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

about in the kitchenette. He had that proud, rigid stance of a man who had seen things he didn’t quite want to remember. His shoulders always looked tense, like he was getting ready to pounce on someone – she sort of hoped it would be her. His gray eyes had a look of wary tiredness about them sometimes, mostly when he wasn’t looking at her, and she could see pain in them. Or, at least, that’s what she thought she saw.
    There was no need to get overly dramatic, and she tried very hard to keep from concocting convoluted tales about his past in her head. He hadn’t really shared much about his earlier life and it had never bothered her before coming to Idaho. Something about being physically close to another person really made her wonder what he’d been through.
    Battle pulled the oven door open and produced a sizzling pan with two perfectly cooked salmon just when Keesha was mentally tracing the large, circular tribal tattoo on the back of his right shoulder. The house was absolutely flooded with the smell of the food and Keesha found herself gnawing on her lower lip in anticipation.
    Battle seemed to be weighing his options, looking at the hot pan, the table and the little paper plates he had. With a shrug, he picked up the whole pan between his oven mitts and carried it to the table. He then brought the potatoes in the pot he had cooked them in (the only pot he had, from what she could tell), the butter and the plastic knives and forks and paper plates.
    “There, dinner is served!” he announced with a little flourish and a twinkle in his eyes.
    Keesha giggled, tugging at his hand to come sit down next to her. The upside of small spaces – they were never too far from each other.
    “It looks divine!”
    “Well, it’s no fancy restaurant, but it’ll do, I think.”
    Battle pulled his hunting knife out of the sheath on his belt and dissected the fish with seasoned ease. In less than a minute, he’d carved the two fish and removed and disposed of the spines, giving Keesha easy access. His masterful use of the knife was impressive to say the least and hinted at more than just a passing curiosity in the right techniques. He’d had one by his side for a long time by the looks of how he sliced and diced, and she had to ponder what he’d used it for.
    “Wow. You really know your way around that thing,” she said, picking up a fork and scooping up a big bite of the fish.
    It was so good it almost melted on her tongue. She let out a strangled little noise of enjoyment, closing her eyes. When she opened them again, Battle was looking at her, a quiet smile on his lips.
    “What? Is there some fish on my face?” Keesha asked, wiping at her chin.
    Battle caught her hand and gently pulled it down, shaking his head.
    “No. I just like looking at you. And I can’t say I mind sharing dinner with someone with a healthy appetite. Though, I warn you, you better dig in fast because I’ll inhale the whole pan before you can blink.”
    “Noted!” Keesha chirped, picking a potato from the pot and spreading butter on it.
    She’d never been the one to worry about her curves. She’d filled out when she was in her teens and, since then, she’d learned to use her womanly shape as an asset, rather than a hindrance. It was surprising how much one’s personal opinion affected everyone around her. Keesha was a confident black woman who knew how to rock her stuff and she’d never felt bad for it. If God gave her a booty, she might as well shake it, right?
    “So, about that knife. Where’d you learn to handle it like that?”
    Battle looked at the knife, which had a smooth, worn horn handle and a jagged end, and wiped it off, shoving it in the sheath again.
    “You don’t live in the woods for as long as I have without learning a few things, I guess. You’d think a bear doesn’t need to know how to use anything but his own strength, but I’ve never believed that. You have to know how to protect yourself in whatever