Bear Seeking Bride: Thorn (Bear Canyon Brides Book 6) (BBW Paranormal Bear-Shifter Menage Romance) by Ruby Shae Page A

line.
    The man had been over six feet tall with red hair and deep blue eyes. His striking ginger head drew attention wherever he went, and she remembered always feeling safe and protected by his side. Claire had their mother’s hair, eyes and height, but Ava had gotten the woman’s soft, round curves. Her father had never seemed to mind his curvy wife; in fact his desire for her curves would have been hard to miss. He’d showered her with love and attention every day, and Ava longed to find a man who looked at her with the same devotion.
    Looking back, she’d known all along that man wasn’t David, but his betrayal had still hurt.
    Even though he’d known how much she’d loathed her sister, and how much pain and torment Claire had caused, he’d purposefully developed a personal relationship with the woman. Over the years, she’d shared many painful and private moments with him, only to have them thrown back in her face. His vicious parting words attacking her appearance had hurt, but his demand for her dream had hurt more.
    Desperate to cut all ties with the lying, cheating scumbag, she’d sold him her half of the business for cost, and bowed out gracefully. Unfortunately, she would never be really free unless she left town for a fresh start.
    When she’d built her business, she’d planned to own it forever. She’d picked the perfect location, and worked with the local businesses to give their patrons an ultimate shopping experience. Now that it was gone, she found herself avoiding her favorite hangouts.
    All the friends she’d had when she’d been single had drifted away over the years, and all of their couple friends had stayed with David. After the break-up six months ago, she’d not only been heartbroken, she’d been completely, and utterly alone.
    The approach of the holidays had motivated her to volunteer, and while she enjoyed the work, she still came home to an empty apartment every night. Ultimately, she didn’t feel as though she belonged anywhere anymore, and it was time to move on.
    A new city and a new job were the perfect solution.
    The change of scenery would do her good.
     
    ***
     
    Gavin Thorn dragged his feet into the kitchen, ran his hand through his hair, and squinted at his brother sitting at the table. His identical twin brother, Hawk, studied the tablet he held in one hand, and took a sip of his steaming coffee with the other. The man had obviously been up longer than five minutes.
    Gavin pressed the button on the single-serve coffee machine and took a deep breath as the mug began to fill. He added sweetener to the hot brew, and then joined Hawk at the table.
    “How can you look so chipper? I feel like crap, and my head is throbbing.”
    “You drank more than I did, and I’ve already downed three ibuprofen and two cups of coffee,” Hawk said.
    “We’re getting too old for this shit,” Gavin swore. “Those girls last night didn’t even look legal, or natural. Where the fuck are the real women?”
    “Hell if I know,” Hawk said, shutting off his tablet and placing it on the table, “but I can’t do another club or bar scene. We’re like magnets for every desperate, gold-digging, sexed up female in a fifty mile radius, and that place last night was the worst. I can’t believe Jordan recommended it.”
    “Yeah, sophisticated my ass,” Gavin cursed, and took a huge gulp of his coffee.
    The caffeine pushed some of the cobwebs out of his head, but he was still angry.
    They should have known better than to trust an unmarried man’s advice on where to meet women. As soon as they’d walked into the place, they’d caught the attention of every woman who’d ever fantasized about a threesome. They’d been approached many times before, and they were looking for someone to share, but it was the first time the married women hadn’t even tried to hide their wedding bands.
    When he’d inadvertently let it slip they were both doctors, even some of the women with dates had