His to Defend (A BBW Paranormal Shifter Romance) Read online

  He’d been suitably impressed with what his cousins had managed to build in such a short time. No wonder Grizzly Ridge had become so successful so quickly. They were obviously passionate about what they were doing.

  And they were happy.

  The fact that each of his cousins were happier than he’d ever seen them had not escaped Ryker, and he hadn’t even seen Kira yet. If he was honest with himself, he was a little nervous to see his little cousin. She’d always been a bit of a princess among the boys. Not because she was too girly to get dirty with them, but because they’d always just naturally protected her and his sister Natalia. The bond wasn’t as strong obviously as it was with her brothers, but Ryker had been hit hard too when he heard the news that she’d run off and left the clan. Now she was back and that should be a good thing. But she was mated to a wolf. A dog.

  More than once on his tour of the ridge, Ryker had found himself simply shaking his head. How could his cousins have all chosen such wildly unsuitable mates? How could they have all stood by and let it happen?

  “It’s impressive, cousin,” Ryker said when they found themselves back on the steps of the Den. “I mean it.” And he did. “I can see how you’d choose this over Jackson Valley. I mean, family stuff aside.” He chuckled. “This place definitely holds some appeal.” Not the least of which he’d run into in the woods earlier. A little treat to scratch his itch might be just what he needed to relax into this family holiday.

  “I’m glad you think so,” Axel said. “It means a lot.” He turned and put his hand on the door handle, but hesitated before pulling it open. “And Ryker? I really am glad you’re here, man. I know this isn’t easy. I know how Grandfather feels and I know more than anyone how that can impact a man. But I really hope you can see that despite all the rules that we grew up with, there’s more to life. A lot more.”

  Ryker let his cousin’s words sink in, but before he could rebut, Axel pulled the large wooden door open and they stepped into the warmth of the Den. Immediately they were met with a room full of laughter and chatter.

  And the scent of honey and apples.

  His gaze found her immediately.

  Nina.

  What would have happened if Harper hadn’t interrupted them earlier? He didn’t even have to speculate. He knew exactly what would have happened. Ryker would have threaded his fingers through her hair and held her head in place while he tasted every inch of that sweet mouth, taking his fill of the deliciousness he knew he’d find there. When he’d drunk his fill of her, his hands would have stripped her bare to expose the luscious curves that were only barely contained and—

  “Hey, come and see Kira.” Axel interrupted his thoughts. “She’ll be so excited to see you.”

  Instead of immediately following, Ryker hesitated, jarring Axel, who’d already started making his way across the room.

  “What the hell, Ryker?”

  “I was just…” He scratched his chin, fully aware that he was being ridiculous. “Just, who is that? The woman with Kira?”

  Axel turned to face him, his shit-eating grin so wide Ryker had to refrain from punching it off. “I already introduced you. That’s Nina, remember? Harper’s best friend from Los Angeles.”

  “Yes, I know.” Ryker shook his head but he couldn’t take his focus off the woman. “But who is she?”

  “You wouldn’t be interested,” Axel said with just enough of an edge that Ryker took note. “She’s a human.”

  Of course.

  “I know.”

  “So why the interest?”

  Ryker couldn’t answer that. Not to himself and not to his cousin. Not in any way that would make sense.

  “None,” he lied. “I just thought maybe…”

  Axel looked as if he were going to say something more, but after a moment, he simply shook his head. “Come on.”

  “Ryker!” Kira tried to wiggle her way up out of the couch as soon as she spotted him, but her growing stomach made the effort challenging.

  “Stay put, little cuz.” Ryker couldn’t help but smile as he bent down to embrace his cousin. She may be heavy with the half breed twins of a dog but she was still his little Kira, and the moment he saw her, the only thing he wanted to say to her was how much he’d missed her. Which was exactly what he did.

  “I missed you, too.” Kira wiped at the tears on her cheeks. “So much. How have you been?”

  Ryker moved to sit down and noticed that Nina was no longer there. He scanned the room and found her by the kitchen, talking with some of the other ladies. It was probably for the best. Something about that woman was going to get him into trouble. He just knew it.

  A moment later, he was able to push thoughts of Nina out of his mind—mostly—and focus on his cousin and catching up with her.

  Chapter Four

  The next morning, Nina woke up to the chirping of birds outside of her window. Birds. She couldn’t remember the last time the sounds of nature had woken her instead of the bleating of an alarm clock.

  What time was it?

  She reached for her phone and almost jumped right out of bed when she saw it was already after nine. She hadn’t slept in so late in years. She’d made it a habit of getting up before six every morning. At first it was because it was the only chance she had to get some words written on her own personal projects instead of whatever article it was that she’d been contracted to write. But eventually, her own projects were pushed to the side in favor for her contracted jobs. The time may have vanished, but her desire to write just for her, certainly hadn’t.

  Nina stretched her arms over her head and relished in the laziness of the morning. After all, there was no reason to rush. She had the whole day ahead of her, with no plans at all. Hell, she could even work on her novel in the middle of the day if she wanted.

  The luxuriousness of the idea filled her with unexpected joy. She wasn’t naive enough to think that it was a situation that would last for long. After all, she would have to get a job sooner or later. But for the moment, she was going to enjoy all aspects of her little vacation.

  Including Ryker.

  The thought slammed into her and sparked a fire in her core. It was probably a good thing she’d made a quiet exit the night before instead of sticking around the party in the Den. From the moment Ryker had walked in, she’d felt his gaze on her and it was hot.

  Probably not as hot as his touch would be.

  It wasn’t that she didn’t want to find out for herself; she did. But Nina also had enough self-control to know that it would probably not reflect well on her, or even Harper, if she jumped into bed with one of the Jackson cousins only hours after arriving at the ridge.

  No. She could wait.

  Hell, she had all week.

  After a few more minutes of luxuriating in her bed, Nina finally grew restless enough to get up, shower, and head down to the main room. She’d been given a guest room in the Den. In the upstairs hallway, there were half a dozen or so private guest rooms, all of a good size with private bathrooms. Some, like hers, had little balconies off them that looked out to the mountains. Nina fully intended to take advantage of that balcony later to get some writing done.

  But first, breakfast.

  Nina followed her nose to the kitchen, where the mouthwatering aroma of fresh bread filled the room. “It smells so good in here,” she all but groaned as her stomach rumbled. “I’m so hungry.”

  “Good.” Kade turned away from the oven with a hot bread pan. “Because this bread isn’t going to eat itself.” He grinned as he set it down. “But this one’s still pretty hot. I’ll cut you a few slices of a different one. Can I get you anything else? Some eggs? Fruit?”

  “I can’t remember the last time I had fresh bread. That will be perfect. Unless, of course, you have some fresh coffee to go with it?” Nina glanced around the kitchen, but Ella had beat her to it.

  “Good morning, mi amiga.” She set the mug down in front of her and went back around the massive counter to continue
whatever preparations she and Kade were working on.

  Harper had filled her in that although they’d initially hired Ella to be the head chef at the ridge so Kade would be free to work on other projects or help with the guests, the two of them worked so well together, that they were now both head chefs. She sat back and sipped her coffee while she watched the two of them work. Their easy love and affection for each other made her smile.

  She’d never thought much about having a partner, or falling in love. But if she ever did, Grizzly Ridge was full of perfect examples of what she’d want that love to look like.

  “So, what are you going to do today, Nina?” Kade put the bread down, a small plate with fresh butter and a small jar of preserves next to it, and Nina’s mouth watered.

  “Harper said something about going into town to try on dresses.”

  “Oh, that’s been changed.” Nina turned to see Chloe, Luke’s girlfriend, walk into the kitchen. She sat next to Nina and accepted a cup of coffee from Kade. “We’re all going down to Bree’s Knees tomorrow instead so you have the day free to explore and take in some of the activities. Is there something you wanted to check out?”

  There was something she wanted to check out, all right. Nina almost choked on the piece of bread she’d just put in her mouth.

  “Are you okay, Nina?”

  It took her a moment, but Nina composed herself and looked to Chloe, who grinned wickedly.

  “I’m fine,” she managed.

  “I’m sure you are.” Chloe winked at her. “Maybe you’d like to go for a bit of a hike today?”

  Nina looked down at her skinny jeans and sneakers. It wasn’t that she wasn’t completely unprepared for a hike, but…

  “Or a mountain bike?” It was Kade who suggested it and the idea appealed at once.

  “It’s been years since I was on a bike.”

  “Well,” Kade said with a grin. “Fortunately for you, it’s just like riding a bike.” He burst out into laughter, clearly pleased with his attempt at humor and Nina couldn’t help but laugh along. Ella only rolled her eyes. “I’ll send Luke a message,” Kade said when he pulled himself together. “I think he’s up at the adventure center anyway. Why don’t you finish up and head out there for a ride?”

  “It really is quite the setup you guys have up here.” Having woken up early, Ryker had taken his bear for a run along the ridge, just the way Axel had suggested. It’ll wear off some of that pent-up energy. His cousin had said it with an annoying grin on his face, but he’d been onto something. Ryker definitely had some energy to wear off.

  Sexual energy.

  That woman had somehow gotten under his skin and more than anything, he wanted to taste her. And he would have, too, if she hadn’t taken off last night before he could go looking for her.

  Even an hour-long run in the sunrise hadn’t managed to clear his head, which was why Ryker was now at the adventure center. Maybe Luke would lend him a bike or a kayak or something and he could burn off some more steam.

  “You like it?” Luke looked up from the bike he was servicing. He had it up on a rack of some sort and was dropping grease on the chain. “What am I saying? Of course you like it.” He laughed. “It’s amazing up here and so much better—never mind.”

  “What?” Ryker challenged him. “What were you going to say?” He crossed his thick arms over his chest. “You were going to say it was better than the valley.”

  It wasn’t a question, because Ryker already knew the answer to that question. He hadn’t even been at the ridge twenty-four hours and he already thought it was better than Jackson Valley. The energy was better. Not so oppressed, maybe. That was it. There was no heavy iron fist rule at the ridge. Everyone seemed genuinely happy.

  His cousins seemed happy.

  “It is,” Ryker admitted. “I mean…”

  “Don’t worry.” Luke glanced at him. “I won’t tell Grandfather you said so. Besides, you haven’t even had a chance to see what we really have to offer here. Wait until you see what the ladies have planned for the wedding.”

  The wedding.

  The sharp reminder of why he was actually there hit him hard.

  “What do you actually think of this wedding?” Ryker knew he was taking a risk by asking Luke directly. But he was the only one of his cousins who was even remotely mated to a suitable candidate. A black bear…still not ideal. But better than a bear from a completely different continent, a half breed, or for God’s sake, a wolf. Although after talking with Kira the night before, Ryker had to admit, his cousin was completely in love with her mate and Nash didn’t seem all that bad. For a dog. They were happy.

  There was that word again. Happy.

  Luke shrugged, pulling his attention back to the conversation at hand. “Honestly?” Ryker nodded. “At first I thought it was ridiculous. I mean, they’re mated. They have a cub. Why the pomp and circumstance? It’s such a human tradition.”

  “Exactly.”

  “But then…” Luke shrugged again. “I don’t know, I see how excited Harper is about it all and frankly, it’s getting all of the women excited. The way Chloe explained it to me is like a celebration of love. So yes, they’re mated, but this is celebrating that.”

  Ryker shook his head. “Except you can’t say mated.”

  “Nope.” Luke laughed. “Too many humans around.” He grew momentarily serious. “And no shifting where they might see you. That’s a hard rule, Ryker.”

  “I know. I know. I’ve spent most of the last few years traveling around humans, remember? I got it.”

  “It’s an easy one to forget when you’re out here.”

  Ryker pretended to be annoyed but he didn’t meet Luke’s eyes because he had completely forgotten about the whole no shifting around humans when he’d gone for his run earlier.

  “Sure. I got it.” Ryker spun the front wheel of the bike on the rack. “Hey,” he said, changing the subject. “What do you say you lend me one of these for the day? I need to get out of here.”

  Luke shot him a look. “It wouldn’t have anything to do with Harper’s friend, would it?”

  Ryker’s bear growled, instantly defensive. “What the hell do you mean by that?”

  “Yeah, what do you mean by that?”

  He spun around to see the subject of the conversation and his frustration standing in the door. “Nina.”

  She stepped inside the adventure center and at once the scent of apples and honey filled his head and made him dizzy. Ryker leaned back against the workbench to steady himself. No way was he going to fall down or make a fool of himself in front of her.

  “It’s me.” Her voice sounded like the gentlest tinkling of bells in his ears. “What were you saying about me?”

  “Just that you wanted to go for a mountain bike ride today,” Luke said in a move that Ryker was thankful for. “In fact, Ryker was just asking me for a bike as well. Maybe you could go together?”

  A slow, sexy smile spread across her face. “That sounds perfect.” She looked directly at him in a move that had his bear roaring. “Are you up for it?”

  He took a step toward her, leaving the safety of the bench he was leaning on. “Oh, I think I’m more than up for it.”

  Beside him, Ryker could vaguely hear Luke chuckling under his breath. “Okay, you two. Let me get you set up with a few bikes and then you can go do all the exploring you can handle.”

  Ryker did his best to wait patiently while Luke set them up with bikes, helmets, and then a map of the trails he’d set up in the area. “Stick to the green runs over here.” Luke pointed to a space on the map, but Ryker was only half listening. It was almost impossible to concentrate with her scent filling him. He was going to have to get her out of his system and soon if he had any hope of surviving the next week.

  Chapter Five

  “This is amazing.” Nina gripped her handlebars tighter as her bike flew over a rocky abutment so she caught a little bit of air before landing on the path again.

  “Ke
ep pedaling!” Ryker shouted in front of her and she did as she was told.

  There was no way she should be able to keep up with him. He was a solid mass of muscle and fitness, but he was clearly toning it down for her sake. A fact she appreciated. But not as much as she appreciated the view of his backside. Staying close to that was all the motivation she needed.

  “How are you doing back there?”

  She was dripping with sweat, and her quads burned with the exertion, but she was loving every minute of it. “I’m good. Keep going!”

  Her lungs screamed at her. She couldn’t remember the last time she’d put in such an intense physical effort. It had been months since she’d gone to a spin class regularly; her travel schedule hadn’t made it possible. But apparently those few sessions were enough to keep her in decent-ish shape. Either way, incentive of a sexy ass or not, she was going to need to rest soon. Despite her insistence that she was fine.

  As if he read her mind, a few minutes later, Ryker skidded his bike to a stop and dismounted. “I need a break.”

  Like hell he did. He’d barely broken a sweat. But Nina was definitely not going to complain. She practically fell off her bike, grabbed her water bottle from the holster and stumbled through the grass for a few feet before collapsing on her back in a faux exhaustion.

  She would have been more than happy to lay there as she caught her breath, with the cool grass cooling her underneath. She closed her eyes and took a few deep breaths before she became very aware that the sun was no longer warming her face.

  Nina snapped her eyelids open and stared directly into the piercing green eyes of Ryker, who was hovering just over her. Close enough to—

  “What are you—”