Curves & Alphas: A Paranormal Box Set: (BBW Paranormal Shape Shifter Romance)

by Willow Brooks

  ‘Oh, Van. How wonderful. Thank you. I feel it, too – I’ve never been in love, so I don’t know exactly what this is. But I think it feels like love should feel!’

  She lay down on top of him, smothering him with kisses. He ran his hands down her back and cupped her curvaceous bum in his big hands. She kissed down his body, spending time on his nipples and running her fingertips over each incredibly defined abdominal muscle. His skin smelt fresh and outdoorsy, and she realized it must have been his regular lake baths that infused his skin with such freshness. When she reached his proud erection, she took a moment to run her tongue up and down its length, enjoying the way each touch of her tongue made him flinch and gasp, as if her very saliva were red hot. He was so big that she couldn’t take much of him into her mouth when she finally pressed her lips around his straining red head, but she tried her best, and he certainly didn’t seem to be complaining. Instead, he was gripping the bed sheets, eyes squeezed closed, clearly working hard to control his passions once more. She worked her mouth and hand together at the same time, adding plenty of saliva to make things extra slippery. He built up and up, his cock becoming more and more swollen and stiff until he came with a mighty groan that seemed to come from the center of his being.

  Chapter 7

  They didn’t have full sex that night, but they didn’t sleep much either. There was too much to talk about, too much to discover about each other. They climbed under the covers and snuggled up together. A short while later, Van got up again and opened the window so that the fresh night air could waft in over them while they were cozy in bed. Sophia rested her head on his chest while he stroked her hair, loose now.

  ‘Did you think I’d come into the water after you tonight?’ she asked.

  ‘Hmm. I wasn’t sure. My first impression of you was that you were the prissy type; maybe not one to dive into lakes after dark, in case there were slimy things in there.’

  ‘Prissy?!’

  ‘I mean it in a good way. Ladylike. Delicate.’

  ‘Ladylike is much nicer, thank you.’ She stretched luxuriously. ‘I think it was your evil plan all along. You knew I’d come out here tonight so you waited down by the lake, baiting me with your naked body, then cheekily asking if I was “coming in?”’

  ‘I was just inviting you for a swim,’ he said cheekily. ‘I never said you had to be naked.’

  ‘True. It just seemed the logical option.’

  ‘I’m glad you followed logic on this occasion. Seeing you dive naked into the water was a beautiful sight.’

  ‘There’s something about Crystal Lake that drew me in from the moment I saw it from the car this evening. All I wanted to do was be in that water. If I’m honest, I probably would’ve gone skinny dipping tonight even if you weren’t there. It wouldn’t have been the same without the water directly against my skin.’

  ‘I understand; it’s the same for me. I swim every day that I can, even in winter.’

  ‘Brr!’

  He chuckled. ‘Did you know that Crystal Lake’s an ancient healing site? Legend says that bathing in it has many curative benefits.’

  ‘Well then, it’s no wonder I feel more alive than I have in years,’ she said. ‘How do you explain what you do to me, then? The way your emotions flow into me?’

  ‘Some things are beyond rational explanation. The way we see the world, what we think of as ‘truth’ is just a story based on everything that has happened to us, and everything we’ve been told is true. Then each day we see what we expect to see, perpetuating that truth further in our minds. But what if we don’t know everything? What if we can’t explain everything with facts and science?’

  ‘I think some people wouldn’t like that very much. Most people like to be in control, to understand the inner working of things. But I think it’s exciting to have a little mystery. Life’s boring if you know all about everything.’

  ‘I’m glad.’ He kissed the top of her head lightly.

  ‘As long as important questions like, “who ate the last chocolate biscuit?” and “do you know the way to the new Thai place?” are answered, that is.’ She giggled, shocked at how relaxed she felt around him already. So relaxed that she was making food jokes! What if he thought she was addicted to food, or the type of binge eater who’d eat all but one chocolate biscuit, then hunt down the person who dared to take the last one?

  She was generally confident and comfortable with her plus sized body shape. She’d always been a larger girl, and while she’d battled with it through her teenage years, she’d gone into her twenties with a new perspective. This was the way that her body looked, and do you know what? She thought it looked pretty damn fine.

  Even so, when lying naked in bed with a sculptured god like Van, it wasn’t surprising that a few doubts began to creep in. But he chuckled at her joke and seemed nothing but enamored with her body, cellulite, stretch marks, and all. Goes to show, not all hot men like skeletal women, she thought smugly.

  They rested quietly together for several minutes. An owl hooted in the distance, but otherwise it was perfectly quiet.

  ‘So why did you roar away on your motorcycle yesterday?’ Sophia asked, feeling brave.

  ‘It was nothing. Nothing important.’

  Sophia felt unsatisfied with his answer, but decided not to ruin the moment by pursuing it. Call her a coward, but she didn’t want anything to sully this special time. They were quiet once more until a thought suddenly came to her mind.

  ‘Are you the one who painted the tree in fall picture? I saw it on the wall downstairs, alongside the other seasons.’

  ‘Yes,’ he replied.

  ‘Wow. You’re really talented. Why do you keep that a secret?’

  ‘Painting’s a personal thing for me. I don’t often share my work.’

  ‘Why did you take one to The Duxton then, if you don’t mind me asking? And why only the fall one, when they’re so clearly a series?’ She looked up into his eyes, which seemed mysterious in the dim light.

  ‘I was following my gut. As my father’s car arrived to take me to the party, I saw it and the urge struck me to take it with me. My father wasn’t impressed – Van up to his usual tricks, turning up to a party with a giant painting under his arm, giving everyone cause to think he’s strange. I found a spot in the venue that seemed right and then waited.’

  ‘What were you waiting for?’

  ‘I didn’t know. I just knew something important was going to happen. And I was right.’

  Sophia quietly let his story sink in.

  ‘I meant what I said; the painting’s yours,’ he continued. ‘It just wasn’t practical to carry it on my motorcycle when I visited you yesterday.’

  ‘Oh no, I couldn’t. The paintings are meant to be together. It’d be odd to separate them.’

  He smiled, neither agreeing nor disagreeing, but allowing her to make the decision. As she drifted off to sleep, Sophia thought once more about how much had happened within the space of a few short days. She’d told Jane only a few nights ago that she wanted old fashioned romance: dates, flowers, courtship. And here she was, snuggled up for the night with someone she barely even knew! But it wasn’t true that she didn’t know him. On some level, deeper than conscious thinking and reasoning, she did know Van. There was no doubt that the sparkling fingers of romance were weaving a spell around them, and Sophia was just fine with that.

  Chapter 8

  The next morning, Sophia longed to spend a lazy day with Van. Swimming, eating, going to bed… But she’d already arranged a lunch date with Jane, and didn’t like to break an appointment once it was made. Even though she was certain Jane would approve of this particular excuse, she was also expecting her parents for dinner, so a languid day with a sexy lover was sadly out of the question.

  She drove away from Van’s lodge with a lingering look into her rear-view mirror. She’d made plans to return the following afternoon, but more than twenty-four hours away from him seemed almost unfathomable. She made an eff
ort to pull herself together once she got out onto the winding road back to the city. Quit pining and pull yourself together, Fawkes! You’re a grown woman, not some love-sick teenager. You’ll see him tomorrow. But, despite giving herself a stern talking-to, her heart still physically hurt, and by the time she arrived at the sunny café where Jane was waiting, she was feeling very despondent indeed.

  Sophia hadn’t seen her sister since the night of the party, and besides one brief text message, Short Street Café, midday, Jane had been completely off the communications radar, as well.

  Jane was waiting at a corner table with a strong coffee, face hidden by large sunglasses.

  ‘So, where’ve you been hiding for the past few days?’ Sophia asked, knowing Jane would be desperate to tell all. ‘When I left the party, you were dancing up a storm.’

  Jane slid her sunglasses down and Sophia caught a glimpse of her horribly bloodshot eyes.

  ‘See that?’ she said, pressing her sunglasses firmly back in place. ‘That’s what your eyes look like when you’ve been awake for eighty hours, straight.’

  ‘You haven’t slept since the party?’ asked Sophia incredulously.

  ‘Maybe thirty minutes here and there, but nothing more.’

  ‘You’re mad. Dare I ask what you’ve been doing?’

  ‘Fucking. Non-stop, mind-blowing, so-many-different-positions-I’d-challenge-a-porn-star-to-top-my-effort fucking.’

  ‘Ah-hem.’ A waitress cleared her throat beside them. Her face screamed disapproval. ‘Ready to order?’

  Sophia reddened and struggled to decide what to eat, but Jane placed her order without flinching.

  ‘Seriously,’ she continued once the waitress had left in a huff. ‘My body is so sore it’ll take a fortnight to recover. I had to ask for an extra cushion for my seat just so I could sit down.’

  ‘Keep your voice down,’ Sophia hissed, noticing other diners turning to stare. ‘So, who’s the lucky man that was treated to a marathon session of your sexual gymnastics?’

  ‘Well,’ she began dramatically, ‘after you laid claim to Van Longshadow at the party – I want to hear everything that’s happened since, by the way – I was forced to move on to the next most eligible Longshadow brother, Mark. But, on the way, I got a little distracted on the dance floor, and by the time I found him at the bar, he was throwing back tequila shots and looking very cozy with some old woman who was so far below his league it would’ve been comical if it wasn’t so tragic.’

  ‘Wendy,’ Sophia said. She continued to feel very proud of her colleague for nabbing the hottest guy at that party.

  ‘Who’s Wendy?’

  ‘My illustrator. She’s the “old woman” you’re talking about, who dashed every hot-blooded woman’s hopes by matching Mark Longshadow tequila for tequila at the party – with apparently no ill effects the next day – then took him home.’

  Jane nodded, impressed. ‘Well, kudos to her. Stories like that give me hope for the future. When I’m grey and wrinkly, I hope I’ll still be able to bag a babe, too.’

  ‘I have no doubts that you will.’

  ‘Thanks. So, with Mark out of the equation, I was at a bit of a loss. By the time you subtracted all the married men and women in the room, there were only a handful of decent prospects. So I thought, fuck it, might as well have a good time by myself. I carried on dancing until the band finished, and then this incredible DJ started: DJ Beatz. I didn’t even notice what he looked like to begin with; I was too caught up in the music. Then our eyes met and…’

  ‘Lust at first sight?’ Sophia joked.

  ‘Damn right. Next thing, I’m up in the DJ booth with him and he’s letting me spin the records, then I’m sucking him off under the table…’

  ‘Jane!’

  ‘Then we’re back at his place and you can guess how the story goes from there.’

  The waitress poured their coffee and delivered their burgers with a scowl on her face.

  ‘Service isn’t too friendly here,’ Jane said, loud enough for the waitress to hear as she cleared an adjacent table.

  ‘She’ll have the manager over here shortly.’

  ‘For what?’

  ‘Disrupting the other customers with your lewd stories.’ Sophia pretended to be serious, but really she just enjoyed teasing Jane.

  ‘Bullshit. Sex is a natural thing, not something to be ashamed of.’

  ‘Perhaps. Doesn’t mean everyone wants to hear about what you’re doing while they’re eating. So tell me, will you be seeing DJ Beatz again?’ she asked in between bites. ‘Mm, hope they don’t kick us out; this burger is spectacular.’

  Jane shrugged. ‘Dunno. Haven’t made any plans to meet up again. See how I feel once my body’s recovered.’

  Sophia frowned at her. ‘Are you happy with that? Truly? Don’t you want something a little more… meaningful?’

  ‘No,’ she said simply. ‘I’m not like you, Soph. I don’t need a man to complete some mental image I have of myself and my future.’

  ‘I’ll try not to be offended by that.’

  ‘You know what I mean. We’ve always been different. You were always the one with the Barbie and Ken dolls, walking them down the aisle and tucking little Suzy dolls into cribs, while I was out climbing the highest tree and pulling the finger at the boys who couldn’t reach me. It’s a basic, physiological difference. I personally think you belong to the postman.’

  Sophia slapped her arm playfully. ‘You’re the one with the year-round tan – who did that come from? Mum and Dad are both as pale as me!’

  Jane poked out her tongue, then dabbed the corner of her mouth and pushed her plate away. She’d only eaten half of the burger and a few fries. ‘I’m stuffed. That was just what I needed, though – a bit of carbohydrate loading to restore all of that energy I’ve expended. Now, it’s your turn. Tell me all.’ She leaned forward eagerly.

  Sophia put her empty plate to the side and began working on Jane’s leftovers. She knew Jane wouldn’t judge her for doing this. Jane had tried and failed numerous times to get Sophia on one diet or exercise plan or another, until she was forced to accept that Sophia actually liked looking and eating as she did.

  While she was eating, she told Jane everything: the meeting in the Trinity Rock corridor, the kiss on the street, the midnight swim, the paintings in the foyer, and their night together. By the time she finished, they were onto their third cup of coffee and considering dessert.

  ‘I feel amazing, Jane,’ Sophia gushed. ‘It’s happening; it’s finally really happening. Yes, he was a bit strange when he left on his motorcycle, but I honestly think he was just surprised by the intensity of his feelings, just like I am. It’s the real thing, at last. I can hardly believe I’m saying it, but I think I’m in love with him.’ A warm glow filled her as she said this, soothing her aching heart a little. ‘It actually hurts to be apart from him.’ She placed her hand on her heart. ‘Right here.’

  For once, Jane seemed short of something to say. She gave a strange little smile and studied the dessert menu a little too hard. ‘Is it too much to have a carb and a sugar blow-out in the same sitting?’ she wondered absentmindedly.

  ‘You’re asking the wrong person. I’ve always got time for carbs and sugar.’

  A waitress – a different one – took Sophia’s order of a strawberry ice cream sundae and waited patiently while Jane debated with her diet conscience, and eventually decided that she’d sinned enough for one day.

  ‘You can share mine,’ Sophia said, secretly hoping she wouldn’t. In her opinion, there were few sins greater than not ordering a dessert and then eating half of someone else’s. They sat in loaded silence for a few moments. ‘You’re awfully quiet. What’s up?’

  Jane twisted her napkin, clearly taking the time to choose her words carefully.

  ‘I’m super happy for you, Soph. I really am,’ she said eventually. ‘I know how much you’ve been waiting for Mr. Right to come along, and now you feel like he’s arrived. But it
just seems like things are moving so quickly. I always imagined you’d have a strict agenda of kissing after date three, and maybe third base by the time you’d been together a year. But here you are spending the night with a guy you’ve only known a few days. It just seems so unlike you.’

  ‘You know I’ve done stuff with guys before!’ Sophia lowered her voice to whisper. ‘I may not have done that, but I’ve done plenty of other stuff. And besides, you’re the one who’s always telling me to get on with it and put myself out there.’

  ‘I know, I know. You’re right! I am! I’m just worried you’re going to get hurt. I’m not used to seeing you move so quickly with a guy; it’s freaking me out a little. I feel a little protective of you; I am your big sister, after all.’