Read Online Mate Fur Hire (Bears Fur Hire 3) by T.S. Joyce - Free Book Online Page B

A bite for a bite, as her inner animal required.
    Tobias claimed her out on Perl, and now she’d repaid him in kind. Now they were bound. Not by contract, but because they’d both chosen each other.
    And no matter what muck came now, they would be in this together.
    Tobias rolled back onto the pillows, taking her with him. He pulled the covers over them and cradled her. His heart wasn’t racing anymore as she rested her cheek on his chest. He was steady and calm, just how she felt. Secure in what they’d just done.
    “I can’t have daughters,” he said softly, brushing a strand of hair off her forehead. “Only sons.”
    “I know. We don’t have to worry about cubs now, though. As soon as I went into heat, I started taking birth control to stop it.”
    “You did?”
    She swallowed audibly in the dark. “On Perl, there was the risk that one of the misfits wouldn’t take no for an answer.”
    He ran a thumb over the uneven scars on her arm. “What was Jonathan’s last name?”
    “Greene. Why?”
    “No reason.”
    She huffed a soft laugh. “I can hear a lie, too.”
    “When I was growing up, my mom wasn’t around, and my dad hibernated in the winters.”
    With a frown for the turn in conversation, Vera lifted up enough to see his face. Her elbows on his chest, she rested her chin on the heels of her hands. “It won’t be like that when you have sons, Tobias. You won’t have to sleep the winters away anymore. I’ll make sure of it.”
    He combed his fingers through her hair and sighed. “In the winters, one of my dad’s friends would take care of us before we started our own hibernations. He was this old, crotchety man. Grumpy, cussed every other word, and was about as affectionate as a rabid mountain goat. He never hugged me or my brothers, but he was the steady part of our lives.”
    “What was his name?”
    “Gus.” Tobias gave a distracted smile. “He used to call me Boy-Boy.”
    She giggled and clamped her teeth onto his muscular chest, then released. “I like that nickname.”
    “I still visit him. I don’t think my brothers cared for him much, but I go up to his cabin a few times a year, cut his firewood and give him money for supplies. He’s gnarled as an old tree and still cusses at me half the time, but I know it’s just his way of letting me know he cares. I want to be a Gus for our cubs someday. Not a Clayton.”
    Vera’s lip trembled as she smiled and nodded. “Then you will be.”
    He brushed his knuckle up her cheekbone. “Vera?”
    “Yes, Boy-Boy.”
    “You’ve done terrifying things to me.”
    The smile slipped from her face. “What do you mean?”
    “In a day, you’ve made me question everything and want things I’ve never hoped for before.”
    “Like what?”
    “Like you. Like a family and a better life. There are these moments when I feel panicked, like I’m changing too fast. The world feels like its spinning, and I’m just holding on.”
    “Hold onto me then.”
    The corner of his lips turned up. “Strong mate. You’ve been through so much, and you’re still steady in the hurricane. Clayton never had a shot at breaking you.”
    “He never had a shot at breaking you, either. By the way, I totally bit you.”
    He chuckled deep in his throat and rolled over on his side, taking her with him. “I know. You’re a bitey little thing.”
    “You better hope it scars, or you can bet your sexy butt my animal will do it again.” She clacked her teeth and made a chomping noise.
    “I like your llama muumuu.”
    She tried to hold a severe look but failed. “Nightgown. I also have one with penguins in winter hats, so prepare thyself for mega-boners tomorrow night.”
    Tobias kissed her forehead and pulled her tighter against his chest. “I can’t wait. Sleep now, Vera. I’ll keep you safe.”
    Safe.
    She let off a long exhalation, releasing the rest of the tension she hadn’t realized she was carrying. Tobias was willing to go head-to-head with Clayton—his own