 by Loni Ree.jpg)
Total pages in book: 18
Estimated words: 16534 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 83(@200wpm)___ 66(@250wpm)___ 55(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 16534 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 83(@200wpm)___ 66(@250wpm)___ 55(@300wpm)
It's true. I'm a dumb*ss.
Doing my brother a quick favor leads to the biggest shock of my life—his mate's youngest sister is my soulmate. The second Cora Sweet opens the door, I lose my heart and my mind. My mouth takes off without consulting my brain or my inner bear and I end up p*ss*ng her off.
After convincing myself I can fight this attraction, I act like an idiot and give Cora more reasons to hate my guts.
When I finally wake up and admit she owns me heart and soul, I have my work cut out for me. The youngest Sweet sister isn't ready to forgive and forget. My mate is determined to put me through the wringer and my only choice is taking my punishment like a man. After all, I'll do whatever it takes to win my sweet tart's heart and keep her forever.
Cora Sweet
Wilder Bearly is the biggest, hottest jerk I've ever met. One second he's grumbling under his breath that I'm his mate then the next second he's hauling ass in the opposite direction. I tell myself it's for the best since I'm nowhere near ready to settle down but Wilder's rejection hurts. Big time. I tell myself to forget about him and move on.
Too bad, I find it almost impossible to avoid the surly bear shifter. The more we're thrown together, the stronger the pull between us grows. But I'm not ready to give in just yet. I'm going to take great pleasure in torturing him before I cave and admit my heart belongs to the big jerk.
If you like over-the-top, growly bear shifter, curvy girl instalove with a ton of humor, and tiny amount of drama this short story is perfect for you.
The grumpy, lonely bear shifters of Honey Pot Hollow are in for a surprise when a new human-owned bakery opens in the shifter-only town.
The feisty human baker and her sisters aren't going to let the surly brothers ruin their sunny attitudes. The Sweet Sisters are going to use their considerable charms to bring Bearly Boys to their knees.
*************FULL BOOK START HERE*************
I’m about to head out to work on one of my new rental properties when my phone rings. My oldest brother’s name flashes across the screen, and I’m tempted to ignore the call. “What do you want?” I answer before I’m able to stop myself.
“I need a favor,” Thorne grumbles.
“That sounds like a ‘you’ problem to me,” I tell him, already knowing brotherly love will force me to help him out. But first, I plan to give him shit.
“I’ll owe you big time. Whatever you want.” My oldest brother cuts right to the chase with an offer I can’t refuse.
“Don’t worry. I’ll find something painful for you to do,” I inform him while my mind fills with ideas to torture my oldest brother. “What do you need me to do?” Hopefully, it won’t take too long. I’m up to my eyeballs in alligators trying to get my two rental properties ready before the seasonal workers start flooding Rodin Ridge.
“Would you please stop by Honey Buns and let Mabel’s sisters know she’s okay? Tell them I’ll have her call them when she can.”
Why wouldn’t she be okay? None of this shit makes any sense to me. “Your house is closer to the bakery than mine,” I state the obvious and look around for my keys. “Head on over there.” Duh.
“My new mate is sleeping in, and I don’t want her sisters to worry.” Fuck me with a wooden spoon. Thorne completed the mating with Mabel. I should’ve known this was coming after he met his human soulmate a few weeks ago, but I’m a little shocked my brother managed to seal the deal this quickly. Humans usually take more than a few weeks of wooing to convince them to take a chance on shifters.
The Sweet sisters moved to Honey Pot Hollow to open a new bakery in an old, abandoned building on Main Street after their uncle died and left them an inheritance.
Three new human women moving to a mainly bear shifter town went over like a fart in church with the stubborn residents. Nearly everyone ignored the newcomers, but my mother stepped in to welcome them with open arms.
Momma Bear is Thorne’s secretary at his construction business. When she met Mabel a few weeks ago at the local grocery store, our mother volunteered Thorne’s company to help the three sisters get their bakery ready to open. On his first day on the job, he found his mate—the oldest Sweet sister, Mabel Sweet.
I’m pretty sure our middle brother, Clay, also found his mate at the bakery. He’s been acting like a bear with a sore paw ever since meeting Bethany Sweet. Both Thorne and I have tried to get him to talk about it, but Clay is holding his cards close to his chest on this subject.
So far, the universe is sparing me from the love bug’s bite, and I plan to keep it that way. When Momma Bear hinted that Cora Sweet might be my fated mate, I shut that shit down real quick. I told my meddling mother I refuse to let fate decide my future. Both of my parents gave me the where did we go wrong look, but I ignored them.
I’ve been working at my rental properties during the day and then coming straight home, hoping to avoid everyone until this crazy mating epidemic passes. There’s no way I intend to end up acting like my pussy-whipped brothers.
“I’ll stop by the bakery on my way out to Rodin Ridge.” Thorne mentioned that the sisters all live in the apartment above the bakery a while back. I glance down at my watch and realize I’m going to be late arriving at the rental if I don’t get a move on. “I’ll let you know when I figure out what huge fucking favor I want in return real soon.”
“Whatever.” Thorne hangs up on me.
As I drive the seven miles between my secluded cabin and Honey Pot Hollow, I make a mental list of everything I need to get done before I’m able to rent out the small house I recently purchased in Rodin Ridge, the small town twenty miles from Honey Pot Hollow.
Rodin Timber Technologies, one of the largest bear shifter-owned timber processing plants in the country, is located in the nearby small town. I make a killing renting to the workers who come to Rodin Ridge for temporary employment during the timber harvesting season.
With well-maintained small homes and short leases, my rental company is the first choice for the timber company’s seasonal workers. Over the last three months, I’ve bought two houses that need a little TLC before I put them on the rental market. I don’t really have time to be Thorne’s messenger boy.
After parking behind Honey Buns, I glance around, noticing the darkened alley surrounding the bakery. This might be a relatively safe shifter town, but the security at the bakery sucks. I walk up the back stairs to the private apartment, grumbling under my breath about the lax security while making a mental note to tell Thorne he needs to fix this fucking situation before something bad happens.