Wed to the Bear (Denali Den Book 2) Read online

  His gaze stared back at her, intense and raw. Seconds ticked by. He visibly swallowed. “Well, yeah.”

  “Can you stop saying ‘well’ so much? It’s really annoying.” She stepped closer to him, breathing in his bear scent. “Since your brother is already taken, you’re willing to take his place and marry me instead?”

  His eyes grew rounder and he nodded.

  “You don’t even know if we’ll get along,” she stated. Uncertain of what she was doing, except somehow her bear instinct took over.

  “You don’t know either, but that didn’t seem to stop you from planning a marriage to my brother. You couldn’t have known if you’d get along with him either.”

  “True, but we were of the same mind concerning the convenience of marriage. Why are you willing to do this?” She needed to make sure he was for real.

  “I’ll tell you, but first, I want to know why it’s so important for you to get married.”

  “Because my den has allocated a marriage for me to a bear I don’t want to marry. I mean, he’s okay, but I don’t want to be told who to marry. I want to make my own decisions, and as long as I’m legally single, some members of my den will take it upon themselves to make sure I follow the rules. I wouldn’t be surprised if they come up here. They’ll want to take me back home and make me marry Brett.”

  “Allocated a marriage for you? What’s that like? Your den gets together and they vote?” He snorted. “Like the House of Representatives or the Senate?”

  "Yes, and my Dad is the Senate Majority Leader."

  His brown eyes widened. “No shit?”

  She raised a brow. “No shit.”

  “Why can’t you just say no? Nobody can make you get married.”

  “You’d be surprised.” This bear had no idea what her den was like.

  “So you’re saying the only way they will leave you alone is if you’re already married.”

  “Exactly.”

  He laughed. A throaty laugh that sounded forced. “And here I thought arranged marriages didn’t exist.”

  “Oh, they exist, but we call them allocated marriages.”

  He shook his head. “No shit?”

  “You just said that.” She peered at him, trying not to notice the bulging muscles of his forearms—they were damned distracting. “Listen, I’ve got no reason to lie to you. So why would you be willing to marry me? You don’t even know me.”

  He blinked several times. “Because you’re meant to be my True Mate. I know it in my heart. I knew it the minute I set eyes on you.”

  Now it was her turn to laugh. A deep belly laugh that made her bend over. When she finally opened her eyes, she realized he wasn’t partaking in the joke. “Oh my god, you’re serious.”

  He narrowed his eyes, and she noticed his full lashes, so dark they were almost black. “I’m very serious.”

  It figured that men always got the nice hair and lashes. “My plan was to marry. Make sure my family knows. Wait a few months, then get divorced.”

  He vehemently shook his head. “The Vanes have never had a divorce in the family. When we take a True Mate—it’s for life. I bet you didn’t tell Silas the divorce part, did you?”

  She laughed again, but this time it was because of anxiety. “I was going to…eventually.” This guy was dead serious. “How can you commit your life to me, just by setting eyes on me?”

  “Because I can. You asked. I said yes. The details don’t really matter, do they?”

  “You aren’t one of those romantic types of bears, are you?”

  “Well…” He rubbed his chin. “I’m not sure I know what you mean by that.”

  “You believe in love at first sight—fate—all that crap.” Her annoyance flared. “I hate to break it to you, but people’s and bears’ hearts have been known to make mistakes.”

  He crossed his arms over his expansive chest. “Not mine.”

  “If we get married, I’m not going to stay married to you—not if I don’t want to.”

  He stared at her. The intensity of his eyes made her want to find a corner and hide. The people milling around them seemed to disappear. “That’s fair enough.”

  She swallowed against the knot in her throat. This was supposed to be a simple business transaction, but being in this guy’s presence—his conviction about marriage—it felt like more was at stake. “A couple of months and I’ll move on. I just want my den off my back.”

  “Fine.”

  She raised both her brows and leaned in. “I’m serious.”

  “I said fine.”

  “You don’t act like it’s fine.”

  “How would you know what I’m acting like? You don’t know me—as you previously pointed out.”

  “I don’t,” she harrumphed. “Where is a justice of the peace around this town?”

  3

  “I, Stryker Vane, take you, Ava—I don’t know your last name.” Stryker swore he saw the court-appointed justice of the peace roll his eyes to the back of his head. Or maybe he was just imagining it because he realized with sudden clarity that he might be completely crazy for what he was doing.

  “Perello,” she whispered.

  He looked into her eyes and he saw her uncertainty. He knew he didn’t imagine that. He had to be strong enough for both of them. This was the right thing to do. However crazy it seemed, somewhere in the marrow of his bones, he knew this was right. “I take you, Ava Perello, to be my wife. I promise to be true to you in good times and in bad, in sickness and in health. I will love you and honor you all the days of my life.”

  Ava’s eyes looked as big and green as the forest surrounding Denali Crossings. “Isn’t that a little overkill?” she asked.

  This whole agreement was overkill, but he’d do whatever he had to do in order to make her his—including a wedding ceremony. “Which part?”

  “The part about loving me all the days of your life.”

  “We’re getting married, Ava. It’s a serious endeavor. I take my vows seriously.” He leaned in closer to her. His lips touched the outer shell of her ear. “I mean every word.”

  He watched her swallow, then bite down on her bottom lip. “Okay, but I’m not saying that part.”

  “Suit yourself.” He leaned back to put appropriate space between them. “You’ll still be my wife in the end.”

  She stared at him and he wished he could read her mind. On second thought—maybe he didn’t.

  He’d made irrational decisions in his life before, like starting Denali Crossings Wilderness Therapy Camp, but in the end, that had turned out to be a good decision. He hoped marrying Ava would work the same way. He always went with his gut, and so far, his gut had never let him down.

  “I, Ava Perello, take you, Stryker Vane, to be my husband. In sickness and in health. For richer, for poorer. I will cherish and honor you till death do us part.”

  The court-appointed reverend said, “By the power vested in me by the state of Alaska, I now pronounce you husband and wife.”

  Stryker wasn’t sure what to do. A pained expression crossed Ava’s features like maybe she suffered from indigestion.

  “I think we should get a hotel for tonight. It’s a three-hour drive to Denali Park, then another hour from the highway to Denali Crossings. We can hit the road first thing in the morning. Then I can talk to my staff about taking some time off.”

  “Time off? For what?”

  Stryker ushered her out of the room where they’d said their vows. “For our honeymoon. Where would you like to go?”

  “There’s no need for a honeymoon. I appreciate that. It’s thoughtful and cute, but no, really, there’s no need.”

  “This isn’t how I planned to get married. I would have preferred to have my family here and make a big shindig out of it, but as circumstances would have it, we didn’t have a formal ceremony. But we can damn well have a honeymoon.” Stryker tried to keep the grumble from his tone, but he wasn’t doing a very good job.

  “Or I have a better idea.
Why don’t you do the work you do at Denali Crossings while I hang out and get my bearings? You know, I’ve traveled a long way. I wouldn’t mind sleeping in and relaxing a bit.”

  They maneuvered down two sets of stairs.

  “Sounds great to me,” Stryker said. “But if sleeping in is what you had in mind, Denali Crossings might not be the place to do it. We are a wilderness therapy camp, after all. We start at seven in the morning and things don’t quiet down until after ten o’clock at night.”

  “I can sleep through some noise. I’m sure I’ll be fine.”

  Stryker pushed open the front doors of the courthouse. Ava strode in front of him and he followed her into the warm sunshine. “What did you have in mind besides sleeping in and sleeping with me? Anything else on your agenda?”

  She peered over her shoulder at him. “I noticed how you slipped in ‘sleeping with me.’ That wasn’t part of the arrangement.”

  Stryker held up his hands. “Whoa. Wait a second here. If that isn’t part of the—what did you call it—arrangement? It isn’t an arrangement, it’s a marriage. And marriage means having sex.”

  Her eyes rounded. “I didn’t realize this was so important to you.”

  “I’m a bear—a horny bear. How could you not think it’s important?”

  “Just because we’re married doesn’t mean—”

  “The hell it doesn’t!”

  “Listen, Stryker—”

  “No, you listen, Ava. I will march right back inside and rip up the papers we both just signed. I’ll make sure they don’t get them filed. If you aren’t in my bed, then you aren’t my wife. Take it or leave it.” He peered down at her, hoping to make her understand how serious this was to him. “Make your choice. You have ten seconds.”

  She squinted into the sunshine and blew out an exasperated breath. “You are—you are…so damn annoying.”

  “Annoying? That’s it? You got anything better than that?”

  She glared at him.

  He glared back. “Your ten seconds are up.”

  He spun around, took three steps, and pulled open the door to the courthouse building that he had just closed.

  “Okay,” she called out. “I’ll do it. I’ll sleep with you.”

  Stryker noticed one gentleman lose his footing as he passed through the doors. Another woman gave him a look that shot invisible daggers at his throat, and another man grinned but kept walking. Stryker raised both brows. “I don’t think you said that loud enough. A few people in the building didn’t hear you.”

  She approached him. “You’re the one being difficult.”

  “I’m the one who said he’d marry you, when no one else was available.” Stryker immediately regretted his words. Ava could have had any number of men, but none of them knew they were destined to be with her, except him.

  “Exactly,” she said. “This was supposed to be nothing but a business arrangement.”

  “That’s what you keep saying, but I never got the impression that my brother was signing up for a marriage in name only…without the conjugal benefits.”

  She rolled her eyes. “How would you know? You weren’t privy to our conversations.”

  “No, I wasn’t, but I know my brother.” He extended his hand toward her. “But none of that matters. You’re mine, not his. We’re married and I’m ready to fulfill my husbandly duties.”

  She rolled her eyes backward again and shook her head. “Whatever.”

  He continued to hold his hand out to her. “Are you going to take my hand?”

  Staring at his outstretched hand, she blew out a breath and took it.

  “There,” he said. Her hand felt so right in his. They were meant to be bound together as husband and wife—he was sure of it. “That’s not so bad, is it? You haven’t kissed your husband yet, but you’ve managed to hold his hand. I call that progress. Good work.” He lifted his brows. “And I don’t bite.” He pulled her close, reveling in her warmth. “Unless you want me to.”

  “Shut up.” She tugged his hand, swiveled away from him, and strode to the parking lot.

  He gladly followed, and took in the sway of her full hips. “What? I’m serious.”

  “About what?”

  They were almost to his truck. He watched for the flicker in her eyes, the flash of gold mixed with the green, and it was there. It most definitely was there. He had to believe she felt the sexual pull between them, just like he did. “About the biting.”

  She stopped in front of his truck and he maneuvered her to the driver’s side door. He pressed himself against her, so she had no place to go but against the cool metal.

  She asked, “What are you doing?”

  “I’m going to kiss my bride.” He leaned in, sniffing her spicy bear scent.

  She turned her chin to the side, effectively altering his path toward her lips. “I’ll kiss you when I’m ready.”

  He moved his mouth to her neck, gently nipping along the smooth column of her skin. “You smell ready.”

  “I’ll tell you when I’m ready.” Her voice held a note of provocation, as though she was going along with his demands, but only to a certain point.

  He stepped back, eyeing the flash of anger in her eyes. “You agreed to our marriage being consummated the traditional way.”

  “I did. But I didn’t agree to kissing.”

  He raised a brow. “I see.”

  “You can’t make me kiss you,” she said defiantly.

  “Who said anything about making anyone do anything?” He stepped back, offended. This thing—arrangement—marriage, whatever it was, might be a little more challenging than he’d anticipated. “I would never do that.”

  Moving closer to him, she said, “No. I know. That isn’t what I meant.”

  “What did you mean exactly?” For the first time since he’d laid eyes on her, he had a small inkling of doubt, like maybe he really hadn’t seen her, or this situation clearly. Did his bear’s sex drive rule him or did he rule his sex drive? It was a legitimate question, he realized.

  “I like sex just as much as the next person, but kissing feels more intimate. I need to know you a little better before I agree to kissing,” she said simply.

  He didn’t want to argue with her anymore. He knew if he overthought what he’d just done—marrying a complete stranger—that he might back out of the deal and rip up that paperwork before it was filed, after all. “Fine.”

  But the fact of the matter was, he’d listened to his bear, not necessarily his dick, or his heart, but his bear. His bear told him that Ava was the one. He’d make this marriage work, whether she liked it or not.

  4

  Inside the truck, they both buckled up. Ava never intended to have a business-only marriage with no sex, but because every nerve ending in her body crackled when she stood next to Stryker, she at least tried to see if he’d agree to her absurd scheme. Just holding his hand sent her senses into overdrive. She didn’t figure he’d go for a no-sex marriage, but it was worth a shot. However, if she looked deep into her soul, she probably would have been disappointed if he’d agreed.

  She’d been around plenty of attractive bears in her den, but this guy was different. He was ruggedly handsome, not classically so, but a rustic, woodsy type of handsome that made a girl’s toes curl.

  Stryker gripped the steering wheel with both hands before asking, “So what did we decide? Are we getting a hotel or are we making the four-hour-plus drive to Denali Crossings?”

  “I don’t feel up to meeting your brother and his new mate tonight.”

  “Okay, then a hotel it is.” Stryker put the shifter into drive.

  “A hotel here in Fairbanks doesn’t sound that appealing either.” She needed a little more time before their marriage began in earnest. “Is there another option?”

  “We can drive through to Nenana and Healy on our way to Denali, but the hotels aren’t very nice. I’m sure they aren’t what you’re used to.”

  “What do you mean, I’m used to—ho
w do you know what I’m used to?”

  “Well, you live in the states, so let’s say there’s a pretty good chance you’re used to a more pampered lifestyle.”

  “I am a bear. How pampered can I be?”

  “Not sure.” He peered at her. “It’s just a feeling I get.”

  He wasn’t completely wrong. She had been pampered, except when it came to choosing a mate and that’s why she finally took a stand for herself. She had been groomed to marry Brett and for a while she had let herself go along with the idea. “I can rough it.”

  “Can you now?” He gave her a questioning look as though he didn’t believe her.

  “Yes.” She nodded.

  “There is another option. There are plenty of places for us to camp along the way. I have a tent, sleeping bags, and fishing poles loaded in the back of the truck. Are you game?”

  “Wait a minute.” She held up her hand. “You travel with camping equipment?”

  “Absolutely. I personally don’t like hotels, but I offered up the hotel option because I figured that’s what you’d like.”

  He was right, but she wasn’t going to admit it to him. “I like a shower and running water as well as the next person, but like I said, I can rough it.”

  He raised one of his sexy brows and she felt herself melt a little inside.

  Twisting his grip around the truck’s steering wheel, he said, “All right. Hot damn! We’ll spend the first night of our honeymoon in a tent. You’re going to fulfill one of my boyhood fantasies, and you’ve been my wife for less than an hour.”

  She tried not to smile, but his enthusiasm was intoxicating. She gazed out the side window instead. The town of Fairbanks was small and it only took ten minutes to be completely away from civilization. The paved highway was far from smooth driving, but the scenery was beautiful. “I can already see why you like it here.”

  “It’s home. Speaking of home, I should make a phone call to my administrative assistant, Scarlett, to let her know I won’t be back tonight.”

  Ava continued to take in the rolling hills covered in spruce and birch trees while Stryker spoke with his administrative assistant.