Romance: Bearilicious: BBW Paranormal Bear Shifter Romance Collection (Werebear, Bear Shifter, BBW Paranormal Romance)

by Ashley Hunter

  “I remember Aveline! I always wondered what happened to her.”

  “Yeah,” he nodded, his gaze cloudy and far away. “She drowned, so, I guess, in my grief, I clung to a little girl who’d known her. I remembered you both playing together.”

  She tried to think back. She and Aveline had been friends in kindergarten, and often played together outside of class. She couldn’t remember, though, Aveline’s brother at all. She didn’t even know Aveline had died - Angela’s mother had told her Aveline had simply moved away. Maybe that was easier for a child to understand.

  “I kept an eye on you from then on,” he continued, with a shrug. “As time went on, of course, you became a beautiful young woman. But, you know, I felt I was too old for you. I considered asking you out when I was a senior and you were a freshman, but I…” he rolled his eyes, “I was afraid what my friends would say.”

  “What, because I’m curvy?”

  “No, because I was a senior and you were a freshman,” he gave a slight smile. “I was on the water polo team, I was popular… I didn’t want to risk that. But then again, I couldn’t bear seeing you with someone else.”

  “So, you were embarrassed to be with me, but you didn’t want anyone else to be with me either?”

  He took another labored deep breath, “I guess so. I also felt a bit skeevy trying to hit on you when I was so much older. And once I got out of high school, I thought your parents would never go for it. So, I waited and… tried to get rid of the competition.”

  “But then what about after high school? I’m twenty-four now, and I still haven’t had anyone even approach me. Certainly not you.” She would have remembered such an attractive man approaching her.

  “Well, no one’s to blame for that besides myself. I got a bit uh…” he scratched the back of his head, “bashful, you know. I didn’t know how to come and talk to you. I’m an engineering major, and I definitely don’t

  know how to talk to people. So, as time went on, I’d try to be places where you’d be and try to work up my courage and…”

  “So, essentially, you were stalking me,” she leaned back in the couch, looking him straight in the eye with a raised eyebrow.

  He chuckled awkwardly, “I guess so. That ran through my mind that I was being just super creepy because I could never approach, and I was always there. And then I’d threaten the guys who would approach you, which… is even more crazy creepy. I just really didn’t know what to do.”

  You just come up and talk to me. Do you know how it felt to have men show you attention and then completely ignore you? All my friends had boyfriends and were learning all the things I didn’t get to learn. I mean, if you were popular in high school, shouldn’t you have known how to talk to women?”

  “It’s funny being popular in high school. Your status pretty much does it all for you, and I was one of the nicer, shyer guys, so the other popular

  liked me. I am deeply sorry though for ruining your college experience. It was selfish of me.”

  “Yes, it was.”

  “Once I got into college, I was spending all my time on my schoolwork, and I kind of lost touch with my social skills.” He paused, biting his lip in thought for a moment.

  Angela tried to keep her resolve with how sexy the biting of his lip was. He’d been stalking her! That wasn’t right!

  “I’d been in love with you for so long, and I was afraid you’d reject me,” he looked her in the eye now - his eyes so clear and blue, she thought she could swim in them. “Plus, there’s… this other thing about me that… uh… I’m not sure how you’ll react when I tell you.”

  “I don’t know what could be more shocking than hearing that someone’s been stalking you,” she answered.

  “I’m sorry, are you sure you don’t want a drink?” he stood, seeming more awkward than before. “I need a shot, I think.”

  “It’s like… noon!”

  “Yeah, I need a bit of extra courage here.”

  Angela declined, but gave her blessing for him to do whatever he needed to do. She kept an eye on him though, making sure he wasn’t going to pull out a weapon. He didn’t do anything suspicious and actually seemed quite harmless. Still, she couldn’t let her guard down.

  “So, what is this other thing you need to tell me?” Angela asked finally.

  “Okay,” he said to himself, taking another breath. “This may sound crazy. Crazier than everything else.”

  “That might be a challenge.”

  “Yeah,” he nodded. “I am part of a family, a group, of.... bear shifters. And my father has been the leader for many years.”

  “Bear shifter? Like… you transform into a bear?”

  “Yes. It’s just… something our family has always done. There’s quite a number of us. And, well, on my 29th birthday, I’m going to become the… uh… king.”

  “The king of the bears?”

  He nodded. She tried to keep herself from laughing - the whole thing sounded ridiculous. People don’t transform into animals - that only happens in movies or fairy tales.

  “I know it’s hard to believe,” he said, looking her in the eye again. She nodded, but didn’t speak. “I can show you, if you want.”

  “Okay,” she answered, not knowing anything else to say.

  “All right. Don’t worry about your safety. I know what I’m doing. I’m controlled, and I’m not dangerous.”

  She nodded again, but stepped back. She wanted to be out of the way and have her pepper spray ready. She wasn’t exactly sure what was going to happen. He explained that he normally didn’t wear clothing, so he went into the kitchen to transform. He left the room to presumably undress and transform. She snuck a peek at him before he undressed completely - he had that lean, muscular swimmer’s body.

  She wished they had met each other under different circumstances. She also wished she didn’t have to sit in this crazy man’s living room as he “transformed” into a bear. He had to be unhinged. There had to be something more wrong with him than just the stalking for him to really think he could transform into a bear.

  Suddenly, an adult bear emerged from the kitchen. Angela stood in shock. She had never seen a bear in real life before. She didn’t think Nate could actually turn into a bear.

  Her heart started to pound against her chest, her breathing increased to a rate that made her feel light headed, and as the bear came closer, her sight blurred. She felt herself falling, and the world went black.

  IV.

  Angela’s eyes opened to see wooden beams above her. She closed and opened her eyes, trying to focus on where she was. She felt groggy. She couldn’t remember how she’d gotten there. She tried to think back - where had she been before she got to this foreign place? She appeared to be in a wood cabin, but she had been at Nate Brown’s house downtown.

  “Oh my God,” she bolted up. “I’ve been kidnapped.”

  “Oh, you’re awake!” Nate appeared from somewhere else in the wooden cabin. He appeared frazzled and worried. “You fainted and then you hit your head. I… didn’t know what to do.”

  “Maybe you should’ve taken me to the hospital!” Angela threw up her hands in anger. “Where am I?”

  “This is our cabin in the woods. I admit that I freaked out a little bit, so I came here.”

  “What did you expect to do? Like, if I was dead, were you just going to bury me out here? What were you thinking?”

  He grimaced, “I wasn’t. I don’t act well under pressure.”

  “What if I have a concussion? You don’t just kidnap someone who has a concussion.”

  He pursed his lips and nodded, looking like a child getting lectured. She took a deep breath and tried to calm down. She wasn’t happy about what had happened, but he did seem concerned about her well-being.

  And he looked so damn good with his shirt off that it was hard for her to remain mad at him. The man had told her he loved her (even though he also told her he’d been, in so many words, stalking her and scaring away all he
r suitors.)

  “What is your plan, here? People are going to notice I’m gone,” she said, softening her voice. “Thankfully I just had my last final, but my friends are having graduation parties that I planned on going to. I call my mom…” she tried to think how often she called her emotionally distant mother, “sometimes. So… what are you getting at?”

  “I obviously didn’t think this out all that well,” he shrugged. “How about this, you stay here until your friends’ graduation parties. You know, relax, take a break, and maybe we can get to know each other.”

  “What, you think Stockholm Syndrome will just kick in?”

  He smiled close-lipped, “Can you just give me a chance here?”

  “I don’t know. This is all so weird.”

  “Well, I’ll make lunch, and then you can um… think about it,” he looked up at her with an earnest look of longing and tenderness. “I haven’t done any of this right, and I don’t know how to fix it. But I hope you can forgive me. I only did all of this out of love.”

  She kept her resolve, simply giving him a look of understanding. He nodded in the awkward way he did and left the room to, presumably, the kitchen.

  She tried to wrap her head around all that had happened. She didn’t know of this man’s existence before Adrian had mentioned him to her. From there, she met him, realized he was probably the hottest guy she’d ever seen, had said hottest guy she’d ever seen profess his (slightly obsessed) love to her, then had said hottest guy (again) transform into bear, passed out, and finally woke up in a foreign place with the hottest guy/bear having kidnapped her.

  Life was funny sometimes.

  He returned some time later with a tray of breakfast food which, admittedly, looked amazing. She ate heartily, though she didn’t want to admit how well he had cooked the bacon, eggs, and toast.

  She wanted to pretend he was making gruel for her and was a cruel captor. But the food was delicious, and he seemed concerned about her well-being. And, of course, his handsomeness helped.

  “Well, can I go outside or do I have to stay in here?” Angela asked after finishing her breakfast.

  “You’re welcome to go outside, of course,” he gave a slight smile. “I really didn’t mean for this to be some inmate and jailer kind of thing. I guess I didn’t really think about it.”

  “Obviously.”

  He kept a slight close-lipped smile. “If you want to leave, you can. I’ll drive you home.”

  “I’ll give it a chance. I’m just trying to adjust, you know,” she sighed. “Do you want to go on a walk with me? Show me around?”

  “I would like to do that very much.”

  “Great.”

  He let her lead the way outside and walked with her, keeping his hands folded behind his back respectfully. Angela liked how soft spoken and kind he seemed - she wasn’t sure how he’d intimidated so many men away from her. He appeared vulnerable and honest.

  She could buy that he simply couldn’t work up the courage to talk to her. She still didn’t quite understand his angle, but she couldn’t help liking him. Plus, the idyllic setting of the cabin made her feel completely peaceful.

  “How are you feeling?” Nate asked as they walked back.

  “Oh, just fine,” Angela answered. “The fresh air really helped. I feel like I’m in Pride and Prejudice or something.”

  “Hopefully I’m more Darcy than Wickham,” he laughed.

  “Since you were able to come up with the names of some of the characters, I think you can be Darcy.”

  “Fantastic. I’ll hold that as a huge achievement and honor.”

  She laughed, patting him on the arm (and sneaking a squeeze of his muscles), “You know what I don’t understand? Why didn’t you just talk to me? I mean, I like you, and, so far, I enjoy hanging out with you.”

  “You intimidate me. I can’t think of anything else to say about it.”

  She stopped him with her hands, stood before him, and looked him straight in the eyes. “We are on a level playing field here. I’m not good at this either. If you have wanted to be with me all this time, show me.”

  “Okay,” he answered, leaned in, and kissed her.

  She’d been kissed before in elementary school by a boy who lived across the street from her, and a few boys in middle school, but this was her first kiss with a real man. She felt his stubble brushing against her face, smelled his cologne, and trembled at his touch. The kiss felt right - long awaited and worth it.

  “Was that enough to show you?” he spoke softly after pulling away.

  “I think so,” she spoke just as softly. “But I think you should give it another try, just in case.”

  He gave a wide grin and kissed her again, bringing her in closer and wrapping her in his arms.

  V.

  Over the next few days, Angela and Nate became closer and closer. He picked her some wild flowers and continued making her delicious meals. They played Scrabble and chess to get to know each other a little bit more. Nate showed his competitive side while playing the games.

  “I didn’t understand how you could scare any guys off since you’re so soft spoken,” she laughed. “But now I understand! You’re ruthless when it comes to competition!”

  “I do like to win, it’s true,” he smiled. “I can be a sore loser.”

  “You should probably be better at Scrabble then, sir.”

  “I’ll study the dictionary, madam.”

  They laughed together as though they’d been a couple for years. Though their relationship started on a rough patch, they got along incredibly

  well. Once Angela forgave him, she was able to see that he truly did care about her and had for a long time.

  “Do you want to go with me to my friends’ graduation parties, by the way?” she asked as they cleaned up their Scrabble game.

  “I… I do, yes,” his smile grew. “As your date, I assume?”

  “I was thinking of it more as arm candy, but you could say my date as well.”

  “I’ll take arm candy as well, as long as I’m on your arm.”

  “Cheesy, but I’ll take it,” she moved forward and kissed him.

  It started as a sweet kiss, almost a peck, but when they pulled away and looked in each other’s eyes, the passion rose. They grasped onto each other and kissed again, this time with more fervor.

  They’d had similar make-out sessions before since kissing on their first walk together, but this time made the room seem steamy with heat.

  Angela ran her hands down his long torso and under his shirt, feeling the curves of his abs and the lean line of his body. In turn, his hands searched under her shirt.

  They separated to remove their shirts to make it easier, and then connected again at the lips. When Angela imagined her first time, she figured it would be disappointing in some boy’s dorm room while his roommate slept - she figured it couldn’t be like in the movies where everything seemed perfectly, passionately intimate. But as they kept kissing and kept removing each other’s clothing, all her expectations fell away like his jeans dropping to the floor.

  They moved to the bedroom he’d been sleeping in (she insisted her first time would not be on a couch, in the very least), where they finished undressing.

  With every touch, her skin reacted with a tingling anticipation. For all his reluctance in approaching during the years, Nate treated her body with skill and a lack of inhibition.

  “Be gentle,” she said softly before he entered her. She’d seen women in movies say that so many times, but she wasn’t exactly sure what it meant. Still, she wanted to offer some kind of warning.

  He smiled and kissed her, entering slowly. She didn’t expect the level of pain that came with him moving inside her or the amount of blood (that she definitely didn’t expect), but he was tender and, yes, gentle with her.

  He treated her like a fragile treasure, checking in on her to make sure she was okay and keeping his hand under her head in a protective gesture. Their breaths ebbed and flowed tog
ether as if they owned the same lungs - she felt completely connected to him. Their bodies moved and climaxed together.

  Afterwards, Nate cradled her and kissed her shoulder. Then they both fell asleep together in contentment.

  VI.

  Angela’s friends wondered where Nate had come from when the couple appeared at the grad parties. Ashley, for example, pulled her aside and asked how she’d so quickly moved on from Adrian.

  “You guys looked connected at the hip at his birthday party,” Ashley whispered. “Now you have this Nate guy?”

  “Yeah, that’s right,” Angela smirked. “Nate finally made a move.”

  “I don’t really know what that means, but good work. He’s a hottie!”

  “Thanks, I think so too!”

  Angela’s other friends had similar reactions, except the male friends who’d, at some time, been threatened by Nate - they seemed more afraid than anything. Yet, Nate softened toward the men who showed Angela

  attention. He finally felt secure with her having gained her mutual trust and love.

  Perhaps sooner than Angela had always planned, she and Nate were married. His bear clan came and welcomed her with open arms (or paws, if you will.) She never imagined she would become a part of a family full of such tradition; in fact, she never imagined she’d become the queen of the bear shifters.

  This, of course, was because she never actually imagined bear shifters existed, but she felt honored that Nate had fallen in love with and chosen her to spend the rest of her life with.