NATASHA

Bear's presence messes with my head. I've always known what kind of man he is. He didn't get his road captain rank by standing back and letting others do the dirty work. He was a killer long before he ended my friend's life.

Yet, when I see his bearded face and those dark blue eyes, I lose track of myself. I'm drawn to how the man can't hide his feelings. If he doesn't want to show his hand, Bear acts angry.

Is that what he's doing now?He keeps bitching about deals as if he's a stickler about following the rules.

I want to scream at him for killing Ollie. He should have been more careful. He just didn't care because he was on the part of town where everyone's considered a loser.

Even knowing Bear is a killer and hating him for what he did to Ollie, I still know marrying him is better than ending up with another killer. That's why I keep my mouth shut. My family clearly wants to bind the Backcountry Kings to the Syndicate. I botched that plan for them. It would be so easy to behave now and make everyone happy.

Holding my tongue, I focus on what I like about Bear. He's very handsome. I know other men in the club have more groupies. But none of those guys can hold a candle to Bear in my eyes. He's simply gorgeous.

As the kids fixate on his tattooed arm, I remembered it wrapped around me in bed. His skills are very thorough. I can still remember the way my body hummed afterward.

Bear came here today and put his cards on the table. He still wants me to marry him. He'll raise my kids. I don't really have any say in the matter.

Though I'm wary about him engaging with the kids, what can I do? They love meeting people. Right now, they're explaining about Sesame Street. I know Bear can't understand them. They're talking too fast, skipping and tripping over their words.

Even as I caress their heads and try to settle them, I don't give them the "crab apple" warning. I'm curious if Bear will snap at them like Andrew did when they got too loud.

Rather than get irritated, he settles on the ground and shows them pictures of his cats.

"This is Lobster Mac," Bear says, revealing a mostly white cat with brown and black stripes on his face. The second cat looks similar except his striped face is orange and brown. "This is King Crab."

The kids kneel on the grass and take his phone. They whisper to each other about cats before deciding to speak in meows.

Bear glances up at me, and I hold his gaze for too long. He sees something I probably shouldn't reveal. Standing up, he cups my face and studies me.

"Did you love the guy who did this?" Bear asks, and his rumbly voice sounds especially deep and angry.

"No."

"Did he stop you from leaving?"

"No."

Bear blinks rapidly, seeming confused and a little hurt. He wants something from me.

"Was it really better than coming back?"

"I wanted to go to Key West."

"Then, why didn't you?"

"I met them," I say and gesture at the kids still looking at his cat pictures. "And fell in love."

Bear studies the kids long enough for me to worry. "They're bruised."

His words break me a little. "He never did that before."

"Did he do this before?" Bear asks, brushing his calloused thumb across my lips like a soft breeze.

"Not all the time but yes."

"Why not take them and run?"

"I didn't have the money for that."

"Why not ask for help?" Bear mutters and then puts it together. "Help comes with conditions."

"Yes."

"If you came home earlier, they wouldn't be bruised."

I step back from Bear, withholding my presence since that's the only power I possess. He grunts at my reaction. Moving closer, he very deliberately cups my face and refuses to look away.

"You shouldn't have run away."

I feel like he wants me to mention Ollie. I even sense he has an excuse ready to go. However, I don't dare say my dead friend's name. If I start crying, the kids will get upset.

"I panicked," is all I say.

"If you didn't want to marry me after what happened, I'd have let you break the deal. You didn't need to run."

"Who in your club would have been chosen for me instead?"

Bear's confidence fizzles out, and he looks confused. He stares over my head as if imagining another man taking his place in my bed.

"No."

"Just no?"

His gaze returns to me. "Yeah, that's what I'm saying. No."

"Then, I couldn't just change the deal, could I?"

"No, I guess you couldn't. Even if you could then, you can't now."

"Why not?"

"I already got punished. Now, I get what I want."

I fight the urge to roll my eyes. "If I hadn't run away, I wouldn't have them."

"Someone else would raise them."

I glare at him. "No one loves them like I do."

"I might one day. You don't know what I'm capable of."

His mood swings are making me nuts. I'm uncertain how to react. I should just shut up and agree to whatever he wants. That'll make my family and his club happy. I'll keep my babies, live in Banta City, and share a bed with a man I crave.

"You should bring them to my house," Bear says and removes his hand from my jaw.

He reaches down and swipes his phone from the kids. "My cats are brothers. They like playing together, but I think they want more friends. Want to come see them right now?"

"No," I say and crouch next to the kids. "We can't go out yet."

"Deirdre and Kiera?" Jacinda asks me and then looks at Bear. "Play with friends?"

"They live nearby. I'll have them come over to play with the cats, too. It'll be good."

"You shouldn't play with their hearts until we know everything is settled," I say and cuddle with Hector who wants to see the cats again.

Bear hands the phone back to the kids and stares into my eyes. "It's settled."

"You don't know. I haven't even spoken with my parents or Roman about it. We should make sure."

Bear looks around the estate as I smile at where the kids point at the cats' picture.

"These are cats," Hector tells me and smiles right in my face. "Mommy likes cats."

"Yes, I do."

"I like cats, too," Jacinda says, now also in my face.

I smile at how they are on top of me, smiling like crazed cuddle monsters. Remembering Bear, I look up to find him watching us.

"Why are they in your face like that?"

"They're close talkers."

"Like Pork Chop, huh? Yeah, he doesn't know personal space is a thing."

Sensing he's criticizing my babies, I frown but keep my mouth shut.

"We were going to meet for dinner to plan the wedding stuff, remember?" Bear says and squats next to us. "That's where we left off. It's where we're picking up now. You can bring them if you want. Or we can go out alone. It's just what's happening, so choose a time for me to pick you up."

"I need to talk to my brother," I babble, overly nervous now. "I don't know the answer."

"What brother?" Bear asks, looking at his phone. "I can call whoever it is right now."

"Why are you rushing me?"

"It's been two years."

Stuck in my spot under his irritated gaze, I blurt out, "Have you told your girlfriend how you're getting married?"

"No, but she said I should nail things down with you. I don't think she'll be surprised."

"Wasn't she upset?"

"No, she's in love with another guy."

"Oh," I say and look at Jacinda who smiles when my gaze falls on her. "Can you stay with a babysitter tonight?"

"No."

"Laszlo and Petra will be there."

"I have cat?" Hector asks and points at the picture on the phone.

"Yeah, you'll have two," Bear says before I can answer.

"You're going too fast."

"No," Bear replies immediately, sounding like the kids. "I've waited for two years. Now, you're back, and I'm making you stick to your deal."

"As a punishment for leaving?"

"No, as my reward for waiting."

"You didn't wait, though. You have a girlfriend."

"That's just about my, um," Bear says, struggling to edit himself in front of the kids. "Well, it doesn't matter. I didn't think you were coming back. Now, you're here, and your parents have put you on the auction block. I'm claiming you. It's done."

"Auction block?" I scoff. "You're treating me like cattle."

Bear leans down until his nose nearly touches mine. I scowl hard at him before realizing he'll never be intimidated by me.

"I remember how your belly button is an outie," Bear says in a low, tempting voice. "And how you whimper when I go down on you. I make you come apart, and you feel right to me. That's why this is happening. It's not revenge. It's about me getting what I want."

"And what about what I want?"

"Don't you want to live in Banta City?" When I nod, he adds, "At my house, you won't be under your parents' constant scrutiny. You'll live close to Siobhan. Your kids will have their own rooms and all the fun crap they want. Everything will be good."

"We just have to forget what happened," I mumble, seeing Ollie's confused face in my mind.

"No, not forget. Feel free to hate me. I'm still getting what I want. And you'll get plenty of what you want, too. And they'll," Bear says, gesturing at the kids who gasp with approval at being included, "get what they want. Everyone wins."

I want so badly to use logic against him. Except his plan is the one I hoped for when I learned he was coming over. I'm winning, so why do I feel like a cornered animal ready to gnaw off its paw to escape?

Then, the realization hits me. I don't actually know Bear O'Malley. I've shared my body with him and agreed to be his wife. We've spoken on dozens of occasions. He's my best friend's brother. Bear's been a part of my world for as long as I can remember.

But I don't know anything about him besides he's sexy, great in bed, and stole the life of a person I swore to protect.