Read Online Gray Back Bad Bear (Gray Back Bears Book 1) by T. S. Joyce - Free Book Online Page A

treated well, so it was always a struggle to make living together work.”
    “How old were you when you started taking care of them?”
    “Sixteen. But really, it was before that. Sixteen was when I found us a safe place to live, though. Because of that, when it came time to make my own crew, I didn’t mind accepting the problem shifters. Some of the Gray Backs would’ve been put down by other alphas by now, but they’re safer with us, out here. Creed is dominant enough to manage us as long as we keep the numbers low.”
    Here was a man with a big heart who took risks for others. Who started a crew that no one else would fit into. When she was sixteen, she was worried about headgear, band competitions, and falling on her face in front of crushes she’d had in high school. Matt had been raising kids in the woods and working multiple jobs to feed and clothe them, sacrificing things she couldn’t even imagine to make sure others were okay. He wasn’t just the asshole woman-chaser that his social media pages showed. He was so much more.
    She slid out of the truck and shut the door softly behind her.
    Matt’s fingers brushed her lower back as he guided her toward his trailer. Instead of the side entrance, he gently pushed her to a set of stairs that led to a screened-in porch facing the communal fire pit. From what she could see, all of the trailers boasted the porches. Cedar planks were sturdy under her feet, giving nary a creak as she stepped onto them. A rocking chair sat ready near a small table with an antique car magazine that was folded backward to show a picture of a refurbished Model T.
    “Sorry,” Matt muttered, hurrying around her to pick up the magazine.
    She stared at him with a waiting grin. “You’re a clean freak, aren’t you?”
    Matt frowned. “Maybe. My animal requires a decluttered den.”
    “That surprises me. In a good way. I expected empty pizza boxes and beer bottles everywhere.”
    “I recycle.”
    A snort blasted up her throat. “Have you ever brought a girl in here before?”
    “To my den?” He looked baffled by her question. “No. Hell no. This place is…mine.”
    “Matt,” she whispered, growing giddy. “Am I the first girl you brought into your den?”
    “Of course.” He said it like it should be obvious, but the only thing that was clear now was Matt was much more complicated than he let on.
    He reached around her and opened the door that led inside. He came so close, his lips were only inches from hers. With a soft gasp, she froze, trapped in his gaze. His eyes dipped to her lips, and slowly, he leaned into her.
    This wasn’t a barely controlled passionate kiss like last night. This one was all soft lips and gentle sucks and sweet smacks as he pulled her closer. It was angled heads, soft brushes of his tongue, and fingertips in her hair.
    This kiss wasn’t desperate. It was a lovely peek into the part of Matt’s heart that he hid from others.
    As he eased away with a confused look in his sparking blue eyes, she murmured, “Remember that time you said you wouldn’t ever sleep with a virgin?”
    He nodded slowly.
    “I think you’ll have to get over that with me, Griz.”
    A faint smile curved his lips up. “Swear not to laugh?”
    “No.”
    “Gosh dangit, woman, why can’t you just make something easy on me?” He inhaled deeply and played with a strand of her hair. “I’m nervous.”
    “About sleeping with me? We’ve both established this ain’t your first rodeo, cowboy.”
    “Well, you saved yourself for a long time and—”
    “I saved myself for the right person.” She cupped his hands and pulled them to her cheeks just to feel his touch. “I saved myself for you. I want you to be my first, Matt.”
    “But what if I hurt you and you hate me and I lose you and I hate myself for the rest of my life—”
    “And what if it’s really special because you’re gentle with me? At least for our first time.”
    He quirked one eyebrow and pulled her hand to