“Well, if you really want to get Gemma in your bed you need to show her that you’re different. Prove to her that you’re a good man.” Betsy reached over and patted his knee, her wrinkled face screwing up into a smile.
“I’ll give it a go, Betsy.” Taylor kissed her cheek before heading back out the police car. He still had eight hours on the clock and he was hoping in that time he would be able to think of a way to show Gemma that he was a good man.
****
Gemma lifted her bags from the car and hoisted them over her shoulder the next morning. It was her first day teaching the older children. While she was nervous, she was also excited to try something new. She’d never taught teenagers, but was told that they were an easy bunch.
“Gemma!”
Gemma turned and squinted into the bright morning sunlight to see Taylor standing off to one side, a bag in his left hand.
“What are you doing here?”
“I bought you breakfast.” Taylor jogged across the parking lot and opened the bag, a smirk on his face. Gemma peaked into the bag and smiled back up at him before motioning with her head for him to follow her. Once they were both in the staff room, they sat down on the sofa and Gemma pulled a bear claw doughnut from the bag, licking her lips happily.
“Why bring me breakfast?” Gemma asked, as she took a bite of the sticky, sweet pastry.
“I thought you might be hungry. I could hear your stomach growling yesterday afternoon.” Taylor grinned before stuffing a whole donut in his mouth and winking at her. Gemma couldn’t help but laugh at the childish action.
Once Taylor swallowed the doughnut, he took a sip of his coffee and cleared his throat. “Let me take you out to dinner.”
“I knew there was an ulterior motive behind breakfast.”
“Not really. If you say no, then I’ll bring you breakfast tomorrow, too.” Taylor shrugged and reclined on the chair, his coffee cup held loosely in between his fingers.
“Why are you interested in me?”
“You’re new in town and I want to show you around. Am I not allowed to be friendly?”
“You admitted that you want to sleep with me.”
“I still want to show you the town. Allow me to do that and I promise I will make no advances on you unless you allow it.” Taylor placed the cup on the table before scribbling his number down on a piece of paper and handing it to her.
“If you decide you want to see the town, then call me. If not, I’ll see you tomorrow morning with breakfast.” Taylor stood up, tossed the trash away, and left the school building a few moments before the rest of the staff headed into the staff room.
Gemma must have looked at that piece of paper at least thirty times that day. She contemplated whether she was going to take Taylor up on his offer or see if he would actually deliver her breakfast tomorrow morning.
“Miss Drake? I need your help.” Gemma snapped out of her haze and turned back to the classroom. She was expecting the teenagers to be grumpy or hard to deal with, but they kept their heads down and studied quietly.
“What’s wrong?” Gemma knelt beside a red-headed teenage girl and rested her arms on the table.
“We are studying history and I need to know about the Battle of Hastings.”
“Well, if you go to the library, I know there are plenty of books about Hastings. Tell Miss Everton that you’re bringing a book back to my classroom and she’ll allow you to leave the library with it.” Gemma stood up and watched the young girl rush from the room.
“Miss Drake?”
“Coming,” she responded.
Gemma’s day was crazy and hectic. She barely had a chance to sit down and was happy when the school day was over. She decided that she wasn’t going to call Taylor, but she would see if he would bring her breakfast tomorrow like he said. If he did, then she would take him up on his offer. Gemma slumped into bed with a groan.
****
“I got you more bear claws,” Taylor said, as he leaned against the gates at the school, chewing gum.
“I didn’t think you’d be here,” said Gemma, as she shrugged at him and headed inside the big building, knowing that he would follow. Once they’d both settled on the sofa with coffees, Gemma knew she should approach the subject; but, Taylor beat her to it.
“Look, I understand you don’t want to jump straight in my bed and I respect that. I want to take you out though. Even if we don’t touch the entire time, it would still be a pleasure to have you in my company.”
“But why?”
“You seem like an amazing person. I’d like to get to know you better, if you would like to?”
“One date. I’ll give you one date and if you’re lying about trying to get me into your bed, then I don’t want to see you around here again, understood?” Gemma took a sip of her coffee, as Taylor pondered over the deal.
“I would love for you to be in my bed, but it isn’t important. Shall I pick you up tonight? You don’t have to work tomorrow, do you?”
“It’s Saturday, the only work I have to do is grade papers.” Gemma cleared away the mess that they made before she turned back to Taylor.
“Well, then I’ll pick you up this evening. Be ready around seven, Gemma.” Taylor took her hand in his and placed a gentle kiss on the back of it. Then, he exited the room with a grin on his face.
“That Taylor is a player, you know that right?” Gemma turned from watching Taylor walk from the building and came face-to-face with a young female teacher. She hadn’t quite memorized the names of all of the members of the faculty yet, but there was something about the way the women spoke about Taylor that made her think she personally knew him.
“How do you know?”
“Because he’s slept with every available shifter in town, I included.”
“And you are?”
“The name is Rebecca.”
“I told him that I wouldn’t sleep with him, so I’m not sure why he is still bothering.” Gemma sat back down on the sofa and flipped through her lesson plans. She had the younger children for the first half of the day and the older children for the rest of the day.
“Yeah, he turned me down the other night when I called him. I was wondering what was keeping him away.” Rebecca frowned and sat opposite Gemma on the sofa.
“I wasn’t with him the other night. I haven’t been out with him, yet.”
“Then, you must have really made an impression on him, especially if he’s not wanting to get his rocks off right away.” Rebecca tilted her head to the side and pouted.
“Maybe he doesn’t like desperation,” responded Gemma, as she smiled at Rebecca, picked up her stuff, and left the staff room. She couldn’t help it but feel satisfied with the look of shock that was plastered over Rebecca’s dark face.
Once safely in her classroom, the class was already seated and waiting for her. “Kids, I want you to each take a cup and follow me outside,” Gemma instructed. She watched as all the children followed her orders, smiles spread across their young faces. Today she had decided to teach the children about the different type of bugs in the playground.
They seemed to have a great time and the rest of her day went quickly. Although she was excited about the upcoming evening, she was also nervous that Taylor would try and seduce her into his bed, like he had done with all the other available shifters.
She wasn’t sure what type of date Taylor was taking her on, so she decided to dress casual-fancy. She wore dark blue skinny jeans, a white frilled-shirt, and black heels. She hoped the outfit would be enough for any place they went.
At seven o’clock on the dot, her doorbell rang. Standing on the other side of the door was Taylor. He was wearing his usual blue jeans, but he had changed into a black button-down shirt. Gemma couldn’t help but appreciate the way the tight shirt clung to his strong arms.
“Are you really sure you want to go on a date?” Taylor growled, causing Gemma to look away from his arms to his face. She was surprised to see desire in his eyes. Usually, men merely gave he
r a glance before turning away to much more beautiful women.
“I’m sure.”
“Such a shame, I would love to tear those clothes off your amazing body and devour you.” Taylor licked his lips, as his eyes travelled the length of her body.
“This was a mistake.” Gemma shook her head before trying to close the door, but Taylor slammed his large hand against the wood and shook his head at her.
“I’m sorry. I promise not to make any more remarks like that. Please, let me take you out.” Taylor held his hand out, a small smile on his face.
Gemma sighed before placing her hand in his, surprised at the sharp snap of electricity that flowed through her. Taylor frowned, shook his head, and led her down the path to his car. He helped her inside the tall vehicle. She didn’t want to question where they were going, since she liked the unknown.
She was pleasantly surprised when Taylor rolled up to the beach. She had yet to experience the beach here. In fact, the last time she had been to one was when her parents took her when she was a small girl. The smell of the salt, fish, and sweets hit her enhanced senses as soon as stepped out of the car. She couldn’t help it when a smile blossomed on her face.
“I thought the beach would be a good idea. I mean everyone likes the beach, right?” Taylor shrugged before pocketing his phone and wallet and taking her hand in his.
“Where would you like to go first? Are you hungry or we could go to the arcades?”
“Maybe we could eat first, I missed lunch.”
“Of course, I know a brilliant crab hut a little way down the beach. You’re not allergic to seafood are you?” he asked, as a look of worry crossed his face.
“No, I’m not allergic to anything,” Gemma said, as she chuckled and headed down the beach with Taylor. She enjoyed listening to the random little facts he was spouting out, like how the fountain by the arcades was nearly two hundred years old and how most of the sand of the beach was imported. She could see how much Taylor truly cared for this town, as he spoke proudly and fondly about it.
Taylor motioned for her to sit on the bench outside one of the huts. A young teenager girl headed out of the little hut, a hat the shape of a crab on her head. She was smiling as she headed towards them, holding two menus in her hands.
“It’s okay. We know what we want, Angie.”
“We do?” Gemma leaned back slightly and smiled at Taylor. Call me old-fashioned, but I liked it when men order for me, she thought.
“Yes. We’ll have four of the crabs. Bring the protective sheets, too. It’s bound to get messy,” Taylor said, as he winked at Angie. Gemma watched, as the girl blushed and rushed away.
“Come here often, do you?”
“I used to come here every weekend with my parents when I was a little boy.”
“Used to?” Gemma placed her hands on the table and couldn’t help but smile when Taylor reached across and wrapped her hands in his.
“My parents died when I was nineteen. They were driving home from my cousin’s wedding and something jumped in front of the car. My dad swerved to avoid it and they both died in hospital the next day.” Taylor rubbed his thumb across the top of her hand while he was talking, but Gemma could hear the pain in his voice.
“I’m so sorry.”
“It was nearly ten years ago now; I’ve had time to adjust.” Taylor looked up before a smile spread across his face.
“Tell me about yourself.”
“What would you like to know?”
“Betsy told me that you were thrown from your last three towns, is that true?”
“Who is Betsy?” Gemma frowned and tried to pull her hands away, but Taylor refused to let her move them; so, she sighed and settled back down.
“She operates the phones at the station. You should meet her. She’s like my second mother.” A look of happiness appeared on Taylor’s face again and Gemma couldn’t help but smile back at him. It really did seem like he loved Betsy like he loved his own mother.
“It is true. Once they found out that I was a wolf, they chased me out of town. I had only two days to pack my stuff up from most of my towns, so I try and avoid unpacking. I’m hoping this town is different though.”
“How did they find out you were a wolf?”
“In the first town, I couldn’t quite control my shifts and I accidently changed in the supermarket. In the second town, one of the neighbors saw me shift in the woods. Then, the last time someone was getting a bit too suspicious, so I just left. I’m hoping I won’t have to leave this town. I like it here.”
“I like you here, too.”
Gemma was luckily saved from responding when the food came to the table. There were four whole red crabs sitting in two baskets, a mallet, and something that looked like a nutcracker sitting next to them.
“I’ve never done this before.”
“You’ve never eaten crab before?”
“I have eaten crab, but it usually comes in a packet or something. I’ve never had to crack it up before.” Gemma watched as Taylor placed a plastics sheet in front of her and one in front of him. He then gently laid a crab on each.
“Okay, watch me.” Taylor tied a bib around his neck and attacked the crab with various items. Soon enough, he had a pile of crab meat sitting off to one side and triumphant smile on his face. “See, easy.”
“Right...” Gemma tried doing the same thing, but she just ended up splattering crab juice over herself and the table. Taylor chuckled, and then reached over and helped her. As he did so, he instructed her how to pull the meat away.
“This is gross,” Gemma said. As she put the meat in her mouth, she had to admit that fresh crab tasted much better than the store-bought crab. They finished their meal and cleaned away the shells before Taylor paid for dinner. Although she offered to pay for her share, he insisted on paying the entire bill, since it was a date.
“Shall we go play some arcade games?”
“I spent many hours in arcades when I was younger, so be warned.” Gemma took the last mouthful of her drink before tossing it in the trash and heading towards the arcades.
****
Taylor didn’t realize how much fun a date could be. He had a great time watching Gemma laugh and cheer each time she beat him at a game. He enjoyed the way her eyes lit up when he offered to pay for everything she wanted to try.
When she wanted a giant pink mushroom that was inside a glass-walled grabbing machine, he was determined to win it for her. She peeked through the glass at the side and attempted to direct him where to drop the claw, “Go to the left a little bit!”
Taylor moved the controller to the left slightly, so the claw hovered over the giant pink mushroom. He wasn’t sure why she wanted the odd toy when there were plenty of normal looking things in the machine, but she was determined to have the mushroom. He had spent way too much in this machine already, but he didn’t want to give up.
“Up a tiny bit.”
Taylor moved the controller up and pushed the grab button. Gemma’s face was pressed to the glass, her smile widening as the grabber hooked on the pink mushroom. She jumped in glee when the mushroom dropped from the grabber and into the winner’s slot. Taylor bent down, tugged the horrible thing out, and handed it to her.
“I don’t understand why you wanted that.”
“It’s different, like me. See, its eye is falling off.” Gemma tugged the googly eye that was attached and it nearly fell off.
“Well, okay then...” Taylor took Gemma by the hand and they left the arcade. They spent almost three hours inside the air-conditioned room, so it was a shock to go outside into the muggy air.
“I would offer to buy you an ice cream, but it seems like all the places are closed for the night,” said Taylor. He looked around the beach, but none of the huts had their lights on anymore.
“It’s okay. I should really get home now, I have grading to do,” Gemma said, as she smiled at Taylor and he nodded. He felt a wave of disappointment at the thought of taking her home, he l
iked spending time with her and it made him upset that he had to leave her.
That’s strange. I haven’t felt anything for anyone, since my parents’ death, he thought as they headed towards her home. “When can I see you again?” Taylor asked, once he had walked her back to her door after the short car drive.
“I’m busy tomorrow all day, but maybe Monday night. Or if that’s too soon then-“ Taylor stopped Gemma’s ramblings with a delicate, quick kiss to her lips. Gemma’s eyes opened slowly after the kiss ended and she smiled at him.
“Monday is perfect,” he said.
“I’ll see you Monday then.” Gemma waved at him before disappearing inside. Taylor waited until he heard the door lock before getting back in his car and driving to the police station. He figured that Betsy would still be working and he wanted to talk to her about the date.
Bear It All: A Werebear Paranormal Erotic Romance Page 2
