Read Bear My Love: BBW BWWM Paranormal Shapeshifter Werebear Mail-Order Bride Romance (Shifter Grove Brides Book 4) for Free Online Page B

own overwhelming sense of desire for the bear of a man.
    “Ever tried anything else? Working at an office?”
    “Let’s just say I’ve had enough confined spaces to last me a lifetime,” Battle said with a wry smile, shrugging his shoulders back and stretching a bit.
    Sweat glistened on his skin, a single droplet streaking down his neck and then his chest. He was tanned from working long days outside and everything about him screamed rugged masculinity. Keesha loved it. He was nothing like the boys she met in Boston. It was almost uncomfortable, thinking back to some of the men she’d dated and shared a bed with there. Why hadn’t she been getting it on with these cowboys all along? They definitely looked better, and treated a lady better, too.
    “But what about you, Keesh? You’ve been stuck in your little cubicle for years. Ever thought about doing something with your hands?”
    I can think of a few things I could do with my han… oh for fuck’s sake, Keesha, stop it.
    Frustrated at herself, she shook her head.
    “Do I look like the kind of woman who is made to work outside?” she asked, pointing at her skinny jeans and tight white tank top. “All the muscle I have is from three BodyPump classes my friend dragged me to, before I stopped going in favor of Netflix and popcorn.”
    Battle looked at her thoughtfully and with a twinkle in his eyes, his head cocked to the side.
    “I think we could make a country girl out of you yet,” he said, reaching out a hand to her.
    Reflexively, she took it (she liked being close to him and took any chance she got, really) and Battle pulled her to her feet. She was wearing ballerina flats – the one pair of flat shoes she’d found in her baggage – and they definitely weren’t made for walking in the woods.
    “What are you plotting?” Keesha asked tentatively as Battle proceeded to guide her to the tree he had just cut down.
    “I’ll give you a crash course in being a lumberjack. How does that sound?”
    “Scary. But as long as it doesn’t require me to write a brief or go through eighteen years worth of notes, I guess I’m in?”
    She giggled and Battle smirked mildly, oozing calm confidence. It was one of the traits she really liked about him – the way he seemed almost impossible to faze or knock for a curve ball. He was just completely centered, like he’d seen everything the world had to offer and he’d come to peace with it. Despite his tattoos and somewhat intimidating look, she couldn’t think of him as anything other than a perfect cuddle bear – even after seeing him swing an ax around the whole morning.
    Battle stopped her at the tree and stepped behind her. He raised the ax in front of her, holding onto it with one hand.
    “Grab it,” he said, and she did as she was told.
    “Jesus, that’s heavy,” she gasped, feeling every bit the blushing damsel that she was.
    Keesha Bailey hadn’t done a day of physical labor in her life, unless weeding her grandma’s garden as a teenager counted. And you could be sure she had been bitching and moaning about that experience the entire time. It wasn’t so much that she didn’t want to do anything that could possibly wind her, as it was that her career choices hadn’t exactly left a lot of room for physical satisfaction – in or outside of the sack, to be quite frank.
    Against all odds, she found herself actually excited for this little lesson. It didn’t hurt that Battle was the one giving it.
    “It’s supposed to be, and sharp. Put one hand over the other. Just like that. Now, I’ll hold onto it as well and you’ll raise it up and then swing it down hard. Aim for the tree, not your shins, okay?”
    Keesha snorted. She wasn’t that inept at the basics of cutting firewood… Right? Choosing to not dwell on it, she gripped the handle harder. Battle was pressed against her, cradling her from either side with his big, strong arms. She could feel his heartbeat going thump-thump steadily, though it