Edward (BBW Western Bear Shifter Romance) (Rodeo Bears Book 1)

by Becca Fanning

  Talia drove Alec’s car back to her house. She had no idea what she should do, but she had to check on James and make sure he was safe. The street was quiet, with no hint of activity. Thank god, Talia thought. At least James is safe. She parked in the driveway and climbed out of the car, bringing Alec’s things with her.

  “Talia.” Danny’s voice made her jump in the air. “Did you get my note?” He stood in front of her, having come from nowhere. His thin, reedy frame was exaggerated by his baggy clothing, and his greasy black hair hung low in front of his face. “Or will I have to hand-deliver another one?” Danny grinned a seedy grin at Talia and she felt a shiver of disgust ripple through her body.

  “Leave me alone,” she said in a shaky voice. Danny was standing in between Talia and her front door. As she tried to dart around him, Danny grabbed her. Suddenly, there was a giant roar from the bushes. Talia jumped and ran back into the driveway. She could barely believe her eyes as a giant brown bear leapt from the shrubs and tackled Danny, biting into his throat. Blood sprayed everywhere and the bear roared loudly, stepping on Danny’s chest and holding him down in the driveway. Danny hadn’t even had time to scream for help, and now he was lying there, dead. Blood was pooling in the gutter and Talia’s heart was racing.

  “Oh my god,” Talia said under her breath. “Alec?”

  The bear raised his muzzle in the air and sniffed. He began twitching and convulsing like something was making him itch all over. Talia watched incredulously as the bear shifted back into Alec’s powerful frame.

  “Sorry about that,” Alec said with a wry grin. He was naked, covering his privates with his giant hands. “Did you happen to bring my clothes?”

  “But…what about?”

  “There’s an old quarry where things can disappear. I’ll make the phone call.” He stepped forward and reached for Talia, pulling her into his arms. “You’re safe now,” he whispered into Talia’s ear. “You don’t have to worry about that asshole any longer.”

  --

  Inside, Talia mouthed a quick apology to Amelia and then dragged Alec in her bedroom. As soon as they were alone, the two of them couldn’t keep their hands off each other. Alec pulled her close and kissed her deeply, sliding his tongue into Talia’s mouth and making her moan. He scooped her up in his arms and wrapped her legs around his muscular waist. Talia shivered as she felt Alec’s muscular bulk carry her across the room and deposit her on the bed. When she looked at his incredible naked form, she shivered.

  “You’re so gorgeous,” Talia said quietly, unable to take her eyes away from Alec’s carved muscles. He was a perfect specimen from head to toe. Talia loved the ‘V’ shape above his pelvis, loved every inch of his golden skin. She couldn’t bring herself to look at the immense bulge between his legs; when she tried, she blushed hard.

  Alec grinned. “See something you like?”

  Talia licked her lips. “You,” she said in a soft, husky voice. “Come here.”

  Alec crawled on the bed and nuzzled Talia’s neck, sending shivers of pleasure down her spine. A warm coil of arousal was building in her belly and she shuddered as the stubble from Alec’s chin caressed her tender neck. She could feel her heart thudding in her chest and she closed her eyes as Alec’s warm lips and tongue trailed down her collarbone. When he slid his fingers under her shirt, she gasped with pleasure. Alec reached into Talia’s bra, stroking and pinching her nipples until they were rock hard in his hands. She threw her head back and moaned softly, arching her back and pushing her breasts into Alec’s fingers. As he rubbed and stroked her nipples, shockwaves of pleasure radiated through her body. Impatiently, Talia reached down for the hem of her shirt and tugged it over her head. She snapped the clasp of her bra behind her back and dropped it on the ground, grinning shyly at Alec.

  “You’re the beautiful one,” Alec said in a husky voice. He lowered his head to her breasts and gently began to suck. When Talia felt his teeth rake over one of her nipples, she thought she was in heaven. Talia cried out and reached down, guiding one of Alec’s hands between her legs. He rubbed at her crotch through her pants until she thought she would explode with the lust she felt for him. Alec undid the snap of her jeans and Talia lifted her hips off the bed. When she was clad only in panties, she looked up at Alec.

  “I haven’t done this in a long time,” she said softly. “I…I might not be very good.”

  Alec crawled on top of her and gave her a deep, reassuring kiss. “You’re wonderful,” he said in a deep growl. “I want you so much.”

  A sharp pang of desire shot through Talia and she closed her eyes and relaxed as Alec’s warm mouth trailed down her belly. When she felt his lips above the hem of her panties, she tensed. Alec’s fingers stroked Talia’s inner thighs until she was practically moaning with pleasure. The tension was building inside of her and she knew that she had to find a release. As Alec kissed her softly through the soaked crotch of her underwear, Talia yelped and writhed on the bed. He slipped a finger inside of her and gently wriggled it around. Talia felt sweat break out on her forehead.

  “I need you,” Talia whispered hoarsely. Alec ripped off her panties with surprising strength, tossing the ruined material on the ground. He crawled between her legs and she could feel the tip of his hard cock poking at her wetness. Talia shuddered and spread her legs as wide as she could. She could feel how soaked, how aroused she was for Alec. She wanted him desperately, she wanted him inside of her, she wanted him to fill her completely.

  “And I need you,” Alec replied in a low, husky voice. Talia shivered and wrapped her arms around his neck, spreading her legs and pressing her body against his. As Alec entered her, she felt a tight explosion of pleasure go off in her belly. His pubic bone pressed against her clit with every thrust and she moaned loudly, screwing her eyes closed and burying her face in his neck. As Alec ramped up the speed of his thrusts, Talia wrapped her legs around his waist and began to move against him. They moved together, as one, in the same rhythm. Talia could feel Alec’s back was slick with sweat. He was grunting and growling and thrilling every inch of her body. When she felt her orgasm come, it was almost unexpected: sharp and quick and like rolling waves of desire through her lower belly. Talia threw her head back and cried out as Alec moved on top of her. Alec groaned. His hands found Talia’s and he laced his fingers with hers, squeezing hard. Talia shuddered and arched her back as Alec slammed his hips against hers, penetrating her deliciously over and over again. Even though she was spent, she loved the way her muscles were gripping his hard cock, milking him of his pleasure. She felt his body tense, then shudder and explode with the force of his own orgasm. Alec let out a bellowing groan into the pillows, then slowly pulled out of Talia and rolled over on his back. He pulled her close and nuzzled into her damp hair. They lay like that for another minute, curled up and exhausted. Talia could feel her heart slamming against her ribs, pounding harder than ever. She wiped her brow and closed her eyes, resting her chin against Alec’s strong chest.

  “That was incredible,” Alec said dreamily. “I love you.”

  Talia sat up sharply. “I know you’re James’s real father,” she said softly. “I’ve known since I saw you playing together.”

  Alec nodded. “I know, too.” He looked away for a moment. When his golden eyes met Talia’s, she was shocked at the depth of emotion reflected there. “I love you, Talia.”

  “I love you, too,” she said softly. Alec hugged her close and pulled the sheet over her body. He was freakishly warm, just like James. Talia closed her eyes and relaxed in his arms.

  “Talia?”

  Talia opened her eyes. “Yes?”

  “Will you think about my offer again?”

  Talia narrowed her eyes. “What offer?”

  Alec laughed quietly. “The offer I made you, about the reserve,” he said slowly. “For you and James to come live with me.” He paused, biting down on his lower lip. “I promise I’d be a great father to James.” Alec’s voice was thick with emotion. “I�
��d teach him how to be a real bear, and a gentleman, too.”

  Talia was overwhelmed with emotion. She couldn’t believe it, she wanted to pinch herself just to make sure that she wasn’t dreaming. She couldn’t ever remember feeling like this, not in her entire life.

  “Yes,” Talia said in a shaky voice.

  Alec looked at her and raised his eyebrows. “Really?”

  Talia nodded, growing more sure by the second. “Yes,” she repeated. “I will. I mean, we will.” Tears came to her eyes and she wiped them away hastily. “I’m so happy,” she said softly.

  Alec pulled her close and hugged her tightly in his muscular arms. Talia could feel the love pouring out of his body and she kissed his chest.

  “I’m happy, too,” Alec said as he kissed the top of Talia’s head. “I finally found my family.”

  Talia wriggled happily in his arms. “And I’ve found mine,” she replied.

  Breakwater: Leo

  Star Bears I

  by

  Becca Fanning

  As a little girl, Annie had pictured how her dream wedding would go. She’d wear a white dress and walk down the aisle, looking out over a sea of smiling faces as she approached the altar. Her groom she had pictured less as a specific person and more as an amalgamation of traits she wanted: kind eyes, a warm smile, broad shoulders… things she associated with a gentle, good-hearted man. Her mother would be alive, and her father would be sober.

  She had always known this little fantasy of hers had been a mess of impossibilities. She just hadn’t pictured it going this awry.

  Running a hand over the bodice of her dress, Annie stared at herself in the mirror. Her reflection looked morosely back out at her. One pale, manicured hand ran over the bodice of her gown, fingers tracing over the thousands of crystals dotting the fabric like stars. Annie had never been this close to a diamond before. She’d certainly never thought she’d be wearing this many of them. Her auburn hair was piled on top of her head in an elaborate series of braids and curls and there was shimmering powder swiped across the lids of her grey eyes, making them seem bigger and brighter.

  Annie had never looked better, and she had never felt worse.

  Not for the first time since she had received the news of her own impending nuptials by way of her father drunkenly sweating through a confession, Annie cursed at the series of mundane-to-regrettable events that made up her life. She’d always been told growing up that if she worked hard enough, she could be and have anything she wanted. Bright-eyed idiot that she had been, she hadn’t realized that it was just a condescending platitude doled out to the have-nots of the universe to make them more complacent with their lot, to shift the blame away from the people overworking and underpaying their employees. Instead, she’d planted her feet, ignored the throngs of people she’d known growing up who worked hard day in and day out and barely had enough to eat, and decided to become a politician.

  She’d ended up as a waitress at dive bar instead. It hadn’t been all terrible—the other servers were friendly and she got free drinks—but spending anywhere between eight and fifteen hours a day avoiding groping hands and belligerent drunks hadn’t been how she wanted to spend her life. This was without her father showing up and explaining that he needed money—just this once!—and that he wouldn’t spend it all on cheap booze, only for a friend of his to call her to come pick him up once he’d drunk himself unconscious. At the time, it hadn’t seemed like much, just a continued state of existence tinged by the frustration that she could be so much more. Now it seemed like paradise. It was funny what made you learn to appreciate what you had. Sometimes it was a death, or a breakup, or getting fired. Sometimes it was your father telling you he’d accidentally sold you into being what amounted to a sex slave for a demonic autocrat with a warship that could eat the sun and a private army decked out in gear reminiscent of Civil War uniforms.

  Annie had laughed when her father had first broken the news, and she hadn’t laughed again since. The next week had been a blur of the sickening realization that no, it wasn’t a joke, and she needed to go to a meeting point, where Captain Jacob Strathmore of the ITC Appomattox had looked her over with his pale eyes like she was a side of meat and declared her acceptable as a wife so long as she knew her place. She’d been whisked away for fittings and lessons. The dress, decorations, and a priest had appeared seemingly by magic. It was impressive what one could do when his footsteps echoed across the universe. It had been so hectic that Annie had barely had time to plan her escape.

  The best course of action, of course, would have been to disappear while still planetside, but that hadn’t been an option. As it were, she had looked at her choices, fluttered her eyelashes at the gaunt, spidery tyrant who owned her, and done her best to seem cowed. She had convinced him that he couldn’t see her in her dress, and he had smirked down at his pretty, witless bride-to-be and agreed to adhere to her charming little superstition. He had, of course, had a few of his agents watch her and serve as makeshift bridesmaids; all three of them lay unconscious on the floor, the spiked punch making a sticky puddle where one had dropped her cup on the way down. Annie felt a pang of remorse for the women who Strathmore would doubtlessly punish severely when he discovered her absence, but then again they had all continued to wake up and put on their horrendous uniforms and do an unhinged warlord’s bidding day after day when the mechanics behind putting a blaster to their heads and pulling the trigger were fairly simple. She quelled her sympathy and checked the hallway outside her door.

  She’d demanded to be taken on a grand tour of the Appomattox in order to “acquaint herself with her future home.” This had given her general knowledge of two things: where the escape vessels were and the guard’s patrol schedules. Since the rise of technology, few people had physical patrols anymore. Instead, most relied on security measures such as bio-locks and cameras. Strathmore used both. Luckily, the room that had been given to Annie had, by her request, come with a great view off the side of the ship, and since the escape vessels were located at either side of the ship, this meant she was relatively close to the portside emergency escape station. All she could do was book it down the corridor, key herself in with an ID card she’d swiped from one of her napping guards—along with the woman’s boots—and pray.

  Taking a deep breath, she did exactly that. She made it to the door just fine, which she’d expected, but as soon as someone saw her on the security feed or the emergency alert went off when she opened the doors to take off she’d have some of the best soldiers in the galaxy swarming her. Sure enough, she heard shouting as she closed the door. She looked around for something to block the doorway with, but didn’t see anything she could move. Instead, she hurried to one of the sleek, black Needles lined up for takeoff.

  Needles were escape vessels designed to maneuver out of combat situations, which meant that they had both full-cover plasma shielding and a simplistic flight situation geared towards avoiding pursuers. In short, it was perfect for Annie but only if she could get in one and start it before the guards got in. She lowered the interior bay door and released the boots keeping one of the Needles in place easily enough, but as the metal shutter began to lift, Annie heard shouting from just outside the door. Cursing under her breath, she hitched her skirt up and dashed for the newly released Needle. She had just managed to get inside and close the hatch when the bay door slid open and seven guards charged into the room.

  “Annie Heathcoat,” one boomed, “please exit the escape vessel. Compliance will earn you lenience.”

  “Shove a blaster in it!” Annie shouted back as the Needle’s engine thrummed to life. She hit the button to activate the plasma shielding as soon as she was able. A split second after the blue-white field appeared around her vessel, a blaster bolt slammed into it, dissolving in a flash of light. A screen on Annie’s dash showed that her shield was now at ninety-five percent. Needles had excellent shielding for their size, but that wouldn’t help her for long against many more point-blank
blaster bolts.

  The interior bay door creaked upwards, almost complete in it’s ascent. Most modern ships required the interior bay door to be manually opened. After that, the exterior bay door was set on a timer. A countdown was programmed in, usually around forty-five seconds, from the time the interior bay door was fully up. After that, the exterior bay door would rapidly lift, allowing takeoff. This enabled the person commanding the bay doors to open to either get in a ship or get out of the room and avoid being sucked into space. As the beep sounded to alert the room the countdown had commenced, one guard hurried over to the station to stop the doors from opening. Annie watched out of the corner of her eye, breathing deeply and steading her hands on the steering column. It would take the guard far less than forty-five seconds to re-lower the interior bay door. It didn’t matter; this was why Annie had reprogrammed the countdown to two seconds.