Sweetwater Brides: Complete Series (BBW Shapeshifter Mail-Order Bride Paranormal Romance Bundle)

by Anya Nowlan

  “Okay,” she said, straightening up and squaring her shoulders.

  “That’s my girl.”

  Everett smiled and helped Sara shove her toiletries into a bag. They stopped at the grocery store before heading to Everett’s cabin. Evan’s wife, Karen, had given Everett some cooking lessons, and he planned to wow Sara with his culinary skills.

  Boiling pasta is a skill, right?

  The sun was already starting to dim a bit when they finally arrived, the sky taking on a pinkish hue. Sara went to take a shower as Everett unpacked the groceries and started on dinner. It felt comfortable and familiar, a routine one could easily fall into and enjoy.

  Everett whipped up some spaghetti Bolognese, the sauce still simmering when Sara emerged from the bathroom. She was wearing a tank top and pajama bottoms, her hair still damp. She smelled like the air right after rainfall. The scent was clear to him, even over the smell of garlic and tomato. Everett tore his eyes away from her, needing to concentrate on the food.

  “Relax on the couch over there, food will be ready in just a bit,” Everett said, stirring the rich red sauce.

  He could hear a soft rustle of fabric as Sara sat down. She didn’t say anything, but Everett’s keen senses could feel her eyes on his back.

  “You know I can tell you’re staring at my ass, right?” he finally commented with a laugh.

  He turned around to see Sara sitting cross-legged on the couch, hands on the backrest, body angled towards the kitchen.

  “Caught me,” she said, biting her lip.

  Everett turned back to the food, chuckling. He got two plates and loaded them up with pasta and sauce, walking over to Sara and placing them on the coffee table in front of the couch. Then, he went back to the kitchen, grabbing two beers from the fridge before sitting down next to Sara.

  “Dig in,” he said, handing her an ice-cold bottle.

  Sara made appreciative noises as she ate, giving Everett a thumbs up in between bites. Everett went back for seconds, and thirds, while Sara groaned on the couch, patting her stomach.

  “Where do you put it all?” she asked, staring incredulously at Everett’s stacked plate.

  “I’m a bear, remember?” Everett replied, spreading out on the couch so that his body touched Sara’s.

  His skin hummed the same old tune at the contact.

  “I for one am stuffed,” Sara noted, sipping her beer. “You want me to clean up?” she continued, glancing at the kitchen.

  “It can wait. I think we’ve earned some rest and relaxation.”

  Everett grabbed a remote from the coffee table and turned on the TV. Sara settled into his shoulder as they flipped through the channels together, talking about their favorite movies and TV shows.

  “How can you not like Kickboxer?” Sara demanded, pulling away and sounding like Everett had just said he ate kittens for breakfast after they’d been talking and channel surfing for a while.

  “I never said I didn’t like it, I just think there are better Van Damme movies,” Everett said, laughing at Sara’s crossed arms and offended expression.

  “Name one,” Sara huffed, challenge in her tone.

  “Universal Soldier?” Everett offered, hoping the answer wouldn’t trigger Sara’s wrath.

  She considered it for a moment.

  “I guess everyone is entitled to their opinion,” she said diplomatically, snuggling back into his side with a yawn.

  “Are you tired? I can make up the couch,” Everett offered.

  Sara grew still.

  “The couch?” she asked cautiously.

  “I just didn’t want you to think that since you’re staying here you’re obligated to share a bed with me,” Everett said, his pulse quickening at the thought of Sara tangled in his sheets.

  It was a sight he wouldn’t have minded seeing in person as soon as possible.

  “I don’t have a problem with sharing, do you?” Sara noted, shifting to face him.

  “Not at all,” Everett agreed, sliding a hand under Sara’s hips and pulling her on top of him.

  Sara straddled him, giving into the invitation easily and wrapping her arms around his neck. Everett reached out, running his hand through her hair and pushing it to the side. Sara leaned in to him, her body warm and soft against his. Need erupted in Everett as their lips touched.

  His tongue snaked into her mouth, probing, caressing, demanding. Sara matched his fervency until they were lost in each other, a tangle of roaming hands and breathless moans.

  Sara started moving her hips back and forth in his lap, sliding over Everett’s cock through his jeans. Hunger consumed Everett’s mind, pure and wild.

  Finally, they were alone, nothing stopping him from exploring every inch of her.

  Thirteen

  Sara

  Sara’s body moved as if on its own volition, grinding on the hardness she felt through Everett’s jeans, reveling in the sensations it sent through her. She put every ounce of passion and longing she had into her kiss, the taste of Everett’s mouth and the heat of his body spurring her on.

  Everett’s hands slid under her tank top and up her back, unclasping her bra. Sara unwrapped her hands from around his neck and raised them, allowing Everett to slide the bra and top over her head and off her body.

  The way his eyes roamed across her exposed chest made Sara feel like the sexiest woman alive.

  “You’re gorgeous,” he murmured, making her smile.

  Got to love a man who will back up his lust with just the right kind of words.

  Hunger burned in Everett’s eyes as he placed his mouth on her breast, kissing around the nipple before sucking it into his mouth.

  Sara’s head fell back as pleasure ripped through her. Everett’s rough, large hands roamed across her bare flesh, leaving waves of heat in their wake. No sane thought was left in her mind, as Sara’s hands found their way to Everett’s shirt, ripping at the fabric that concealed his flesh from her.

  Buttons went flying and she could finally feel his smooth, chiseled chest underneath her fingertips. Her hands slid to Everett’s wide shoulders, rippling as he shrugged off what was left of his shirt.

  Sara inched even closer, her hips touching Everett’s, a blind need to have her skin against his taking over. A familiar charge traveled through her, making her tingle and hum. Everett moaned in her mouth, his hands moving to her bottom, grabbing and squeezing along with the rhythm Sara’s hips set.

  The way the outline of his hard cock rubbed against her clit almost sent Sara over the edge. She needed to feel him inside her.

  “Want… more…” Sara got out between panting breaths.

  Everett’s mouth abandoned the trail his lips had been making on her collarbone. In one swift move, he lifted Sara off of him, laying her on her back on the sofa. He loomed on top of her, devouring her with his gaze. His hands moved to her pajama bottoms, his fingers hooking under the elastic band.

  “Is this what you want?” he asked, slowly yanking her pants down.

  “Yes,” Sara moaned, barely recognizing her own voice.

  Everett’s hands caressed her thighs as he stripped her, first of the pants and then her panties. There she was, laid bare, both her body and, inexplicably enough, soul. Everett’s eyes moved across her, as if he were trying to memorize every inch, every curve of her body.

  Sara had never felt so desired, so needed, so beautiful.

  Everett tossed her clothes to the side before parting her legs. Starting at her knees, he began kissing upwards, moving along the curve of her inner thighs. Sara’s insides quivered in anticipation. Everett buried his face in her wetness, sucking and licking until she thought she might go mad.

  Nothing else mattered but his touch, his tongue, this moment between them. With a scream, Sara barreled toward climax, twisting and shivering under its force, Everett’s strong hands holding her down by the hips.

  Everett emerged from between her legs with a victorious grin.

  “Undo your pants… now!” S
ara commanded, gathering herself, her breath ragged.

  “Is that an order?” Everett asked, his eyes hazing over with desire.

  He didn’t argue, though.

  Sara watched as he wiggled out of his jeans and underwear, his rock hard cock springing into view. Everett grabbed a condom from his jeans, which were now a heap on the floor. He slid it on his shaft while Sara was unable to look away. Anticipation of what was to come made goosebumps spread out all over her body.

  Everett lowered his impressive frame over Sara, his hands resting on either side of her head. In that moment, she felt utterly safe, surrounded entirely by this strong, passionate man. It felt like she had been waiting all her life to meet him – a man who accepted her just as she was and made her feel like the only woman in the world.

  Slowly, he entered her, filling her up until she could no longer tell where she began and he ended. His strokes buried him in her as she wrapped herself around him. Sara craned her neck until her mouth found Everett’s neck, kissing and biting, urging him to lose control.

  Everett thrust into her. The pleasure that followed his movements was mounting at an unrelenting speed. Sara’s nails raked across Everett’s shoulders, her back arching to pull him even deeper.

  Everett’s hand tangled in her hair, pulling her head back and exposing her neck. His mouth ravaged the newly exposed flesh in a predatory way, his tongue circling and teeth grazing the sensitive skin on her throat.

  Sara gasped, the myriad of sensations crashing into each other, overloading the nerve endings in her skin until she could do little more than whimper and tremble. Everett continued to sink into her, more wildly than ever. Sara could feel the pressure inside her build torturously.

  A growl started in Everett’s throat, growing louder with each thrust.

  The world turned into a hazy blur of lights and colors as something inside Sara snapped, releasing waves of pure pleasure. She rode it, letting everything fade away. Everett crashed into her one last time before a roar ripped through him and he collapsed on top of her. They lay there for a while, naked and out of breath, reveling in the afterglow.

  Reality slowly crept up on Sara, as she shifted under Everett’s considerable weight, not knowing how long they’d been there, all tangled up in each other. He propped himself up on his elbows, grinning from ear to ear.

  “Guess we ended up sharing a couch instead,” he said, running a finger slowly down Sara’s cheek.

  “How long did it take you to come up with that one,” Sara groaned, rolling her eyes.

  “What can I say, I’m quick-witted,” Everett shrugged, unaffected by Sara’s response.

  He peeled himself off of her before extending her a hand and pulling her up. Sara staggered a bit, her limbs feeling like they were made of Jell-O.

  “Made you weak in the knees, did I?” Everett asked before scooping her into his arms.

  He carried her into the bedroom, Sara too weak to protest and frankly not that keen on doing it anyway. Everett set her down on the cool sheets and Sara stared as he lay down next to her, hard muscles rippling and glistening in the moonlight.

  “Good night,” Sara whispered, kissing him and wondering what she had ever done to deserve to sleep next to a man like him.

  “Oh, don’t tell me you think the night is over already?” Everett said with a low chuckle.

  “What? Don’t you need time to uh… recover?” Sara asked, slightly afraid her body couldn’t handle any more pleasure.

  It better.

  “We’ve been interrupted too many times. I need to make up for it,” Everett purred, nuzzling her neck.

  Sara let his touch carry her away, blissfully unaware of what was to come.

  Fourteen

  Everett

  The sun was already high in the sky when Everett opened his eyes. It had been a good long while since he woke later than dawn. Then again, he hadn’t gotten much sleep last night. Not that he minded.

  A hand reached out, fingers running down his shoulder.

  “Good morning,” Sara said with a smile, rubbing her eyes.

  She was wearing nothing but the sheet wrapped around her, pink skin showing through the thin fabric. Everett rolled over to his side to face her.

  “Good morning. Sleep well?” he asked, tucking a stray strand of hair behind her ear.

  “Like a baby,” Sara answered, stretching her arms above her head. “Can we just stay in bed all day and pretend the world doesn’t exist?” she continued, making puppy dog eyes at Everett.

  “I don’t see why not. There may still be an inch or two left on your body that my tongue hasn’t explored,” Everett answered, memories from the night before flashing through his mind.

  That was probably a lie.

  Sara threw a pillow at him.

  “Are you trying to kill me by means of dehydration and exhaustion or something? Geez, you bears are insatiable,” she chuckled, her cheeks a bit rosier than usual.

  “Don’t remember getting any complaints,” Everett quipped, not even trying to hide the grin that spread across his face.

  He couldn’t bring himself to feel bad or ashamed for pleasing the woman he… Everett was unsure of how to end that thought.

  Best to come back to that at a later time.

  “That might have been because I was incapable of speech,” Sara said, pursing her lips in amusement. “I’m gonna go get a glass of water,” she continued, shaking off the sheet and padding towards the kitchen.

  “I thought we were going to stay in bed all day?” Everett called after her, transfixed by how her naked body moved and swayed, illuminated by the midday sun streaming in through the windows.

  * * *

  Sara was humming a song Everett didn’t recognize while bacon and eggs sizzled in a pan before her. She was wearing one of Everett’s t-shirts and nothing else. The fabric cut off just under her bottom, giving Everett sneak peeks of her luscious ass whenever she moved around.

  It was safe to say he didn’t mind the view.

  Everett had offered to cook, but Sara had sat him down and decisively told him it was her turn. So Everett found himself lounging on the couch, phone in hand. There were no messages from Evan or any other clan members. Whatever the Clearponds were up to, they were keeping it to themselves for the time being.

  The less I hear of them the better.

  After greedily devouring their breakfast, Everett told Sara to get dressed and meet him out front. He had something to show her.

  “Have you ever seen a shifter shift before?” Everett asked as they were standing barefoot in the grass in front of the cabin.

  “I saw a glimpse of you as a bear from the motel window. That’s pretty much the extent of it,” she answered, eyes trained in his body.

  “I want to show you. I want you to meet me as a bear,” Everett said.

  The urge had come to him suddenly in the morning and had been growing ever since. It seemed important somehow for her to see and explore all the parts of him.

  Sara’s big brown eyes grew wide.

  “Really? Right now? Does it hurt? Is it rude to stare? Can I touch your fur?” she rattled off excitedly.

  “I’m not furry yet, but sure,” Everett grinned, tackling one of her questions at a time. “It doesn’t hurt and you can stare all you want. You might want to take a step back, though,” he added, stretching his muscles in anticipation.

  Sara retreated, curiosity burning in her eyes.

  Claws erupted from Everett’s hands and he could feel his eyes turn black. A snarl formed on his lips.

  “I can control the change with a lot of accuracy,” he explained, his speech a bit impeded by his elongating teeth. “Right now I’m tapping into my bear’s strength while still remaining mostly human. I won’t reach my full potential until I shift completely,” Everett continued, letting the change rip through him at a slower pace than usual.

  Fur rippled through his skin as his body shivered and transformed. He felt more connected to the ear
th beneath him as his feet were replaced by huge paws. Shoulders widening, face shifting, Everett’s senses expanded until he could both hear and smell all the little creatures mingling around beyond the tree line.

  Growling softly, Everett planted his two front paws on the ground and carefully plodded towards Sara.

  She was staring at him in awe, turning to look at Everett from both sides, as if she expected the man to be hiding behind the bear.

  “You can still understand me, right?” she asked, starting to reach out but pulling her hand back at the last second.

  Everett nodded, accompanied by a short little growl. Sara giggled, clamping a hand over her mouth as she did. Everett sat down, staying still so Sara could explore the new him.

  Sara edged closer until she was just inches away and reached her hand out to touch him. It was almost swallowed by the grizzly’s thick, brown coat. Her small hands roamed across the bear’s nape and head, stopping to play with his ears.

  Everett’s bear rumbled approvingly, now more a purring housecat than a wild animal. Everett felt so comfortable and calm, he could have stayed like that all day, letting Sara play with him as if he were a teddy bear.

  After a while, Everett nudged Sara backwards with his muzzle, earning a little yelp when his cold, wet nose touched her. He tugged on the control he had on the bear – the strands of primal power that let him turn between animal and man. His paws returned to hands and feet, the fur was replaced by smooth muscle. Everett cracked his neck as the final vestiges of his alternate form left his face.

  Sara stood in front of him, mouth slightly open, eyes round like saucers.

  “That. Was. Amazing,” she said, rushing over to Everett and running her hands over his face. “I mean, you were a bear a minute ago and now…” Sara continued, transfixed.

  “I’m still just me,” Everett said, wrapping his arms around Sara and pulling her close.

  “I know. I could tell, even after you shifted. I felt like I could recognize you anywhere. So weird,” she agreed, still holding Everett’s face in her hands.