Theirs
Evernight Publishing
Copyright© 2013 Hazel Gower
ISBN:
978-1-77130-279-1
Cover Artist: Sour Cherry Designs
Editor: Cheryl Harper
ALL RIGHTS RESERVED
WARNING: The unauthorized reproduction or distribution of this copyrighted work is illegal. No part of this book may be used or reproduced electronically or in print without written permission, except in the case of brief quotations embodied in reviews.
This is a work of fiction. All names, characters, and places are fictitious. Any resemblance to actual events, locales, organizations, or persons, living or dead, is entirely coincidental.
DEDICATION
Thanks to my wonderful family for all your love and support. I would like to give a huge shout out to my friends Khloe Wren, Angela Castle, and Imogene Nix, I appreciate all your advice and help.
The Bears, 1
Hazel Gower
Copyright © 2013
“Ahhh. Ohhhh. Come on. Please!” Susie wiggled her bottom on the bed and leaned further back. “Just a little bit more. You can do it. Breathe. Argh. Almost got it.” Holding her breath, she laid all the way back on the bed. “Yes, yes.” Lying dead still, too scared to take even a tiny breath, Susie glanced around her bedroom. “Oh, please be close.” The magical item she hoped would help hold her all in sat on the solid oak dressing table at the end of her bed. “Crap!”
Groaning she sucked her stomach in as much as possible and slowly moved down the bed. She sighed in relief when she’d reached the edge with most of her legs dangling off, and everything stayed in place. Susie breathed out in relief only to hear
pop
. “Fuck.” She moaned, stood up, and walked back over to her cupboard to search for something, anything she could fit into.
An hour later she sat on the foot of her bed and stared at her reflection in the dressing table’s mirror while she watched tears run down her cheeks. Sobs kept escaping her tight throat. “I refuse to buy size eighteen pants.” Wiping her eyes she looked down at her stomach. “I will get rid of you. I am not giving in this time like I did when I needed to buy size sixteen clothes.”
Straightening her shoulders, she looked herself in the eye. “Susan Ellen Sanden, you will put your track pants on right now and go join a gym. Once at the gym, you will use your savings to pay for a personal trainer.”
Her reflection glared back, reluctant to spend her hard earned savings. Susie glanced down at her belly again, gritted her teeth, got up, and put her track pants on. Turning back to her mirror with a grin, she grabbed the bed sheet and draped it over her vanity mirror. “I will not be seeing you again until I reach my goal weight. Size ten here I come.”
****
Standing in front of Healthy Bodies, Susie debated with herself about whether she should really do this. Maybe she should do dancing again, or netball. Who was she kidding? She hadn’t danced in four years, and the last time she played netball was even longer. Taking a deep breath, she pulled the hem of her shirt down, making sure it covered the reason she had come here, and walked through the doors.
It wasn’t as bad as she thought. The whole time she’d driven over to the gym, she’d pictured skinny, muscular, and beautiful people all enjoying themselves, never sweating or panting, and definitely with no flabby bits falling out of their clothes or wobbling around. Susie was nicely surprized to see it wasn’t the case. Oh, sure, there was a gorgeous blonde, big boobed, toned woman here or there, and a muscle-clad stud or two, but mostly she saw a variety of shapes and sizes.
Walking to the reception desk where a pretty brunette sat typing on a computer, Susie waited patiently for acknowledgement. The woman looked up from her screen. Smiling she said, “Good morning. How can I help you?”
Susie gave her what she hoped passed for a smile, took a deep breath, and answered, “Hi, I’m looking to become a member.”
The lady stood and her smile got bigger. She looked Susie up and down, and Susie swore dollar signs flashed in her eyes before she went on. “Welcome to Healthy Bodies. I’m Gwen. Come in to one of our rooms and we’ll have a chat, so we can find out what type of membership is right for you.”
They walked behind the reception desk and into a room with a table, a filing cabinet, and a computer. The plain white walls were sparsely decorated with only two posters, one a food pyramid, and the other displaying the beauty of the female and male forms.
Gwen sat down behind the desk and gestured for Susie to sit in one of the two seats on the opposite side. Once Susie sat, Gwen typed some things on the computer then looked up and focused on Susie. “Do you have an idea of what you’re aiming for? For example, how many times a week will you come in? Is your goal general fitness or to lose weight? Did you want to join a class or have a personal trainer?”
Susie stared at Gwen, overwhelmed by her rapid-shot questions. “Um, ah,”
Gwen’s eyes softened. “Would you like to just navigate the waters by yourself? I’m only asking you these things so I know what type of membership would suit you best, not to make you feel uncomfortable.”
“I don’t know. I think I’m going to need to talk to a nutritionist because I’m not fond of fruit or really any health stuff as snacks. I’m doing this…” Susie took a deep breath and let it out slowly before she heard a knock on the partially opened door.
The words on the tip of her tongue died as she stared at what at least ninety percent of the female population, and probably half the male, would consider their fantasy man. Tall, she guessed well over six feet, with blue eyes clearer than the sky on a cloud-free summer day. He had olive skin, thick jet black hair, and a good amount of stubble covered his jaw. Sparkling, perfect white teeth and thick, full lips completed his perfectly masculine face. Susie glanced down his body, gulping when she saw that, instead of covering his perfectly sculptured chest, his shirt hung from his waist, part of it shoved through a belt loop. Oh God, what a six pack. Shower scenes of water dripping down his washboard chest, and her licking every drop until he was dry flashed through her mind. A groan slipped by, and he grinned down at her. Oh, great. Just what she needed, a crush on someone who worked here.
****
Finished up for the day, Brian searched for his sister to let her know he was leaving. Feeling fresh and relaxed from his shower, he couldn’t wait to get home and put his feet up. He liked nothing better than enjoying a nice cold beer while watching the Friday night footy. He’d been up since four-thirty that morning, as it had been his turn to open up the gym.
Friday night was his veg-out night, the one night of the week where he sat on the lounge and ate junk food, ignored his brothers, drank beer, and caught up on the football. He needed his Friday nights to chill out, as he was always his busiest on the weekends.
Finding his sister in one of the offices with the door only slightly open, he realised she must be in there with a new client. He debated on whether or not to disturb her. But he knew she would be pissed if he didn’t tell her he was heading off and she’d needed him for something. One thing he learnt at a young age was never anger a female bear. Tapping on the door, he opened it to see his sister, Gwen, sitting behind her desk talking to a woman who sat in the opposite chair. The woman’s mouth opened as she started to answer a question, but then she turned and looked at him and froze. Brian bit his cheek to stop his chuckle from escaping as the lady’s chocolate brown eyes widened, her face turned a gorgeous shade of pink, and a groan slipped out.
His sister shook her head at him, which usually meant for him to shut up and leave, but for some crazy reason he stepped into the room, pushing the door behind him so it almost shut. The woman sunk back into her chair as a whimper escaped and the rest of her skin joined her cheeks in turning a lovely shade of pink. Oh, she was adorable. Cocking his head to the side as that odd thought ran through his mind, he moved to get a better look at the woman, but with her hunched back in the chair away from him he couldn’t, not without being blatantly obvious. He joined his sister on the other side of the desk.
Gwen turned and gave him a sharp glare before she said, “Susie, I would like you to meet my brother Brian. Brian is one of our best personal trainers.”
Susie nodded her head, and he barely caught the quiet “hello” slipping from her lips. Brian noticed their new client’s eyes had yet to leave him. He smirked to himself as he straightened his shoulders, glad he’d just showered and hadn’t put his shirt on yet. When he took a deep breath in, the smells of honey and his favourite fruits assaulted his senses. He enjoyed the heavenly scent as he talked to his sister.
“Sorry to interrupt. I wanted to let you know I’m heading head home for the day. Is there anything you need me to do before I go?” As he spoke to Gwen, his eyes never left Susie’s. Brian was puzzled because she wasn’t model material by any means, and he couldn’t understand the feelings he had as soon as he saw her. He’d never been interested in someone who wasn’t an absolutely gorgeous front cover model. If someone asked him to describe Susie in one word, it would be…cute. Not that she wasn’t beautiful, he told himself, because he thought she was with the messy bun on her head that couldn’t seem to contain her thick brown hair and her small dainty nose with its couple of freckles. That wasn’t what held him captive though. It was her eyes. They seemed to show her every emotion. Brian had seen brown eyes many times before, but these were like a light melted chocolate, and they drew him in.
Gwen kicked his foot, and he shook his head, tearing his eyes away from the woman that consumed his thoughts. His sister smiled at Susie then turned her attention back to him. “If you could just wait…” Another knock interrupted Gwen before Brent opened the door. Brian growled when Brent’s eyes fell on Susie, and Brent paused by the door.
“Sorry to disturb you, but Funtime Day Care just called to let you know Matty’s sick, so they need you or someone to come and pick him up.”
Gwen nodded to Brent, who nodded back and walked away. Brian smiled as he suddenly thought of the perfect excuse to spend more time with Susie. “You go, Gwen. I’ll finish up here.”
She grimaced at him then turned to Susie. “I’m so sorry. Would you mind terribly if Brian finished signing you up?”
A sympathetic smile graced Susie’s face and he froze as she spoke in musical tones. “Don’t apologise. Go to your son. Family should be your first priority. I’m a childcare worker, so I know kids want their mums when they get sick.” Susie stood up from her seat and smiled, and Brian swore his whole world got brighter. Perfect, white, shiny teeth, a dimple on each cheek, and oh, her brown eyes sparkled. “How about I just come back tomorrow?”
“No, no, I can look after you.” The words came out of his mouth before he even released he’d intended to say anything. She glanced his way and her smile slipped. She looked him up and down. He straightened to his full six-five and relaxed his face, as he’d been told regularly his face could be too serious, and he didn’t want to ever scare his mate. As the word “mate” resonated through his mind, his lips curled up into a huge grin. Susie was his mate. Well, that explained why he was attracted to her. He was one of the lucky few shifters who found their true mate. Many shifters didn’t find their true mate. Only a little over half did, so many settled for a shifter of their own kind as it was the only way they could have children. Most waited for their true mate, the one who was their other half, their soul mate. He loved Matty, but to have one or a couple of children of his own would be nice. He’d always said he would never give in to his mother like his sister Gwen, and mate someone who wasn’t his true mate. Brian and his brothers all felt the same after seeing how unhappy his sister was.
