“I have no idea what’s happening right now,” she said, her face buried in her shoulder, as she smelled the shirt.
“My cottage isn’t far from here. I always shift and keep my clothes just a bit of distance away from my home for safety reasons. Come, the forest is a dangerous place, even for a bear. You’re welcome to stay with me the night and rest. In the morning, if you like, I can take you back to the road and we’ll find you a ride home.”
Shelly looked up from the shirt and glanced back the way they had come. The prospect of staying the night with this complete stranger should’ve made her more apprehensive, but something in the way he looked at her actually made her feel calmer, instead of anxious.
That alone threw up red flags, but even those were quelled by the fact that he had single-handedly rescued her from Bryant’s drunken episode.
When he would get like that, she had been so scared that she secretly wanted someone to intervene, to rescue her. No one ever did.
He would yell at her in public, calling her fat and making sure she knew just how lucky she was to have a guy like him.
Shelly shook her head to get Bryant’s voice out and looked at Aaron.
He raised his brows questioningly, and held out a hand to her.
Something about the gesture made her feel like a lady and she couldn’t stop the smile as she placed her fingers in his hand.
“You have a lovely smile,” he said and closed his hand around hers.
Shelly felt the heat rise to her face and she had to look away.
Of course, this brought her nose near the fabric of his shirt again, and she breathed deeply of the scent.
Aaron led her by the hand through the woods. She was certain he could have moved much faster without her, but he walked slowly, moving branches out of her way and making sure she watched her step so she wouldn’t trip.
It was a short walk before the trees broke and they entered a clearing.
A pond near the center was fed by a stream that trickled in from the tree line. On the other side of that stream was Aaron’s cottage.
It was a cozy home made from logs. A porch wrapped around the whole building, a couple of rocking chairs in the front by the door.
“This is where you live?”
“It is,” he said simply, guiding her to a series of small stepping-stones to cross the stream.
“Did you build this yourself?” she asked as she stepped on the first stone.
He helped her across the five stones, and when they were both on the other side he smiled at her.
“I did.”
“It’s beautiful, like something out of a catalogue. Places like this don’t exist in real life. Know what I mean?”
Aaron frowned thoughtfully and shook his head. “I don’t.”
“What’s with the two word answers?” she asked as he guided her up the bank and to the steps of the cottage.
“What more is there to say? Am I not answering your questions?”
Shelly looked away and hugged the shirt around her, suddenly feeling chilled.
Was he making fun of her? “I guess.”
Aaron reached for her, stepping closer until his body pressed against hers and brought her face to meet his.
“What is it?”
She hadn’t buttoned the shirt closed, which left it open at the bottom.
She could feel the skin of his stomach pressed against her own and it sent goose flesh down her arms. He was so warm.
“It just feels like you’re annoyed with me.”
The way his eyes opened in surprise was the most genuine expression she’d ever witnessed, and it made her feel stupid in an instant.
“Annoyed? You were praising my home. There is no greater pride.”
Shelly watched his mouth as he spoke, the way his lips formed each word. When he licked his lips slowly, she realized she was staring and looked up to see him watching her.
The air sighed from her lungs, and her mouth went dry. How was he so raw and sexy without even trying?
“Why were you short with me, then?”
“Short? I am sorry. Not my intention. I am very to the point. Perhaps it is a flaw, but when I see something I want, I don’t mince words to get it.”
Shelly swallowed and looked away; suddenly embarrassed by the way he stared at her. This was crazy. They just met!
III.
“Do you have any water?”
“Yes, inside.”
She looked up at him to see if he was making fun of her, but instead he smiled and winked.
“Very funny.”
“Ah ha! You see? Two words can be effective.”
Shelly giggled and rolled her eyes at him.
They entered the house, the smell of wood and nature strong and pleasant. There were no lights, so other than the moonlight streaming in from the windows, she was blind.
Aaron walked across the room without issue, leaving her near the door. She felt along the wall for a light switch but felt only the smooth wood of the logs under her fingers.
“Do you have any lights?”
“Hmm?” he asked, cabinets opening and closing, glasses clanking.
“Oh, yes, of course. There is no electricity here, but give me a moment. I’ll make a fire.”
Shelly rolled her eyes again, this time at herself. Of course, there would be no electricity! They were in the middle of the woods.
It was stupid to have asked. Still, he didn’t make her feel bad for it.
He crossed the room back to her, taking her hand in his and placing a cup into it.
“Your wife won’t mind me being here?” she probed.
“Or… girlfriend?”
“We do not take wives. That is an invention of your people. We take mates for life. And I have none.”
Shelly sipped the water, the cool wetness sliding down her throat, coating the dryness in her mouth.
“How is that possible?”
“I’ve been accused of being difficult to please. I prefer to think of myself as…” he paused, and though she couldn’t see his eyes in the darkness, she could see the shape of his head as it tilted down and back up again. “Particular.”
“I see,” she said and took another sip.
“And what of you?” he asked. “That man in the forest, is he your mate?”
Shelly shook her head violently.
“No! Not anymore. I mean, we were. Together, that is. Not mates. Just dating.”
“Courting,” Aaron said, his tone suggesting it was not as a correction, but more relating for his own understanding.
“Sure, sort of.”
He nodded, guiding her through the living area to the couch and sat her down.
His hand lingered on top of hers for a moment before he slowly let it slide away as he moved toward the fireplace.
“But he is no longer?” Aaron asked as he began to stack twigs and small branches into the fireplace.
“Not after tonight. No way. Did you see the way he just left me? What if you had been a real bear! I’d be dead right now.”
“I am a real bear,” Aaron said.
Stones banged together, a few sparks shooting into the moss and pine needles.
“Okay, sure, but it’s not like you’re going to eat me or anything.”
The needles caught fire and came to life in orange and red. The room was suddenly cast in a soft glow and long shadows.
In the new light, she could see Aaron was looking at her again, studying her.
“There’s a good chance of that happening, actually.”
The look in his eye suggested they were talking about two very different things.
Shelly crossed her legs, the fabric of her jeans rubbing together at the thighs. How could she be so wet?
Aaron came to sit on the coffee table across from her and leaned his elbows atop his knees.
“Why were you with this man? If he was cruel, why did you not beat him senseless and scar him so that other women would see what a terrible c
reature he is?”
Shelly laughed, but quieted when she saw he wasn’t smiling.
“Oh, you’re serious.”
“Of course. You seem so uncertain of yourself. I don’t understand.”
“Well, it’s not easy. I mean, you have all of this pressure to be perfect all the time, and—“
Aaron waved a hand and sat up straight. “You must forget all of them. Too often our females are in brutal combat, fighting over that is the most worthy.”
“The males as well, showing off for the best females. It is a game I refuse to play. You shouldn’t as well.”
“Please,” Shelly said, looking away.
“I’m not even a contender in that fight.”
“Why would you say this?”
“Have you seen me?”
“Yes. You’re beautiful.”
Shelly looked up at him.
“Me? I have fat on my arms, my stomach is… oh.”
He placed his fingers tips against her lips, leaning so close to her she could see the lines of his irises.
“I have seen you. In perfect detail. Do not forget that is my shirt you wear, and I’ll want it back.”
The air again forced itself from her lungs, blowing between his fingers.
“You are beautiful. How can you not see that?” His fingers slid from her lips and she couldn’t stop herself from pushing her jaw out just a touch to run her lower lip across them.
“It’s not that simple,” she breathed.
“It can be,” he said, leaning in. The tip of his nose rubbed against the tip of her own, his lips so close they almost touched hers.
But she wasn’t going to let him win this one. She put a hand to his chest and pushed him back an inch.
Despite being immensely stronger than her, he didn’t resist even a little. The perfect gentleman.
“No, it can’t. You don’t understand what it’s like.”
Aaron leaned back and raised his chin to stretch his neck, and then folded his hands and tucked them between his knees.
“Very well. Explain it to me.”
“I’m not wasting time on your skepticism.”
“That’s not it. I sincerely wish to know. I don’t understand, but I wish to.”
“Well, let’s say my parents have been calling me fat since I was five. When I hit puberty, they even put me on a special diet.”
“Whenever I had friends over, they’d let them drink soda and have ice-cream, but not me. Right there in front of everyone, they would remind me about my diet. As you can imagine, that made me real popular in school.”
By now the fire had caught to the logs, the flames growing larger and casting the room with greater light.
Aaron’s eyes were pressed together in consternation, a look of sympathy she was all too familiar with.
“That is horrible treatment,” he said.
“They meant well,” she said quickly, feeling guilty now for having spoken of them so poorly.
“They weren’t all bad. I mean, they took me to doctors. They were just worried about my health.”
“They took you to doctors? For this?” He held a hand out toward her.
She shrugged and sipped her water.
“It was the same in high school. Too big for cheerleading, always the sympathy case. The stories of my special diet when I was little followed me through high school, even though I wasn’t on it anymore. No one wanted to be my friend for fear of getting caught up in the ridicule. Of course no guy would ask me out, but why would they?”
“I feel perhaps I’m missing something,” he said.
“Were you much larger than this before?”
Shelly folded her arms over her, suddenly embarrassed of what he was looking at.
“No, this is it. I’ve pretty much been this heavy my whole life.”
“But that is ridiculous! You are larger than the sticks in the forest, it is true, but you’re not a great oak threatening to swallow the sun. You move with grace, and curve gently.” Aaron said and paused for second.
“You are like the moon in the day, your beauty subtle and understated, but is the talk of kings and the inspiration of song.”
Shelly wanted to pass all of that off as possibly the greatest line known to mankind, but the way he said it with such passionate certainty made her pause.
So far, she had reason to believe he meant every word. The way he looked at her, touched her.
“If that’s true, why do guys treat me like they do? Looking at me like I’m not worth a damn.”
“Blind,” Aaron said quickly.
“And cowards. Blind cowards.”
Shelly laughed, and he grinned along with her.
“How are you so sweet?”
“I’ve never met anyone that’s awakened me as you have. You’re bringing out the best parts of me.”
For a moment, she could only sit and stare at him. Was this real? She was regretting having pushed him away before that kiss.
“Tell me more. What happened after high school?”
“Oh, well, it got better.” She shook her head and took another sip.
“You’re lying. You say one thing, but your head says another.”
She shrugged a shoulder. “No, it did. I mean, once I was out of high school, I got away from all the stories and reputation that had haunted me throughout my childhood. I got a job and moved out of my parents’ house. Got a car. You know, independence.”
“But it didn’t help.” It wasn’t a question. Damn, he was good.
“No, it didn’t. I wasn’t teased daily anymore, but no one talked to me still. I did well at work, but no friends. No guys.”
“There was one. The man in the forest. Yes?”
“Well, there were two before him. Not really boyfriends. We went on a few dates, but nothing ever came of it.”
“And then the man in the forest.”
“Bryant. Yeah.”
“What drew you to him? He seemed so angry.”
Shelly sighed and looked into her cup. “I don’t know. He wasn’t always that way. He was nice at first. Called me pretty. No one had done that before. We dated and talked. He bought me flowers once.”
The memory of it still made her smile, even though it was now tinged with the ugliness of what had happened in the car.
She reached up and touched the place on her face where he’d hit her.
“Then he got mean. Not all at once. It was just little bits, here and there. When I told him about my parents, and growing up, he started to talk down to me in public. Little things.”
“Taking food out of my hands, telling me I should cut back. Buying me a gym membership on Valentine’s Day instead of chocolates. Stuff like that.”
“Those… are not little things,” Aaron said, his voice tinged with both horror and anger. “Go on.”
Shelly looked up at him, uncertain. His eyes were sympathetic, but his hands were out from between his knees now, clutched together tightly.
“It didn’t seem bad at the time. Kinda rude, sure, but whatever. He made sure I knew a f—“
She stopped herself, looked away from Aaron, then met his eyes again, “a curvy girl like me didn’t deserve a man like him.”
He had nodded approvingly to her correction of the word “fat” and then snorted.
“That man was no prize.”
“So I’ve come to realize,” she said and stuck her tongue out at him.
Aaron smiled and even chuckled.
The light mood grew heavy again when Aaron looked down.
“What happened tonight? Your clothes… You were running from him. It was your cries that had drawn me to you. I cannot abide a woman in trouble.”
Shelly gave him a sad smile.
That was probably the most amazing thing she’d ever heard a man say, period, much less when talking about her.
“He said we were going to celebrate, and took me for a drive. A long drive. The next thing I knew, we were pulled over in the middle of nowhere. He
started kissing me, and then… he wanted to…”
Tears stung her eyes and she shook her head, unable to say it out loud.
Romance: Stranded With The Alpha Bear: BBW Paranormal Shapeshifter Romance (Werebear, BBW, Bear Shifter Romance) (Sweet Shifters Book 1) Page 8
