Big Bad Bear by Terry Bolryder

would have looked movie-star bright if it didn’t seem so predatory. “Abso-fuckin-lutely.”
    Zeus nodded. “Good.”
    “You okay staying here with your lady?” Ares asked.
    “Of course,” Zeus said. “When will you be back?”
    “I plan to be out all night, most of the morning. If I come back here, they’ll assume you’re here. You know how the security works. No one is getting in without alerting you, and you know where the safe room is.”
    Zeus did. He stood with some effort, and he and Ares did a quick shoulder clapping hug before Ares gave them a mock salute and left, leaving Zeus alone with Carly.

9
    S he looked him over . “We should get you changed,” she said. “Come on. Let’s find you some clothes.”
    He nodded and was amused when she came to him and put a hand around his waist, as if her short, curvy frame could support him. Still, to humor her, and because he liked her touch, he let her walk with him down the hall. He gestured to the guest bedroom that Ares kept ready for him when he came into town, and she walked in with him and made him sit on the bed.
    “There are clothes in the closet,” he said. “I sometimes stay here with Ares when I’m in town.”
    “What do you come to town for anyway?” she asked, blushing slightly as she pulled some things out of the closet and laid them out on the bed. Her blush deepened as she reached for the hem of his shirt, and he raised his arms to make it easy for her to pull it over his head.
    He was tired, but not too tired to be totally turned on by his mate removing his clothing. When she reached for the button of his jeans, he gently moved her hand away. “I got it,” he said, not wanting her to undo his pants and see just how affected he was at a time when he shouldn’t be thinking of it.
    She reluctantly turned away with a sigh. “I like helping you, you know. I just… I know I’m not a badass like you or Ares. But don’t shut me out. Let me help. You know?”
    He was stunned. He quickly pulled on his shirt and changed his jeans as he dealt with what she’d just said.
    He hadn’t expected her to be hurt by him not letting her check out a bloody wound or undo his pants and have to see his raging boner brought on just by being in her presence. He still felt like the luckiest man in the world just to be near her. He didn’t want to do anything that put her off of him.
    He and Ares had to get her out of the room so she didn’t see how quickly his wound had healed. Revealing yourself as a shifter to a human who hadn’t agreed to mate you was forbidden and carried serious consequences, up to and including brainwashing and death. He’d only been trying to protect her.
    But he supposed he wouldn’t have liked to be sent away when she was hurt either.
    “I’m sorry,” he said. “I’ve been on my own a long time. I don’t want to bother you.”
    “You saved my life. Twice now. Don’t you get that I want to care for you too?”
    Zeus was silent. No, he didn’t get that. His job was to protect her and take care of everything. Her job was to be happy and safe. And how could a sweet, friendly woman like her care about a wounded, grumpy warrior like him? Sure, he could take down a dozen men with his bare hands, but that didn’t mean he deserved her love or respect. He had to earn it.
    She sat next to him and reached over, playing with the button on his jeans as he felt the blood in his body move to a specific, inconvenient location. “I get you’re a big, bad fighter. I get I can’t charge into battle with you. But it was terrifying being in there, having to stand back and watch, knowing there was nothing I could do, even call the police.”
    She shuddered, and he wrapped an arm around her, holding her tight. “No, you don’t have to comfort me,” she said, starting to pull away but giving up when he insisted on keeping her close. “It’s just that when you’re done with that fight, the least I can do is take care of you