The Steel Bear: A BBW Bear Shifter Romance (Highland Brothers) by Meredith Clarke, Ally Summers Read Free Book Online Page A

family when the holidays got too crazy. They deemed it the ultimate man cave.
    There was a set of bunk beds lined along one wall, a double bed against the other, and a small sofa in the center of the room. In the corner was a table Crawford had made during college. It had become a permanent fixture.
    “Sorry it’s so cold in here.” Crawford noticed Mila was rubbing her arms to keep warm.
    “It’s fine. This place is cute.” She looked around. “Small, but cute.”
    “I won’t tell my brothers you said that.” He placed the backpack on the table and looked for kindling he had packed. “I’ll get it warm in here in just a second.”
    There was a stash of logs in the bin. He stacked them in the fireplace, arranged the bits of kindling, and lit the tendrils with a match. In minutes the kindling had lit the rest of the logs. The cabin began to glow with new warmth.
    “How long have you had this place?” Mila sat on the sofa, watching him work.
    “We used to camp here in tents when we were kids.” He rose from the floor. “Then as we got older we decided we might as well build something a little more substantial. The three of us did it together.” He knocked on the wall. “It’s solid.”
    She unwrapped the flannel shirt from her waist. “Any chance you have a bathroom in this palace?”
    “Oh yeah. I added one a few years ago.” He pulled back a pocket door in the wall, to reveal the addition.
    “Thanks.” Mila stepped past him. “I think I’m going to change shirts.” She held up the flannel.
    “All right. I’ll get the drinks.”
    The door slid shut behind her.
    Crawford unzipped the backpack and pulled out two beers. If he had brought another bottle of red it might look like he was trying to seduce her. This looked casual, and as much as loved a good wine, he loved a cold beer.
    The pack of condoms fell on to the table. He quietly shoved them back in the bag. He didn’t know what he wanted, only the longer he was around her he knew he couldn’t think of anything else. He couldn’t remember another woman he had been with. He forgot he was looking for a she-bear. Hell, he had dreamed about her last night.
    He flicked the tops off the beer and sat on the sofa.
    He had never brought a woman to the hunting cabin. It wasn’t as if he and his brothers had any rules, but he was fairly certain Mila was the only woman to walk over the threshold. He stared in the flames as the fire roared to life.
    In his heart he knew what all this meant. There was a reason Mila showed up on his doorstep. There was a reason his bear awakened when she kissed him. There was a reason he dreamed about her last night. He looked at the bathroom door.
    His bear was getting restless.

10

Mila
    M ila fumbled with the buttons on the flannel shirt. The bathroom was barely wide enough to spin around. There was a standup shower, pedestal sink, and toilet. She should just be grateful the Highland men had installed a bathroom all the way out here. She wondered how they had it plumbed.
    She tied the tips of the shirt together in a knot. She had given up on the pajama pants. They were going to hang on her hips, no matter what she did. She would wash everything and return it to Crawford later in the week.
    She slid the door back. He was sitting on the couch, holding a beer in her direction.
    “Aren’t you a red wine man?” she asked, taking a seat next to him.
    “I like cold beer too.” He grinned.
    Her stomach did a somersault. His lips were edible and delicious. The way he smiled at her made her forget all the reasons she was supposed to be annoyed with him for rejecting her. Instead, she felt all the emotions of her crush come sweeping back in.
    She closed her eyes, sighing. She was never going to get over this man.
    “Something wrong?” He leaned toward her.
    “No. I’m fine.” She took a sip of the beer, concentrating on the flavor. She needed to focus on something other than his lips.
    “It warmed up in here pretty