. She shouldn’t have dragged demons like this to the surface. She was hurting him. That much was apparent in his voice. “I’m sorry, Harrison.”
    “It happened a long time ago. Doesn’t matter now.”
    She hugged him tightly and rested her chin on his shoulder as the sunset lit up the evening sky with vibrant oranges and pinks.
    Harrison swallowed audibly and kissed her neck. “She died when I was seven, and then my room wasn’t safe anymore. My dad