Free Bought by the Billionbear: BBW Paranormal Bear Shifter Romance by Zoe Chant Page A

thing.
    “Madison, you owe me big-time,” Raina muttered.
    She picked up a tube of lipstick. It might be a disaster, but at least she’d put her best face forward.
    ***
    Owen Maguire glanced at his watch for the fifteenth time that night. Another charity benefit. Another crowded room full of men in suits. Another parade of beautiful women who weren’t his mate.
    Owen was bored, and Owen’s bear was climbing the walls. He tried to stretch unobtrusively, but his muscular, 6’5” frame wasn’t made for unobtrusive. His elbow nearly gave the man next to him a black eye.
    “Sorry,” Owen said.
    The man glared at him, his thick brows lowering in challenge. “Watch it.”
    Owen’s bear instantly bristled, as always ready for a fight. But Owen pushed his fierce animal side down, at least enough that what came out of his mouth wasn’t “You want to step outside?” but rather an icy “Excuse me?”
    But before anything could happen, they were both distracted by the auctioneer banging his gavel.
    “Sold!” shouted the auctioneer. “Mr. Griffith, you’ve won a date with the beautiful Alison!”
    The woman onstage really was beautiful, Owen thought. Her blonde hair hung nearly to her waist, and though she was smaller than he preferred, she did have some curves. Maybe he should have bid on her. It was only one date. And he couldn’t leave the auction without bidding on someone. He’d promised the organizers he would. It was for a good cause.
    Owen started to stretch again, then caught himself with a sigh. The chair was too small for him. The city was too small for him. His bear was restless, and he was restless. He’d make his donation and go on his date, and then he had to get out into the country. He needed room to roam.
    No. What he needed, his bear insisted, was a mate.
    Got any ideas on where to find her? Owen asked his bear.
    As always, he came up empty. He believed in the lore of his clan: that every shifter had their fated mate. But having a mate didn’t mean that you’d ever find her. For all he knew, his mate was someone he’d never meet, living in another country whose language he didn’t speak.
    People were always telling him, “You have everything.” It was almost true. But without a mate— without the love of the one woman in the world who was meant for him— all his billions didn’t mean a damn thing.
    “Our next bachelorette,” the auctioneer announced. “Miss Raina Williams!”
    Owen sat up straight, suddenly more interested, as Raina walked on to the stage. She was a vision in curves, nothing but luscious softness all over. Her scarlet dress clung to her delicious body, cupping the pearly globes of her breasts and outlining the most gorgeous ass he’d seen in his entire life. Her hips swayed as she walked, sending ripples through her whole body and delivering a jolt of desire straight to Owen’s cock.
    Owen wished he could see Raina’s face. If it was even half as gorgeous as her body, she’d be by far the most beautiful bachelorette present. But her head was lowered, her face hidden by a fall of glossy brown hair. He wondered if she was shy, and why she’d volunteered to go onstage when she couldn’t even bring herself to lift her head to meet the eyes of the audience. He could sympathize. He wasn’t shy himself, but he knew what it was like to be uncomfortable in a crowd.
    She stopped at the center of the stage. Between her hair and the shadows cast by the brilliant stage lights, her eyes were invisible, but Owen could now catch a glimpse of a sweet kissable mouth, a firm chin, and delectably round cheeks. Raina was lovely. But her body language was hunched and uncomfortable, as if she was trying to hide within her own body. Owen didn’t understand it. She had nothing to hide.
    The auctioneer began reading off a piece of paper. “This lovely bachelorette brightens the days of shoppers as a supermarket cashier. Her favorite color is forest green.”
    Forest green, rumbled