Her Bear to Keep

By DJ Bryce

Tyson and Jordan were friends growing up, and although Jordan always had a crush on Ty, he didn't see her in that light until he finally came into his birthright. A late bloomer, it only took one look at Jordan after his first shift, to realize his mate had been right there next to him for years. Their love was young, strong, and true, but when Jordan became sick and could no longer be the woman she believed Ty deserved to be with, she pushed him away. Now Jordan will stop at nothing to find happiness for Tyson, even if her heart has to continuously break in the process. Frustrated with Jordan's antics, but realizing her heart is in the right place, Tyson plays along with Jordan's plan, even as he knows in his heart and soul, that she's the only woman for him. Ty will do anything to get his mate back where she belongs... by his side, forever. Her Bear to Keep is STANDALONE in the Her Bear Series. It contains a hard-headed heroine, a steamy bear shifter, and sex in all the right places.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Bethany Lopez
• Release date: May 13, 2021
• ISBN: 9781005183189

DJ Bryce

Author DJ Bryce loves her men tall, dark, and Alpha. She can often be found relaxing with a cup of coffee, a handful of RedVines, and a good book, with her two dogs snoozing happily at her feet.She's a lover of The Walking Dead, Romantic Comedies, and writing sexy shifters.DJ Bryce is a pen name for USA Today Bestselling author, Bethany Lopez.

Book preview

Jordan

Jordan tried really hard not to fidget. It was her friend’s wedding after all, and standing up at the altar pulling down her Spanx would not be a good look.

She smiled as she watched Mia, looking gorgeous and beyond happy, walk down the aisle. Her eyes never wavered from Drake, her groom’s, face. If she wasn’t so excited for them, Jordan would probably have made exaggerated gag noises at the dopey looks on their faces.

It wasn’t that she didn’t believe in love, mating for life, or finding that one person you didn’t mind looking dopey over. It was just that she knew it wasn’t possible.

Not for her.

Not anymore.

Jordan’s eyes shifted covertly to where Tyson was standing in position as best man, but shifted right back when she saw he was watching her.

Tyson Mitchell. The one who got away.

Correction, the one she’d pushed away.

She’d done her best to avoid him over the last four years, which wasn’t easy when you lived in a small town and your ex was not only the town deputy, but also one of the most respected members of the local clan.

Tyson was a bear shifter. He hadn’t shifted until later in life, a late bloomer, but both of his parents were shifters, and he’d never doubted the fact that he was too, even though others had warned him that not every child born of shifters had the gift.

None of that had mattered to Jordan, who, although human, had fallen in love with Tyson the first time she’d laid eyes on him.

They’d been young, only twelve years old, and at that time, there was a segregation between shifters and non-shifters. Everyone pretty much stayed with their own kind, and Tyson didn’t even know she existed, but she saw him, and Jordan knew… he was the one for her.

Jordan loved him from a distance at first. Then, in high school, Drake put an end to the segregation. Everyone knew Drake would be chief of his clan one day, and even at such a young age, people were willing to follow him. Drake had fallen in love with her best friend, Mia, at fifteen, which thrust Jordan and Tyson together. But only as friends, which had killed Jordan. At least she got to be close to him.

That time with Mia, Drake, and Ty had been the best of her life, but it was short lived. Mia’s parents sent her away to New York, leaving Drake devastated. Not wanting a reminder of the love that he’d lost, Drake had stopped hanging out with Jordan, which meant Tyson did too.

I now pronounce you husband and wife.

Jordan shook herself out of her memories and back to the present. She couldn’t believe she’d missed Mia and Drake’s vows, what a horrible friend she was…

Ignoring Tyson’s offered arm, Jordan walked down the aisle after her friends with her arms firmly against her side.

C’mon, Jordan, can’t you just thaw out a bit… for Mia? Tyson whispered from beside her, and she bristled at his words.

Thaw out? Really? Like she was an ice queen or something.

Rather than yell and engage in a fight like she normally would, Jordan kept her lips shut and her eyes forward, ignoring him all together.

It wasn’t an easy feat to manage. At six foot six, Ty was a gorgeous, chocolate-skinned, bald-shaven man, with rippling muscles and a deep, quiver-inducing voice. Whereas most bears tended to be hairy, with bushy beards and long hair, Tyson preferred to keep himself clean-shaven and smooth.

The sight of him always caused her breath to hitch and her nether regions to tremble.

There was some trembling going on right then, but Jordan did her best to keep her reactions to herself. She knew that if Tyson scented even a hint of arousal from her, he’d be all over her.

She was his mate after all, and if his bear sensed even a hint of willingness on her part, Jordan doubted that Ty would be able to control the urge to claim her once again.

That was why she’d perfected the art of staying out of his way. She’d managed to be very successful at it for four years, and then Mia had come back to town, and Jordan had been thrown together with Ty more than she was comfortable with.

It was much easier to deny the attraction, the desire, the need, she felt for him when she was sitting alone in her apartment reading horror novels and binge watching shows on Netflix.

Keeping her thoughts to safe, non-sexy things, like how to get a wine stain out of her living room rug, and whether or not fish made good pets, Jordan walked out of the church and into her car without any further interaction with Ty.

Now she just needed to get through the wedding reception. Then, she could go back to avoiding Ty and living her sad little life alone.

Well, that was a depressing thought, Jordan muttered as she parked and made her way into the hall where the reception was being held. Then she looked into her rear view mirror and said, Just a couple more hours, Jordan. You’ve got this. Stay away from the alcohol and Tyson, and for God’s sake, keep it in your pants.

She stopped in the restroom to freshen up and pull down her Spanx in private, before taking a deep breath and going out into the music filled room. People were already starting to dance, but Jordan wanted no part of that. She just wanted to be there to wish her friends well on their honeymoon, then get the hell out of there and go spend some alone time with her cat, Vicious.

Oh, Jordan, there you are. It’s so nice to see a familiar face. I swear everyone’s been giving me the evil eye since I walked in.

Jordan