Fast and FURious Bears: BBW Bear Shifter BWWM Werebear Paranormal Romance (Wild Alpha Shifters Book 4)

by Zola Bird

  Amanda went home from work Wednesday evening without even so much as a goodbye from Greg. Bummer. He always said goodbye to her. Maybe she was reading too much into it and he was just in a bad mood. Amanda decided to give him a pass.

  Once she got home, she took a long, hot shower and then selected an outfit for the evening. Her night with Tom had been sex. No cuddling, no commitments, just plain sex. The point of tonight was to see if it could become something more. Amanda chose a striped, silky dress and a pair of purple pumps. Then she applied her makeup, a little more than she wore at the office, but not so much as to look overdone. After that, she flat-ironed her hair. Not bad, girl, not bad.

  She checked the time. Seven-thirty. No harm getting there a little early. Her apartment was close by, so she walked to the restaurant. Romeo’s served generous portions of authentic Italian food at reasonable prices. It wasn’t some kind of high-end place, of which there were several in town, because Amanda didn’t want that. She may have done the asking, but Tom was still the man. If he insisted on paying for dinner, she didn’t want the poor guy going broke. Hell, for all she knew, he was still sleeping in his car.

  Amanda took a seat at the table for two, a nice one near the window, and the waiter brought two glasses of water and a basket of bread. The bread was hot from the oven and looked tempting, but Amanda waited. It was exactly eight-o’clock. No sense starting without him. The restaurant was reasonably busy and Amanda casually watched the other couples, wondering what the evening would bring. It was alway exciting getting to know someone, and Amanda intended to learn all about Tom.

  A few minutes passed and Amanda realized she was starving. One piece of bread wouldn’t hurt. She buttered one up. Mmm... good. The waiter returned.

  “A glass of wine, ma’am?”

  “I’m meeting somebody. Can you check back in five?”

  Amanda enjoyed the bread. It was now ten minutes after eight. She checked her phone. No texts. No matter, Tom was new in town. He was probably having a hard time finding the place. Not a biggie. She waited. A couple got up and another took their place. Fifteen minutes after eight. Amanda took a drink of her water as she scanned outside. It was dark out now, vehicles slowly traveling down Main Street. She checked her phone again. Another couple left. Amanda started to get anxious. Calm down, girl. He’s late is all.

  The waiter came by, and this time, Amanda ordered a bottle of the house red. It would be here when he got there and it would help her calm down. Ten more minutes passed. There were still no texts from Tom, and she decided she’d give him another five minutes and then she’d leave. Forget leaving, she’d order instead. She was hungry and she had come to eat. She wasn’t about to let a late date get in the way of dinner.

  Soon it was eight thirty and Tom was now half-an-hour late. Amanda finished her glass of wine. Should she order on her own like she’d bravely pretended she would? Or maybe she’d have another glass of wine first? Yes, more wine. Maybe his car had broken down. Or he had gotten caught in traffic. Or something worse had happened. Or, she thought to herself, he had simply stood her up. Why would he do that? It didn’t make any sense. Was it because she had asked him out instead of the other way around? Amanda poured more wine. She had started to feel self-conscious, sitting alone at a table for two.

  Maybe she should leave. Yes, that was it. She should just leave. She put some money for the wine on the table, including a healthy tip. Then she drank what was left in her glass. She reached behind her for her coat.

  “Amanda?”

  Amanda looked up. She recognized the voice, but it wasn’t the voice she expected to hear.

  “Greg?”

  “Hi.”

  “What are you doing here?” Amanda said.

  “I was walking by and I saw you at the table. What’s up?”

  “Just having a glass of wine,” Amanda said.

  “Alone?”

  “Not anymore.”

  “What do you mean?” Greg asked.

  “Have you eaten tonight?”

  “Not yet.”

  “Then join me.”

  Greg sat down.

  “What are you doing in here all on your lonesome?” Greg asked.

  “I had a date. With Tom.” Amanda saw Greg’s features tense, but he hid it well.

  “Did you?”

  “Yeah. But he didn’t show.”

  “Bummer,” Greg said.

  “You weren’t just walking by, were you?”

  “Are you going to hate me if I tell you the truth?” Greg asked.

  Amanda poured him a glass of wine.

  “I’m going to hate you if you don’t.”

  Greg laughed nervously. “Jada was talking about it. I knew you had a date with Tom, and I don’t live far away,” he said.

  “So you killed him? Busted his kneecaps so he wouldn’t show up?”

  “No. Nothing like that. I was just, I don’t know, worried about you, Amanda.”

  “Why?”

  “Just a feeling, I don’t know.”

  Amanda felt a wave of warmth wash her over.

  “I know it’s none of my business, but I wanted to look out for you. Maybe it was inappropriate. I should go,” Greg said.

  He began to rise from the table and Amanda reached across the checkered tablecloth, putting her hand on his.

  “Stay.”

  “Really?” Greg asked.

  “Yes. Stay. Just because Tom didn’t show doesn’t mean we should waste a perfectly good dinner reservation.”

  “Are you sure?”

  “I’m positive,” Amanda said.

  Chapter Five

  Greg stayed for dinner. Amanda ordered the chicken Parmigiana and Greg got the ravioli with the three-cheese sauce. He tried some of hers and she tried some of his. Both dishes were exceptional, as they always were at Romeo’s. Amanda had to laugh. Her date with Tom was taking a very unexpected turn. Because now it appeared to be a date with Greg.

  Amanda checked her phone while Greg excused himself to go to the bathroom. Still nothing from Tom, and at that point, Amanda couldn’t say that she cared. Her evening with Greg was wholly unexpected, and Amanda would be lying if she said she wasn’t loving it. Something had changed between them since the barbecue. There was a spark there now. Greg returned from the washroom.

  “Can I ask you something?” Amanda said.

  “Fire away.”

  “Did Jada say anything else?”

  Greg laughed. “Other than the fact that you were excited to get out? No. Relax. She didn’t tell me your most intimate secrets.”

  “Well, that’s a relief,” Amanda said. “I couldn’t have you knowing that I absolutely love trash television and Skittles.”

  Greg laughed. “Except that I already do.”

  “I forget how well we know each other.”

  “We have been working together for a while, Amanda.”

  “Years,” Amanda said.

  “Good years,” Greg responded.

  “Remember that time you came to work with a twisted ankle and you kept moaning and hopping around the showroom on one foot?”

  “I remember.”

  “And then that poor old customer thought you were her deceased husband because he used to hop around the house like that after losing his foot?” Amanda laughed in spite of herself. “And then she started calling you Stanley dear and asking you to rub her back?”

  “I felt bad for that lady,” Greg said. “We got her home, didn’t we?”

  “We got her home,” Amanda laughed. “But the way you took care of her, even on one foot, it brought a tear to my eye.” Amanda smiled.

  “Yeah, we’ve had some adventures.”

  Amanda poured them both more wine. “Who were you with at the barbecue?” she asked as casually as she could.

  “Who do you mean?”

  “When you were getting ice. I saw you talking with a woman. I don’t remember seeing her before.”

  Greg laughed. “Skinny? Nose job? N
ot my type?”

  “I guess,” Amanda laughed.

  “That’s Stephanie, our off-site bookkeeper. I was keeping her company because she didn’t know anyone there. Why?”

  Amanda felt a swell of relief. It was stupid, but she was pretty sure she had actually been jealous. “No reason. I just didn’t recognize her,” Amanda said. “There is something else I was wondering about, though.”

  “What?”

  “There seems to be some tension between you and Tom.”

  Greg’s expression turned dour, and Amanda immediately wished she hadn’t said anything. They were having such a nice time.

  “Does there?”

  Amanda nodded.

  “It’s nothing,” Greg said.

  “But?”

  “But a long time ago, he and I were involved in a bad situation. And it’s not something I intend to repeat.”

  “You don’t need to say any more,” Amanda said. “Forget I asked.”

  “No, it’s OK.”

  Amanda took a sip of her wine. They had ordered a second bottle and she was feeling a little braver than usual.

  “Can I ask you something else?”

  “Why stop when you’re on a roll?”

  “Why did you really come and check up on me?”

  Greg looked away. The waiter came by with the bill. Greg took it from him.

  “Let me get my half,” Amanda said. She reached forward, putting her hand on his.

  “It’s fine. I got it,” Greg said.

  “Greg…”

  “I got it.”

  Greg slid a couple of bills on top of the check. She clasped her second hand on top of his, staring into his eyes.

  “Thank you.”

  He looked back at her. Solemn. Intense. “Mands, has anybody ever told you that you have, without a doubt, the most beautiful green eyes on the planet?”

  “Oh, Greg.” Amanda blushed.

  There was a long moment. A moment that seemed to drag into eternity. A moment in which Amanda felt as if she was looking at Greg with new eyes. And then he leaned across the table and kissed her. Fully. On the lips. Amanda felt the electric current of his touch rock her to her core. But she just sat there stunned. What was happening? This was not the way the evening was supposed to go. The wrong man was kissing her. She didn’t react, not because she didn’t like it, but because she didn’t know what to do. She just sat there, unable to reciprocate, unable to do anything. She was just too confused.

  “I’m sorry,” Greg said, pulling back. “It’s my fault, I was… I don’t know what I was thinking.”

  “No,” Amanda said, squeezing his hand. “It’s all right.”

  “No,” Greg said, getting up from the table. “I overstepped.”

  Greg got up and headed outside, Amanda following close behind.

  “Greg,” Amanda said, grabbing his arm. “It’s OK. I want it too.”

  They were outside now, on the deserted sidewalk, away from the window of the restaurant, not a soul in sight. She was standing close to him, so close that she could feel the heat of his body. Greg towered above her, and as he stood there, Amanda realized that they were made for each other. He took her hands in his and bent his head down to her. She looked up into his eyes and their lips touched for the second time that night. And it felt so right that Amanda wondered why it hadn’t happened a long, long time ago.

  **********************

  Greg wasn’t sure how the evening had progressed the way it had, but he wasn’t about to stop it. Not now. It was something that he had wanted for too long. From the moment he had laid eyes on Amanda, he had longed for her sweet curves, her generous figure, her cute button nose. But, for whatever reason, things hadn’t worked out. Tonight, however, things seemed to have rounded a corner. And Greg couldn’t be happier.

  The thing was Greg had gone to check if Amanda was OK, that much was true. But he had played down his level of concern regarding Tom. Greg wasn’t sure what kind of game Tom was running, but he knew that it had everything to do with him and nothing to do with Amanda. With that in mind, Greg vowed to shield Amanda from Tom in every way he knew. He would do whatever it took to get Tom Cooper out of their lives forever.

  **********************

  Amanda stood hesitantly outside the door of her apartment. She was still amazed at the turn the night had taken and she didn’t want the evening to end. Greg had held her close on the walk from the restaurant. Since Romeo’s was the neighborhood place, it hadn’t been far, but she now wished she lived a million miles away, if only because he would have held her close for that much longer. Just being around him when he was like this, touching her, protective of her, made her insides ache for him. It ignited a smoldering passion she didn’t know existed between the two of them. It made her burn for his strength. She unlocked her apartment door.

  “It’s not that late. Do you want a glass of wine or something?” Amanda asked.

  “I think I’ve had enough wine,” Greg said.

  “Oh, OK,” Amanda said quietly, trying to hide her disappointment.

  “But I could go for something else.”

  “What kind of something else?”

  “Your kind of something else.”

  Amanda looked up at him. She liked the sound of that. She liked it a lot. Greg pulled her near and their lips met. She opened her mouth to his and their tongues touched, two sides of the same coin, connected at last. Where had he been all her life? His tongue aggressively explored her mouth as she matched his force, pressing back at him as he tasted her. The feeling was electric, yet tender at the same time. Sweet mercy, he tasted good. Amanda felt his hands run down her ample hips and under her behind, lifting her up into the air.

  Yes, Amanda thought. That’s exactly what she wanted him to do. She wrapped her legs around him as he carried her into her dark apartment, kicking the door shut behind them with his foot. The man was dextrous as well as strong. He kissed her hungrily, dancing around her mouth with his tongue.

  Amanda felt her core respond with a fiery need, calling to him. Just his presence, just the touch of Greg’s skin made her wet. She ran her fingers up his back. It was so broad, so muscled. Tom had been strong, too, but he was different. Somehow, Tom had been convenient, an accident, but what she was experiencing with Greg right now, it felt unlike anything she had ever experienced before. It felt like destiny.

  Amanda wrapped her legs tighter around his waist, as much to sate the ache building between her thighs as to keep from sliding down. Greg walked her forward to the kitchen counter, placing her down on the granite countertop. A wooden bowl clanked to the floor, but Amanda didn’t care. She reached up Greg’s broad torso to unbutton his shirt. Greg almost always wore button-down shirts and she’d always loved the way he looked in them. Until tonight. Tonight, all she wanted to do was get that shirt off. Her fingers struggled with the little round buttons, one after another. Finally, Greg had had enough. Buttons flew as he ripped his shirt open, revealing his broad, bare chest. She ran her hands over his perfectly sculpted torso.

  “You didn’t need to ruin your shirt for me,” she said.

  “I won’t be needing it tonight.”

  He kissed her deeply, and she ran her palms up his chest, her fingers finding his nipples. Greg leaned in closer and she opened her legs to him. Her skin thrilled as his hands slipped under her thighs and ass, lifting her dress up from beneath her.

  She reached behind her, undoing the zipper of her dress, and as Greg lifted the silky dress above her head, she felt the cool of the granite countertop below. The ache in her pussy only grew stronger as he removed her dress completely. Amanda wore only her pretty lace bra and panties now. Greg was so tall that his waistline was well above counter height, and she could see the hard outline of his cock pressing against his pants.

  She wiggled herself forward so that she could feel that hardness. When she got close enough to touch him, she felt a surge of electricity as the bulge of his cock rubbed against the
thin cotton fabric of her panties. She wanted more. A lot more. He dropped his clean-shaven face between her breasts, just the hint of stubble stimulating her soft flesh. Then he ran his hands down her back, pulling her that much nearer, pressing her into his hard cock. Amanda knew then that she needed to break him free. She reached down with one hand, undoing the top button of his pants, and she felt his throbbing length break loose from his khakis.

  “I’m going to make you happy, baby,” Greg growled.

  “I am happy.”

  “I’m going to make you happier.”

  He dropped butterfly kisses down her cleavage as she dipped her hand into his pants. What she found there surprised her. Greg was a big guy, but Amanda didn’t expect that he was that big. She never thought that a man could be that large. She pulled his briefs down and his cock stood proudly, reaching high above the counter, its prodigious length matched only by its pulsing, titanic girth. She could barely fit her hand around it, and she couldn’t begin to imagine what it would feel like inside of her, or if she would even be able to take it all in. Maybe that’s why it had taken so long for her and Greg to get together, she thought. Maybe she just wasn’t ready for that much man.

  Amanda ran her fingers over the head, noticing it was already slick with his dew. Oh, how she wanted to taste it, but she would have to wait. Because Greg had swept his tongue under the silky lace of her bra. He popped her breast out of her bra with just the pressure of his chin, and pleasure welled up within her as he took her nipple into his mouth. She liked that. The man was a magician with his tongue. He swirled it around her hard bud until it tingled with desire. Then he took the whole thing between his lips, tugging it back.

  Sweetness, it felt fine. Waves of pleasure rocked her entire body like some kind of cosmic seesaw. Greg found her other nipple with his deft tongue and released it from the bondage of her bra. The nipple popped out, hard, yet tender with desire, and he swirled around it once, flicking it assuredly with his tongue. My, oh my, he made her want more.

  What had she been doing working side by side with this perfect man for years, not realizing what lay beneath his easygoing demeanor? The man could do voodoo with his mouth and he was still above her waist. Amanda tugged on Greg’s cock, working the wide shaft with her hand. Just feeling him getting harder made her wetter.