They returned to the main garden just as the sun was setting. The sky was brilliant shades of yellow, salmon pink and orange. Little white lanterns at the edge of the lawn were flickering into life, and the scent of night flowers filtered into the air. As they strode across the lawn to the buffet table, many eyes turned in their direction. Dina felt self-conscious, but in a nice way, as if everyone was looking to see who was walking with this big, sexy man.
The buffet was the most delicious-looking that she’d ever seen. There was seafood – lobster, oysters, shrimp and mussels, sliders with all kinds of fillings, huge trays of roast meats, chicken wings, cold cuts, cheese, and trays of fries and onion rings. At the side was a chef cooking steaks fresh on a barbecue, and you could choose any cut you wanted. While Logan lined up to have a steak cooked, Dina picked up a couple of sliders and a handful of fries. She was salivating at all the food, but she didn’t want to seem unladylike by loading her plate up.
Logan came back with a giant t-bone steak, so big that it was overhanging the edges of the plate. He frowned at her plate in confusion.
“What’s wrong? You were really hungry,” he said. Dina stammered something vague.
“Ah, I get it, it’s difficult to manage while you’re holding your purse. Here.” He passed his plate to Dina to hold. “You want some roast beef? Chicken wings?” As she nodded at this and that, he filled her plate up until it was as overloaded as his own. “That’s better,” he said in satisfaction. They looked around at the tables. “Do you want to go find Lauren?” Dina squinted. She could just make out her friend’s pink dress in the distance.
“No, I think she’s good hanging out with Connor,” she said.
“I was hoping you’d say that,” he said, looking at her with intensity. “I wanted to spend some more time with you alone.”
They located a table for two, in a secluded spot at the edge of the garden. Now that it was almost dark, the sky deep navy, with a crescent moon showing, other lanterns came to life, and their little table was lit in a soft orange glow. There were tea lights on the table, and as soon as they sat down, a waiter appeared with a tray of champagne glasses. They took one each. When the waiter had walked away, Logan raised his glass.
“Here’s to us meeting today, despite the obstacles that fell in our way,” he said. Dina grinned and they clinked glasses. As she sipped the delicious cold champagne, she felt like she was in a dream. Things like this didn’t happen to a girl like her.
Seeing how enthusiastically Logan dove into his food, Dina didn’t hold back. It was so liberating being able to enjoy her food like this with a man. Her ex-boyfriend had always been picking at her, telling her what she should eat, making little digs about her weight. She’d come to terms with being a big girl. She knew she’d always be curvy, and she kept herself fit and healthy by hiking. But there was always that little voice niggling away, saying men wouldn’t like her unless she starved herself.
Logan cut a hunk of his steak off and deposited it on her plate.
“You’ve gotta try this,” he said. “It’s almost as good as the meat the guys and I cook when we have our barbecues at home.”
“Oh, I love barbecues,” she said.
“It’s a real bear thing. There’s nothing our clan like to do more than hang out at one of our cabins with a fire going, plenty of beer, and barbecued meat – most of which we’ve caught ourselves.” Dina glanced at him sideways. She was still getting used to the idea that he would do things like hunt his own food.
“That sounds really cool,” she said.
“It is. And you’re top of the invite list for our next one,” he said with a grin.
They finished eating, and she delicately dabbed her lips with a napkin. Logan looked at her, the flame from the tea lights reflecting in his eyes, making his features seem softer than before.
“I hope this isn’t an intrusive question,” he said. “But I’ve been wondering all night how someone as lovely and beautiful as yourself could be single.”
“Oh.” She looked down, and fiddled with the stem of her champagne glass.
“I’ve overstepped the mark, haven’t I? I’m such a clumsy bear sometimes.” He laid his hand on hers, his eyes full of concern.
“No, it’s not that. It’s a really sweet compliment. The truth is, I’ve been single for a while. I had a long-term boyfriend, but he didn’t treat me so well. And when he left me, it knocked my confidence a lot, so I haven’t been ready for dating.” Dina didn’t know why she was telling him this, but something about him convinced her that he wouldn’t judge her negatively. Logan’s expression clouded over.
“I’d like to meet this guy who thought it was ok to mistreat you,” he said, clenching his fist. “He’d be very sorry by the time I was done with him, I can tell you that.”
“Hey, it’s ok. It’s far in the past,” she said, anxious to pacify him. He caught sight of her expression.
“I’m sorry,” he said. “We bears come on a little strong sometimes. “It’s our protective nature.”
“It’s ok, I like it,” she said, entwining her fingers with his.
“I feel like I always want to be there to protect you, Dina,” he said. “I can see that you’re a strong, independent woman, but I’d love to be able to take care of you too.” Dina gazed at him wordlessly. They’d only met today, but he seemed to be talking about forever. With an average guy, that would be a sign to run away very quickly, but Lauren had said that shifters mate for life. And she felt the same. As little as she knew him, this rough-tender man already seemed to be part of her destiny.
“How do you feel about having children?” he asked her, breaking into her thoughts. “I mean, one day, far into the future.”
“Well, I love kids. They’re definitely part of my plan,” she said.
“Me too. I can’t wait to have cubs.”
“Cubs?”
“That’s what we call the children of bear shifters.”
“Cubs,” she repeated, trying out the word. “I like it. So, if a human and a bear shifter were to have children, they’d still be cubs? They’d be capable of shifting as well?”
“Cubs, yes, of course,” he said with a grin. “As to whether they become shifters – yes they should be. As long as the human and the shifter are a perfect match.” They stared at each other for a long moment, and then he leaned towards her and their lips met, in a gentle, slow kiss. It was as if the world was falling away from her, and time seemed to be poised, waiting for them. All she was aware of was the feeling of his lips on hers, his soft stubble brushing her chin.
After a long time, they pulled away, and gazed at each other in wonder, glowing with a sense that something had passed between them. Strains from the jazz band reached Dina’s ears, and she turned her head to look at it. The musicians were gearing up, getting to their feet to play their instruments, and people were beginning to dance on the small platform in front of it.
“Shall we dance?” Logan asked her.
“Yes!” she said, a smile blooming on her lips. He took her hand again as they stood up from the table, and escorted her to the dance floor, like a gentleman from another age. The garden looked beautiful and magical, with strings of lights suspended from the trees. It was all impossibly romantic, and Dina shivered in delight.
The band was playing a song from long ago, a quick, lively number. Logan pulled her into his arms as they stepped onto the platform, and began to move. He was a great dancer, she realized immediately, amazingly light on his feet for such a big man. He was doing a specific step. Dina didn’t know it, but with her experience and instinct for dance, she kept up with him, and they were soon spinning effortlessly around the space. Logan switched to another step as the music changed, and the musicians’ eyes twinkled as they watched them dancing.
“Do you know the tango?” he asked her. She nodded. It was her favorite step. As the piece came to an end, he went over and spoke to one of the band, and the music changed completely, to a sensual
Latin rhythm. They came together, and began to dance energetically. Dina knew the moves inside out, having practiced constantly during her teens, and she fell into the rhythm, Logan twirling her expertly, as if they’d danced together all their lives. It was easy to get lost in the passion of the dance, even with a partner you weren’t attracted to, but with Logan, it was on a whole other level. It felt like a prelude to making love, their bodies so close, his thigh sliding between hers, his arms holding her up as if she was as light as a feather.
At the end of the piece, they stopped, breathless, and there was a small round of applause. Dina looked around in shock; she’d had no idea people had been watching them.
“Bravo!” the saxophone player called to them. Then he spoke to the band, and they began to play a much slower piece. Logan pulled Dina gently against his body. He held her right hand in his left, and his other arm looped around her waist. They were so close that she could feel the slow, steady beat of his heart. In her heels, she was tall enough to peep over his shoulder, but in bare feet, she would’ve been able to lay her head against his chest. She very much liked the thought of doing that. They swayed gently together, not moving much, just enjoying the closeness of each other’s bodies.
“Dina, I love dancing with you,” Logan murmured in her ear. “It feels so sensual.”
“I love it too,” she replied, lifting her chin to look into his eyes. He brought his mouth down to hers and kissed her again. Little by little, they edged over to the side of the platform, until they were back on the grass, out of the glare of the lights that were suspended over the dance floor. They began to kiss more passionately now, exploring each other’s mouths as they had in the secret garden. Dina’s arousal, which had temporarily yielded to softer, more romantic feelings, rose up again fiercely, and a sweet ache began to blossom between her thighs once more. Their bodies entwined as they kissed, craving ever-closer contact. As one of Logan’s muscular thighs slid between hers and pressed up against her clit, the heat inside her became almost unbearable. She imagined him touching her there, doing more than touching her. If he didn’t stop soon, she wasn’t going to be able to control herself. She could feel that her nipples were erect, pushing at her bra and her flimsy dress, demanding attention, needing to be taken into his mouth. He wrapped his arms more and more tightly around her, nibbling at her neck, burying his face in her hair, and she could tell that he was growing hard, that his desire for her was as strong as hers for him. This knowledge drove up her arousal by several notches, and she felt her panties becoming damp. She yearned for him to take them off, along with her bra and her dress, and make love to her for hours.
At last, he drew back from their kiss, and gazed down at her, his eyes very dark and fierce.
“God, Dina, you’re driving me crazy,” he said, his voice rough with desire. “If we don’t stop right now, I’m going to have to carry you off to my cabin, and I won’t be responsible for my actions.” She looked up at him, her eyes bright.
“Maybe I don’t want you to stop,” she said, softly, yet firmly. That had to be the understatement of the year. Every part of her being was begging for him to take her, to fill her, to make her lose herself. He looked at her very seriously.
“Dina, baby, I’ve never desired anyone the way I want you right now. But maybe we should take our time. I want to get to know you, to learn everything about you, to understand your thoughts and feelings and dreams and ambitions. To know what makes you happy and sad. I don’t want you to think that I just want you for one thing.” Dina bit her lip, her heart fluttering with happiness at his words.
“I want that too – ” she said, but the end of her sentence was drowned out by a loud Ooooh! and lots of shrieks of excitement. They looked back at the party that they’d forgotten existed. The circus act had gathered in the center of the garden, and they were setting up Chinese lanterns. One lantern had been released already, and it was floating into the night sky. Logan and Dina watched as it climbed higher and higher, until it became invisible. The couple who’d let it go looked blissfully happy, grinning and kissing each other.
“I hope they made a wish,” Logan said.
“I think they did,” Dina replied, with a smile.
“Let’s release one ourselves,” Logan exclaimed. This was all the encouragement Dina needed, and she skipped over to the circus entertainers, pulling Logan along with her.
“What color?” a man in tiger face paint asked.
“Red,” they said at the same time. The man selected a lantern, lit the flame and handed it to them. They stood facing each other, holding onto two sides each.
“To you, me, and our future,” Logan whispered to Dina. She repeated his words and, together, they released the lantern.
Logan stood behind her, his arms around her waist, and they watched their lantern blowing into the velvety night, glowing red and leaving a fiery train in its wake. They kept their gaze on it, until it was a golden dot, no bigger than one of the stars. Dina let her weight fall against him, enjoying the sensation of being supported, and he nuzzled her hair.
“Part of me could stay like this forever,” he murmured. She didn’t need to ask what the other part of him wanted to do, as she could feel his hardness pressing against the cleft of her ass, driving her crazy.
Lauren and Connor joined the line of people waiting for a lantern, and Dina and Logan watched as they took their turn, full of happiness and excitement. When their lantern had become invisible too, Dina called to them, and they ran over.
“Hey! I haven’t seen you guys all day,” Lauren said. “Been having fun?”
“We certainly have,” Logan replied. Dina flashed Lauren a secret smile, indicating how much she liked Logan.
“Connor and I are just going to set off a lantern, and then I think we’re done for the day. So I’ll say goodnight to you guys.” Lauren stretched up to hug Logan, and squeezed her arms around Dina.
“Go get him, girl,” she whispered. “Connor’s been telling me all day how awesome he is, and I can tell you’ll be so well suited!” Connor hugged Dina, and Logan and Connor exchanged some kind of complicated handshake, and a rough, back-slapping hug, and Lauren and Connor walked off together.
“How are you getting home?” Logan asked Dina.
“Oh, by taxi,” she said.
“We could share, if you don’t mind a slight detour by the national park?” Logan suggested.
“That would be great,” Dina said, excited at the prospect of another half hour in his company.
As they walked out of the garden, Dina was a little regretful at leaving such a perfect, magical evening behind. There was a line of cars waiting in the driveway.
“Complimentary service, courtesy of Shiftr,” the guy organizing the cars said as they walked up. “The driver will take you anywhere you want to go, just tell him your destination.” They climbed into the luxurious sedan, and it pulled away from the house, tires crunching on the gravel.
Chapter Four
Dina and Logan sat close together on the car’s soft leather seats. Logan clasped her hand, letting the back of his hand rest on her thigh. The contact with his body was almost unbearable. She longed to unfasten her seatbelt and jump on top of him. Instead they sat calmly, chatting about their lives. He seemed to want to know the smallest details about her, asking her all about her family and her friends, her job, and where she lived. She answered all of his questions, but her mind was wandering, thinking about how hot his body had looked in his Shiftr photo, how much she wanted to see it in the flesh. Her mind constructed mini fantasies: him on top of her, thrusting inside her, his strong hands spreading her thighs.
She was so engrossed by him that she hadn’t noticed that the road had become a lot darker, the streetlights further apart. She’d been to the national park plenty of times before, but she didn’t recognize this road. Logan leaned forward to direct the driver, and the car took a sharp turn, and the road became a rough track.
“Funny, I don’t know th
is part,” she said.
“There’s a reason for that,” Logan said, his white teeth flashing in the dark. “We were-bears need our privacy from the human world, if we’re going to keep our existence a secret.” He spoke to the driver again, and the car made another turn, then came to a stop at the side of the road, beside a gap in a line of trees.
“Where’s your place?” she said, confused.
“Through the trees, a hundred yards back,” he said. “Some of the other guys and I have cabins back there.”
“That sounds really nice,” she said.
“It’s the best,” he said with a grin. He unfastened his seatbelt and turned to her. “It’s so hard for me to leave you here, so I’m going to kiss you goodnight quickly and go, before I lose all self-control.” His lips brushed hers, and he opened the car door. “Good night, beautiful,” he whispered. He climbed out of the car and closed the door. The driver began to pull away, and Dina watched as Logan strode into the dark woods. His kiss was still burning on her lips, and there was an unbearable ache between her thighs. But even more than that, she felt a hole, a vast emptiness in her heart, at being separated from him.
“Stop!” she yelled. The driver jumped and stepped hard on the brake.
“Sorry, ma’am?” he said.
“Hold on, I’ve made a mistake!” she said. She unfastened the seatbelt, and scrambled out of the car. She ran back to the clearing and stared into the woods, but she could no longer see anything.
“Logan!” she yelled.
“Dina?” came a voice from far away. A second later, she saw a flash of his white shirt and he came crashing back.
“What is it?” he said, panicked.
“Logan, take me home with you,” she said simply.
“Dina, if you come in here now, you’re not going to leave for several days. I hope you realize that,” he said.
Bear Home for Christmas: BBW Holiday Paranormal Bear Shifter Romance (Christmas Bear Shifter Romance Book 1) Page 14