Slipping into the bathroom, I heard him blow his nose and wash his hands before returning to me, dressed in a pair of athletic shorts. Truly looking at his build for the first time, studying his well defined abs, wide chest, puffed pectorals and burly biceps, I couldn’t help but compare him to a bear, to a ferocious beast…that was the most comfortable creature to sleep on, that didn’t harm me, despite being beside me for who knew how long, that, in the wild, sought food, not battles with humans.
Oh, God. Was I actually rationalizing this? Was I actually accepting this?
Staring at him, seeing the fear in his depths, my heart cracked at the edges. I knew nothing about him in this new context, but somehow, I knew he didn’t choose to be this way. Who would? He could never be his real self with anyone who wasn’t like him, or that he didn’t trust completely without hesitation or doubt.
Looking at it like that, my heart only further splintered. It single-handedly proved his feelings for me were real, in every way. He genuinely cared. He truly wanted me. He…he just gave me what no other man had: complete confidence in him.
Closing the distance between us, I cupped his face, stretched up on my tiptoes and captured his lips, morning breath, unkempt hair and all.
His arms came around me like a vise, hauling me against his hardness. He took control of the caress, turned my unexpected kiss into a flaming exchange complete with tongues and teeth. He had heat flickering in my womb, desire multiplying within me. He had-
An erection the size of Texas.
Good, God. My pussy pulsated, anticipation welling within me. Arching slightly, I pressed deeper into him, rocked my hips against him, letting him know he wasn’t alone.
Abruptly, he broke away from my lips, gasping for air. “Fuck, babe.” The way he looked at me could set every tree in the forest around us ablaze. He tightened his grip on me, grunting in frustration.
Releasing me, he took a few steps, putting distance between us. Rolling his shoulders, grabbing the back of his neck with his and squeezing it, he peered at me, passion still flickering in his depths. He groaned, closing his eyes and dropping his head. He took a deep breath before he opened his eyes and looked directly at me. “It’s not the most romantic thing to say, but I want to fuck the shit out of you so damned bad.”
My heart beat wildly in my chest. Longing pumped through my veins, coiling in my core. My breasts tingled. The way he bit his bottom lip as he took my curves in had me feeling like the sexiest woman alive at the moment. I never ceased to feel special, to feel wanted, sought after, appreciated, with him. He made me feel like I was worth any cost.
Including his health and my own.
Crap. I really didn’t think a few minutes ago. I acted on impulse; I reacted to my emotions. And now I was probably going to get sick. The funny part? I didn’t even care. He was worth it. That kiss was worth it.
But sex required energy, stamina, and a certain degree of healthiness that he didn’t have today, human or bear.
“When you’re better.” I had to ignore my body’s cry of disappointment. I wanted what he had, every hard inch of it. A shudder worked through me, had me struggling to be the responsible one for once.
Cracking his neck, he shook his head in understanding. Stalking to his dresser, he plucked out a white Beast Mode tee. “I need some more layers between us if-” He grunted. “Fuck, babe.” He jerked the shirt on before reaching into his drawer and grabbing another one. Turning, he set it on the sturdy bed. “Put this on and I’ll clean your jacket.”
“Clean it?” I frowned, peering down, inspecting it. Sure enough, a thin layer of brown and white hair dusted the front of it.
He cleared his throat. “Sorry, beautiful. My bear is…messy.” He gave me a sheepish grin.
“Does he have a name?” I carefully removed the hoodie, grateful I always wore a tank beneath it, and passed it to him.
His brows shot up. “Damn, you’re sexy.” He shook himself, taking the outerwear and refocusing. “A name?” He frowned. “I never thought to give him one.”
Picking the shirt up off of the bed, I checked the size: men’s 2XL. It would probably hug my hips but would work. Yanking it on over my head and giving it a tug, I left it sitting above my ass in the back so it draped forward in the front, offering a more comfortable fit. “You should. Even if you’re the same, your form is different, so he’s still separate from you, kind of his own person.” I shrugged, trying to ensure he knew it wasn’t a scold or a command.
“He scared the shit out of you, yet you’re standing up for him?” He smirked, a glitter of something I’d never seen in his depths. “I see why he likes you.”
“So he is separate from you?” I felt my features twist as I tried to understand an obviously complex situation.
“Yes.” Nodding his head towards the door, he expelled a small breath. “Let’s go out to the living room. I don’t trust myself in here with you, especially with you wearing one of my shirts. It looks too damned good on you.”
A laugh bubbled in my chest. “You slept beside me for hours in this room.”
Placing a hand on my lower back, he ushered me out. “That was before you kissed me. You set the beast free, beautiful, and I’m not referring to my bear.”
I bit back a smile, giddiness I hadn’t felt since my elementary school days present. “Got it.”
He hung back for a moment, causing me to pause mid-step and look back at him. A wolfish grin split his face. “Yes, you do got it, babe.”
My smile broke through, heat brushing my cheeks. “You’re incorrigible.”
Closing the distance, he planted a kiss on my cheek. “Only with you.”
“What are you with everyone else?”
A gleam of mischief appeared in his depths. “An ornery bear.”
“Somehow, I don’t buy that.” I pursed my lips, taking in his disheveled beauty. His five o’clock shadow had become more pronounced, adding to his sex appeal.
His expression grew solemn. “One of these days, you’ll see that you’re different, in a good way.” He veered off towards the kitchen. “Are you hungry, beautiful? What do you want to do today?”
I watched as he pulled a lint roller out and proceeded to painstakingly clean every hair off of my hoodie. “You wouldn’t stay in bed all day if I left, would you?” I already knew the answer to that. It was cute and irritating at the same time.
Glancing up at me, he stopped working on my top for a moment. “I don’t make promises I can’t keep.”
Narrowing my gape, I considered him. “You, sir, are trouble.”
“With a capital ‘T’.” He winked at me, resuming his hair removal.
“I need to call Sharon and let her know I’m okay, but then, I guess I can spend another day lounging around with you. Someone has to keep you down.” I didn’t want to lie around all day, but, at the same time, I wasn’t ready to leave him. And that was how I knew I needed to. Not wanting to be away from him meant I’d formed an attachment. It meant my feelings were growing, had grown in less than twenty-four hours.
In less than a day, I didn’t want to say good-bye. In less than a day, I didn’t want to imagine life without him. In less than a day, his home was beginning to feel like my own. In less than a day, his arms had become the home I wanted to seek at the end of each day.
Less than a day.
I could only fathom how I would feel a hundred days from now.
He was so much more than I expected. He was a bear for crying out loud. Nonetheless, he was a bear I could easily see myself falling in love with.
And that was the scariest, most harrowing yet breathtaking piece of it all: knowing I could come to care for him more than I have anyone else on this Earth.
Halting, he stared across the space at me. “I understand if you want to go, babe.” He set down the lint roller. “I can take you to your car.” He didn’t bother disguising the hurt in his voice.
Once again, we felt the same way about leaving each other.
“There
’s no place I’d rather be right now. But I will have to go home later. I work tomorrow.” Walking around the sofa, I sat down, Indian style.
Picking up my cell phone, I opened the settings. “Do you have Wi-Fi?”
He laughed. “I only live in the woods, beautiful. Of course I have Wi-Fi.”
“Good. Then I can iMessage Sharon.” I typed in the password as he gave it and waited for my phone to connect. The moment it linked, notifications began to pop up on my screen, including a solid ten from my best friend. I quickly sent her a text giving her just enough information to hold her off until tonight. I already knew she would be on my doorstep later with a bottle of wine, wanting all of the details.
And I was right. Only she had two bottles of wine instead of one.
Chapter Twelve
December 21st
Stone
Impossibly, I cared for her more today than I did yesterday, and already I knew I would love her a little more tomorrow, and each day after that.
Yesterday, we laid around, ate pizza, drank hot cocoa, mine doused with protein powder, and watched a mix of action movies and romantic comedies. Today, I woke up feeling better than I had in weeks. I still had this stupid cold, but my lungs were clearing up. I was beginning to breathe easier, which meant that soon I would be able to smell her. I wanted to bury my nose in her hair. I wanted to know when she was near by her unique scent.
Damn. I missed her already. Letting her go last night was hell. It didn’t matter that we talked from the time she had signal until she was at her front door, still wearing my shirt beneath her hoodie. Fuck, she looked good in it. If I thought my cock was hard the other day, the perpetual hard-on I’d had these past twenty-four hours put it to shame.
I felt like an eager, impatient child. I couldn’t wait to see her again. Unfortunately, she worked the next three days straight. On the up side, it gave me time to kick this crud. On the down side, it gave me time to miss the hell out of her and every sweet curve on her body. Damn, the ass on her. I loved her for that alone. It was a hell of a lot bigger than I expected it to be, especially for a white girl. Fuck! I couldn’t wait to see her bent over.
Shit. I squeezed my cock through my shorts. Damn. I was this fucking needy for a woman who wasn’t my true mate. I couldn’t imagine wanting someone more. No wonder true mates met and fucked so fast. It was a miracle I didn’t lose control with her yesterday, especially during that kiss.
Damn, could she kiss. Her lips felt like sensual pillows. She tasted like pure sweet nectar. And the feel of her rounded edges against me…
Fuck. I groaned, pinching my cock harder. Heat shot down my spine. Desire knotted low in my belly. My balls tightened, my cock straining further upwards. All of the blood in my body pooled in my apex. I didn’t even know if a cold shower would work right about now, but I was desperate enough to try.
Chapter Thirteen
December 24th
Lora
Giving myself a final once over in the mirror, I smiled. I couldn’t wait to see him. Stone and I had gotten closer than before, communicated more than ever before. In the blink of an eye, he became my addiction, the way I got through each day.
He kept me smiling. Each text had my patients asking for details and my co-workers green with envy. He made me happy. He made me feel like the most precious gift in the world, even if I wasn’t his true mate, and he was precisely the kind of man that Gran wanted me to end up with. The fact that he could shift into a bear was merely a unique bonus that I was certain my grandmother would have gotten a kick out of; she had always believed in fairytales and magic.
After learning more about the animal side of him, and the fact that Stone was still cognizant and in control in that state, he made me feel even more safe and protected. No man would be foolish enough to challenge a big, burly bear.
Or my big burly man for that matter.
We didn’t have titles, because, in the modern era of dating, apparently relationships were implied but not labeled. There were some things I would never grow accustom to.
But it didn’t matter whether I had the title of his girlfriend. He’d said he was one hundred percent committed to me, and I was equally as committed to him, and us.
Twirling, I laughed. I was wearing the same outfit I was supposed to meet him in the first time, down to the hair, make-up and cropped leather jacket. This time, I knew I wouldn’t get a cancellation notice, though. Instead, all day, I’d gotten messages counting down to four o’clock, when we were supposed to meet for coffee. Then we were going back to his place to cook dinner together. And, if I was lucky, I would get him and all of his deliciousness for dessert.
Good God. I didn’t even sound like the same person. He brought out the playful, teasing, carefree part of me, the piece that rarely saw the light of day before him, and usually only with my best friend.
Thinking of Sharon, I let out a devious squeal. I couldn’t wait for her and Nate to meet tomorrow. I had a feeling he would be just what she needed, and Stone was certain after I text him a picture of her that she would be exactly what Nate wanted for Christmas. The only part that put knots in my stomach was the fact that Nate was a werebear, like Stone. I wasn’t sure how my friend would take that news. Fingers crossed she took it well, if they had a spark of course.
Doing a happy dance, I gathered my phone off of my bed and dashed to the living room. Snatching my keys, duffle bag and structured purse off of the console table, I sauntered out the door, off to meet the man of my dreams.
Chapter Fourteen
December 24th
Stone
Watching her as she approached the glass door, my heart skipped a beat. Holy fuck she was beautiful. I had the insane desire to pinch myself. She was beautiful the other day, too, but her curves were on full display and my cock was at full attention. Even my bear sat up, peeking through at her. She was even more breathtaking than I remembered.
Seeing her, I was glad I dressed in my nice khaki slacks and blue sweater. She would still outshine me, but I didn’t feel like a complete schmuck. Fuck. I was damn proud to call her mine.
Stepping toward the door, I opened it for her and damn near stumbled as her scent hit me. My heart took off and my bear rose up on his hind legs, immediately fighting me for freedom to do what we’d always wanted to do: claim our true mate.
Letting the door close behind me, I met her outside. Before she could say a single word, I drew her against me and captured her lips. For thirty-five years I’d waited and wanted her. I’d prayed so damned hard for my true mate, but had given up on finding her. Then I met Lora, and she was everything I wanted, minus being the perfect mate for my bear, too. All along I was drawn to her and couldn’t figure out why. Hell, even my bear liked her. And now I knew why.
She was our true mate, the single person who balanced man and beast, the one that loved and bonded with both, the one both would kill and die for to protect. She was the peacekeeper. She was our reason for existing. She was what would finally unite us after thirty-five years.
I held her tightly, kissed her even harder, emotions welling in my chest, forming a lump in my throat. Everything I felt for her abruptly multiplied as my bear embraced my feelings for her as his own, no longer fighting me. It felt like my world, our world, was spinning on its axis, tilting to put her at the center of it.
Fuck. Thirty five years of dreaming was finally in my arms. My heart split open, tears stinging my eyes. I’d never been so overwhelmed by my damned feelings. I thought it was hard to let her go before, but fuck if I ever wanted to let her go now.
Kissing a trail along her cheek, I inhaled her scent, deeper this time, allowing it to permeate my lungs, every fiber of my being. Looking at her, I knew I wore a massive, goofy grin, but I didn’t care.
Her brows furrowed as she studied me. “Are you okay?” Her voice was soft, just like every inch of her beautiful body. She assessed me the way I assumed she assessed every patient, the lucky bastards.
Holy f
uck. Was I giggling? Cutting myself off, I focused on her. “I’m perfect, and you, you are perfect, babe, in every way.”
She flushed, biting back a shy smile. “I feel the same way about you.” Her words were like an arrow, shooting straight through my heart.
Every breath was full of her sweetness, of lavender, vanilla and honey. It had my bear roaring maniacally. It had my heart continuing to beat erratically. It had me abandoning my plans of a proper date. “Babe?” I got lose in her chocolaty depths.
“Yeah?” She swallowed hard, burrowing deeper into my warmth.
I heard her heart pitter-pattering a melodic cadence that could calm the crankiest of beasts. “You’re my true mate.” I knew she would understand. We’d openly talked about my kind and my search for my mate. It took a lot of convincing to open her back up to me, but, in the end, the truth brought us closer together.
And reality had me celebrating for her. I never wanted her to feel like a consolation prize, because she was anything but.
Suddenly her eyes widened, her lips lifting at the edges. “Seriously?”
I nodded my head. “Seriously. I couldn’t smell you before to know.”
Rolling onto her tiptoes, she kissed me hard and fast, the sweetest laugh erupting from her. “You just made me the happiest woman because that means I’ll never have to worry about losing your love.”
My heart cracked, an ache briefly settling inside it. “Oh, beautiful, even if you weren’t my true mate, you wouldn’t have had to worry about that.” Hugging her, I brushed my lips across the top of her head several times.
Leaning back, I took her in. I couldn’t believe she was mine. Instinctively, I must have known to be drawn to her the way I was, to react to her the way I did.
Pressure knotted in my groin. Fuck. I couldn’t wait to strip and lick every inch of her perfection. Shit. Looking at her now, that was all I could think about.
Rotating my shoulders, I sucked in a deep, cleansing breath, trying to control my suddenly raging hormones. Biting my lip, I tried not to picture her writhing beneath me as I thoroughly claimed her, but failed miserably. “Babe?”
Shifter Wonderland: Twelve BBW Paranormal Holiday Shape Shifter Romances Page 6