For Shift's Sake: Paranormal shapeshifter alpha werebear soldier BBW romance

by Mina Carter

  She didn’t back down in front of his anger, shooting out a hand to grab his arm when he turned, ready to track down and rip Conrad Jackson to shreds right that moment. He stopped and looked down. Her hand looked so small against his brawny forearm. Beauty and the beast. Without fear, she moved closer, fitting her softness against the hard planes of his body.

  “Just leave it, please, Reese. It doesn’t matter.” Her soft plea broke through his anger. Gathering her into his arms, he buried his face against her neck and drew her scent down deep into his lungs. Used the closeness of his mate to calm the raging beast within. Its attention hijacked, the bear grumbled and stomped a little, then acquiesced and chuffed with happiness at the feel of Bobbi against him. His bear was a freaking softy at times, and it loved to snuggle.

  After long minutes, he gently pulled her from him. “Go into the house and lock the door. I won’t be long.”

  Fear darkened her eyes. “You’re going after Conrad, aren’t you?”

  He looked down at her. No sense in lying. “Yes.”

  “Shit, no!” She grabbed his lapels, fingers tight around the fabric. “You’ll get hurt.”

  He chuckled, the sound filling the darkness around them. “Sweetheart, I’ve seen men way more dangerous than this Jackson.”

  “Yeah…where?” she demanded, fire in her eyes.

  Smiling, he leaned down to whisper a kiss over her lips before straightening.

  “In the mirror.”

  Chapter Five

  Reese watched Bobbi close the door and waited for the bolt to shoot home.

  The metallic sound rang through the air and he sighed with relief. Satisfied she was safe, he started the bike, the engine roaring to life, down into gear and pulled out of the parking lot in a spray of dirt. The back wheel fishtailed wildly but he rode the motion with ease and brought it under control. Opening the throttle, he aimed the bike into the night.

  Rage burnt within. Hotter than the deepest volcano, or the core of the sun. It burnt through him so fiercely, he was surprised it didn’t melt through his veins. It fed the bear buried deep in his soul, only for the beast to roar and slam it back. A self-perpetuating loop of utter fury.

  His gums ached, fangs desperate to be free. He let them go and the taste of blood, hot and coppery, blossomed as they sliced his gums. Fur poked through his skin, covering his hands like a pair of gloves. He didn’t bother to call it back. Not even when cars whizzed past. Let them look, he didn’t care. He might look like a monster, but the worst monsters he’d met were pure blood human.

  Lights of the town’s one and only strip joint came into view ahead. Neon blazed, turning the night sky into an elimination show. His bear grumbled, not liking the bright lights. It took strange dislikes at times. Like when it decided to shred everything blue in his closet. It was Reese’s favorite damn color, so the fucker had cost him a new wardrobe.

  He pulled off the road and onto a dirt track before he reached the bar. He’d already identified the place as part of Riley’s network during his scout earlier. It was a no-brainer really; there was only one strip joint in town so of course it was run by the local crime lord.

  And in turn, it stood to reason that his best buddy would be here. A man like that would think nothing of ogling women after he’d just assaulted another. The thought had his bear snapping and snarling, fighting his control again. It wanted to charge in and destroy the place. Break furniture and bones. Slice curtains and skin.

  Killing the lights on the bike, he rode slowly along the dirt path until he was directly behind the parking lot. A thin line of trees separated him from the asphalt area, and with the place lit like the Fourth of July, no one would see him back here. The bike’s engine off, stand down, he left the machine in the darkness as he edged forward.

  The lot was full of cars, big and small, expensive and cheap, old and new. It looked like the entire male population of Banford was here for the evening. His gaze fell on two expensive SUVs parked next to the side doors in a cordoned off area. Executive parking. Riley and Jackson, had to be.

  He only had to wait a couple of minutes before the side door opened and a couple stumbled out. A man and a woman, they didn’t make it more than a few steps. Wrapped in each other, the guy pushed his companion against the side of his SUV, hoisting her leg up over his hip as he fumbled with his zipper.

  He thrust, she moaned. “Oh god, Conrad. That’s it baby.”

  Bingo. He had his man.

  Reese crept forward as they fucked. A quick screw in the parking lot could be hot with the right woman, but even while she was moaning and writhing, the blonde’s face was smooth and unemotional when Conrad couldn’t see her. Reese recognized the look. A hooker on what was probably her fifth job of the evening, she was no doubt working out what chores she needed to do when she got home.

  “Baby, that feels so good. Oh…oh…”

  He had to give it to her, she was a good actress. Moving through the darkness, he made sure he was hidden behind the return of the building before he stepped out from the treeline. Steps silent, he hugged the wall as he moved, turning the corner and padding toward the couple.

  Conrad’s ass pumped like a pneumatic drill, his grunts almost feral as he screwed the woman with a force that had to be hurting her. Reaching up, he grabbed her hair and yanked her head back, driving a cry of real pain from her lips. Reese’s lips curled back, his opinion of the guy dropping even lower. He’d met criminals who were almost honorable, with their own set of morals and ethics, but this guy…he was just piss on shit.

  Three steps separated him from his prey. He had no problems sneaking up on a guy who was on the job. It was surprising how compliant a man could be when a knife was pressed between his dick and balls.

  His bear snarled and the claws hidden beneath his fingernails ached sharply, warning him of a crack in his control. Abruptly, he changed his plan of attack. He didn’t want to be anywhere near Conrad’s dick. The mood the bear was in, it would rip the thing off and gut the asshole through the hole that was left. Plus, touching another guy’s dick…not happening. Ever.

  Something, perhaps a survival instinct usually long buried in humans, warned Conrad of Reese’s presence.

  “What th—” He started to turn but Reese had him. With a snarl, he tore Conrad from his “date,” throwing him to the ground.

  “Run!” he snarled at the stripper. Without a word, she shoved her dress down and ran. The sound of her heels rang out as Reese turned back to his prey.

  Conrad jumped to his feet, junk dangling. “You fucking asshole!” His fist arched through the air, which surprised Reese. He’d expected the guy to hide behind a gun like most bullies, not want to throw down old school with fists. Without conscious thought, he ducked to the side and slammed a balled fist into Conrad’s gut. He grunted, a surprising amount of muscle under the top layer of flab and staggered back a couple of paces.

  “I guess you’re the new guy in town,” he said, clutching his stomach and zipping himself up as he eyed Reese with amusement. Surging forward, he aimed another couple of sharp jabs at Reese’s face. He grunted as he blocked. Someone, somewhere, had taught the man to box. The hits were well-aimed, and solid. If he’d been anything other than what he was, he wouldn’t have been able to block both and would have taken some damage.

  “You could say that,” he replied, going on the attack.

  Like Conrad, he’d been taught to box once upon a time, but it didn’t end there. His military bosses had taken the superior strength and speed of their shapeshifting soldiers and insisted they master as many different fighting styles as possible.

  Throwing a feint at Conrad’s face, he stepped past him, his arms a flurry of movement as he used hands and elbows to drive past his opponents guard and slap him silly. Not serious blows, although he could have landed them if he wanted, but insults. Slaps to make the guy lose his temper.

  Conrad snarled as he stumbled into the SUV he’d been screwing the stripper against. “You don
’t know who you’re messing with, motherfucker. You are so dead.”

  Reese’s amusement with the situation faded, and he stopped playing. Exploding into movement, within seconds, he destroyed Conrad’s defense and pinned him against the wall, his fingers around the useless human’s throat, all but cutting off his air supply.

  “I know exactly who you are. You’re the guy who’s going to leave Bobbi Bradbury alone. If I catch you or any of your goons bothering her again, I’ll—”

  “You’ll what, English?” Conrad snarled, his face going slowly purple. “I own this town. You’re fucke—”

  His words cut off as Reese increased the pressure on his throat.

  “You have no idea what I am,” he growled, his voice more animal than man.

  “I kill men like you for a living, and you know what?” He shoved his face closer and let his bear leech into his eyes. Then he grinned.

  “I enjoy it.”

  ***

  She was an awful person. An awful, awful person.

  Guilt surging through her veins, Bobbi paced her lounge, arms wrapped around herself as she watched the parking lot from the window. There weren’t many guests at the motel at the moment; trade had been dying off for a while, so it was mostly empty. Her gaze flitted to the parking spot outside room three where Reese usually parked his bike. The empty space accused her.

  She worried at her lower lip, a bad habit her mom had often chastised her for. Reese was out there, facing Conrad Jackson. Guilt welled again, almost choking her. She should never have let him go.

  Conrad was…not a nice person. She knew that, the whole freaking town knew that. Sure, he presented himself as the clean-cut, nice guy type, but these days people who argued with him tended to disappear, or bad things happened to them.

  He hadn’t always been that way. She remembered her father having an out and out shouting match with him a few years ago. He’d never say what it was about, and she hadn’t been able to wheedle it out of him, and less than a month later she’d lost both her parents to a tragic car accident. They’d been coming back from church when a semi’s brakes had failed on a bad bend and hit them head on. A senseless tragedy.

  She locked the memory away. It still hurt, but was in the past. Right now, she needed to focus on the present…

  She should have stopped him from going. He would get hurt because of her. This was her problem with Conrad, not anyone else’s. She needed to woman up and deal with the asshole herself.

  Her feet took her on another circuit of the room before she paused in front of the window once more. Hoping beyond hope to see Reese pull into the parking lot.

  Shit shit shit shit. She had to do something. Anything. But what? Calling the sheriff was out of the question; he was utterly useless at the best of times and trying to get him out on a night call? Yeah, that wasn’t happening. She’d have to call… There was no one to call.

  No one but her.

  She looked again at the parking lot. It remained stubbornly empty.

  It was no good, she had to find him. Help. Galvanized into action, and completely forgetting the fact she was in nightwear, she stormed towards the door. Catching sight of her reflection in the mirror by the entrance, she froze. Her hand lifted to her lips as she bit back a sob of frustration and worry.

  Who was she kidding? She wasn’t a trained soldier like her hard as nails brother. What could one curvy, very curvy, chick do against that kind of malevolence? She was thunder thighs, not the God(dess) of thunder… although she’d never pass up the opportunity to dress in a cape.

  The cell rang and she grabbed it, relief flooding through her when she saw her brother’s number. He would know what to do. Her thumb hit the screen to answer when the sound of an engine made her head whipped up.

  Reese. He was back. Alive.

  With a squeal, she dropped the phone, unanswered, and bolted out the door. Not caring that her feet were bare, she sped across the asphalt and threw herself into his arms almost before he’d set the motorcycle on its stand. He caught her easily, supporting her as she wrapped her arms and legs around him, burying her face in his neck.

  “You’re okay. Thank god, you’re okay. I was so worried you’d be hurt. Or worse…” She shuddered, fighting back her tears. “But you’re okay—”

  She drew back, frowning and looking at him in accusation. “You are okay, aren’t you?”

  He chuckled as she tried to struggle from his arms to check him over, holding onto her easily. “Slow down, angel. Yes, I’m okay. I’m not hurt. It would take a lot more than a guy like Conrad Jackson to even hurt my feelings.”

  She still wasn’t mollified, hands flitting over his broad chest and shoulders, checking his jacket for wounds of any kind. “Are you sure? Him and Riley…they don’t play fair.”

  His grin was a white flash of teeth in the darkness. “Sweetheart, it’s them you should be worried for. I don’t play fair.”

  She blinked. “But you were a soldier…”

  He shrugged. “Yeah. I was a soldier. I was a good soldier. I didn’t say anything about being a good man.”

  He leaned closer to whisper his lips over hers.

  “You should be more worried about me than them.”

  Heat, never far away when he touched her, hit her, her body alive and attuned to his with a fierce ache she couldn’t explain. She’d never felt this way, with anyone. From the moment she’d seen him, she felt like she knew him…that she belonged to him. Which was ridiculous, she didn’t belong to anyone.

  But she wanted to…

  “You should run…from me. I’ll take everything, until you have nothing left, just because I can. Then I’ll make you scream for more.”

  He kissed her again, deeper this time. His tongue flickered against her lips and she opened with a soft moan. He teased her, slipping his tongue past her lips in hard strokes that fed the fire in her blood. She wriggled, trying to get closer. His words didn’t bother her. She didn’t care he was trying to pretend he was a bad man…she’d seen into his heart. She knew him. How, she didn’t know…but she did.

  “I don’t care,” she whispered when he broke the kiss. Their breathing was ragged, loud in her ears. He shifted, sliding one hand up her back to tangle in her hair and she realized he carried her in his arms.

  She squeaked, wriggling against him. “Put me down, I’m too heavy. You’ll hurt your back.”

  His deep laugh rumbled through the darkness as he walked toward the house. “Heavy? Don’t be ridiculous. The day I struggle to carry a little thing like you is the day they put me six feet under.”

  She clung to his shoulders, amazed at his strength. He didn’t so much as grunt with effort, carrying her as though she weighed less than a feather. For once in her life, she felt tiny and delicate. Feminine.

  “Besides,” he said in a low voice as he shouldered the front door open. It shut behind them, no doubt with a little help from his heel, then he pinned her against the wall. “There are more than a few advantages to carrying you. Would you like me to demonstrate?”

  Heaven help her, she couldn’t answer, her mouth opening and closing like a guppy on speed. Thankfully, it seemed to be a rhetorical question. He leaned in, lips barely touching hers. Pressed closer, that hot, hard body pinning hers. Chest to pelvis. Muscles against curves…

  He shifted his hips and she gasped as the long hard bar of his cock was where she needed it the most. His smile, felt more than seen, was wicked as he began to rock.

  “See… Advantages.”

  His lips claimed hers and her moan was lost in his mouth. Every rock pressed his cock against her, trapped her clit and rubbed it. Pleasure spiralled through her and she rode him, dry-humping his clothed body like a bitch in heat.

  Their kiss became hotter, wetter as they both fought to give and receive pleasure. He teased her with his tongue, tempting her to follow him with soft flickers and sinful swipes. A willing slave to his desires, she did, he suckled her tongue. The whimper broke free, back
arching, pressing her hips fully against his.

  She needed this, she couldn’t wait anymore… Needed them to become one and him to assuage the ache in her core.

  Breaking free of the kiss, she nipped his lower lip. “Reese… Please, now.”

  He pulled back a little, reluctance evident in his expression. “I wanted this to be good, do it properly for the first time in a bed… Not a quick, fast screw against the wall.”

  “The bed next time,” she promised and tugged at his jacket.

  The fact that he was fully clothed and she in thin nightwear felt wicked. Sinfully sexy. Especially when his big hand slid up her thigh under the short robe to trace the line of her panties. Heat followed his touch, like a promise over her skin.

  “Saying that should be illegal,” he groaned and rested his forehead against hers. “I’m trying to hold on to control here, when all I want to do is rip these panties from you and shove my cock deep inside.”

  “Do it,” she whispered, for a heart stopping moment she thought he was going to refuse.

  Then his expression tightened, something flashing in the back of his eyes and his fingers slid under her panties. A yank, the sound of tearing cloth, and her pussy was exposed. The cooler air washed against her and she bit her lip.

  “Don’t do that,” he begged, voice raw. “That makes it worse. I just want to tear the rest of your clothes off and fuck you ‘til neither of us can stand.”

  She didn’t get time to answer as his fingers swept between her pussy lips. They both groaned at the slickness he found there.

  “Fuck me, you’re wet for me.” His voice dropped deeper, the rough timbre added an extra element to her arousal. Strong fingers found her clit, rubbing and stroking, circling and teasing. All she could do was moan and arch against him. He slid them back, found the entrance to her cunt, and drove two thick fingers deep inside her.

  The intrusion made her cry out, her senses scattered by the need he wrought from her body. Fingers pumping in and out, he pushed deeply and twisted to find her G-spot. And pressed.