Furbidden: BBW Paranormal Shape Shifter Romance (Furocious Lust Shorts Book 1)

by Taiden, Milly

  “Ethan.” She shifted, leaving his arms, holding with one hand the pieces of what used to be her dress up to her chest. She slipped shaky fingers through her curls, pushing the long, dark strands away from her face. “We need to talk.”

  He didn’t dare smile, though he wanted to, at the mussed-up hair and smeared make-up. God, she was so fucking beautiful. Even like this: angry, confused and a mess, he wanted her again. She could be wearing a box and he’d want her. There was no taming the desire he felt for her. Would always feel for her.

  He handed her his shirt, hoping she’d feel more comfortable wearing that, but also for his own peace of mind. There was no way in hell he’d be able to sit there and talk to her when all he wanted to do was tear the fabric away and fuck her until he came inside her at least three more times. He wanted to pound her hard, fucking her until he couldn’t go on, draining himself in her. The bear demanded he reclaim her body.

  “I never lied to you,” he said. Though saying the words he’d repeated to her should be easy, it still bothered him that she had honestly believed him capable of deceit. He might not have told her about his bear or his money, but he never lied about his feeling for her. Ever.

  “Look.” She cleared her throat, her gaze sweeping down his naked torso and his pants’ open fly. “I don’t know if I could trust you after that.”

  He stayed where he was. The bear snarled and huffed, wanting to get her to understand she belonged with him. “You love me.”

  She narrowed her eyes, pursed her lips and took a slow breath. “Love is not the issue here. Trust is.”

  “I never lied about my feeling for you. I love you. I have since the first moment I saw you. I love everything about you.” He stared her down, holding her gaze captive and willing her to believe him. “I love your attitude. I love your sexy-as-hell body. All those curves make me fucking crazy. I love your generosity in wanting to work saving wild life. I love the fact that you have been offered jobs that pay more and refuse them to stay at a non-profit.”

  Her eyes widened. “Who told you about that?”

  He shrugged. “I know everything about you, love. I’ve never for a second stopped thinking about you. About bringing you back to where you belong, with me.”

  She bit her lip and frowned. “Why didn’t you tell me about your money? Or the fact you were a shifter?”

  “You were so open about having nothing most of your life. I hated that I’d grown up with none of those problems. I tried to not sound like a jackass by flaunting money or suggesting things that would make you uncomfortable.”

  “I don’t understand.”

  He smiled. He’d paid attention to her. He’d seen her reaction when he’d given her some inexpensive gifts and how she’d almost refused them. “I had to stop myself from giving you everything I saw, because you made it clear that buying you things was not the way to get your attention.”

  She nodded. “It’s not. I don’t need material things. I’ve done without them and can continue to. That’s not what makes me happy.”

  He took a deep breath, his stomach burning from the words that were ready to spill. “I was scared to lose you. I thought if you knew I had money, you’d push me away.”

  “I—”

  “I shouldn’t have kept that from you. I thought that if you didn’t find out until later on, things would be easier for you to get used to.”

  “I loved you, Ethan. I would have understood. Just because I didn’t have money doesn’t mean I’d begrudge you yours. That’s selfish and wrong.”

  He laughed dryly. “I see that now.”

  “What about the other thing? Why not explain to me about your bear? Did you think I didn’t know about shifters?”

  “No. It wasn’t that. Many women get caught up in the idea of being with a shifter and they either freak out, thinking we’re going to somehow hurt them, or they start asking for strange things.”

  “Again. You didn’t trust me enough to tell me. You thought I would be like the others.”

  “At first I didn’t know you well enough.”

  “But after?”

  “I was wrong. I...I should have told you but by then, you were entrenched in my heart. In my blood. I couldn’t imagine you not being in my life.” He opened himself up, ready for the possibility of her rejection but still willing to let her know how he felt. “You’re the first woman I have cared enough about that it worried me what you thought.”

  “Take me home, Ethan. I need to think.” She bit her lip and glanced away. “I’m not saying I don’t want to see you again. I just need to figure out if I can be in a relationship with you and trust you. If I can’t, then there is no saying yes to you. It would be a waste of both our time. The last thing either one of us needs is a relationship with no trust.”

  He nodded, willing to give her the time and space she needed. Only he wasn’t just going to go away. He wasn’t going to disappear into the night and pretend he didn’t love her, that he didn’t want her. A year without her had been hell and he wasn’t going to go through another.

  He pressed the intercom button and gave the driver her address. His mind worked out the plans for getting her back in his life again. Money was no longer an issue; he’d use whatever means necessary to show her he loved her, to show her how much he cared.

  When they reached her house, he got out of the limo and helped her to her front door. She wrapped his shirt around her, so big it looked like a dress on her.

  She opened her door and turned to face him, her eyes filled with confusion. “Thank you for bringing me back. And for the donation.”

  He nodded, watching her get ready to close the door on him. The bear didn’t want to let go just yet. He shoved his foot in the door and pushed it wide enough to fit his frame. She opened her mouth to say something but he hooked a hand around her neck and pulled her to him. He brought his lips down over hers. The sound of her soft moan drove the beast forward.

  A rumble sounded in his chest. He yanked the bear back, focusing his energy on the taming of her lips. The sweet taste of her appeased some of his hunger, but not enough. The soft whimpers of pleasure turned his hard cock concrete stiff. He needed inside her again. Fuck fuck fuck! All he wanted was to lay her down and eat her pussy and drive his cock so deep her pussy would clasp around him. She’d moan and offer her tits to him and he’d take her all fucking night. That’s what he wanted. For the rest of his damn life.

  He yanked away from the temptation she’d become and met her stunned gaze. He licked his lips, taking in the lingering flavor. How he wanted to lick her smooth caramel skin all over, to kiss his way down her spine until he reached her ass and dipped his tongue between her cheeks. She puffed out a breath and tortured her bottom lip with her teeth.

  “Don’t tempt me anymore,” he growled. “All I want to do right now is fuck you against this door.”

  Her brows rose and her lips lifted in a small grin. “I don’t think you sound like someone who has his beast under control.”

  He glanced at the slightly open neckline of his shirt, showing off her mouth-watering tits. “My beast wants to fuck you. I want to fuck you. And to be honest with you, I could probably spend the rest of my life with you, in a bed, your legs spread wide, sating my hunger for you.”

  She glanced over his shoulder. “Let me think, Ethan.”

  “You’ve had a year to think, Penny. It’s my turn to make you mine again.”

  She gulped and the scent of her arousal tickled his bear. She was going to drive him fucking crazy. He could tell she liked that he was half out of his mind wanting her. His brother Rafe was right, women were a lot of work. He thought about Penny under him, screaming his name and decided the reward of having her back was worth it though.

  He turned around and marched to the limo, the bear snapping at his heels and begging to be let loose.

  * * *

  SEVEN

  Ethan’s instinct was to grab the largest bouquet of tulips he could find. He knew thos
e were Penny’s favorite, and he planned to make sure she knew he was going to get her back. It wasn’t a matter of if; it was a matter of when. She would be his again. Fuck that, she was his, she just needed to remember.

  He knew it was early and she’d probably be at home, puttering around like she tended to do on a Saturday morning when she didn’t have to go anywhere. He’d found out all about her schedule and knew this was the day she stayed home and relaxed.

  He rung her bell and waited, excitement roaring inside him in the form of an antsy bear. He wanted to see her. If it were up to his animal, he’d never be away from her. Though most of his clan liked to live solitary lives, when they found a mate, there was no being away from them. Ethan had seen the change in himself the moment he met Penny. There were no longer thoughts of being away from the world. Everything revolved around her and making her happy. For months, that’s exactly how it had gone.

  The door swung open and Penny stood in doorway, her nose red and her eyes watery.

  “What happened? You looked fine last night.” He marched inside, ignoring the fact she hadn’t invited him in.

  “Gee, thanks.” She sniffled and sneezed. “I’ve been working hard and had the sniffles recently. It’s turned into a full-blown cold.”

  Panic coursed through him, seizing his ability to breathe. Penny had never gotten sick when they were together before. He wanted to make her feel better. He had to do something to help her.

  He shoved the flowers into her hands. “What can I get you?”

  She glanced down at the bouquet of tulips and then lifted her shiny gaze to his. “These are so beautiful.”

  “Never mind the flowers.” He urged her toward the sofa, dropping his cell phone on the coffee table in front of her. “Lay down.”

  She blinked up at him, her stunned gaze going from the flowers to him. “I’m not going to fall over because I have a cold. What are you doing here anyway?”

  He took the flowers out of her hands and headed for her kitchen. He’d learned the layout well enough back when they’d dated. He searched her cupboards until he found an empty glass vase and half-filled it with water before arranging the flowers. “I wanted to ask if you wanted to go for breakfast.”

  She sneezed again. He brought the vase to the coffee table and put them where she could look at the tulips.

  “I don’t really feel like going out.” She coughed. “I’m kind of tired and it was a long week at work.”

  He nodded and went back to the kitchen. “Just lay there. I’ll make you something to eat. Does an omelet sound okay or do you want something else?”

  “You cook?” she asked, her voice loud with surprise.

  He’d never actually done any cooking in the past when they’d been together, but he knew how to take care of basic things like breakfast and sandwiches. Anything more complicated than that and he’d need the takeout menu.

  He checked her fridge and frowned. “You don’t have anything in here.”

  “Yeah,” she sighed. “I was supposed to go food shopping today.”

  Penny sneezed again. She’d felt run down the previous day and should have known the cold was coming, but with everything that went on at the stupid bachelorette auction, she’d ignored her body’s warning signs.

  She peeked over the back of the sofa to the kitchen. Ethan searched through her fridge. He shut the door and returned to the living room. “I’m going to get some things to make breakfast. Got any requests?”

  She nodded. “There’s this bakery down the road that makes amazing croissants.”

  “I know which one. I used to get honey buns there. They’re great.” He marched out of the house, leaving her all kinds of confused.

  Ethan, this Ethan, was so...different. The same, but different. There hadn’t been this much catering to her when they’d been together before. In the past she’d felt like he’d been tiptoeing around her, almost afraid to say or do something to upset her.

  The ringing of a cell phone caught her attention. She glanced at the coffee table. It was his phone. She shouldn’t answer it, but curiosity had her staring at the screen. The name displayed didn’t look familiar. She wouldn’t answer. That was wrong and totally inappropriate. Besides, if it were her phone? She wouldn’t want anyone answering her calls. The ringing stopped and the cell phone vibrated in her hand. She glanced down at the screen when a text message appeared.

  Have you figured out what to do about your wife?

  She blinked and re-read the message. Wife? Wife? Wife! Anger flourished inside her, growing into a massive monster looking for destruction. She took deep breaths and tried to ignore the pain. Ethan, married? Could it be? But why pursue her then? She shook her head and pushed the flood of emotions back. This could all be a misunderstanding. Ethan wasn’t a cheater. Not that she was in a relationship with him, but she knew that much about him. She knew he wouldn’t do that.

  After ten minutes of pacing the living room until she couldn’t stand her own inability to shut out the angry words springing to mind, she heard her door open.

  “Sorry I took so long, I got the croissants and some other things to make breakfast,” he said carrying large bags toward the kitchen.

  “Your phone was ringing while you were gone. You forgot it on my table,” she said, bringing it to the kitchen and handing it to him. Then she stood there, watching his face as he glanced at the screen, looking for any sign of guilt or fear.

  He grinned and lifted his gaze from the phone. “Guess you’re wondering about the text, huh?”

  She shrugged as if it were no big deal. Like she wasn’t visualizing ways to smash the phone on his head. “Oh? What message?”

  He laughed and yanked her by her robe into his arms. “Will you believe me if I tell you I’m not married and you’re the only woman I want?”

  She thought about it for a second before replying. “Yes.”

  He hugged her tight and brushed his lips over her forehead. “I’m not married, I swear.”

  “I believe you. But why did you get a message asking about your wife?”

  He let go of her and started taking food out of the bags. “That’s my cousin Terry. She likes joking around because she knows you are the only woman I ever wanted for a wife. She’d heard about what I was doing at the auction and this was her way of asking how things went. When I met you, I told her you were going to be my wife, so she’s been referring to you that way since then.”

  She frowned. “Wait, you told her I was going to be your wife since you met me?”

  He nodded, placing the makings for breakfast on the counter. “Yes. From the very first day I knew you were it for me.”

  She gulped back the knot in her throat and sniffled. Stupid runny nose. Yeah, blame that and not the abundance of emotions filling her heart. “You...you never told me that.”

  He cupped her face with both hands; his honest gaze warmed her to the bone. “I didn’t know how much I could give you back then. I didn’t want to scare you. Bears know their mates. We live for them and don’t ever want them away from us. That’s the animal in me. The man loves the beauty he saw in you. The sweetness. The unselfishness. You’re everything I could have asked for in a woman, Penny. Everything and more.”

  He’d really brought out the big guns. She wasn’t sure if it was the fact that she had a cold or that she’d spent the entire night rehashing her feelings for Ethan, but she couldn’t turn away from him. There was no leaving and not without giving them a second chance.

  “Now, go lay down and let me pamper you.”

  EIGHT

  She went back to the sofa and lay there with a throw over her. After dozing for a few minutes, she woke to the scent of food. She sat up when he came around the sofa with a tray. He put the tray on the table. He passed her a mug of tea with honey and lemon, and a plate of food.

  “Wow, this looks so good. You didn’t have to.”

  He winked. “Don’t say that until you’ve tried it. You might be saying it for real a
fter you eat.”

  She picked up a fork and ate, watching him drink a cup of coffee. The rest of the day went on like that, with him bringing things to her in bed and finally running a bath so she could lay down feeling refreshed. She took some cold medicine and woke up hours later to find him lying next to her. The idea of him and her again didn’t bring on the fear and distress it once had. She’d been stupid and naïve. She should have trusted her instincts when it came to him.

  He’d offered nothing but happiness and she’d blown it the moment she found out something he hadn’t told her. Instead of getting angry, what she should have done was try to figure out why he’d felt the need to keep things from her. That would have saved her being away from her bear for a year: a year of loneliness and heartache.

  She glanced at his face. Even in sleep he looked ready to break something. Her gaze caressed the beard growth on his chin. She continued letting her vision travel down. His chest rose and fell with smooth breaths. At the beginning of their relationship, she’d refused to believe she’d fallen for him so quickly. But she had.

  After meeting him at a wild life conservation dinner, he didn’t have to work too hard at getting her into his bed. From the moment their gazes clashed, lust and need exploded inside her. He’d done that. Taken her from a woman who never slept with a guy on a first date, to one who moved in with him a week later.

  The passion between them hadn’t dimmed the entire time they’d been together. Looking at him now, her body heating from just gazing at him, she knew the need for him would never go away. She moved down to his waist, unbuckled his jeans and shoved her hand in to grasp his cock, pumping him in her grip.

  His eyes snapped open and his hand caught her wrist. “What are you doing?”

  She grinned, her body humming with need. “If you have to ask, then I must not be doing something right.”

  He let go of her hand and she tugged his jeans down, until his erection was freed from the confines of the denim. She leaned forward and circled her tongue on the head of his cock, moaning at the salty taste of his smooth, velvety flesh.