Free Big Bear Problems: BBW Werebear Shapeshifter Romance by Anya Nowlan, Rory Dale Page B

He’s not good, but this isn’t life threatening. Not with me and Everett around. He needs other bears here to draw strength from. And, you too, Jennifer,” he said, giving her a long look.
    “Me?” she asked, confused.
    “Yup,” Jameson chuckled.
    “Why?”
    “Well,” Jameson started, sharing a look with Maisy before returning his attention to Jen. “I don’t know how far you two have gotten, but he seemed pretty adamant about the fact that you are his mate. And that’s… Well, it’s pretty important for a werebear,” Jameson said, grinning.
    He squeezed Jen’s shoulder and she was left to stare blankly, tears still stinging her eyes. She put her other hand on Ethan’s as well, willing him to wake up and help ease the turmoil that raged through her.
    His… mate? Hell, this isn’t Phoenix anymore, for sure, she thought, a hint of irony creeping in there.
    She’d run from Phoenix in the hopes of getting away from a man who was nowhere near good enough for her, and now she’d found one who was everything she had ever wanted and never known she could have. And he’d risked life and limb for her before they’d even managed to define what they were to each other.
    Jen had been hoping for even a fraction of that commitment from Chad for years and instead, she’d gotten nothing but heartache. But with Ethan? It was all different. And she didn’t quite know what to make of it.
    “Wake up,” she murmured, gently brushing her hand through his short hair.
    He looked almost peaceful, though his muscles were strained. Looking at his face again, she could see that the bit of bone that had been protruding before was now nowhere to be seen, already hidden under fresh tissue.
    “Don’t worry, Jen. He’ll snap out of it,” Maisy assured Jen, but she wasn’t about to believe it.
    Not until he opened his eyes and told that to her himself.
    Vaguely, Jen felt time passing around her. She was rooted in spot next to Ethan, holding his big paw of a hand and praying that he would wake up. The others came and went during the day, always close but not crowding her. At one point Maisy tried to get her to eat something but Jen didn’t have any appetite.
    Images of the night before kept playing in her mind. How his rough, coarse hands had felt like heaven when he explored her body. How their tongues had intertwined and tasted each other in that first kiss and then many more to follow. How his hard abs had tightened when she slid her fingertips over them, making his breath hitch.
    How he’d looked at her like she was the most beautiful woman in the world. And how she believed he really thought that when she met his gaze.
    Jen’s head was resting on her arm, teetering on the verge of sleep, when she felt slight movement. She looked up and saw Ethan stroking his fingers through her long hair, smiling mildly. He looked like he’d just been put through a meat grinder, but he was awake. And he was smiling .
    Jen grinned like Christmas had come early. “You’re awake,” she whispered.
    “I am,” he confirmed with the lightest shadow of a chuckle. “I didn’t mean to wake you.”
    “I don’t think that’s our biggest problem right now,” Jen snorted.
    Ethan was about to reply when their conversation was interrupted by the addition of Jameson and Everett into the room. Jameson let out a sigh of relief and Everett crossed his arms over his chest, glaring at Ethan.
    “You couldn’t just god damn call us when shit went down, huh? You had to be the hero.”
    “Leave him alone, Everett,” Jameson said, putting his hand on Everett’s shoulder. “Can’t you see our great and fearless leader is deep in the throes of love?”
    “That’s what I need. A bunch of jackasses around me,” Ethan said with a smirk, lifting his body up a bit and giving them a look.
    “Whatever. Can we go kill them now? The whole damn litter of mutts,” Everett asked, growling under his breath.
    It reminded Jen of the sounds Ethan made, but