The Playboy Bear's Baby: BBW Paranormal Shape Shifter Romance

by Marlie Monroe

  She glanced over at him. “Thanks for dinner. I had a good time tonight.”

  “It was my pleasure.” He reached across the seat, grabbed her hand, and held it all the way home.

  All too soon they pulled up in front of Mara’s house. The drive home seemed a lot shorter than the trip to the restaurant, although that could be because she was both anxious and excited about inviting Gray to stay over. Despite the physical yearning to be with him, she couldn’t help but remember the few pounds she’d gained since he’d last seen her naked—all of it centered in her midsection—as well as the fact that she was stone cold sober this time around. That alcohol had lowered her inhibitions. Without it, she was much more reserved. What if he found her unattractive and boring?

  “Home sweet home,” Gray said.

  She looked out the window. “So I see.”

  Gray got out of the SUV and crossed around to open her door. “Is everything all right? You’ve been really quiet.”

  She swung her legs around to get out and noticed the frown on Gray’s handsome face. “Don’t worry. Everything’s fine. I’m just a little nervous, I guess.”

  Gray stepped into the space between her legs. “It’s all right if you’re having second thoughts about tonight.”

  “I’m not.” She looked up into his concerned eyes, breathed in the woodsy scent of his cologne, and felt her anxiety recede. Gray was a good man. He wouldn’t care about the extra baby weight. Her fears were ridiculous. “I want you to come inside with me. I want you to stay.”

  “I’m glad to hear that.” He leaned down, kissed her temple, and then her cheek. With his lips inches from her ear, he paused and spoke. “Because I can’t wait to get you naked and underneath me.”

  She shivered at the carnal intent in his deep voice. “Sounds like you’ve got big plans for me.”

  “Big big plans.” He nipped her earlobe and then sucked it into the heat of his mouth.

  The emphasis didn’t escape her notice. She smacked a kiss on his rough jaw and gave him a playful shove. “Well, what are we waiting for then? Let’s get inside so you can show me what you’ve got.”

  “Anything you want.” Gray backed up and held out his hand. She took it and jumped down.

  She pressed up against him and lifted up on her toes to press her lips against his in a short, closed-mouth kiss. “The only thing I want is you.”

  He kissed the tip of her nose. “You’re in luck then, because I’m all yours.”

  “Come on.” She set off toward the house, leading Gray by the hand.

  Once they were inside, she locked up behind them and guided him to her bedroom.

  He looked around the room, at the light pink drapes and the pink and cream bedspread, and smiled. “Nice room.”

  “I know it’s a little girlish, but it hasn’t been updated since I was twelve.”

  “I don’t mind.” He prowled toward her and pinned her against the wall by the door. “I think it’s kind of hot that we’re going to make love in the room where you grew up.”

  She didn’t get to reply because he claimed her mouth in a scorching kiss and stole her breath and her ability to think. It went on and on, until her head spun and her core wept. She clung to his shoulders and threw everything she had into returning his kiss.

  A muffled thump from nearby had Gray easing back. “Did you hear that?”

  “Yeah. It’s probably just my mother in the kitchen or something.” Thinking about her mother was like being dunked in ice water. “Why don’t you stay here and get more comfortable, while I run to the bathroom and freshen up a little?”

  “All right.” Gray unbuttoned his shirt sleeves and the top button of his shirt. He lifted his shirt over his head—revealing firm pecs and washboard abs—and flung it over the hope chest at the foot of the bed. “I’ll be right here waiting.”

  “I’ll be right back.” She watched him pop open the closure on his slacks before pivoting around and heading out of the room. It was hard enough to walk out with just his chest on display. Any more bare skin and wild horses wouldn’t be able to drag her out of the room.

  She hurried toward the bathroom and noticed the door was shut. Light spilled out from beneath the door. She knocked. “Mom? You in there?”

  There was no answer. She tried the knob and was surprised when it twisted easily beneath her grasp. She swung the door open and gasped at what she saw. Her mother was lying on the floor, twitching and shaking. Her eyes were rolled back in her head and runny foam coated the rim of her lips and spilled down her chin. “Oh my God. Gray! Gray, call an ambulance! Mom’s having a seizure.”

  “Mom!” She rushed forward and crouched next to her mother’s spasming body, unsure of what she could do to help. “I’m here and I’m going to get you some help.”

  She vaguely remembered something about seizures making people swallow their own tongues, but she didn’t know if that was fact or fiction. She also remembered something about rolling seizing people onto their side to protect them from choking if they were to vomit. That sounded more realistic than sticking something in her mother’s mouth. So she carefully turned her mother over onto her side.

  Gray appeared in the doorway, with his cell phone up to his ear. “Yes, that’s right. Please hurry.” He disconnected the call and pocketed his phone. “They’re on the way.”

  “What do we do?”

  Gray squatted down in the doorway. “There isn’t anything we can do. Just keep her from hurting herself as much as possible.”

  “I feel so…so helpless. I wish there was something more I could do for her.”

  “You’re doing all you can.” Gray glanced at Nancy. “Is your mom epileptic?”

  “I don’t know. Anything’s possible.” There was so much she didn’t know about her mother.

  “Don’t worry. The ambulance will be here any second.”

  “I hope so.” She looked back down at her mother. “Oh God. Her lips are turning blue.”

  “Is she breathing?”

  “I don’t know.”

  Gray scooted forward and grabbed Nancy’s wrist. “Her pulse is strong.”

  “Wait. I think the convulsions are slowing down.”

  “The seizure might be stopping.”

  As Mara watched, the tremors eased off and then stopped completely. Nancy went limp, but the color returned to her lips. Her chest rose and fell, so she was obviously breathing.

  There was a series of loud bangs from the front of the house. Gray jumped up. “I’ll go let the paramedics in.”

  Chapter Nine

  The sun flirted with the horizon as they pulled up outside Mara’s house and tread wearily inside. It had been a long night. Although they’d spent most of the night sitting and waiting, just being in the emergency room sucked the energy right out of them like a gluttonous vampire.

  Nancy remained in the hospital, under observation. The attending physician had said her seizure could be attributed to drug withdrawal. Apparently her mother had picked up more than one nasty habit over the years. The one plaguing her at present was heroin, or lack thereof. The hospital staff had made Nancy as comfortable as possible and admitted her. Any decisions about what would happen upon her release were up to her.

  Mara was trying like hell not to be judgmental. She was failing. The thought of her mother strung out, doing God knows what for her next fix, embarrassed and saddened her. It broke her heart. She couldn’t imagine the things her mother had been through and part of her didn’t even want to try. Speculating only lead to madness. There was nothing she could do about the past. All she could do now was move forward and try to help her mother make the right choices. Maybe with time they could even be close again. Stranger things had been known to happen.

  She and Gray moved silently through the dark house toward her bedroom. Once there they took turns in the bathroom and climbed into bed. She curled up against his side and rested her head on his shoulder. “Thank you for sticking by my side.”

  He
pressed a kiss into her hair. “Wild horses couldn’t have dragged me away. I’m just sorry our first real date ended in the emergency room.”

  She snorted. “It wasn’t my best date, that for sure. Oddly enough, it wasn’t my worst either.”

  “Thanks a lot.”

  “Don’t mention it.” She slid her hand up his chest and rubbed over the soft hair between his pecs. Is she had a little more energy, she’d offer to finish what they’d started earlier in the evening. Unfortunately, exhaustion clung to her like a second skin. “We can always try again.”

  “Just name the time and place.”

  “Let me think about it and I’ll get back to you.” She was lucky she could remember her own name at the moment.

  She snuggled up to Gray, her eyelids growing too heavy to keep open. She breathed in the masculine scent of him and felt sleep pulling her under.

  When she awoke, bright sunlight filtered in through the bedroom windows. A glance at the alarm clock on the nightstand revealed it was after eleven. She couldn’t remember the last time she’d slept that late. She yawned and stretched, and reached behind her for Gray. Her hand hit the cool sheets. She rolled onto her back, sat up, and looked at the empty space beside her. A torn sheet of paper rested on the pillow. She snatched it up and smiled as she read Gray’s nearly illegible writing. He’d gone home to fetch clothes, but would be back soon with breakfast.

  Sweet man.

  With the pleasant thought of breakfast she didn’t have to cook dancing in her head, she climbed out of bed and walked into the bathroom to let blissfully hot water wake her up and wash off the stink of the hospital from the night before. It wasn’t until she was standing under the spray that she realized her stomach hadn’t twisted and lurched like normal. Her morning sickness appeared to be giving her a pass for the moment and she was grateful for the reprieve. Maybe if she got lucky, it would stay gone.

  After cleaning up, she climbed out of the shower, dried off, and put on the robe she’d left hanging on the inside of the door. She brushed her teeth and hair, left the wet length trailing down her back, and went in search of coffee in the hopes of having a pot brewed before Gray returned. Since she didn’t know when he left, she wasn’t sure how much longer he’d be gone. Her stomach gave a hungry rumble, surprising her. Hopefully he’d be back soon.

  She headed into the kitchen, got out the coffee and filters, and paused as something scraped against the back door. With a frown, she cocked her head and listened. Before she could figure out what she was hearing, the back door flew open and a man she’d never seen before waltzed into the room like he owned the house.

  Frozen with shock, she stood there, gaping at the man. The stranger stood several inches taller than her, had stringy dark blond hair that hung limp around a long, narrow face covered in a patchy beard and mustache. His beady brown eyes were bloodshot and looking right back at her.

  “Well, well, well…” The man leered, looking her up and down. “You must be the daughter. Where’s Nancy?”

  The question snapped her out of her fugue. She took a step back and pulled her robe tighter around her. “Nancy isn’t here and you need to leave. I don’t know who you are, but you can’t just walk into a stranger’s house without permission.”

  “You’re a bossy little thing, aren’t you?” The man scowled. “I like a woman with some spunk. Just ask your mama.”

  “I told you, Nancy isn’t here. Please leave.” She reached behind her, careful to conceal her movements, and eased open the cutlery drawer. Feeling around blindly, she chose the largest item she could find and prayed it was something sharper than a butter knife. She whipped the weapon out in front of her, saw that she’d chosen a serrated bread knife, and hoped it would be enough to scare him off. “Leave before I have to call the authorities.”

  “Now, now,” he said, holding up his hands in front of him. “There’s no need to get hostile. I’m only here to collect what I have coming to me.”

  “I don’t know what you’re talking about. Just leave.” She took another step backwards toward the living room, where she’d left her cell phone. She glanced back over her shoulder, wishing she was already in the other room.

  The man sprang forward and slammed his fist into her cheek. Her head snapped back and pain exploded through her face. She cried out in surprise and agony and dropped the knife to clutch her cheek and eye. She stumbled backwards until her back ran into the countertop. Before she could think beyond the pain, the man grabbed her arm in a vice-tight grip. His free hand reached for the closure of her robe and panic clawed up her throat. She screamed and fought, striking back and using her nails to gouge at his face and eyes.

  “You stupid, bitch!” He hollered, reared his arm back, and slapped her across the face.

  The impact stole her breath and made her eyes feel like they were going to pop out of socket. She stood frozen and in agony while he pulled the belt free of her robe and dragged her over to the table. Visions of being laid out on the surface and raped and killed flashed through her mind and scared the hell out of her. Adrenaline spiked through her blood and gave her the energy to struggle against his hold on her.

  He pushed her into one of the chairs and yanked her arms behind her. Despite the way she jerked and pulled, he held her tight, tied the belt around her arms, and knotted it securely. He walked around in front of her. “You’re just as dumb as your bitch of a mother.”

  Mara struggled to free her hands, but the belt wouldn’t budge. “You don’t want to do this. My mate will be back any second and he’ll kill you for this. If you leave now, you might be able to escape.”

  “I’m not budging until I get what I came for. Maybe not even then.” He pulled out a chair, turned it around backwards, and sat down in front of her. He touched the bloody scratches running down the right side of his face. “After all, I owe you for this.”

  “You attacked me first.” Tears rolled down her face unaided and snot clogged her nose, making it hard to breathe.

  “Things didn’t have to get violent. All you had to do was give me my money.”

  “I don’t know what you’re talking about.”

  “Your mother owes me fifty thousand dollars for the package she lost.”

  Mara’s mind raced back to the conversation she overheard before her date with Gray. Was it possible that was only the night before? It felt like a lifetime ago. “I’m not responsible for whatever my mother has done. I barely know her.”

  “Not my problem.” He shrugged, as emotionless as if they were talking about the weather. “You’re the one who’s here, so you’re the one who’s going to get me my cash.”

  “I don’t have that kind of money.”

  “Bullshit. Your mama told me all about your grandma kicking the bucket and leaving all of her money to the two of you. She also told me you’ve landed the richest bachelor in the state, so you can save your lies for somebody who’s dumb enough to believe them. I know you’re loaded and you’re going to give me what I want or suffer the consequences.”

  Mara closed her eyes and took a shuddering breath. If she could stall long enough, Gray would arrive and help her. She just had to keep this psychopath from harming her anymore or endangering the baby.

  * * * *

  Gray hated leaving Mara’s side, but she looked so peaceful he didn’t have the heart to disturb her rest. As a consolation, he left a note so she wouldn’t worry about where he’d gone, and then left the house to make a quick run back to his own place for clothes and supplies, and then swung by the bakery for fresh honey nut pastries and the grocers for produce he planned to cut and toss into a tasty fruit salad. After all, his pregnant mate was eating for two and needed more than sweets for breakfast. Or lunch rather, since the clock on the dash of his SUV said it was closing in on noon by the time he climbed into the vehicle and headed back toward her home.

  He pulled into the driveway and killed the engine. The house looked as quiet as when he’d left. Hopefully she’d already wok
en up because he’d locked the door behind him and hadn’t thought to take her keys earlier. He collected the bags and carried them up to the front door, where he knocked and waited. And waited some more.

  Huh. Apparently she was still asleep. She must have been really worn out to sleep past noon.

  He started around the side of the house to try the backdoor and was assaulted by an unusual smell. It was musky and pungent, like sweat and adrenaline. The aroma was light, but unmistakable and out of place. Someone had been lurking around outside the house. He was sure of it.

  At the first sign of something amiss, the animal inside him stirred and pawed at the bounds between man and beast. He shoved down the urge to shift and quickened his pace. Within seconds, he reached the backdoor and tried the knob. It didn’t budge.

  He inhaled and caught a stronger whiff of the foreign scent. This time he had no trouble identifying the source. There’d been a man right where he was standing—a human, who didn’t belong.

  Sending up a silent prayer for forgiveness from Mara for the vandalism, he called on his bear for strength and twisted the doorknob until it gave beneath his formidable grip. The screws holding the knob together snapped and one end of the handle fell off in his palm. He shoved open the door and rushed forward, anxious to check up on Mara and make sure she was okay.

  Stepping into the kitchen was like walking into his worst nightmare. Between one breath and the next, he took score of the situation. Mara sat at the table, her face swollen and discolored. A strange man stood behind her with a knife to her throat.

  “Just stay right where you are,” the man said. “I’d hate to have to slit her throat.”

  Gray didn’t respond. He couldn’t. The change rolled over him like a righteous ball of fury. Bones snapped and tendons stretched, transforming him from an average man to a massive grizzly bear hell bent on protecting his mate. He lifted up on his hind legs, his broad head only inches from the eight foot ceiling, and roared with all his might.