BEARing it All (Wylde Brothers 3)

For longer than she wanted to admit, she had been surrounded by glass, steel, and the effects of modernization as Rook kept her with him, but not having anything restraining her, and smelling all the wonderful scents was sublime. Bram was in front of her, but only by a foot.

It had only been two days since he had taken her back to his home, and the kind of attention and affection he gave her were what she dreamed of while living with Rook. She hadn’t thought about the fight he had with the wolverines, and found it easy not to, especially when he was so gentle and soft with her. Maybe she was starting to heal.

She may feel as though she was, but that didn’t mean the threat of Rook wasn’t still very real. “Are you sure we’re safe?” Despite the thick protection the forest gave them, Rook was a hunter and got a thrill from the chase.

She didn’t sense anything aside from the cleanness of nature, and Bram was relaxed, which helped her calm as well, but she still asked… for the third time. He stopped and turned to look at her.

“Kenzie, I promise you’re safe. This is my home, and I know it better than I know myself sometimes. If there was any kind of threat, I would know, and there wouldn’t be any way I’d take you out of the safety of the cabin.” He took a step forward and took her hand in his. “I just want to see you smile when you see the waterfall.” He gave her hand a squeeze and started leading her again. He had only kissed her that once, but she couldn’t stop thinking about it.

He hadn’t tried anything else for that matter, but she could still sense his restlessness to be with her. It was this frantic need to take his mate, to possess her in the way she possessed him.

She didn’t fear him, and certainly didn’t fear the way he always watched her, as if he truly did want to make sure she was comfortable and safe, whilst holding himself in check. For as much as she knew he wanted her, Bram stayed the perfect gentleman, even if it had only been these couple days. They had only been hiking for about a mile, but soon the scent of fresh water and the sound of the waterfall he had spoken about came at her full-force.

They came to a stop right as the trees thinned out. “Be careful. The ledge is only a few feet away.” Bram smiled at her, and the look was contagious. They moved closer, and her breath stalled when she saw how high they had gone up the mountain and the incredible waterfall that lay right in front of them. The water pooled at the basin below and quickly rushed farther down the mountain. It was beautiful with colors of white and blue, and the mist that sprayed up to them, even from their height, was refreshing.

“It’s so beautiful.”

“It really is.”

She turned and looked at Bram. He wasn’t watching the falls but instead had his eyes trained on her. “The most beautiful thing I’ve ever seen.” He wasn’t talking about the falls but about her. He sounded so enthralled, so weak, that it was such a sharp contrast to the strong, ruthless male she just met.

Kenzie didn’t say anything, but honestly, she didn’t know how to respond. After a few seconds of Bram just watching her, he pulled her closer to his body, and they stared at the cascading water.

They settled into a relaxed, comfortable silence, and that was fine with Kenzie, because she couldn’t remember the last time she felt so content.22Bram pulled the truck to a stop in front of the cabin, and after grabbing the grocery bags and heading inside, Kenzie excused herself to the bathroom. The time with Bram seemed to pass so quickly.

Already, she had been with him for several days, but even if it had passed quickly, she felt like she had been with him far longer.

This was her second trip into town, and even if she felt safe with Bram, she still didn’t let her guard down. She knew Rook was still lingering in Sweet Water, hiding and just waiting for her.

It was nice getting out, seeing the small, intimate town that was so much more than how it presented itself. Shifters and humans alike mingled effortlessly, and she loved the small, personal relationship everyone seemed to have with one another.

Kenzie shut the bathroom door behind her and stepped up to the mirror. Her side didn’t hurt as much, but the annoying itch that came with the healing process was starting to bug her.

She should have been healed already, but the stress and fear she still carried, albeit lessened now that she was around Bram, slowed things down.