Free Furever Mated (BBW Paranormal Shifter Romance) by Meredith Clarke Page A

which made Kurt let out a light laugh.
    “What is so funny?” Scarlett asked as she playfully put her hands on her hips.
    “Nothing is funny,” Kurt said. “I just love that you aren’t afraid to eat.”
    Scarlett let out a laugh. “That is one thing you will never have to worry about with me. I will always eat.”
    Scarlett turned her attention back to the basket and pulled out the items. There were sandwiches, a large salad, fruit, cheese, and champagne.
    “How did you manage to do all of this?” Scarlett asked.
    Kurt chuckled lightly. “I may have had some connections.”
    “You spoke to Blair, didn’t you?” Scarlett asked.
    “I have no idea who Blair is,” Kurt said as he tried to hide the smile on his face
    Scarlett lightly hit him on the shoulder. “You are such a liar.”
    “Maybe,” Kurt said. “But I will only lie when it comes to surprising you in some way.”
    Scarlett leaned towards Kurt and pulled his face towards hers. Their lips crashed together. Kurt loved how Scarlett took full control of what she wanted. She was not a sit-there-and-wait type of girl. If she wanted to kiss him, she did, and he couldn’t get enough of it. Kurt wrapped his arms around her curves and pulled her closer to him. Kurt let Scarlett’s sweet scent consume his senses. Nothing else mattered except her.
    The wind shifted and blew towards them. With it came a scent that had Kurt’s bear immediately go on high alert. His whole body went rigid, and Scarlett broke their kiss in confusion.
    “Is something wrong?”
    Kurt lifted his head and smelled the air around him. Something was not right, and his bear would not settle down. A loud snap came from behind them, and Kurt pulled Scarlett behind him and let out a low growl.
    “Dude,” Frank said. “It’s just me.”
    Anger coursed off Kurt’s body. “What do you want, Frank?”
    “We need to have a clan meeting,” Frank said. “The other clan of bears just arrived on the island.”

14

Scarlett
    S carlett was slightly frightened by the angry growl that emanated from Kurt’s chest. Up to this point she had forgotten that there was a darker side to Kurt that she had not fully seen yet. She knew that his bear fed off his anger, and she sucked in a shaky breath. She was not prepared to face a giant grizzly in front of her.
    Scarlett hesitantly placed her hand on his back. She knew it was probably stupid to touch him when he was riled up like this, but she hoped that she would be able to bring Kurt’s human side back to her. Kurt’s body twitched under her touch and she felt his muscles instantly relax. She let out a sigh of relief, knowing that he had calmed down. He slowly turned to face her.
    “I’m sorry, Scarlett,” Kurt said. “I didn’t mean to frighten you.”
    “It’s OK,” Scarlett nodded. Scarlett could tell that Kurt was truly sorry. Once he realized that she was there with him, he had instantly calmed down, which lessened Scarlett’s fear.
    Kurt leaned in and gently kissed Scarlett on the lips. “I need to go meet with our clan. Bringing two groups of bears together can cause a lot of tension, and I need to make sure that they all stay in line.”
    “Yeah, I can imagine things could get pretty hostile,” Scarlett said. “Go take care of what you need to. I can see you later.”
    “You are amazing, you know that?” Kurt smiled and kissed her again. “Do me a favor and head back to your bungalow. I would feel better knowing you aren’t around the other clan.”
    Scarlett let out a snort. “Getting protective now, are we?”
    “I can’t help it,” Kurt said. “It’s in my nature to want to protect you.”
    “It’s OK,” Scarlett said honestly. “It’s kinda nice to have someone want to protect me for once.”
    Kurt smiled. “I will always protect you.” Frank let out a snort of laughter behind them. Scarlett felt warmth rush to her cheeks.
    “Let me walk you back to your room,” Kurt said. “Frank, go gather up our clan