“That was the doctor’s doing. He needed to disrobe you to examine your injuries. That’s his shirt. Smells a little, I’m sorry.”
Kathleen pulled at the front of her shirt and sneered at the discovery of the smell not belonging to her. Ben had disappeared again.
“That’s all right,” she called out.
“I appreciate it anyway.” There goes the hope that he’d taken advantage a little.
“The doctor is a lovely man,” Ben said, coming around the corner with a huge towel held open, “but he has some hygiene requirements that need to be met. Ironically enough. I’ve washed your clothes, but was sure you’d want to change into clean clothes only after bathing.”
“Oh yes, you’re right on the nose with that one.”
The pain drove up her leg to her back as she twisted at the waist and dropped her legs off the edge of the bed.
Ben held the towel out in front of him, his head turned as he averted his eyes.
“You can look, you know,” she said, slowly scooting herself forward.
Standing was going to hurt, but she needed to do it. Her body needed to remember what it was like to move.
“Wouldn’t be proper,” he said, “but you can take my hand if you need help standing.”
Kathleen reached up, and did just that. Once more she was surprised with how strong he was. As soon as she slipped forward to stand, he wrapped the towel around her, and in one smooth motion, had his arm around her waist and her arm over his shoulder.
“Oh, the shirt certainly smells, doesn’t it,” he asked, his face now inches from hers.
“It does,” she said, unable to take her eyes off of his strong jaw, and sharp cheekbones. The man was a sculpture.
“It’s good to know it belonged to the doctor, though,” she added, finally forcing herself to try and walk.
“I thought that was me smelling like this.”
“Heavens no,” he said.
“I’d be surprised if you did.”
“Oh?” she asked, taking a step. The pain was intense, and she leaned heavily on him for support.
“Of course,” he said, holding her up with little effort.
“I gave you sponge baths seven times a day while you were unconscious.”
Kathleen laughed so hard it made the injured muscles in her side spasm, and she hissed with the pain of it. For his part, Ben laughed as well and worked to support more of her weight as the pain made her buckle.
“Don’t make me laugh like that,” she said, still giggling.
“I’m sorry,” he said. “I couldn’t help myself.”
Through some careful stepping, they were able to get her to the extravagantly decorated bathroom. Marble sinks, gold curtain rods along the sides of the shower, and near the back, a large claw-foot tub filled with hot steaming water and bubbles.
“Oh wow,” she said.
“This is beautiful.”
“It really is. I’m grateful for every day I get to spend here. Especially this last week.”
Kathleen looked over, and saw him actually blushing as though he hadn’t meant to say that last part.
“You know, I’ll need some help getting into the tub.”
Ben blushed further, and looked around.
“I’m sure we can find a small step stool, or perhaps if you were to gently lean…”
Kathleen put her weight on her good leg and stood to face him.
“Ben, it’s okay.”
She ran her fingers along the collar of his shirt, holding onto him there.
“I want you too.”
“But,” he whispered, caught up in how close her face was to him. His eyes roamed her nose, her cheeks. She was certain she looked like a troll at the moment, but the way he stared at her, it somehow made her still feel attractive. He wanted her that much she was sure of.
In all her life she’d never met someone so brave and noble, willing to stand up to a bar full of men, and then be so respectful as he took care of a woman. The fact that he never took advantage of her made her want him all that more.
“I can’t,” he said, his hands holding her waist.
Kathleen ran a hand up his neck to the side of his head.
“Yes you can,” she whispered, and leaned in.
Ben sighed through his nose as their lips met. For such a stern, masculine man, his lips were surprisingly soft, as though relating to the kindness inside of him. His fingers tightened around her waist, holding her to him as they kissed.
It was seconds before she slid an arm around his neck and licked her tongue across his lips. Ben growled from somewhere deep in his chest, and hungrily took her tongue into his mouth, massaging it with his own, his body pressing against hers.
Kathleen moaned against his mouth, hugging him to her, ignoring the fading pains as he pressed her rear against the side of the tub.
Just when she was about to reach for the front of his pants, he broke the kiss and forced himself back two steps.
“No! Kathleen, I’m sorry. I can’t.”
“It’s the shirt, isn’t it?” she asked.
“I’ll take it off. Look, I can make it okay.”
“No,” he shouted and averted his eyes as she removed the shirt, exposing her plump breasts to him.
“What is it?” she asked.
“You want this just as much as I do. I can see it.”
Ben put a hand over his erection and groaned.
“Ben, what’s going on?”
“I don’t deserve you, okay? I don’t deserve to be with any woman.”
“Why? How can you say that?”
Chapter 5
Ben shook his head, stumbling back a few more steps to lean against the wall. In that moment of emotional vulnerability, Kathleen felt very exposed.
Now she regretted having tossed the t-shirt to the side. With few other options, she covered the front of her breasts with her arm.
“You wouldn’t understand,” he said.
“They never understand.”
“Who are they?” she asked, worried this may take a turn for the psycho after all. She didn’t suspect it could, he was the nicest man she’d ever met.
If he wanted to hurt her, kill her, or do anything, he’d had a ton of chances. It didn’t make sense for him to be doing this now.
“I dragged you here. I got you into this now. I might as well show you. Otherwise, you’ll think I’m lying, or that it’ll be different. Well it won’t. You’ll be just like them, and you’ll leave.”
“Show me… what?”
“I’m sorry,” he said.
“I never meant for this to happen. I do want you. I do.”
“I want you, too, Ben.”
He looked at her, that sadness once again in his eyes, and he shook his head.
“You won’t.”
Before she could ask anything else, Ben grew. The fingers of his hands stretched, his arms bulking with muscle even as they became longer. His face pulled forward into an animal’s muzzle, and brown fur sprouted all over his body.
In seconds, he was a massive bear, its arms and legs having torn his uniform to shreds.
“You’re beautiful,” she said, surprised by her own words. They had just slipped out, but even as she realized what she’d said, she knew it wasn’t a lie.
No wonder the others had screamed and left. They were weak, easily frightened girls. Not Kathleen. She’d been through too much.
The bear stretched out its neck and opened its jaws. The teeth clacked as he snapped the jaws shut again, and he shrunk back down to his normal human self.
“You didn’t scream.”
“Mm-mm,” she said, shaking her head. The tatters of his clothes left almost nothing to the imagination, and Kathleen let her eyes roam over his exposed body.
“You’re not running.”
“No sir, I am not.”
“Don’t I frighten you?”
“You’re the most incredible man I’ve ever met. I’ve been through too much
in my life to let something small like this get in the way.”
Ben smiled and stepped toward her.
“Something small, huh?”
“Tiny.”
“Tiny?”
“Teeny.”
“You really know what to say to make a man feel special.”
As he came closer, Kathleen reached out and took him by the hand.
“Let me show you how special I think you are.”
Ben stepped forward, and they embraced one another. Their lips immediately found one another again, and this time he didn’t hold anything back.
Their hands roamed all over one another’s bodies. She removed the last remains of his clothes, and he carefully slipped her panties down her legs and free of her feet.
With all of his superhuman strength, he lifted her up and slowly dipped her into the tub. The heat of the tub enveloped her body, making every inch of her tingle.
Reaching up, she pulled him into the huge tub with her. His wet body, slick with the soap and bubbles, rested against her own. She ran her legs along his own, taking in the delicious sensation of feeling his skin against her own.
Already he was hard, and the more they kissed and touched one another, the more she needed to show him just how much she wanted him.
Ben locked his mouth to hers as he slipped himself inside of her, and she moaned, her body arching against him. Eager to feel more of her, he started a quick rhythm of withdraw and thrust.
The water sloshed around them, spilling to the floor, the bubbles frothing around their bodies as they made love. Kathleen made sure to kiss him fiercely the entire time, wanting to be sure he knew how much she wanted everything he was.
The orgasm took her by surprise, and she cried out with the force of it. Ben groaned in surprise, grabbing onto her, his orgasm swiftly rising up to join her own.
They thrust and pushed against one another, working to get him deeper inside, until finally they collapsed in an exhausted, soaking heap.
As he rested his head against the side of the tub, catching his breath, she gingerly ran her fingers along the sides of his face, tracing the edge of his ear. It was the face of a man she’d never let herself be without.
Kathleen sighed happily, rested her head back against the tub, and let sleep take her, knowing she was safe.
***
Loving Her Bear
Ashley Hunter
Copyright 2015 by Ashley Hunter
All rights reserved.
No part of this publication may be reproduced
in any way whatsoever, without written permission
from the author, except in case of brief
quotations embodied in critical reviews
and articles.
This is a work of fiction. Any resemblance to any
person, living or dead, is purely coincidental.
First edition, 2015
I.
The sound of cheers and groans erupted from the crowded bar - one football team had scored to gain a miraculous win from behind. A short, curvy young woman sat in the corner alone, two glasses on her table with one untouched.
She’d been there since about ten minutes before the game started, though she took her time before ordering the beers. She sighed as groups of men and women around her embraced in celebration.
She reached for the untouched glass and took a large gulp with a grimace. The woman too had rooted for the winning team, but her demeanor matched that of the disappointed bar patrons either slumping out the door or moving for more drinks at the bar.
She took another gulp of the beer and leaned back into the booth she sat against, hoping she could simply evaporate into the wood grains.
“Hey, Leticia,” a waitress walked up to her, taking the empty glass on the table. “He didn’t show up, huh?”
“Hey, Becca. No, he didn’t,” Leticia answered, taking another gulp. “I’m not sure why I expected him to come at all.”
“Oh, don’t say that, T.C.,” Becca said, sitting in a chair across from Leticia.
Leticia took the final gulp of the beer. “I’m just going to walk home, I think. It’s just down the street.”
“I know.”
The short girl stood and made her way out of the bar. None of the male patrons took a second look at her. As her mother liked to say, she was just “a beautiful voluptuous woman,” and all those “college idiots” couldn’t see that.
Walking along the streets with other young women - other skinnier young women - she didn’t feel like she stood out. If she did, it was for the wrong reasons. If anyone noticed her, she figured they thought, “It’s such a shame she’s so chubby. She could be a pretty girl.”
She paused at the elegantly lit window of El Principe Oso. The family owned many restaurants around town, but El Principe Oso was by far the nicest. Leticia walked up to the glass and gazed in at the expensively dressed people inside, focusing especially on the smiling couples. She longed to be one of them - she always had.
But to be stood up at El Principe Oso would be a far more expensive, and perhaps even more lonely, experience. She sighed and walked slowly home.
...
Inside the restaurant, in the darkest and most prestigious corner, an older man and his younger double sat together, eating silently. A few of the diners whispered about the two, but the men didn’t appear disturbed. It wasn’t often the owners ate there or at any of their restaurants.
“What was this meeting about, Dad?” the younger man asked. “You know I hate coming out to the restaurant.”
“Which one?” the older man raised an eyebrow.
“Any of them.”
“Look, Lorenzo, I think it’s time we talk about you settling down.”
Lorenzo put his fork down, “Excuse me? Is this like the Middle Ages now?”
“The Middle Ages?”
“You know what I mean. That’s an old-fashioned idea.”
Lorenzo’s father folded his napkin and became stern, “I understand it’s old fashioned, but we must add more offspring to our clan. Unfortunately, your mother and I were never able to have more children, and you’re our last hope. It’s important you get started before I die.”
“You aren’t going to…”
“I’m getting old now, son. And we both know my health is… not good.”
“I’m not ready for marriage after Teresa. I’m not even ready to date.”
“I understand how hard it was when she left you. But it really is essential you get married. It’s time to move on and do what’s best for the clan.”
Lorenzo frowned, wanting to argue but deciding against it. In the restaurant, he couldn’t exactly talk about the “clan.” The male members of the family could transform into bears at will.
The family folklore stated a distant ancestor had survived being sacrificed by the Aztecs by transforming into a bear; thus, they felt it a gift from the gods. Lorenzo, on the other hand, felt it was more of a curse than a blessing.
Sometimes, he just needed to let his animal side out, and that didn’t bode well in his relationships. The last woman he’d dated, Teresa, seemed like the one. But once she found out about the clan, she left him. Of course, not before sleeping with a few of his friends. She told him he was “emotionally distant.” He thought he’d given her everything he had. But, he supposed, that was just the way love went.
He and his father went back to eating in silence as Lorenzo thought about how he could possibly find someone to marry in a short time. At this point in his life, he no longer wanted to give himself to another woman. The whole prospect seemed like an inconvenient waste of time.
II.
Leticia walked around work the next day like a zombie. Being stood up again exhausted her. She wanted to find the right man and start a family, but she felt uncomfortable in her skin. When she was a little girl, she wished she could be Cinderella - tall, thin, blonde, and blue eyed - but wishing did not make it so.
Perhaps if her hips weren’t
so large and her legs weren’t so short and she weren’t so naturally hairy (she tried to think of more “and…” scenarios but what was the point, really?), then she’d be more attractive to the opposite sex.
She found herself incredibly unmotivated. She decided to check up on the Men Seeking Women ads. She never answered them - she liked to avoid being murdered - but it gave her a boost of self-esteem to see some of the people on it. She scrolled through, looking for any interesting titles.
“‘Successful Man Seeking Wife,’” she read aloud softly. “That sounds interesting.”
“Grumpy, but successful, man seeking a kind, responsible woman to marry,” the ad read. “Let’s cut out the dating and just get to settling down. The woman must possess ambition, family values (as I am very close to my family), and an ability to be her own person. I’m looking for a partner, not a co-dependent. If this is you, call or email.”
Romance: Bearilicious: BBW Paranormal Bear Shifter Romance Collection (Werebear, Bear Shifter, BBW Paranormal Romance) Page 10