“New understandings and beginnings,” I echoed, knocking my glass against his before drinking deeply. I could feel the alcohol working its magic straightaway, the bubbles making me light headed. Or maybe it was Nathan. He certainly had an intoxicating effect on me and the things he was saying were making me dizzy.
“So have you seen much of Brooke recently?” I asked. “I hear she split up with Justin St. Clair.”
“Do you now?” smirked Nathan. “And how would you have heard that?”
“The internet,” I confessed, as Nathan laughed. “What?”
“It’s just that you do a good job of pretending you want to keep me at arm’s length and then you go and research my ex-girlfriend. Could you be any more contradictory?”
“All right, you got me,” I blushed. “I was curious, all right? I wanted to know what kind of woman you go for. From what I saw, I’m not it.”
“Don’t put yourself down,” Nathan told me. “Brooke’s attractive, sure, but you’re much more my type. I prefer women who are comfortable with who they are. When I brought Brooke here, she picked at her food, complaining the whole time about the dressing and how it was going to make her pile on the pounds.”
At that moment, the waiter arrived with our starters and my mouth watered at the sight of my food.
“Are you kidding?” I took a mouthful of my starter and couldn’t imagine how anyone could complain about food this perfect. “The dressing is what makes the meal! I love seeing if I can figure out what ingredients they use. Going to a restaurant is like industrial espionage for me. You never know what a chef’s going to do that inspires you to try a new combination of flavors. It would be disrespectful of me not to eat it all.”
“That’s what I like to see,” Nathan beamed as I took another bite. “It’s so much nicer being out with someone who really appreciates their food.”
“I must admit that it’s nice to be out,” I told him. “It’s been a while since I went out to dinner with anyone and the last guy I dated wasn’t exactly a gourmand.”
“So is that what you’re looking for in a man? Someone who appreciates good food?”
“Partly,” I shrugged. “I guess what I really want is someone who appreciates me. After what happened with Corey, I promised myself that I wasn’t going to date anyone who wasn’t going to treat me right. That’s why it’s been so long since I’ve seen anyone. All the decent men seem to be in a relationship already.”
“A-ha!” crowed Nathan. “I knew there was more going on with you than what you told me in the wine cellar. Something told me that there was a man who’d broken your heart, something beyond that Dustin guy. We had a deal, remember? You were supposed to tell me about Corey then, so you’ll just have to fill me in now. I want to know all about the man who was idiot enough to let you slip through his fingers.”
I sighed. I tried not to think about Corey, let alone talk about him, but I could tell that Nathan wasn’t going to let it go.
“Okay,” I said at last. “Corey was a shifter.”
“Really?” Nathan frowned. “I don’t recognize the name.”
“He’s not a bear,” I told him. “Corey’s a lion and we were together when I was living in Chicago before I moved out here to start my catering business.”
“I see.” Nathan shook his head. “Something tells me I can see where this is going. Some of those big cats think they’re god’s gift. What happened?”
“At first it was great,” I said. “Corey seemed like the perfect man. He was kind and sweet, really funny too. He made me laugh so much. When he proposed, I thought all my dreams had come true.”
“You were engaged?”
“Why so surprised?” I asked. “It’s all I ever wanted growing up, to get married and start a family. I never thought I’d get engaged to someone as gorgeous as Corey though. He could be a movie star if he wanted. The problem was that he knew it. I didn’t realize at first, but after I agreed to marry him, he seemed to lose interest. He started canceling dates at the last minute for no good reason. I knew that something was going on, but he swore that everything was going fine, so I started planning the wedding. We didn’t have much money, but I had a lot of friends in the industry because of my work, so I managed to get us a lot of good deals and put together what would have been a perfect wedding if Corey hadn’t…”
My voice trailed off.
“If Corey hadn’t what?” pushed Nathan gently.
I gripped my fork tightly as the memory of how humiliated I’d been that day came flooding back. It took every ounce of self-control to hold back the tears, but I refused to cry about him any more. “If Corey hadn’t brought his other wives to the ceremony.”
If it wasn’t so tragic, Nathan’s stunned expression would have been comical.
“His other wives?” he finally said.
“Yep,” I nodded. “It turned out that Corey was building his pride and that involved putting together his own personal harem. Somehow, he thought it was appropriate to break the news to me on our wedding day as I was walking up the aisle. He seemed to think I’d be delighted to share him with other women once he’d bitten me so that I could be a lion with him. Judging by the number of wives he had, I guess that his approach must have worked for some women, but I’m strictly monogamous and there was no way I could have shared him with anyone – assuming that I was willing to marry someone so self-centered.”
“Wow,” breathed Nathan. “I knew someone had hurt you, but I had no idea that it was anything like that. I am so, so sorry that Corey thought he could treat you like that. You deserve so much better.”
“Yeah, I used to think so too,” I shrugged. “But after the losers I’ve dated, I’m not so sure. That’s why it’s easier not to date. I’m tired of getting hurt. I have a business to focus on and that’s all I need.”
“You don’t mean that, Abi,” Nathan told me. “I can see it in your eyes. And I promise you that I will never treat you like that.”
“Talk is cheap,” I reminded him.
“It is,” he nodded, “but if you give me a chance to prove myself, I’ll show you that not all shifters are like that. Bears know how to look after their women. We cherish the people who are important to us and something tells me that you’re going to be very important to me.”
He took my hand between his and in that moment, I knew that he meant every word.
Chapter Seven
Maybe it was the champagne, but when Nathan invited me back to his place after dinner for a nightcap, I found myself agreeing.
“I don’t usually go back home with someone on a first date,” I told him, as he opened the door on a stunning condo in Pacific Heights.
“Who said this was a date?” Nathan countered as he led me through to a lounge with floor-to-ceiling windows with incredible views over the San Francisco night-time skyline.
“True, true,” I conceded. “Although it wasn’t exactly a conventional business meeting, was it?”
“No, it wasn’t” nodded Nathan, taking me by the hand and pulling me towards him, guiding me round so that I was standing with my back to him, his hand loosely resting on my waist as we admired the view together. “I told you that I wanted us to figure out whatever it is we have between us. I felt a strong attraction to you from the moment I saw you across that crowded room, strong enough to bring out my inner jerk just so that I could fight it off.”
He leaned forward and whispered in my ear. “But I couldn’t. I couldn’t fight the way I feel about you.”
I closed my eyes and shuddered as he lightly kissed me at the top of my neck, gently biting and nibbling his way up and down. I moaned and leaned back against him, feeling my body responding to him.
With one hand, he reached up and started to massage my breasts, while the other untied the sash holding my dress closed. He turned me round again, reaching up to push the dress away and it fell, pooling on the ground behind me, leaving me wearing nothing but my bra and panties.
“You a
re a work of art,” he breathed, admiring my body. “I’ve never seen anyone as beautiful as you.”
“You’re not so bad yourself,” I murmured, reaching up to undo his shirt buttons to reveal his toned abs. I didn’t think I could ever get tired of admiring his body. I ran my hands down his stomach, reveling in the feeling of his rock hard abs before I started to undo his belt buckle.
“Not yet,” he told me, pushing my hands away, grabbing me by the waist and lifting me up as if I weighed nothing. I wrapped my legs around him as he walked over to a chaise longue and carefully placed me down. “Your turn first.”
He kissed me deeply, as I reached behind me to unclasp my bra. Throwing it aside, I grabbed a fistful of his hair, kissing him back, lightly nipping his bottom lip. Pulling his head back, I lightly ran my tongue up the side of his neck, loving the feel of the dusting of stubble.
“Keep that up, Abi, and you’ll make me lose control,” growled Nathan, pushing me back and tugging off my panties. Reaching up, he pushed my legs apart, exposing me completely to him. I could feel myself getting wet at the thought of him gazing at me so intimately.
He ran his hand up my thigh, massaging my flesh in slow, lazy handfuls, tantalizing and teasing me as he drew closer and closer towards my pussy. Almost as if by accident, he ran his thumb over my clit, making me gasp, before moving away, turning his focus back to my thighs.
I could feel his warm breath against my skin and I moaned again.
“God, Nathan. Please don’t make me wait. I need you. I need you now. Please!”
“If you insist.” I could hear the grin in his voice as Nathan went down between my thighs, his tongue tracing little circles on and around my clit before running the flat up and down. As he licked me, he continued to massage my thighs, holding my legs wide open so that I was totally vulnerable and at his mercy. I couldn’t make him stop even if I wanted to – and I really didn’t want him to stop.
I couldn’t contain myself as Nathan’s tongue pushed me closer and closer to the edge. I screamed as he made me come, my body bucking with the strength of my orgasm.
“Now, it’s my turn to get naked,” he told me, as I lay back on the chaise longue, panting. Unbuckling his trousers, he pulled out an erection that made me gasp. I knew that he was well endowed, but that didn’t do the size of his erect cock justice. He slowly ran his hand up and down it as he crossed over and pulled open a drawer to get a condom.
“I’m amazed they make them that big,” I observed, as he put it on, coming back to stand between my wide open legs.
“I have to get them in specially,” he told me, unable to keep the smug look from his face. For once, I could understand why.
I couldn’t remember the last time I’d been this aroused and Nathan climbed between my legs, I reached up to pull him to me.
Slowly, slowly, he slid his cock inside me and it was even better than my dream. The sensation was so intense that I could feel myself building to another climax already as Nathan began to move, lightly pounding into me at first until I hooked my legs round his waist, using them to encourage him to move harder and faster.
“Oh god, Nathan, I’m coming!” I cried as another orgasm overwhelmed me, but if I thought that he was finished, I couldn’t have been more wrong. He was just getting started.
Pulling himself out of me, he gestured for me to roll over. I flipped onto my front and Nathan pulled me up onto all fours. This time, he fucked me hard, his hands on my hips subtly adjusting the angle he hit me from until I felt as though I couldn’t take any more.
Nathan’s grunts combined with my moans and I could feel him pulsing as with a loud cry, he came.
Pulling out of me, he reached out a hand to help me up. I could barely stand, let alone walk, so he scooped me up into his arms, carrying me through to his bedroom to lay me down on his bed.
“I’ll be back in a moment,” he whispered, dropping a kiss on my forehead before padding off to the bathroom to clean up.
I lay back on the bed, lightly writhing at the memory of what Nathan and I had just done. I’d never experienced anything like it. Corey had always been more focused on his own satisfaction than my pleasure, but Nathan had made it clear that he cared more about my needs than his own.
As Nathan came back to bed, I turned and hugged him tightly.
“That was amazing,” I told him.
“You were pretty special yourself,” he replied, as I drifted off to sleep, exhausted from our lovemaking.
Chapter Eight
I woke up to the smell of frying bacon. Sitting up and yawning, I looked around for something to wear. My clothes were still in the lounge, but I saw a robe thrown over the back of a chair, so I got up and pulled it on, going out to find Nathan cooking breakfast in the kitchenette.
“Hey, sleeping beauty!” he beamed as he saw me coming towards him, leaning over to kiss me while keeping his hand on the pan. “I wasn’t sure when you were going to wake up, but I figured I’d fix you some breakfast before you went home.”
“Home?” I was slightly taken aback. I’d only just got up and I was kind of hoping that I could tempt Nathan back to bed. “Trying to get rid of me already?”
“No, of course not,” laughed Nathan. “But I’ve got a lot on today and if you leave now, then there’s no chance of anyone seeing you.”
“Is that right?” I drew myself up to my full height, frostily arching an eyebrow. “And of course, we can’t have that, can we?”
“I didn’t mean it like that.” Nathan shook his head, hooking the bacon out of the pan and onto a plate, acting for all the world as if it were perfectly normal to keep your girlfriend a secret – and that’s assuming I was his girlfriend and not just some fling. “Have some breakfast first and we can talk about it.”
He brought the plate over to me, but I folded my arms, ignoring it.
“You really are a piece of work, you know that?” I sneered.
“Abi,” growled Nathan. “You’ve got it all wrong. If you would just let me explain…”
“No, Nathan, I don’t need or want to hear anything you’ve got to say.” I turned and strode into the front room, gathering up my clothes. I threw my dress on, stuffing my underwear in my purse to put on later. I didn’t care how I looked. I just wanted to get out of there as soon as possible. “I’ve heard enough. All the clues were there. I was just too dumb to spot them. You spout a line about wanting to figure out what we have between us when really all you wanted was a bit of fun. You know, all you had to do was say that’s what it was and maybe you might have gotten lucky anyway. You didn’t have to act as though you cared about me.”
“It wasn’t an act,” Nathan protested, but I held up a hand to stop him.
“I told you. I don’t want to hear it,” I snapped. “You told me that night in the wine cellar that you didn’t believe in mates, which means that I could be anyone and you wouldn’t care. Now you’re doing your best to keep me a secret because you’re ashamed of me.”
“You really think that?” Nathan shook his head. “Abi, sit down and listen will you?”
“I don’t want to hear your excuses,” I snapped. “Let’s just leave this as what it was. One night. Sure, it was one night that was as impressive as hell, but one night is all this is.” I indicated the two of us. “But don’t worry. Your secret’s safe with me. Nobody needs to know what happened. However, I will leave it to you to explain to your mom why it is I’m not going to cater for her party and all the money and sweet talk in the world aren’t going to change my mind this time.”
I turned and stalked out, trying not to care that Nathan did nothing to stop me.
Chapter Nine
“Come on, Haley. I’ve told you a million times. That’s not how you prepare the pastry! Move out of the way. I guess I’ll have to do it, like I have to do everything else round here.”
I shooed Haley away, looking in despair at the batch of pastry she’d been working on.
“I’m just going to have to
throw this away and start again,” I sighed. “You need to up your game, Haley. I can’t afford to waste ingredients like this.”
“Sorry,” muttered Haley. “I didn’t think there was anything wrong with what I was doing.”
If I was honest, her pastry was perfectly acceptable, but I was in a foul mood and she was the unfortunate target of it.
It had been three days since I’d walked out on Nathan and I hadn’t heard anything from him since then. There had been a part of me that had been hoping that I was wrong, but with every hour that passed without him trying to contact me, I was increasingly forced to admit that he’d fooled me. I was just another good time girl as far as he was concerned, someone to have fun with but nothing more.
I started throwing ingredients into a bowl, angrily mixing them together to work up some more pastry, while Haley sulkily stood to one side, watching.
“You know what, Haley,” I said. “I can’t work with you hovering over me like that. Why don’t you go home early? Don’t worry. I’ll still pay you. I just need some time alone.”
Some time to cry without you seeing, I added silently.
“Sure.”
I really must be a bitch to be around if Haley wasn’t arguing with me. Usually she liked to make sure that she’d done everything she could before she left for the day. It was one of the reasons why I loved working with her so much – she genuinely cared about our clients as much as I did.
She grabbed her coat and headed over to the door and I heard it open and shut behind her.
Suddenly, it slammed open.
“Abi!” Haley excitedly ran back inside. “You have to come see this!”
“Are you kidding me?” I sighed. I’d just started kneading the dough and my hands were covered in flour.
“No, I’m really not. I promise you’re going to want to see this. Come on! Now!” She grabbed my arm and dragged me towards the door, not even giving me the chance to wipe my hands off. “Look!”
Healing Bear: A BBW Paranormal Shape Shifter Romance (Love Laid Bear Book 3) Page 6