Three distinctive growls harmonize as our outraged bears voice their opinions. I see goosebumps prickle Goldie’s skin at the animalistic sounds, but I don’t think any of us could have held it back if we tried.
“He pulled a fucking gun on his bride?” I ask, my words barely discernible with how low my tone is pitched. Crunching gravel sounds less rough.
“I don’t know if he was just trying to scare me or if he’d actually use it on us,” Goldie adds. “But I was so worried he’d shoot Bonnie just to keep me from escaping.”
“It doesn’t matter,” Marcus says, echoing my thoughts. “He should be in jail.”
Goldie shakes her head, her blonde hair, frizzy and unruly from her ordeal, coming undone from the style she put it in before her escape.
“It would never stick. Not with his family’s connections. To be honest, I just want to access my trust fund and start a new life away from him and my parents. I don’t care if they come to regret it now… I don’t want to be near them anymore either.”
“I’ll help you get your funds and maybe a new identity,” Kieran vows. His expertise with computers makes it an easy promise for him to make. “But I think you and Bonnie should stay here until you decide where you’re going to live.”
“Kieran…” Marcus warns with narrowed eyes.
“I don’t know,” I add, fearful of hurting her, especially knowing she’d already been traumatized by a man.
“Ah, come on, guys!” Kieran exclaims, throwing his hands up. “We can’t let her leave. She’s in danger, she has no clothes, no money, and nowhere to go.”
Goldie’s cheeks turn redder with every word out of his mouth, like the situation is her fault and something to be embarrassed by.
“It’s okay, Kieran,” she murmurs with downcast eyes. “I can’t possibly impose on you and your brothers…”
When I see a tear roll down one of her round cheeks, I clench my jaw together so tight that one of my neck muscles cramps. I look at Marcus to see his eyes are already on mine,regretful, searching. He wishes he could take the words back, too. I nod at him.
“No, you’re staying,” Marcus says with finality.
“Kieran’s right,” I add when she looks up questioningly. “You’ll be safer here.”
The shaky smile that blooms across her face makes my heart quiver in return.
Ah, God. I’m in so much trouble.
6
KIERAN
The first night with a female in our home is… intense. I barely sleep for more than an hour at a time. Her scent is everywhere, permeating the cabin with an addicting sweetness I want to bottle up and keep forever. Of course, she is not the first woman to enter any of our lives, but she is most definitely the only one to stay overnight in our home here in the woods. It is more of an unspoken rule that we do not bring dates, or anyone for that matter, without full consent from all three of us.
As I lie awake, listening to the sound of her breathing, I hear my brothers creeping in the halls to peek in on her, as I had already done twice since she fell asleep. She has the cutest little snore, the sound so soft and calming, and her golden hair is splayed out on the pillows. We don’t keep women’s clothing in the house, so she’s wearing one of my T-shirts to sleep in. Marcus wanted to fight me for the honor; I saw it in his eyes, but the grumpy asshole was too proud to admit Goldie was winning him over.
Adrian didn’t offer his own clothes for her to sleep in. I know this is only because of his anxiety about harming her.My brother, although menacing at times, could never harm an innocent. This is even more apparent to me after he continued to check on her throughout the night.
I rise from bed before the sun, the other occupants still asleep, and prepare a lavish breakfast. Goldie is skin and bones, and seeing a bit of meat on her will settle the beast within. Not fully, not after hearing her story. This fiancé of hers will be answering for his crimes against her soon enough. And while the others think we are simply caring for her short term, I’m preparing for something more.
Goldie is the one for me. The partner I never knew I needed until she came galloping into my life. Dating is always fun for me, but the connections never go further than that. Spending only a handful of hours with Goldie yesterday solidified the mating call purring in my soul. The brown bear within recognizes his other half.
Breakfast is nearly ready when I hear tiny footsteps on the stairs. We gave Goldie the spare bedroom on the third floor, down the hall from mine. Which means my brothers would be down shortly. I know they heard her movements as clearly as I did. Even in this form, our senses are heightened. The smell of honeyed cakes and dewy grass drifts into the kitchen moments before Goldie walks through the doorway.
A smile lights up her face when she sees me. “Good morning. Something smells delicious down here.”
My bear purrs with satisfaction at her compliment, and I grin back at her. “I wasn’t sure what you liked to eat, so I’ve made a bit of everything.”
Adrian likes his eggs scrambled with minimal spice and a side of sausage. Marcus prefers his over-easy with extra bacon and toast. And I plate an omelet with fresh veggies and ham for myself. Goldie hops onto a stool at the kitchen island, where all three plates are laid out. Before I can ask her what she likes, Goldie snatches up utensils and shifts afew bites of food from each plate onto her own. Without waiting, the starved girl digs into the blend of eggs, meats, and veggies. Her plate is half-empty before I even get to my own food. A soft moan escapes her lips, and she closes her eyes.
“This is amazing,” she says, shoving another bite into her pretty mouth.
The beast within is practically salivating at the sight of her. I cannot stop staring. Everything about this woman is sucking me in, clawing at my soul, and latching onto the parts of me I never share with anyone but my brothers.
