Free Bear-ly Human (Bear Claw Security Book 4) by Terry Bolryder

“And goodness help Bentley if he keeps coming after me.”
    Hercules cracked his knuckles. “That’s a damn surety.”
    She laughed and linked arms with him, aware of a sizzle deep inside her at the thought of Hercules’s promise.
    He’d be coming tonight.
    Hopefully, they both would.

Chapter 8
    T hat night after dinner , Hercules paced in the hall as the others went back to their rooms.
    As he’d thought, his jealousy hadn’t abated during dinner. If anything, it had gotten worse, seeing Bentley send lewd glances at Hera, as if Hercules wasn’t there at all.
    He didn’t want to be John the banker.
    He wanted to be Herc the merc, ready to blow apart anyone who messed with him.
    All the calmness he’d tried to foster, all the sensible things he’d told himself while preparing for his mission were melting away like so much sea foam.
    He wanted Hera. He didn’t want anyone to have her.
    In the years since they’d broken up, he’d told himself it was for the best. That she could do better. That it was fine if he stayed alone. That was normal.
    But he’d forgotten how different it was when she was near. How she made him hope for impossible things.
    How she made him feel whole and human in a way nothing else did.
    How much his bear wanted her.
    For the first time in a long time, he felt his animal nearly tearing out of him. Trying to talk some sense in him. Trying to get him to be with his mate.
    He put his hands up and rubbed his temples as he paced down the hallway, trying to decide between doing the sensible thing and going back up to his room or going down the hall to Hera’s.
    Seeing her around other men seemed to cement it. She was his.
    Perhaps this whole thing was fate. Had he really thought he could stay away from her forever? If she hadn’t shown up at Bear Claw Security, would he really have been able to resist looking her up at some point?
    He didn’t know. The past few years had been a blur of trying to find himself, of trying to find a way to live that didn’t involve either the military or Hera herself.
    It had been hard.
    But that was nothing compared to knowing she was just down the hall, ready and waiting for him, and all he had to risk was their hearts again.
    But as much as he wanted to resist, he knew he couldn’t. He wasn’t strong enough. The bear in him wasn’t noble enough. It knew only one thing; it wanted its mate, and even if the human it shared a form with was too broken to make things happen the way they should, the bear wanted to be with the one it loved.
    The one it knew was for him.
    He strode down the hall and turned down a hallway to a darkened corridor. There was a light on at the end of the hallway, and he knew it was Hera’s door. He came to stand in front of it and raised a hand.
    He didn’t even have a chance to knock before she opened it, smelling and looking amazing.
    Like she’d planned this all along.
    He walked into the bedroom, which was a lot lacier than he would have expected. The carpet was mauve and the walls were white. There was antique decor all around. The bed had silver upholstery.
    “I don’t spend a lot of time in here,” she said. “So I kept it how it was when I was growing up. I love all the old rooms in this house.”
    He smiled and walked over to sit on the bed and look out her window. It overlooked the forest on the west side of the property. “It has a charm. Especially with you in it.”
    “Look at you, being all romantic,” she said, straddling him and sending tingles up his spine. He put his arms around her and just held her there.
    A crack of thunder sounded outside, and then rain began to fall. He looked into her eyes for a quiet moment.
    “Are you sure?” she asked. “I know I’m pushing you.”
    “I need to be pushed.” He reached up to pull at the strap of the silky negligee she wore.
    It was so odd coming back to a past lover. It felt like slipping on a much-loved garment, comfortable and warm all at the same time. But it