Free Big Sexy Bear by Terry Bolryder Page B

warming. Her trust meant everything. “You are safe with me, honey. I promise that.”
    “Maybe it’s crazy, but I believe you,” she said softly. “Even just a few days of peace, that would mean everything.”
    “It’ll be more than a few days, hon. Trust me. But if all you can believe is they can’t find you yet, believe that for sure. But if they do come, I’ll be ready.”
    “I don’t know how you can promise that,” she said. “But I’m tired of running anyway. We couldn’t run now if we wanted to. So all I can really do is put my trust in you.” She rolled over onto him, her dark hair all around her face in a soft, brown halo as she leaned forward until they were nose to nose. “I do know there’s no one else I’d rather be stuck with,” she said.
    He knew it was probably more than she’d ever said to anyone else. He felt slightly bad for not telling her who he was, why he was so confident no one could take her away from him. But at least for now, that was how it had to be.
    He just wanted things to be simple. Just for a little while longer.
    While he won over his mate.
    He’d tell her the rest when he had to.

7
    A couple days later , things were going better than even Ares with his own natural optimism could have guessed. He’d spent the past few days getting to know Mac and Kat and doing fun things with them.
    It was fun to take Mac bowling and see him struggle with even the littlest bowling ball. It was fun to see Katrina be pretty good, while Ares himself could only bowl really powerful gutter balls. He blamed Katrina and the distraction of her beautiful ass every time she bowled right before him. Made it hard for a man to think.
    Maude had them all beat. She was part of the local bowling league and managed a nearly perfect score that had them all high-fiving her at the end.
    And now, on a perfectly sunny summer day, he was just wrapping up some shopping at the small local grocery store with Mac and Kat. Mac had ridden on his shoulders all the way here from Maude’s place, laughing as Ares went faster or slower, while Kat giggled and told them to slow down.
    Ares had told the locals he had some family visiting, and as it wasn’t uncommon to see new people or tourists around, everyone had been friendly and welcoming and not asked any questions.
    As they shopped, getting things for Ares to cook for dinner tonight while Kat tried to talk Mac out of trying to shove every piece of candy in the store into the basket, Ares couldn’t help but hope this was his new, immediate future.
    They were his. And he wouldn’t let the trust shining in little Mac’s blue eyes or the assurance he felt from Katrina every time he held her be misplaced.
    Sometimes he still saw fear in her eyes, but it was easy to run a hand through her hair, looking into those soft brown eyes, and tell her things would be okay, hold her against him until she felt better and secretly swear vengeance to himself against anyone that had ever hurt or scared her.
    “Is this everything?” Kat asked, pulling him from his thoughts as she started to load things onto the conveyor belt.
    “Yup,” he said, flashing her a grin. He made sure to take the heaviest things from her and put them up himself. He knew he was being overprotective, but so be it. Kat had dealt with enough so far. He’d make sure everything from here on out was as easy for his mate as possible.
    When they’d loaded it all and the cashier was ringing up the total, giving them friendly smiles as they did so, Mac suddenly said something about seeing a dog and then darted outside.
    Ares’s ears perked up, but he knew kids tended to just run off when they wanted to.
    “I’ll get him. Be right back,” Kat said, running after them.
    Ares finished paying quickly. Even though they were still close, he didn’t like not keeping his eyes on them at all times. He took his receipt and jogged to the automatic doors.
    And what he saw made his heart sink into his shoes.
    Men in