Daxton (BBW Bear Shifter Moonshiner Romance) (120 Proof Honey) by Becca Fanning Read Free Book Online

lady?”

    “Young lady,” Anina said with a grin. “You’re so formal, Dietrich. Why, I’ll bet she’s your age. Twenty-two.”

    Anina looked to Elise, and she gave an apologetic shrug.

    “Twenty-one,” she corrected.

    “Close enough,” Anina replied. “This is Elise Davenport. She’s taking a little vacation from LA, but she encountered two of our grizzlies off the Northern trail.”

    “I’ll bet one of them was Silo,” said the guy called Kurt. “He was a rescue from a Russian Circus. He doesn’t understand that he shouldn’t get so close to people. Hey Ben, you wanna put fifty bucks on it being Silo?”

    “This is the hardly the time, Kurt,” Ben replied. He ran a hand through his dark hair. “I ought to draw up a report.”

    When Ben moved to the far end of the room, heading for a wide wooden desk, Kurt followed him with a burr of low chatter. Elise found her eyes drawn to Dietrich again. He stood tall now that he’d stopped panting for breath, and his body was peppered with black hairs, the same dark shade as those on his head. He had a shadow of stubble on his square jaw, which he scratched at with a large, strong hand. Another flash of gold shot her way.

    “Can I ask about the grizzlies?” Elise said tentatively. “I mean, I didn’t think we had any outside of San Diego Zoo.”

    “Fairhaven’s a sanctuary for the grizzly bear,” said Hartwin. He had a softer jawline than the other grandsons, and he smiled whenever he spoke. “Most people who come here go trekking to try and spot them. But you didn’t know?”

    Elise shook her head.

    “Then why did you come, dear?” Anina asked. “Peace and quiet in the cabins?”

    “Something like that,” Elise answered. “I, uh… The place was actually recommended by my friend Karina. Karina Vasquez.”

    Anina’s face lit up like the roaring fire behind her.

    “Oh, we know Karina Vasquez!” she exclaimed with delight. “All of my boys are signed up to her dating agency. Well, all except Reinicke, but we’ll fix that one of these days.”

    “Good luck!” Kurt chipped in from the far end of the room.

    Anina shook her head, and reached out to take hold of Elise’s hands. Her gaze was conspiratorial, greedy even.

    “Does that mean you’re looking for a new man, Elise?” she pressed.

    That had been the plan, actually. After the disaster at the Shine Awards, Elise had hopped in her car and driven as far north as she could get in one night. She remembered Karina telling her how beautiful Fairhaven Park was, and that it was the ideal place to meet someone new. Elise had imagined that a new man might be a welcome distraction. She wondered if she could hide away with some summer romance, until the heat had died down back home. It seemed that Karina had been right about the selection of guys on offer, but there was just one problem with the situation.

    Those golden eyes were something else. Elise couldn’t place what was so unusual about them, for she’d seen the occasional man or woman with a golden gaze before, and clearly the Best family had those eyes in their gene pool. The connection to the bear was what really concerned her. She was lost in thought for a moment, so when the arm of her chair suddenly sagged with weight, she almost jumped out of her skin.

    Dietrich gave a start, for he had perched on the arm. A fleck of cool water leaped from his damp, dark hair, landing on Elise’s cheek.

    “Sorry about that,” he said, “my skin takes forever to dry.”

    He reached out, one thumb gently pushing the droplet away. Despite all the fear and uncertainty Elise had been through on that long, dark night, Dietrich’s touch sent warmth through her body. He was gorgeous on the outside, all Anina’s boys were, but there was something more to him than just his dark looks. Something calming and protective lived within that perfect shell of muscles.

    “I’m sorry that your first night was a little alarming,” Dietrich