In an effort to spend more time with her, he’d decided to throw an impromptu barbeque on Saturday afternoon and invite his friends and family. As a bonus to spending time with Zoe, he’d almost get the chance to introduce her to all the people in his life. He wanted to show her off and give her a glimpse of the extended family he could offer her.
On the days leading up to Saturday, he stocked his fridge full of meat and placed orders at the deli and bakery for all the sides and desserts, which he picked up on Friday after work.
Saturday dawned chilly, but promised to warm up by noon. Rick, Sophie, and the twins came over early to help him get things ready. Stuart, Lila, and Junior arrived shortly thereafter. Once he had the most important people in his life gathered together in one room, he shared his good news with them and begged for them all to be on their best behavior around Zoe.
No sooner than he’d gotten everyone to agree, his buddies from work showed up, followed by Dan, his closest neighbor. Dan had been a last-minute invitation, mostly an afterthought, because he and Dan weren’t really friends. The jaguar shifter was intensely private and had yet to thaw much around Toby despite having been neighbors for nearly three years. Toby hoped introducing him to Zoe now, before she started spending a lot of time at his house on a regular basis, would reduce any friction that might arise from having someone new over often. Jaguars were notoriously territorial and Toby wanted to avoid any issues they might have in the future.
He was standing in the kitchen chatting with Colton about their work schedules and obsessively watching the clock when he heard the distant rumble of a vehicle coming up his driveway. He paused in the middle of the conversation and listened closely. The car had to belong to Zoe. Everyone else he’d invited had already arrived.
“Excuse me,” he muttered, already walking away. Anticipation rushed through him and worked his bear up, making the wild animal claw at the ties binding him and roar to be set free. He sped up his pace and hurried outside to meet her.
The instant he caught sight of Zoe, his bear chuffed in approval and his pulse settled. He reached the car just as she opened the door and climbed out. Without thought, he hip-checked the door closed and pulled her into his arms, hugging her tight. He buried his face in her hair and breathed in her sweet scent. If he could, he’d roll in her essence, bathe in it until he could smell nothing else.
“Hey.” Zoe wrapped her arms around his midsection and rested her head on his shoulder. “I missed you too, big guy.”
Toby kissed the top of her head. “I’m glad you’re here.”
“Me too.” She lifted her head and looked up at him. “I’m sorry I’m late. I've had such a crazy day. First, I had a flat tire—which I swear looked like someone stabbed the side of it—then I got turned around backward on my way here. I’m still not super familiar with the local back roads and GPS doesn’t really pick up this far outside of town.”
Toby frowned. “I'm sorry about that. I meant to warn you. But what do you mean your tire looked like someone stabbed it?”
"Oh... well, there was this huge piece of thick glass sticking out of the rubber down by the tread. The thing is, the glass wasn't stuck in the bottom like I'd ran over it or something. It was lodged in the smooth rubber right above the tread." She shrugged and shook her head. "Leave it to me to find a new way to get a flat. Thankfully, I had a spare and know how to change a tire. I might be late, but at least I got here eventually, right?"
“Yeah and I'm very glad you made it.” He leaned in and kissed her softly. The taste of her lips was like the sweetest ambrosia. Only through sheer force of will did he manage to pull away before one simple kiss turned into something primal. “Ready to go in and meet everyone?”
“I guess.” She looked around the driveway. “Exactly how many people did you invite?”
He could smell the anxiety rolling off her. “Not that many. Don’t worry. Everyone is going to like you just as much as I do.”
“Okay. Let’s do this.”
He stepped back and offered her his hand. His bear all but purred when she slid her fingers through his own and held on tight. He led her inside and paused in the living room, where Colton and Jared were sitting. “Zoe, these two goons are Colton and Jared. We work together.”
“Hey,” Zoe said.
The guys raised their beer bottles in greeting.
Toby resumed walking and headed into the kitchen, where he found Sophie and Lila sitting at the breakfast bar attached to the center island. “Zoe, I’d like you to meet Lila Watson. Lila’s married to the sheriff and is a close family friend.”
Zoe gave a little wave. “Hi. It’s nice to meet you, Lila.”
“Hey,” Lila said. “Welcome.”
Zoe nodded. “Thanks.”
Toby squeezed Zoe’s hand in support. “And I think you’ve already met my sister-in-law, Sophie.”
“I have,” Zoe said. She nodded at Sophie. “Hi again.”
Sophie smiled. “It’s great seeing you again, Zoe. The kids have nothing but positive things to say about you and their class.”
“Chris and Claire are wonderful kids. I enjoy having them in class.” Zoe’s face lit up when mentioning her class. “Are they here?”
“They are,” Sophie said. “They’re outside running amok with Lila and Stuart’s son, Junior.”
Zoe tugged Toby’s hand. “I’d love to go and say hello.”
“Sure.” He’d agree to anything that made her happy. In this case, they both wanted the same thing anyway. He glanced at Sophie. “Are Rick and Stuart out back too?”
“Yep. They’re supposed to be firing up the grill and watching the kids.”
“All right. Thanks.” Toby steered Zoe through the back door on the other side of the kitchen and out onto the patio. Sure enough, Rick and Stuart were standing by the grill. The kids were climbing one of the big apple trees lining the right side of his property.
Zoe brushed up against him. “You have a great backyard.”
“Thanks. You should have seen the place when I bought it. Calling it a fixer upper would have been a compliment.”
“Did you do all the work yourself?”
“Mostly. I had a little help here and there.” He tried to imagine how Zoe saw his place and hoped she liked what she’d seen so far. The house wasn’t a mansion, but it was home. “Let’s go over and say hi to the guys and then we’ll chase down the little monkeys swinging from my trees.”
“Okay.”
The next few hours were a whirlwind of introductions, good food, and better company. Toby stayed near Zoe’s side until her nervousness faded and she started to relax and enjoy herself. He watched her mingle among his friends and family and experienced a level of pride he’d never felt before. Not only did his mate fit in, she shined like the Hope diamond.
Under the setting sun, he watched as Zoe threw her head back and laughed at something his sister-in-law was saying and marveled at the beauty of his mate. Zoe was smart, beautiful, and all his. He really must have done something right in a former life if the fates had seen fit to bless him with a mate like her.
A hand clapped down on his shoulder, startling him, and he glanced back to find his brother standing by his side with approval in his eyes. “You did good, kid. Zoe’s great.”
Toby returned his gaze to his mate and smiled. “She is, isn’t she?”
“Have you had the talk with her yet?”
“The mate talk?”
Rick smirked. “I’m definitely not talking about the birds and bees.”
“Thank goodness for that.” Since both their parents had passed away before Toby hit puberty, Rick had been the one to give Toby the all-important sex ed lecture. There was no scale to which Toby’s embarrassment could have been measured on that afternoon. “I told her she’s my mate, if that’s what you’re asking.”
“And?” Rick asked.
Toby shrugged. “She wants to take things slow.”
“Just don’t put it off too long.”
“Why?”
“The longer you wait, the less control you’ll have over your bear. I’m not saying you have to do it now, but sooner is better.”
“All right. I’ll keep that in mind.” Although he meant what he said, he wasn’t about to force Zoe into something she wasn’t ready to do. He’d just have to suck it up and control both halves of himself to the best of his ability. He was relatively young, healthy, and strong. He doubted it would be a problem.
“You do that.”
A squeaky voice shrilled, “Daddy! Chris is being mean again!”
“I’ll be back,” Rick said before taking off across the yard in the direction of his children.
Toby just shook his head and smiled. Those kids had their daddy wrapped around their little fingers. He couldn’t wait to have a couple just like him.
His focus returned to Zoe, who was now talking to Dan. He watched the way the older man leaned in to listen to her speak, saw the way his nostrils flared a little too much, like he liked what smelled. Toby’s bear roared at the threat to his mate. Despite knowing Dan was relatively harmless, Toby could no more stop himself from striding across the yard to get between them than he could stop the moon from rising. His instincts screamed at him to intervene and protect his mate.
He sidled up next Zoe and put his arm around her, scent-marking her with a lot less subtlety than he’d intended. Zoe smiled over at him and put her arm around his lower back. “Hey. Dan was just telling me about the first time he met you after you bought the house.”
“Oh really? So he told you all about sneaking up on me in the woods and biting me on the ass?”
Dan scowled. “You make it sound dirty. I was just trying to give you a little warning nip so you’d know whose territory you were invading. Besides, your bear has a big ol’ ass. It’s kind of hard to miss.”
Toby rolled his eyes. “Some neighbors introduce themselves and give you a welcome basket. Mine growled and bit. I will say, it’s a welcome I won’t forget any time soon.”
“Don’t let Toby fool you.” Dan leaned in dangerously close to Zoe. “Your mate loves me.”
“I do.” Toby fought to keep a straight face. “Totally.”
Dan smirked. “See. He admits it.”
“Yep. In fact,” Toby added, “now that I know the feeling’s mutual, we should run away together and start a family. I hope you don’t mind carrying my cubs.”
Dan’s smile slid from his face and he turned and stomped off in a huff.
Zoe laughed and smacked Toby’s shoulder. “That was mean.”
“What?” Toby asked. “I was just giving him back a little of his own medicine.” As much as he tried to get along with Dan, the man could be a jerk when he wanted to. Toby usually took it and smiled benignly, but he wasn’t going to allow anyone to make him look bad in front of Zoe. How she saw him was important.
“You’re terrible.” Zoe gazed up at him with big, beautiful eyes. “Cute, but terrible.”
“I’m glad you think so.” Toby thought about what he’d said. “The cute part, not the latter.”
Zoe smiled. “I knew what you meant.”
“Good.” Toby nodded. “Just for the record, I think you’re so much more than cute. You take my breath away every time I look at you.”
Zoe’s eyes widened and her respiration hitched. Her gaze dropped to his mouth a split second before she lifted up on her toes and kissed him.
Toby took what she was offering and pushed for more, licking into her mouth to taste her. He wrapped his arms around her and pulled her up against him, desperate to be closer to her. She moaned into his mouth and tilted her head, allowing him better access. The taste of her lips consumed him. The smell of her skin and the feel of her soft curves inflamed him. He’d give anything to have her naked and beneath him right that instant.
The giggle of children speeding by their legs cleared the fog of lust enshrouding his mind. He pressed one last soft kiss to her tempting lips and stepped back.
Zoe blinked up him. “Why’d you stop?”
Toby brushed her hair behind her ear. “Look around you.”
Zoe turned her head, looked around, and blushed. “Oh. Right.”
Chris and Claire ran by them giggling like maniacs, with Junior following close behind. Sophie strolled after the hyperactive trio. She paused on her way past Toby and Zoe. “I think it’s about time we get the twins home. They need a bath and plenty of time to calm down afterward. Otherwise, we’ll never get them into bed tonight.”
“Yeah, okay.” Toby nodded. “Thanks for helping out today.”
“No problem, hon. I was happy to pitch in.” She looked around and waved at Rick. “It was nice meeting you, Zoe.”
Zoe nodded. “You too.”
Rick walked up behind Sophie and put his arm over her shoulders. “So, it appears we’re getting ready to leave. Thanks for the grub, bro. Zoe, it was nice meeting you. Try not to let my baby brother get away with murder, all right?”
Zoe rested her hand on Toby’s shoulder. “Don’t worry. I’ll do my best to keep him in line.”
Rick grinned at Toby. “Somebody needs to.”
“Ha-ha,” Toby said. “You’re very funny.”
“Come on,” Sophie said to Rick. “Let’s go round up the kids and say goodbye to Stuart and Lila.”
“See you later,” Rick tossed over his shoulder as he trailed off after his wife.
“Later,” Toby replied.
Zoe twined her fingers through Toby’s. “I’m kind of thirsty. Want to come with me to get a drink?”
“Sure.” Toby led her over to the cooler, which was stocked with ice and drinks. “Soda or water?”
“Water, please.”
Toby plucked a bottle out of the ice and handed it over. He grabbed one for himself and then watched as she wrapped her luscious lips around the plastic tip and drank. Never in his life had he wished to trade places with an inanimate object until right then. He unscrewed the top of his own drink and guzzled the contents, hoping the icy liquid would cool him down. He drained the contents and pitched the bottle in the trash can he’d carried outside for garbage. “You want to go grab a seat?” He nodded toward the patio, where all the other adults were seated on the custom L-shaped bench he’d built last summer.
“Sure.” Zoe screwed the top back on her bottle.
Toby sat on one end and Zoe squeezed in beside him. After a moment, they caught the flow of conversation and joined right in. Not long afterward, the temperature slowly began to drop as it got closer to sunset.
One by one, all his guests began to depart until only he and Zoe remained. “Well,” Toby said. “I guess I should straighten up this mess and put away the perishable stuff. Do you want to hang out and wait for me? It shouldn’t take me long.”
“I’ll do better than wait. I’ll help.”
“You don’t have to do that. You’re my guest.”
“I want to. Besides, it’ll get done twice as fast with both of us working on it.” She headed over to the picnic table and started collecting empty containers.
“All right. If you insist...” Despite his reservations about letting her pitch in, he knew better than to argue with a woman who’d made up her mind about something. He jumped in and started cleaning.
They worked well together and finished in record time. The whole time they were cleaning, Toby kept thinking about how domestic the situation felt. He was surprised by how much he liked it. So much so that he wasn’t ready for the night to end. When the last of the trash had been carried out and the last dish had been washed, he pressed up against Zoe from behind and wrapped his arms around her. “Thank you for helping me.”
She tilted her head to the side and smiled up at him. “You’re welcome.”
“You want to stay a little longer and watch a movie? I have a killer sixty-inch flat screen in the living room.”
“That depends,” Zoe said. “Who gets to pick the movie?”
“You can. I
’m not picky.”
“Okay then. You’re on. I hope you like chick flicks.”
Toby wrinkled his nose. “Whatever you want to watch is fine by me.”
“You should see the look on your face. Don’t worry. I’m not going to pick anything that requires tissues.”
“That’s good to know, but I stand by what I said. You can pick any movie you want.” He nuzzled the side of her face and kissed her on the curve of her throat.
She turned in his embrace, lifted up on her toes, and pressed her lips against his in a quick smooch. She retreated before he could react and smiled brightly. “Sounds good to me. Let’s go check out your massive television.”
Chapter Four
On Tuesday, Zoe met Toby at the sub shop for a quick dinner. While they ate, she invited him over to her house on Friday for a home-cooked meal. Although she wasn’t the best cook ever, something about Toby made her want to try her hand at making him something nice for dinner. If she failed, she figured they could always order out.
On Wednesday, she looked up recipes online and selected one that sounded good, but didn’t require a lot of skill or a million different ingredients. She stopped after work on Thursday and picked up all the supplies she would need to rock Toby’s taste buds. If the way to a man’s heart was through his stomach, then she planned to tattoo her name across the organ on Friday night.
After only three dates and a dozen phone calls, she had bypassed infatuation and moved on to freefalling. Toby was so sweet and considerate of her feelings. She could feel the tension in his body every time they touched, as if it was taking all his willpower to hold himself back. It didn’t take a rocket scientist to realize Toby was dying to claim her, physically and emotionally, and she’d slowly come to the realization that the feeling was mutual. She wanted everything Toby had to give, mind, body, and soul, and was willing to give her all in return. She’d had enough of going slow. Holding hands and lingering kisses weren’t enough anymore.
The last school day of the week dragged by like molasses in January. Her patience was long gone by the time the final bell rang and she helped all of her students onto their buses. As soon as the coast was clear, she dashed back into her room, grabbed her things, and raced for the exit. Geoff waved to get her attention, but she couldn’t be bothered to stop and chat. Whatever school issue he wanted to talk about could wait until Monday. She needed to head home to get ready for her date with Toby.
Pleasant Valley Bears: BBW Paranormal Shape Shifter Romance (Pleasant Valley Shifters) Page 21