Free ROMANCE: Highland Bear Love : A BBW Paranormal Historical Billionaire Romance (Fantasy Alpha Male Shape Shifter Short Stories) by Clara Moore Page A

of the lake were calm, like his spirits were. The lake was his refuge, much more real than the pretentious chatter and power meetings of his company in the city. Escaping the city for the weekend, he had gladly traded in his briefcase for a rucksack. He just wished it was for more than a weekend. That was the consequence of owning a billion-dollar company– he had lots of money, but he had very little time.
                  Perhaps, if he had more time, he could finally find his mate. The house by the lake was his refuge, but he was starting to notice the emptiness of the halls. He wanted a family to fill it, but that wasn’t possible when his company needed his attention.
                  The line on his fishing pole grew taut. A catch. He reeled it in, using his burly strength to wind the line, pleased when a large salmon surfaced from the water. It wouldn’t go to waste. He’d give it to his housekeeper Mary to fry for dinner that night.
                  Setting the salmon in the cooler nearby, he traded it for a cold bottle of beer. He took a refreshing sip, staring across the lake. It reminded him of where he’d grown up in Scotland. The lake and the woods were very much like the Highlands where his family came from. That was why he’d purchased the historic home by the lake, buying it off an old family friend. He’d wanted a piece of home.
                  He took another sip of his beer, but this time it tasted fowl. It wasn’t the drink; there was a stench in the air. Wolves. They were near. He could smell them from miles away. Wolves and bears did not get along.
                  There was no point confronting them. As long as they stayed away, they weren’t his problem. That was until he heard a woman scream out to the wolves, clearly under attack. Abandoning his beer, Dermott ran from the pier towards the woods, transforming into a beast well able to handle a wolf.
     
    ***

 
    Chapter Two
     
    Kendell
     
                  Two things occurred to Kendell as she woke. The first was that she was not wearing her own clothes. A man’s collared dress shirt covered her luscious curves down to her knees. The second thing that occurred to her was that she was free. The wolves hadn’t gotten to her. She’d escaped them, thanks to the bear who rescued her.
                  She wasn’t sure where she was at, but she assumed the bear had something to do with it. A leather sofa had been her bed, but it was large and cushioned, more comfortable than most mattresses she had slept on. The room was an old study with bookshelves that stretched high above her to the vaulted ceiling. Some of the shelves contained novelties that looked as if they belonged in a medieval castle, such as the swords crisscrossed together and the aged apothecary bottles. At the center of the study was a giant banner of blue and green plaid that took up half the wall it was draped across. Imprinted onto it was an emblem of a gold bear. The plaid added warmth to the room, made it feel full and lived in.
                  Kendell left the sofa and went to the tall window that gave the room light, her bare feet padding softly against the wood floor. The summer sun simmered over a beautiful lake, having only just risen.
                  I must have been out of it all night , she realized, shaking out the tangles of her long dark blonde hair.
                  On the stand beside the sofa, her phone buzzed, pulling her away from the window and the beauty of the landscape it overlooked. As soon as she answered, her friend Emily took control of the conversation. “Where are you?” she demanded. “We thought you were with that hot basketball player, the one who had invited you over for s’mores. My god, the noises coming from his tent last night… it made the whole campsite want to join in. I was gonna pass down my title of Sexy Bitch to you,