ROMANCE: Bear Naked Passion (Billionaire Bear Trio Book 2) (253 page)

Chapter 3

              Settling in the front room, the two of them sat on one of his brown leather couches. Making sure that he stayed on his end of the couch, Andrea had scooted as far away from him as she could. Before the two of them was the dark coffee table, a platter of sandwiches and a tray of tea resting on top of it.

              Andrea took a few sips from the tea, its chill soothing her warm body, but she forced herself not to take a sandwich. She couldn’t let herself get distracted—couldn’t give Reed an opening to take advantage of her before she could of him.

              “So,” Reed said once his server had left the large room. He took one sandwich in his large hand and, before he took a bite from it, he asked, “Where should I begin?”

              Andrea tapped her fingers over her purse. Inside of it was her tape recorder, which she would need to turn on when Reed wasn’t paying such close attention to her. Even as he ate, his eyes were glued to her.

              “How about the beginning?” she said eventually, smiling.

              Chewing, he swallowed down his bite and nodded. “I suppose that is reasonable.

              No one knows for certain about the first bear-shifter, but it is generally understood that he came into existence a few thousand years ago, give or take. After insulting a witch, the witch cursed him by making him two creatures in one body. But the man, now bear-shifter, did not see this as a curse. His saw his new abilities and his new sense of self as something that strengthened him, and he used these new strengths to conquer many villages. And in each one of those villages, he always had one woman be his queen and the mother of his offspring.”

              “Charming,” Andrea said, her fascination outweighing her mock-disgust. She tapped her purse again, her eagerness to turn on the tape recorder getting the better of her. Needing to relax, she took her glass of tea and drank from it again. “So all bear-shifters are jerks because they share a great great great grandfather?”

              Reed snorted, his lips spreading into a wide smile. “In a matter of speaking.” He tossed his last bite of sandwich into the air before catching it in his mouth; he swallowed the bite in one gulp.

              Andrea cocked an eyebrow at him.

              “But,” Reed continued, grabbing another sandwich from the platter, “like any species, everyone is an individual. Though we share similarities, we are not actually the same.”

              “How do you differ?”

              Reed made a thoughtful noise, his gaze flitting upward. “Well, in personality, for one. We also differ in species of bear. Some of us feel more like a bear than a human, while others feel the opposite. There are all kinds of things that differentiates us.”

              Awed and even more curious now, Andrea blinked at him. She nearly forgot about the beverage in her hand, her palm going numb. As many more questions raced through her mind, there was one thing she realized she should have asked of him first.

              “Show me,” she said.

              Reed stiffened, his sandwich inches from his lips. Hesitantly, he lowered his food and gaped at her. “Excuse me?”

              “Show me what kind of bear you are,” she said. “Help me to understand all of this.”

              “You can’t understand by me just telling you?”

              Andrea shrugged good-naturedly. “What can I say? I’m a visual learner.”

              Reed blushed, his hands shaking a little as he lowered his sandwich back to the platter. Clearly not wanting to look at her, he said, “I don’t think that’s necessary. Transforming can be very taxing and…vulnerable. I don’t…”

              She released a dramatic sigh, her mind having already come up with a story she could use to win him over. “I saw Hank transform partially, and he looked monstrous.” Andrea shivered and contorted her features in a way that expressed fear. Glancing away from Reed, she visibly tightened her grip on her glass. “It was terrifying. But it was also dark, and I’m just so uncertain and confused…how can I move on from this if I have no closure? If I don’t at least understand why Hank did what he did? Please, Reed.” She turned back to him when she felt her eyes had moistened. “Please help me.”

              Reed frowned, discomfort evident on his face. “I am sorry about that. Hank’s always been rather forward, but I never thought he would ever put anyone in harm’s way.”

              She sniffled loudly. The fact that her turmoil of emotions were beginning to feel real to her helped fueled her eyes with tears; she chose to see this as an advantage.

              Reed cringed, leaning away. “I…I guess if you think it will help undo some of the damage.”

              Wiping at one of her eyes, Andrea slowly nodded.

              “Very well,” Reed said tightly. With obvious hesitance, he stood up and took long but slow strides toward the windows. Once there, he quickly lowered the blinds and drew the curtains. “Please, just don’t be frightened or disturbed. I have full control over both my forms, and I mean you no harm. Truly.” He moved over to another set of windows and drew the blinds there.

              A part of Andrea’s gut churned, the possibility of danger now feeling more present. Little tremors crawled through her flesh, but she tensed herself against them. More than anything, she wanted to face this—whatever it was. Excitement seared through her veins, giving her an extra dose of energy she really didn’t need; she tensed herself against that sensation, too.

              Once Reed was finished covering all the windows, he walked to the center of the room and faced her. He was blinking quickly, shallow breaths puffing out of his nostrils. “Again,” he said softly, “please try to remain calm. I will not move from this spot; this is just a demonstration.”

              “I understand,” Andrea whispered, her tone strained with too many emotions. At the last second she decided to lower her glass of tea back on the coffee table. “Proceed.”

              Reed twitched. At first, Andrea thought he was reacting negatively toward her, but then he twitched again. And again. His arms moved out as thick brown fur sprouted from his skin and enveloped his entire body. His clothing was stretched, then torn apart, his body bulging and twisting into a much larger shape. Claws grew from his feet and clattered over the wooden, his back leg jolting back and smashing into one of the side tables. The most breathtaking part of this display, however, was the way his face changed; his eyes morphed into black, gleaming orbs while the rest of his face seemed to reach forward. Before Andrea knew it, she was staring at a massive creature with human clothing littered at its feet.

              The bear blinked at her.

              Andrea blinked back, unable to breathe. It was magical—terrifying, yes, but it was magical and incredible. She couldn’t look away, nor could she move. It was as if every atom of her body could no longer function.

              Then, all too soon for her liking, the bear began to shrink. Its fur rapidly receded into flesh, as did its claws. In a few seconds—and in a much quieter fashion—Reed had morphed back into his human form. His naked human form.

              Had Andrea not witnessed a miracle, she would have at least acted bashfully. Instead, she found herself standing up and approaching the man. “Amazing. I’ve never even dreamed of anything like this being possible.”

              Reed’s face reddened, his hands scrambling over the ground until they managed to get a grip on his torn shirt. Awkwardly, he placed the clothing over his genitals. “Um, yes, well,” he said, coughing a little and flinching. “I’m, uh, glad you are not frightened, at least.”

              “How do people not know about this? This is so spectacular and—” She was only a couple of feet away from him now, his blush having spread down to his clavicle. More aware, she glanced over him and felt desire flush through her. “Breathtaking.” A man so powerful yet tamed. “Very breathtaking.”

              “Um, all right,” Reed said, shifting back and forth. “I am…” He glanced over himself. “I am going to get myself a new set of clothes. Excuse me.” He walked away, but she instantly followed him.

              “So are you a grizzly bear?” she asked. “And how does that work exactly? Are certain people cursed as certain bears? If the first cursed man was only one kind of bear, how can there be several different species of bear-human-things?”

              “Bear-shifters,” Reed corrected, glancing back at her. He quickened his pace, but she quickened hers in response. He sighed with obvious exasperation, his face and neck growing a shade redder. “And I am not a grizzly, I am a European Brown Bear. And—” When he came to the stairs, he walked up a couple of them, but then glared back at her. “Do you mind?”

              “Not at all,” she said, trying very hard not to scan every little detail of his large body. “I am dedicated in discovering the truth no matter the circumstances. Hank didn’t scare me away; your nudity certainly won’t.”

              Mentioning Hank had the desired effect, in which it made Reed clamp his mouth shut and flinch. After a few hesitant seconds, he huffed out a breath and continued his way up the stairs.

              “The story of the first cursed man is just a myth, not a fact,” Reed said, no longer glancing back at her. His steps were slower though, but if it was in consideration of her or not, she couldn’t tell. “Some do think of the story in more theoretical terms though.”

              “So it is like a religion?”

              “Not really, no. It’s more like a debate on historical facts with little evidence to present one’s argument.”

              “Sounds like a religion to me.”

              He snorted, but when he said nothing more, she continued asking questions. All the while, her eyes scanned the different areas of his home. Unlike Hank’s mansion, Reed’s place contained artwork and shelves of books. In the hallway that lead—well, that Andrea assumed lead—to Reed’s bedroom, there were several small bookshelves that lined the wall with hundreds, if not thousands, of books. Andrea noticed that many of the titles had the words “meaning,” “purpose,” and “life.” When she raised her gaze to the top of these shelves, a couple of them had a figurine or two of Buddha. She also noticed there was a painting of Confucius hung right beside Reed’s bedroom door.

              “Will you please wait here,” Reed said, nodding toward where she stood while he awkwardly squeezed his way inside his bedroom doorframe, his body pushing open the door in the process, “for the present time. It shouldn’t take me long to throw on some sweats, at least.”

              “Are you lost, Reed?” Andrea asked softly.

              Reed reeled his head back. “What?”

              She didn’t want him to go inside and get himself collected; it would be like letting a knight put gather up an extra shield. Reed was giving her everything she wanted, and she couldn’t let it end if she wanted to get more information out of him. Her nails scratched into her purse, frustration buzzing through her when she thought about her tape recorder, but she made sure she expressed concern.

              “Forgive me,” she said, still keep her tone gentle. “You have been very kind to me and very truthful, and I appreciate it. It’s just…I can tell there is something missing in your life, isn’t there?” She pointedly did not glance at the portrait of Confucius that hung beside him. “Your life feels exhausting and tedious, and you’re trying to understand the purpose of it all—maybe find a balance.”

              Reed’s eyes widened and glistened, his jaw clenching. It was such an open, vulnerable expression that it struck Andrea for a moment. Reed truly was a much, much better man than Hank, though Hank had set the bar so low that that was true of many men. Regardless, Andrea suddenly felt a wave of doubt crash through her, and she found herself frowning in response.

              “You’re right,” Reed said, shame and fear choking his words. His gaze lowered to the floor. “Being so different from most of the world—having to hide all the time—I have had questions all of my life. And they often go unanswered. I wish I did know if the myth of the first cursed man was, in fact, a myth or a factual tale. I wish I knew more about what I was, and I wish I could talk more about this with people without being afraid of their reactions. I wish I could just…”

              “You wish you could just what?” Andrea asked, curiosity pulling back her guilt and making her feel nauseous with confliction. “Reed?”

              He licked his lips, tilting his head to the side as he closed his eyes. A heavy breath whooshed out of his nostrils, and in the next second, the tension in his shoulders were gone. “I’m not sure. But this life is more burdensome than I care for.” He opened his eyes and stared deeply into hers, as if he was silently asking her something.

              Andrea wished she could say something to help him—hell, to help her understand all of this. Instead, she only nodded. “Life rarely makes sense, no matter what your species, I guess.”

              Reed smiled tiredly at her.

              His expression stirred something within her—a heroic urge, perhaps. She wasn’t sure what to call it, but before she knew it, she was placing her palm on his shoulder and saying, “Everyone has those kinds of questions, Reed. No matter who or what you are, those questions are important to have. They hurt, but being aware of them makes us aware of the possibility of meaning—of hope.”