“We need to talk,” he said. “I think you owe me that.”
She closed the door behind them and sat in the chair behind her desk.
“I had a nice time,” she said, lacing her fingers on top of the desk, “I just think we maybe go about life in different ways.” What she’d said to Vanessa had seemed true enough. Why not use the line again?
“Still in denial, huh?” He sat down and leaned on the desk. “It can take a while for some people.”
“There’s nothing to deny.”
“Blair. I turned into a bear in front of you.”
“I recall. And I appreciate you protecting me. I hope they didn’t hurt you… before… when you were fighting.” As she looked more closely, though, she saw faint bruises around his eye.
“I’m sorry it happened like that. I never would have just changed without talking to you first, but it was our first date. I would have told you when you were ready. Those men didn’t leave me with much of a choice. I had to protect you. Even if it meant scaring you.”
“And like I said, I appreciate that. Very much.” She thought of the way the men had looked at her. If he hadn’t been strong enough and changed to scare them away, the night could have ended very differently for her.
“So, is that it, then? Have I scared you?”
“No. I don’t know.” Her throat burned and then her eyes filled with tears. “How can it ever work, Dax? You’re a bear.” She choked on the words.
“Not all the time.” He pulled his mouth into a humorless smile. “I know it’s weird. Believe me. People have called me a freak all my life. That’s why we live out in the woods alone and keep to ourselves. The world hates us. They’d hunt us if they knew. Anything that’s strange or different must be bad, right? I’ve been different my whole life and there’s nothing I can do about it. It’s not like I chose this. Shifters are just born and we have to deal with what life gives us, just like anyone else.”
Blair looked at her hands for a long time. She was trying hard not to let the tears spill. She blinked and blinked, but finally, they tripped down her cheeks. All she could think of was her own childhood.
When the store had been hurting and her parents couldn’t buy her nice clothes. She’d had to wear thrift store clothing or things that were so old they were frayed and falling apart. It had been horrible having people make fun of her for it, and she got so mad because there was nothing she could do about it. Until, of course, she finished high school, got a business degree, and went into debt to make sure her wardrobe was the top of the line. She knew what it felt like to be the butt of the jokes. Not only that, but she’d also judged Daxton for having clothing and a house that didn’t live up to the same standard she’d been trying to reach her whole life.
“I’m sorry you’ve been treated badly,” she said. “I know something of how you feel.”
He handed her a tissue and, as she gave him the shortened version of her childhood, he reached out and took her hand.
“You know what it’s like, then,” he said softly. “I wish you didn’t know.”
“I’m sorry that you have to deal with this, but I don’t know how to handle it. I don’t know what it means or if you’re dangerous or not, and I don’t know if I can trust you not to hurt me. All the stories—and I know they’re just stories—but they always involve someone getting mauled.”
“Did I hurt you Friday night?”
She shook her head. He’d sat there, perfectly calm and still after the men had run off.
“Then give me a chance. I’ll tell you whatever you want to know. You can talk to the rest of the clan and ask them anything, too. And you can talk to Beck’s girlfriend if you want, to see what she says. Whatever womanly questions you might have about how… things work.”
She raised an eyebrow and he shrugged.
“I don’t think it’s any different for us, but how would I know?” he said.
“You’re all bears? The five of you who live in that house?”
He nodded.
“That’s why you’re so… big?”
“Well, we do workout, but I’m sure it has something to do with it. Shifters tend to resemble their animals, even in human form.” He stood up and came around to her side of the desk, then perched on the edge. “Blair, I know it’s going to take some getting used to. Please don’t give up on me just yet.”
She looked into his eyes, saw the glimmer of tears making the gold sparkle. Her heart surged with compassion and longing. This was still the man who’d kissed her so well. Nothing had changed about him when he was in human form. And she liked who he was when he was a human.
“Come to my place tonight. We can talk and you can really meet the guys.”
“I’ll think about it. I might just… need some time, okay?” She stood up and walked toward the door.
He stood in front of her and placed his palm against her cheek. “Take your time. Just don’t ignore me completely, okay?”
She nodded and when he leaned in, she leaned back and let him kiss her. It was a much shorter kiss, but still ignited something deep inside her. She couldn’t deny that she wanted him. Bear or not.
He stepped out of her office, and she stood in the doorway to watch him go. He looked over his shoulder to smile at her. And behind him, a man walked into the aisle. At first, he paid them no attention. He pushed his cart and tossed items in. But Blair recognized him and Daxton froze. It was the man in the flannel shirt who’d pulled a knife on Daxton.
The man looked up and saw them. His eyes hardened and he turned down the aisle.
Daxton came back to her, watching the aisle where the man turned. “I’m going to keep an eye on him.”
“Should I call the cops?”
He shook his head. “He hasn’t done anything yet. I’ll be right back.”
Blair closed the door to her office and paced. Maybe, despite her unavailable payroll funds, she should consider hiring someone for security. Would the man attack her in the middle of the store?
Daxton knocked. “He left. He abandoned his cart in an aisle and got into his car and drove off.”
She breathed out a sigh of relief.
“Let me drive you home tonight, or at least follow you. I don’t like this.”
“Okay.” She looked at her watch. “I was planning to leave in an hour. I just have a few things to finish up.”
“I’ll be back.”
Daxton followed her home and everything seemed to be fine. They hadn’t seen the man again or any of his friends.
“Thanks for following me,” Blair said, standing in her entryway. “Do you want to maybe... stay for a little while? We could get food or something?”
“You sure?”
She chuckled. “Not really. But I wouldn’t mind just talking.”
She got them both glasses of water and they sat on her couch, waiting for the pizza to come. Things felt a bit awkward, though. She kept changing her position, and the conversation felt stilted.
“What’s wrong?” he finally said. “You’re not acting like yourself.”
“Maybe we just need to talk more about the elephant in the room. Or bear, as it were.” Her cheeks flushed, but he laughed.
“Right. You have questions?”
“You said you don’t choose to be a shifter.”
“It’s hereditary. But it’s not 100%. They say if one member of a couple is a shifter, there’s about an 80% chance the kids would be, too.”
She nodded. Did it skip generations? Like blue eyes and blonde hair could?
“Does that bother you?” he asked.
“Why would it?”
He shrugged and looked at the carpet. Then she realized what he was implying.
“Oh,” she said. “I hadn’t really thought about it. I guess if we…” If she did keep seeing him, and ended up sleeping with him, any kids they might have would very likely be bear shifters, too.
“It bothers a lot of women,” he said. “That’s why none of us are marri
ed.”
That idea settled over her as there was a knock at the door. “Pizza,” she said.
He stood to get the door and took out his wallet. But when she heard the door open a second later, something didn’t sound right. She got up and peaked around the corner.
“So, we found the shifter after all.”
It was one of the men from Friday night. And from what she could see past him, he had friends with him.
The door banged open. Daxton called out, “Blair, run!”
She backed away in shock and locked herself in her bedroom. The instant fear made her tremble. She realized then that she’d left her phone on the living room table after ordering the pizza. She really needed to keep it closer.
A loud crash made her jump. She opened the door a crack. She had a decent view of the living room from here, and she saw the large black bear pick up one of the men in his mouth and toss him to the side of the room. The man landed with a thud and didn’t move.
She counted seven men, all coming at Daxton with fists and knives. A man dove at him, knife extended, and Daxton swiped him to the side with his large paw. Another man tried to stab his leg, and it looked like he only managed to scrape him by the time Dax shoved him down and stepped on him. The man cried out, and she could hear the sound of his bones breaking.
The fight ended much faster than she would have thought possible. Daxton sat in the middle of her living room, her coffee table in pieces in front of him. The seven men lay scattered around the room, most of them unmoving. The ones who did move, did so slowly, and sounds of pain filled the air.
One of the men staggered to his feet. Daxton roared at him, and the man ran out of the house, followed by another man shortly after. Two others, Daxton picked up in his mouth and carried to the door. Of the three that remained, two were moving and trying to stay away from Dax. They each took the arm of their friend, who didn’t seem to be moving at all, and drug him out the front door.
Daxton sat for a long time alone in the living room. Blair opened the door slowly and crept out. She went to the front door and locked it, then secured her deadbolt. She’d have to clean up the smears of blood later.
She came back to where Daxton sat and stared at him. He stayed seated, watching her. One step at a time, she made her way to him. She reached out and stroked his fur, petting him like a dog. He closed his eyes and made a murmuring sound that she thought meant he liked it.
“Can you change back? Or does it take a while?” She stepped back to give him room.
After a few minutes, he curled onto his side and his fur faded into skin. She hadn’t seen him change, and had forgotten about the explosion of clothing from Friday night, but now, as she looked at him naked, she remembered.
But she couldn’t stop looking at him naked. He sat with his knees bent and feet out in front of him, covering himself with his hands.
“Sorry about your coffee table,” he said. “And your floor. And your walls.” He gave her a sheepish look.
“Are you okay? Are you hurt at all?”
“Maybe a scratch or two. Nothing serious.”
“You just took out seven men and barely got a scratch on you?” She was impressed, despite the destruction and her lingering fear. He was practically invincible. And he was there to protect her.
He pulled his mouth into a half smile. “There are some benefits to being a bear.”
“I think our pizza man got scared away,” Blair said, looking toward the door.
“We can order another if you’re hungry.”
She shook her head. She could not take her eyes off the way the muscles bulged out of his chest and arms. Maybe it was the bear in him, but his chest was covered in black curls that begged for her touch. She wanted to eat him and nothing else.
He got to his feet, still covering himself. “Usually, I keep a change of clothing with me. I have some things, but they’re in my car, and I probably shouldn’t walk outside like this.”
She bit her lip and let her gaze fall to the thick muscles of his thighs and calves. Every inch of him was round with hard muscles.
“Blair?” he said after a minute.
She realized she’d been staring at him, and he’d been talking to her. “Oh, sorry. What?”
He smirked. “Is my nakedness distracting you?”
Her face flushed, but she smiled. “Maybe.”
He came toward her slowly. “Are you afraid of me?”
“A little. But I’m more turned on than afraid.” She wanted to take back the words the second they slipped past her lips. How could she say something like that?
He stopped in front of her and slid one hand into her hair while the other still covered his groin. He pulled her into a kiss.
Immediately, the heat overtook her. She leaned closer, the fieriness of his body making her hotter still. She pressed her lips against his, slipping her tongue in his mouth in exchange for his. Her breathing grew heavier, and she wished she didn’t have so many clothes on.
He let go of his crotch and put his other hand at her back, pulling her still closer. She could feel his hardness pressing against her, making her wet with desire. He pushed against her and growled in her ear.
“Want to see how much of an animal I really am?” he whispered in her ear.
She moaned in response and he reached down, sliding his hand under her panties. He slipped one finger inside her, and she dug her nails into his back, growling back at him. He kissed along her neck, stopping to tug on her earlobe with his teeth before biting at her neck and shoulders.
He grasped the edge of her shirt and pulled up slowly, letting the soft fabric brush against her skin as he lifted it. She raised her arms overhead and when her shirt was at her elbows, he pulled down, trapping her arms behind her back, tangled in her shirt.
She let out another moan as he popped her breasts free from her bra and sucked at her nipples. She struggled against her restraints, wanting to grab him and caress him as he touched her.
He unzipped her pants slowly. He pulled them down inch by inch. She tried to step out of them sooner, or to push them down, but he stopped her. He rubbed his dick against her panties, her wetness soaking through. She pushed her hips forward, trying to make him press against her harder.
She struggled again to pull her arms free, but he held her wrists tight. “What do you think you’re trying to do?”
“I want to touch you,” she said.
“Do you?”
She nodded.
“Then get on your knees.”
She did as he said and eagerly took all of him into her mouth. She licked and sucked at the tip of his cock, every one of his moans of pleasure making her suck him faster and harder. He pulled back from her and turned her around, getting onto his knees behind her.
Her hands were still tangled in her shirt, but they hung behind her, and she could just reach him to stroke him while he ran his hands over her body. He pinched her nipples, then he slipped under her panties and pressed a finger inside her. She was ready to burst in bliss. As if he knew this, he pulled his hand away and kissed her neck, leaving her wet with longing.
Ian (BBW Bear Shifter Wedding Romance) (Grizzly Groomsmen Book 4) Page 69