Bearly Breathing: The Bear Claw Tales, #1

By C.D. Gorri

Leya Tremayne left for her tropical vacation with plans to let loose. Sexy stranger Marcus would be perfect for a one-night stand — but little does she know, Marcus is a bear shifter on a mission to find his fated mate, and destiny just landed in his lap…

 

He's looking for his mate. She just wants to have fun.

Sweet and curvy, Leya Tremayne is tired of being a shoulder to cry on for the men in her life. Determined to shed her image, she goes on a tropical vacation with plans to let her hair down.

She meets Marcus Devlin and is instantly attracted to the devastatingly handsome stranger. He is exactly the type of man she needs to help her build her new image. Can she handle a one-night stand with this rugged Bear Shifter or will she lose her heart in the process?

Marcus Devlin is looking for his true fated mate. After months of searching, he is just about ready to give up when destiny lands in his lap. Literally.

After rescuing the beautiful blonde tourist from an untimely accident, Marcus knows instinctively that she's the one. He just has to convince her!

• Language: English
• Publisher: C.D. Gorri
• Release date: Jun 29, 2021
• ISBN: 9798201684013

Book preview

Bearly Breathing

Bearly Breathing

A BEAR CLAW TALE 1

C.D. GORRI

C.D. Gorri

Contents

Welcome to Barvale!

A Message from one of The Devlin Brothers…

Prologue

Chapter 1

Chapter 2

Chapter 3

Chapter 4

Chapter 5

Chapter 6

Chapter 7

Chapter 8

Chapter 9

Chapter 10

Epilogue

Beware… Here Be Dragons!

Have you met my Bears?

Other Titles by C.D. Gorri

Excerpt from Purrfectly Mated

Excerpt from Bound by Air

About the Author

Welcome to Barvale!

Hello Readers.

Come inside and meet the first Devlin brother.

Nearly Breathing is the tale of Marcus Devlin, reluctant Alpha, sexy baker, and all around hottie and his journey to find his mate to settle his Black Bear. This is the first of what became 3 separate series featuring the Barvale Clan.

Keep reading for more info on these fantastic paranormal romance tales featuring sexy Shifter heroes and their sassy, curvy mates.

First up, is The Bear Claw Tales, focusing on the 4 Devlin brothers. In order of their stories, we have Marcus, Taylor, Daniel, and Nate. Four Bear Shifters on the hunt for their one true and fated mates.

Get to know the movers and shakers behind the infamous Bear Claw Bakery, maker of the finest baked goods this side of the Atlantic. I hope you’re hungry, cause we got cream claws and honey drizzled goodies for all.

Let’s help these four growly men hurry up and find their mates before their wild side becomes too much to bear.

I hope you enjoy book 1 in the series, Marcus and Leya’s story was my second ever paranormal romance and I just love them both to bits. Happy reading.

Del mare alla stella,

C.D. Gorri

*Continue the journey with the rest of The Bear Claw Tales, The Barvale Clan Tales and Barvale Holiday Tales.

Copyright

Copyright 2019, 2023 C.D. Gorri, NJ

Edited by Book Nook Nuts

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This is a work of fiction. All of the characters, names, places, organizations, and events portrayed in this novel are either part of the author’s imagination and/or used fictitiously and are not to be construed as real. Any resemblance to a person, living or dead, actual events, locales or organizations is entirely coincidental. This ebook is licensed for your personal enjoyment only. All rights are reserved. No part of this book is to be reproduced, scanned, downloaded, printed, or distributed in any manner whatsoever without written permission from the author. Please do not participate in or encourage piracy of any materials in violation of the author’s rights. Thank you for respecting the hard work of this author.

Dedication

For anyone who believes in true love, this one is for you.

del mare alla stella, C.D. Gorri

Blurb

He’s looking for his mate. She just wants to have fun. Will Leya and Marcus find their destiny one hot summer night?

Sweet and curvy, Leya Tremayne is tired of being a shoulder to cry on for the men in her life. Determined to shed her image, she goes on a tropical vacation with plans to let her hair down.

She meets Marcus Devlin and is instantly attracted to the devastatingly handsome stranger. He is exactly the type of man she needs to help her build her new image. Can she handle a one—night stand with this rugged Bear Shifter or will she lose her heart in the process?

Marcus Devlin is looking for his true fated mate. After months of searching, he is just about ready to give up when destiny lands in his lap. Literally.

After rescuing the beautiful blonde tourist from an untimely accident, Marcus knows instinctively that she’s the one. He just has to convince her.

A Message from one of The Devlin Brothers…

Hi there,

My name is Taylor. I’m the youngest of the three Devlin Brothers. Now, this is a secret, but I feel like I can trust you, so I’m just gonna say it. We’re Bear Shifters. Werebears if you prefer.

My oldest brother, Marcus, has been a real sonofabit—, well, he’s been one cranky ass bear. He needs to find his one true and fated mate to soothe his beast or there’s a chance he might go feral.

That would really suck for us, seeing as how we’ve just hit the big time with the family business. We’re the owners of Bear Claw Bakery, you might have heard of us. The best non-GMO savory breads and sweets in the country. Heck, maybe the whole damn planet.

But don’t take my word for it. Dive into these pages and see for yourself. And if you see Marcus, maybe let him give you a sniff, just in case you’re the one?

Oh, steer clear of Daniel. My poor big bro got his heart crushed. Yup, he was left at the altar by his fiancée. Let’s just say the experience left him one bitter and angry dude. He hates women.

Yup. I’m the nice one in the bunch. But don’t get any ideas. I am a confirmed bachelor for years to come yet. No rush to mate here. Especially not with Krissy Sposa, our home store manager. Despite what the curly haired bear seems to think.

Anyway, back to Marcus, he’s the one looking for love. I gotta get going, I have a hot date with a sexy redhead.

TTYS.

—Taylor

Prologue

Marcus rolled his shoulders and waited impatiently for the familiar buzz that preceded his Change. It was early yet. The evening sky was still bright with the setting sun. Too light for what he was about to do, but he didn’t care. He needed to do it now .

He tore off his apron and stepped out of his flour-caked sneakers, kicking them onto the rubber mat that sat against the exposed brick wall of the hallway that led to the ovens.

He’d have to remember to tell the cleaning service to hose down the mats before they left at night. He made a mental note, but that didn’t slow him down in the least.

Marcus turned sideways so he could fit smoothly through the back door of the bakery and half-jogged down the steps. He sniffed the air, ignoring the sweet smell of flour and yeast as he loped towards the stand of trees just behind the employee parking lot.

He ran his eyes over the area, checking one last time to make sure he was completely alone, before stripping out of the remainder of his dough splattered clothes.

The bakery was hot as fuck on any given day, no matter the season. Today was no exception. Tiny rivulets of sweat clung to his skin, but the cool air that met it caused him to shiver. Or was it caused by something else?

He sucked in a deep breath. Change was coming, his Bear sensed it. Not the kind that swapped skin for fur, this was something else. The weather perhaps?

Just another week or two and the unseasonably cold spring would be over, replaced by the intoxicating heat of summer. Marcus loved summer.

Actually, what he liked most about his home in southwestern New Jersey was the change of the seasons. Except lately.

This winter had been a long one and, as for spring, it was nonexistent. He felt restless and barren as the landscape. Small, unfulfilled buds covered the trees. They looked hard and small, dead even, incapable of holding the life he knew that dwelt deep inside.

He longed for the lush green of the summer months. With it came the frenzy of his fellow woodland creatures as they went about their lives of hunting, gathering, making homes, and making babies. Fuck. Babies. The thought alone used to be enough to have him breaking out in hives. But now…

This line of thought was not helping with his current state. Anxiety filled his veins. He exhaled and shook his head, freeing his shoulder length hair from the confines of the tight braid he preferred when baking. It’s time. The voice inside him growled, but Marcus resisted.

He didn’t want things to change. He liked his life. Business was good, his family was healthy and safe. He had deep roots right there in town. What more could he want? Mate. Must find a mate, his inner beast growled.

His family was long and well established in the area. He had duties to both his business, his brothers, and his Clan. But could he fulfill them without giving up a part of himself?

Marcus knew his history well. His great-great-grandfather, Ignatius Devlin, moved to Barvale from Ireland over two hundred years ago seeking fortune and a better life for himself.

After he’d landed, he started as an apprentice baker to the one man willing to give an Irishman a job. Years later, after marrying the man’s daughter and inheriting the shop, he founded the Devlin Clan.

Family legend said the young baker’s wife was curious about her husband’s nightly runs through the woods. He’d avoided her questions with success until one night when their first child promptly turned into a bear cub after refusing to go to bed when his mother ordered him to.

Old Ignatius had a lot of explaining to do that night, afterwards, harmony reigned in their house, and the bakery was rechristened the Bear Claw Bakery.

The Devlin Clan owned and operated the Bear Claw Bakery to this very day. In fact, his father had recently retired from the business and was ready to do the same with his role in the Clan. More changes.

Marcus and his brothers had immediately thrown themselves into work. He had to prove not only to his father and brothers, but to himself, that he could