Boarlander Beast Boar (Boarlander Bears Book 4) by T. S. Joyce Page B

Apparently Mason wasn’t fully awake. She could tell by the fact that he dragged her body closer to his chest, big-spooned her like a pro, and told her, “I’ll keep you safe, babe.”
    From the alarm clock?
    Beck turned in his arms and buried her face against his chest, then inhaled his scent. He smelled different when he slept, more like Mason and less like the manly sexpot body spray he used in the mornings. And she freaking loved that she was the one who got to experience this. Mine, mine, mine, her owl hooted possessively.
    Mason lifted his powerful leg over her hips and trapped her in his embrace completely, and this right here was her favorite place in the world. Partly because she was pretty sure it was impossible to feel safer than in his big, muscly arms, and two, he had some serious morning wood that conjured all the fun memories of last night.
    Beck wished she could stay in bed with him longer. It was summer, but nights were still cool in the mountains, and he was like a big sexy furnace. She had to get ready for the long day ahead though. The more she fell for Mason, the more determined she was to help the shifters—not just for her and Ryder’s future, but for the future of Damon’s mountains and the incredible people here, too. She’d been here almost a week and had managed to meet with all the crews here thanks to Bash being happy to drive her after Mason had quit. She loved them all—the Ashe Crew, the Gray Backs, the Boarlanders, Damon and his beautiful family. She’d even met Kong’s Lowlander family group in Saratoga when she’d done a grocery run with Audrey. Her heart was throwing out lifelines to each crew, each member, tethering her here to this place. How silly that she’d thought she could leave, like her time here had meant nothing. She was changed. She was stronger somehow, which was insane because she’d always been proud of her toughness, but these people here made her want to get battle-ready. They made her career more than just a job. They made it fulfilling, but only if she succeeded in helping them.
    Everyone had a role to play here. The mates that had been brought into the Boarlanders didn’t sit idly by and watch their men defend themselves alone. Audrey was in town every chance she got, being friendly, signing autographs, because the white tiger she hid inside was also rare. And Bash’s mate, Emerson, was writing pro-shifter first-person articles full-time for the Saratoga Hometown News . And on top of that, she hadn’t balked an inch when Beck had asked her to write blogs for Cora’s website and open a forum on the bangaboarlander page. Already they were getting a great response from the public who were curious about life in Damon’s mountains. And Kirk’s mate, Alison, who had asked Beck to call her Ally, had made ballsy moves with a video interview that made international news. She had silenced IESA completely after they tried to kill her a couple months ago. Her outspoken and public vitriol for the rogue government group had civilians picketing and raging against the injustices done to the shifters.
    It was time Beck stepped up and pulled her weight, too.
    Beck laid a kiss on her mate’s chest, hugged him tighter, then wiggled out from under his heavy arm and leg. His hand clamped on hers the second her feet hit the cold floorboard.
    “Nooo,” he drawled softly. “It’s too early.”
    She giggled and pulled her hair into a high messy bun. “The early bird gets the worm.”
    “Mmm. That statement right there would break Willa’s heart.”
    Beck laughed. Oh, she’d met the worm-lovin’ Almost Alpha of the Gray Backs. “The photographer for the calendar will be here soon, and I need to get ready.”
    “How soon?”
    “Forty-five minutes.”
    A naughty smile stretched Mason’s lips. He pulled her back into bed and over him until she straddled his hips. His lightened gaze dipped to her bare breasts, and he ran his hands up her ribs, then lifted his shoulders