Beauty and the Bear: Denali Den #1 (Alaskan Den Men) Read online

  Beauty and the Bear

  Denali Den #1

  Rebecca Thomas

  Contents

  Copyright

  Introduction

  Introduction

  Chapter 1

  Chapter 2

  Chapter 3

  Chapter 4

  Chapter 5

  Chapter 6

  Chapter 7

  Chapter 8

  Chapter 9

  Chapter 10

  Dear Reader

  Afterword

  About the Author

  Also by Rebecca Thomas

  Copyright © 2016 by Rebecca Thomas

  All rights reserved.

  No part of this book may be reproduced in any form or by any electronic or mechanical means, including information storage and retrieval systems, without written permission from the author, except for the use of brief quotations in a book review.

  A proposal worth considering... For werebear Silas Vane, finding his True Mate has proven more difficult than he imagined and he’s getting grouchier by the minute waiting for her to come along. When a nosy, new hire starts asking questions about why he wants to marry so badly—he tells her—so he can have sex every day!

  Fresh out of graduate school, Lexi Durham takes her first counseling job at Denali Crossings, a wilderness therapy camp in rural Alaska. When she spies on the super fine camp cook looking at an internet dating site, she offers to help.

  Silas gets the surprise of his life when she offers to be his sex once-a-day girl. It’s a deal he can’t refuse, only she’s a human, and things could get complicated.

  Sign up for the Alaskan Den Men’s newsletter here.

  Other books in the Denali Den series:

  Wed to the Bear

  Bound to the Bear

  Introduction

  Six Alaskan Werebear Dens, Eighteen Shifter Happily Ever Afters…

  The Alaskan Den Men are some of the hottest werebears you’ve ever encountered. These gruff and growling shifters live and hunt in six different dens throughout the backwoods of Alaska.

  And the Alaskan outback has never been so wild! Because these rugged alpha males are about to meet their mates—some seriously sexy and sassy heroines who live to bring out the beast in their men.

  Get ready for six best selling, award winning, and rising star authors to bring you eighteen brand-new, sizzling paranormal romances that are sure to keep you up all night!

  1

  Lexi Durham’s stomach grumbled. The digital clock read 5:35 a.m. She’d already taken her shower but breakfast wouldn’t start for two more hours. “Heck with it,” she mumbled. She threw on a windbreaker and stepped outside her one-room cabin into the sunshine. In the distance stood the magnificent Mount Denali.

  She still could hardly believe she was in Alaska. Her first “real” job after she’d completed her master’s degree in counseling last month. She’d barely had enough time to pack her suitcase before she signed on the dotted line and boarded a plane for a summer job counseling troubled teens at a remote wilderness therapy camp.

  Her stomach gurgled again. She had a feeling the super fine camp cook was already hard at work making breakfast. She’d seen him from a distance and heard he was more than just a cook, but a member of the Vane family and part-owner of Denali Crossings. Maybe he wouldn’t mind some company this morning before breakfast officially started.

  She knocked on the front door of the dining hall. No answer; however, she smelled something sweet and delicious. Walking around the back of the cabin, she peered through the kitchen window and saw the cook’s enormous figure hunched over a laptop. He sat at the bar that separated the cooking from the dining area. A red tee shirt stretched across his broad back. Damn, the guy was huge. She lifted her hand to knock on the kitchen’s side door, but curiosity got the better of her. She cupped her hands and leaned in against the glass to see what kept his attention.

  “What the heck,” she mouthed. The guy studied an Internet dating site. How could someone that hunky have trouble finding a date? Then again, she’d heard there were way more men in Alaska than women, so maybe it was more difficult than she realized. She’d be happy to sign up for the job. In fact, what a perfect benefit of coming to Alaska that she never realized. She’d been so engrossed in school, her thesis, packing, moving…until recently, she’d barely had time to brush her teeth, let alone date anyone. Let alone have sex.

  She might have stumbled upon a gold mine of possibilities. Of course, if he really wanted to find his true love or something more serious, she certainly wasn’t his gal, but she could relieve his temporarily loneliness, if that’s what he needed.

  She rapped on the kitchen’s side door. He flinched and swirled around on the bar stool. His laser-like gaze fixed on her and his brows furrowed into a tight V. She had the urge to step back, even though an entire cabin wall separated them. Maybe he wasn’t a morning person.

  He stood, prowled to the door, and opened it just wide enough for his head to stick out. “What do you want?”

  Not only did she want to back up, she wanted to run. As if his stare wasn’t enough, his hulking presence was even more intimidating. Definitely not a morning person.

  “Um, I’m really hungry, so I wondered if—if I could crash the dining hall a little early.” She shrugged, trying her best to look casual when she wanted to high-tail it back to her cabin. Instead, she sniffed the sweet buttery smell of baked goods wafting out the partially open door. “Is that blueberry muffins I smell?”

  “We don’t open until seven.” The guy practically growled when he spoke. Maybe he really did need a girlfriend—for more reasons than one. He needed something to mellow him out. He surveyed her from top to bottom. “And yes, blueberry muffins are what you smell.”

  She didn’t miss the interest in his eyes. Or maybe she only hoped it was interest. “Could you maybe just toss me one--you know, to tide me over for a bit, then I’ll come back at seven when you’re officially open.”

  He narrowed his deep brown eyes. “Why did you dye your hair blue?”

  Nothing like being direct. So maybe he didn’t have any interest in her, after all, and just wanted to know what possessed her to turn her hair an unnatural color.

  Oh, well, she may as well go with it. She took a strand of her blue tinged hair and twirled it around her index finger. “I lost a bet.”

  He raised an eyebrow. “What kind of bet?”

  She shifted her weight to one leg and planted her hand on her hip. “If you give me a muffin, I might be inclined to tell you.”

  He opened the door six more inches. “How about a hint?”

  “It has to do with football.”

  “You’re from the states, aren’t you?”

  “By the states, are you referring to the United States, because last time I checked Alaska was part of the United States.”

  He opened the door all the way. His impressive bulk filled the entire space. “Yeah, well, not really. You never see us on the maps. We are always off to the side somewhere in the Pacific Ocean or the Gulf of Mexico.”

  “Aren’t you taking someone’s artistic representation of a map kind of personally?” The guy seriously knew how to rock a pair of jeans and tee shirt. As a tall person herself, there weren’t many people who made her feel tiny, but this guy sure did.

  He crossed his massive arms over his chest and leaned against one side of the door frame. “I don’t think so.”

  “Are you going to give me a muffin or not?”

  “Sure. I guess,” he said but didn’t move.

  “Are you going to move over, or is there some secret h
andshake you’re going to teach me first.”

  “You’re kind of a smart ass.”

  “So I’ve been told.” She absently fiddled with her hair, uncertain why she felt so anxious, but pretty certain it had something to do with him staring at her as though he could see into her soul. The deep brown of his eyes had little flecks of gold in them, and they were shimmery, like shards of sunlight shifting on the waves of a lake.

  He moved aside and held his arm out for her, essentially waving her inside.

  She inwardly flinched and willed herself to move forward. She barely made it past without touching him—the guy knew how to fill up a doorway.

  As she walked by, his warm breath tickled her neck. She felt his stare on her ass, but she didn’t really mind. It had been awhile since a man looked at her with desire in his eyes, and she had to believe—he was interested—and not only in knowing about her hair color.

  She wanted to run her fingers over his cropped beard, wondering if it would feel scratchy or soft. The kitchen had several industrial sized ovens, oak cupboards, and cream-colored mosaic tiles for the backsplash. Surprisingly modern for such a remote location.

  “So the blue hair.” He pointed to her head. “What’s the story?”

  “Are we going to introduce ourselves first or is that just not done in this part of the United States?”

  He blew out a breath. “Sure.” He held out a hand. “I’m Silas Vane.”

  She grasped his hand or what she could of the massive flesh. A sizzle of warmth spread through her torso, clear down to her toes—like a cup of hot cocoa on a cold winter’s night. His giant hand could crush her in an instant, but his skin was incredibly soft. He didn’t squeeze her hand, but gently teased it, like a child’s plush stuffed toy. She could barely swallow. “Lexi Durham.”

  “You’re one of the camp counselors.” His voice was deep and lush, romantic even.

  “I am.” She couldn’t quit looking at him. His dark, almost black lashes framed his intense brown eyes. The guy should be a hypnotist or magician or some other equally mesmerizing occupation where you were lured into doing something you’d never do under normal circumstances. Lexi had a feeling this guy could ask her to jump off a bridge and she’d ask which one.

  “Why don’t you take a seat,” he said.

  Or a seat would work—which seat did he want her in?

  He took a plate from the cupboard and plopped two muffins on it. He placed it on the bar in front of her and pulled a butter knife and spoon from a drawer. “Since you’re here, would you like some coffee?”

  “Sure. You know you could have just thrown me a muffin.” She glanced at stainless steel oven and stove. “I get the feeling I’m invading your space.”

  He set a ceramic mug beside her plate and proceeded to fill it with coffee. “You are, but now that you’re here I want to know the story behind the hair dye.”

  The rich smell of steaming hot coffee wafted between them. “Good. Because I’d like to know the story behind the Internet dating site.”

  He held the glass carafe of coffee and didn’t move except for a single blink of his eyes. “So you’re not only into barging into dining halls before hours demanding muffins, you’re also nosy.”

  “It’s an occupational hazard, I suppose. I’m a licensed therapist. It’s my job to ask questions and figure people out.” She scowled at him. “I never demanded anything.”

  “Oh, no, don’t go hiding behind your profession. You certainly didn’t have to sneak around and look at me through the window.” He moved into her personal bubble of space. “Do you take creamer?”

  “Yes, but I do, but I didn’t sneak. I knocked on the front door. No one answered.”

  He set creamer on the table before sliding onto the bar stool beside her. “You could have knocked on the side door, but instead you stood there long enough to look over my shoulder at my laptop to see what I was looking at.”

  He pretty much had her there. “I can’t understand why someone like you would need to search the Internet for a date.”

  “Someone like me?” He brought his coffee mug to his mouth and chugged down several swallows of the steaming liquid.

  “Well, yes, you’re a good-looking, burly guy with plenty of testosterone. Women like men with those qualities. You shouldn’t have any trouble finding someone to date.” She held up her cup and couldn’t resist saying, “And there is your sparkling personality, too.”

  He set the cup down with a clink. “I’m not interested in dating.”

  “Why were you looking at that dating site then?” Why was he trying to be mysterious?

  “Aren’t you getting ahead of yourself with questions that are none of your business?” He moved his finger in the air in a circular motion like he’d lassoed an invisible sheep. “You still haven’t told me why your hair is blue.”

  “It’s simple.” She poured creamer into her coffee and stirred it with her spoon. “My best friend from high school went to Michigan. I went to Michigan State. We bet on the championship football game. The loser had to dye their hair the color of the other school’s colors. She would have had to dye her hair green if our kicker hadn’t missed an easy field goal. But I lost fair and square.” She bit into the blueberry muffin. Explosions of buttery goodness filled her mouth. “This is delicious.” She chewed and swallowed and took another bite. “Oh my god, it’s like, amazing.”

  He grumbled.

  She swallowed the sweet cake. “Are you always this charming? Or are you just not a morning person?”

  “Are you always this much of a smart ass?”

  She nodded. “Yeah, pretty much.” She took another bite of her first muffin, anxious to get to the next one. “I know this is cliché, but I swear it feels like my mouth is having an orgasm.”

  He stared at her. Actually, he stared more specifically at her mouth. She took the opportunity to stick out her tongue and lick the remaining crumbs of muffin #1 off her lips. She wasn’t normally this provoking, but something about this guy made her want to bait him and see what kind of reaction she’d get. Besides, being so cranky wasn’t good. He needed to lighten up.

  He blinked twice, then rubbed his chin. “If a blueberry muffin is the equivalent of an orgasm you’ve had, then I feel sorry for you.”

  Gripping the handle of her coffee mug, trying desperately not to spill it when her body shook, she couldn’t contain the hilarity of the situation. He appeared so somber, didn’t crack the slightest of smiles when he said he felt sorry for her. She could only hold on for a half second before she busted out laughing.

  2

  Silas had met his fair share of smart ass women, but she took the grand prize. Most women, especially humans were intimidated by him. All werebears were big, but the Vane family’s physical stature boasted even bigger sizes than normal.

  His descendants came out of Kodiak with roots from an ancient brown bear lineage, but with so many black bears and even the occasional polar bear thrown into the family tree, there was no telling which species was most predominant in his family. He only knew that his family didn’t breed with humans. Humans had no business raising cubs. Shifting and anger management problems with werebear cubs proved difficult for the most experienced adult werebears to handle. Therefore, this woman was off limits. He liked her sassy comments and when she licked the crumbs off her lips, he hardened at rocket speed. Then her talk of an orgasm…well, it only reinforced how badly he needed a True Mate—and fast.

  He was ready to start a family but werebear kids, more than any other breed of shifter, needed guidance.

  It was one of the primary reasons he and his brothers decided to start Denali Crossings. Teens needed a safe place--under the guise of a human camp--where young wearbears could deal with their shifting issues in a safe environment. Here they wouldn’t hurt anyone and they wouldn’t be shot.

  The Vanes were lucky to procure land nestled near the base of Mount Denali, bordering the National Park where no hunting was allowed. Th
ey might have a bunch of tourists shooting their camera lenses at them, but that was the extent of it.

  Now this blue-haired woman had captured his attention, and he knew from his previous encounters with humans that it was best to bail out now before he decided to show her exactly how his muffins, while good, were nothing like an orgasm.

  “Go ahead and laugh if you want,” he said, “but it’s true.”

  She finally stopped her chuckling and said, “I know. I’m sure you’re right. Who knows if I’ve ever even had a real orgasm.”

  “You aren’t like most humans,” he said without thinking.

  “Oh, I’m a human now?” She laughed again. “A human who’s apparently had pathetic orgasms. Maybe it’s true, but I’m here to tell you this blueberry muffin is freaking amazing.” She took a bite of her second muffin and continued talking with her mouth full. “You’ve got to give me the recipe.”

  “One of the tricks is using wild Alaskan blueberries. You can’t get those in the states. So when you go back home at the end of the summer, I can see about sending you home with some frozen ones.”

  “Who said I’m going back home at the end of the summer?” She took another bite of her muffin.

  She should leave soon. If she stuck around, it complicated things. He wanted to know she’d be gone by fall, otherwise he might cave on his no-human clause and make an amendment. “The counseling jobs are only temporary.”

  “I know, but I heard there’s an opening for one full-time staff position that’s parallel to year round.”

  “That’s true, but as far as I know that position is…well, it’s a tough one to fill.” And that position was always filled with a werebear, not a human.

  “The main guy, Stryker—your brother?—said he would decide by the end of summer who got the position.” She took another bite of her muffin. “I’m hoping it will be offered to me.”