Read Online Bear Apparent (BBW Shifter Romance) (Stone Claw Clan Book 1) by Jade Woods - Free Book Online Page B

her face like ribbons. He wanted to dig his nose into those sunshine locks, and fall asleep with the scent of her shampoo deep in his lungs. “They ah… don’t want to eat without you, it seems.”
    Frowning, he looked around her body to find his bears sitting at the kitchen table, their massive frames dwarfing the chairs—hopefully the furniture didn’t break. He still had a door to replace. The table was loaded with food, the scent of salmon drifting to his nose. The clan watched him closely, their nostrils flaring, and Garrett swore he could hear their stomachs growling.
    Garrett offered her a tight smile. “The clan-leader usually eats first. Did you take what you wanted? Because there will be no left overs.”
    She nodded. “Yeah, I figured. I was scared I wouldn’t have enough for everyone. Come on, before it gets cold. Unless… you prefer it raw? I didn’t even think…”
    Garrett was convinced it was more than her looks that got him going. She could have just left him in the woods to be hunted down. She could have dumped his ass at a hospital, and not bring him into her home. She didn’t have to feed him or provide shelter… she didn’t have to loosen him up with those magic hands. And now she was feeding his bears, caring for them in the simplest, most meaningful way…
    Stepping forward, Garrett intended to scoop her up, and take her to her private quarters. But she had slaved for hours to make all that food, and it would be very un-bear like for him not to eat what she had prepared. He took both her hands in his, and kissed her knuckles, her gasp lovely.
    “Thank you for caring for me and mine.” With that, he joined his clan at the table, Bruin pulling up a chair for him. Garrett didn’t miss the little smirk on his beta’s lips, but he didn’t press the point.
    He inhaled deeply, the scent of fish, citrus and pineapple making his mouth water. He took the fork in front of him, and selected a cut of salmon garnished with lemon and set it on his plate. He wanted to tear into the meal, but he pushed away the desire, and cut off a big chunk of flesh. As he chewed, he closed his eyes, savoring Dahlia’s hard work. Flipping his lids, he nodded to his bears, and they snapped into action, loading their plates with food.
    As they filled their bottomless bellies, Garrett glanced to the side where Dahlia nibbled at her plate by the kitchen counter. He wanted to pull her into his lap, and feed her choice morsels from his hand. He wanted to care for her as she had him. He wanted to peel off her clothes one by one then lay her across the bed, and service her until she begged him to stop. His body was tuned into every little thing she did and the way her lips glistened from moisture, sent his dick throbbing with need.
    “Can I ask a question?” she said suddenly, and everyone quieted. “Ah, I was just wondering… don’t polar bears live further north? I mean, we get snow here obviously, but—”
    The twins looked to Garrett and he shrugged. Jet started talking, “My brother and I are outcasts because of our albinism. We are adapted to the cold, snowy environment, but the intense sun hurts. Because of this, it is hard for us to go out in the daytime, and that has made us a liability, so our clan kicked us out.”
    “I’m sorry. That’s horrible,” she said, aghast.
    Jet shrugged. “We are with Garrett now.”
    Her brows pulled down in thought for a moment. “And what are sun bears?”
    Marcus and Jake beamed at each other and Marcus said, “The smallest, but most stylish of all bears. The cutest, too.”
    “Yup,” Jake chimed in. “We are the best cuddlers.”
    Smiling ear to ear, Dahlia shook her head, her curls bouncing. “This is crazy. I feel like Goldilocks and the… seven bears.”
    “This is us,” Bruin spoke up. “It’s an inner joke that we are Garrett’s Merry Band of Rejects.”
    Garrett growled low in his throat, reminding his beta he didn’t like that reference, no matter