Bear-ly A Hero (Bear Claw Security 2) by Terry Bolryder

concerned.”
    She gave Limes a warning gesture to stay where he was and undid the deadbolt to open the door.
    Glen had thinning, reddish hair and a tall, skinny build. And he had a bottle of wine and a plate of cookies in his hands. “Hi, Jamie. Can I come in?”
    She kept the door mostly closed. “Sorry, Glen, it’s not the best time.” She gave him a sympathetic smile. “Maybe later?”
    “Sure,” he said, trying to peer around the door. “But I was just hoping to bring you these. And come in for a moment. I haven’t been over in a while.”
    “You came just last week, Glen,” she said.
    “Did I?” he asked, a bright grin on his face. Too bright. “Well, once a week is just neighborly.” He handed her the cookies and wine and took advantage of her full hands to walk into the room.
    She looked over to see Limes had busied himself testing the motion sensors on the window.
    “Who’s that?” Glen asked, perplexed.
    She sighed. “Just a friend.”
    Glen looked mildly irritated by that, but then Limes turned around, his characteristic glare on his face, not at all friendly.
    “I’m the help,” he said, nodding at the window. “Just getting a security system in.” He pinned Glen with a glare. “In case of creeps.”
    Glen didn’t take the hint, instead taking a cookie from the plate she was holding and plopping himself on one of her stools.
    “It’s really not a good time,” she said, standing across from him at the counter.
    “When are you going to go out with me?” Glen asked impatiently, nibbling his cookies. “We’ve been neighbors for months, and I think you enjoy my company.”
    “I… You’re just not my type, Glen.”
    She heard a low rumbling from Limes’s direction and ignored it. This was just between her and a friend. It wasn’t in his purview as bodyguard. She had to reject Glen on her own.
    “How would you know if I’m your type?” Glen asked, reaching across the counter to take her hand. “We haven’t even kissed.” He was so much smaller than Limes but still taller than her. He jerked her forward.
    She groaned inwardly. She was going to have to hurt feelings. She hated that. “Glen…” She tried to pull back . “Glen, I’m just not…”
    But he pulled her forward over the counter, leaning in himself, his eyes closed as if he expected them to kiss. She winced and leaned back, wondering what to do next as he pulled her in. Was this deserving of a slap? A hard set-down? Ugh, why did men have to be so aggressive?
    And then she was tugged back out of Glen’s grip and against a hard, solid warm chest. She felt Limes’s huge arms band around her, saw Glen go pale as he looked up at the man behind her.
    “It’s time for you to go,” Limes said in a deep voice.
    Glen frowned. “You said… he was a friend.”
    “I…”
    “She said you were a friend, too,” Limes said. “But you aren’t acting like one. Now get out before I show you just how unfriendly I can be.”
    She shuddered slightly at that, both from how intimidating it was and how hot it was, and was relieved when Glen sent her a frightened glare and then took his plate and wine and left.
    When he was gone, Limes released her to go and shut the door after him.
    “You didn’t have to do that,” she said, folding her arms. “I was going to handle it.”
    “Oh, you were?” Limes asked, approaching her with a dark expression, backing her up until he pinned her against the fridge.
    “Yes, I was,” she said. “I was just trying to think what he deserved.”
    “It’s not about what he deserved. It’s about what you wanted or didn’t want.” Limes sighed, and his green eyes were calm as they looked into hers. “You deserve to do whatever you need to in order to stop people from doing things you don’t want.”
    She looked up at him, feeling shy and embarrassed after what had just happened. “But what if I can’t?” she asked. “What if I’m not strong enough?”
    He pulled her against his