Shaking myself mentally, I met his gaze. “Hey.” I felt my lips curl upwards into what was surely a goofy, gob smacked grin as I got lost in his honey brown depths.
Electricity seemed to sizzle between us, even after I’d let him go, and it was that tiny experience that had my earlier fears falling away and fresh ones stepping in. I’d been a long time, if ever, since I’d felt this degree of magnetism with someone. I wanted to haul him against me, hold him tight and never let go. It was the most irrational urge I’d had in forever, and it pointed towards one obvious fact: he was different then the others. Not just in looks and actions. It was more than that. It ran deeper; what I had with him ran deeper. Which meant, if he walked away, the pain of it would run deeper.
The present had me even more shaken up about the past, about last night. He shook me up. He plucked every one of my heartstrings and then pulled back for a moment, as if he was hesitating.
And it was his reluctance that fed my own, that had me pausing to consider the unthinkable.
Until he hugged me.
Darn it! Why did I have to rush things? Why-
“If I wasn’t sick, I’d kiss you right now.” Heat flickered in his depths, nearly illuminating his eyes.
A smile broke through my shock, heat brushing my cheeks. I chuckled, most of my tension dissipating with that one admission. Regardless of what was true or false, there was one undeniable truth: the chemistry and attraction I’d experienced digitally with him transferred into real life. And if I had any question as to whether it was one-sided, his statement obliterated it.
Well done, Fate.
Chapter Six
December 19th
Stone
God, damn, she was gorgeous. Her skin was flawless, and her ass. Fucking A. I was tempted to risk a smack for the chance to touch it. Her leggings left little to the imagination, and had my undivided attention.
Shit. If I thought for one second that I could kiss her and not get her sick, or sound like I was on the verge of a panic attack with every wheezy breath, I would. Seeing her had me forgetting every symptom I had. Nate was right. I was going to be kicking myself for a long time to come over last night. Because, knowing her character and seeing her beauty matched it, I would fucking lose it, I would never forgive myself, if last night cost me all of her.
Suddenly remembering my manners, I moved to the side, allowing her to see my second home. I’d poured a lot of time, money and effort into Beast Mode. I was proud of what it had become: a staple in a were-dominated community. “Would you like a tour of the place?”
She considered me, not rushing to reply. “Sure, but only if you promise to talk as little as possible. I don’t need you getting worse on my account.” She softened her words with a gentle smile.
The way she looked at me, the way her eyes melted into pools of brown butter, pierced me, and had butterflies fluttering in my belly. And I knew right then that she was real, that the feelings I had for her were real. And I knew that she was the one. I didn’t know how. Lord knew my bear was damn near dormant at the moment, but, for me, she was it. I didn’t know when it’d happened over these past three months. Hell, it could have happened just now. Nonetheless, this woman officially owned my heart. And I knew, no matter what she asked for, I would try to deliver. She was so much more than I expected. She was prettier than in her photos, but it was more than the superficial shit. There was something warm and endearing about her.
Fuck! We’d only just met and I was already dreading saying good-bye. The way she blushed and fidgeted beneath my gaze made me want to hug her, kiss her, fuck her, and never let her go. Damn. “Deal.” I couldn’t contain my smile as I took her in. She seemed like a present with many layers, and I’d only peeked at the outer one. Suddenly, all I knew about her wasn’t enough. I wanted to know everything, to know all of her.
As I led her around the space, I watched her intently. She didn’t react with enthusiasm the way most new gym members did. She responded with awe. She took in every detail, and I knew when some piece of the design made sense to her by her slight nod and the sparkle that appeared in her eyes.
No one else had ever realized that the design segregated the workout floor while maintaining a certain uniformity.
But she did. I saw it.
On the phone, I found myself sharing things with her I never had with anyone else, not even my best friend. She slipped past my defenses so easily. And today, she came in and instantly saw beyond what everyone else did. She was different from the others, in the best way. She wasn’t my true mate, but finding a true mate wasn’t guaranteed. Lots of weres never found theirs. Regardless, she was someone I could see myself happily spending forever with.
Dammit. I was almost done showing her around when my nose decided to turn into a faucet. The fucking thing couldn’t decide whether it wanted to be clogged or not. Despite the leakage, the pressure in my sinuses felt strong enough to split them, if sinuses could burst even.
It fucking sucked. There was nothing sexy about being sick. “I’ll be right back, beautiful.” With a snap of my fingers and a point of my finger, Gary was on his way across the room to cover for me. Pinching my nostrils, I looked at her.
She’d been relatively quiet; the last thing I wanted her to think was that I was abandoning her.
With a flick of her wrist, she shooed me away. “Go.” Her voice was tender, light hearted, with not an ounce of upset.
How the hell had I gotten so damned lucky? She was smart, sexy, and sweet. She was everything a werebear could ask for, even if my bear didn’t want her.
Chapter Seven
December 19th
Lora
Poor guy. He was trying to pretend like he wasn’t sick. He tried to hide every swipe of his nose, every deeper than normal inhale, and every almost-cough. The man was clearly miserable, yet he trudged onwards, pushing himself. His body had to be sore, and I was pretty sure his throat hurt, too. He’d attempted to cover his wince, but it was my job as a nurse to catch everything patients hid.
As Stone walked away, an older male with peppered hair and a lean, athletic body approached. He thrust a hand towards me. “Hi. I’m Gary, one of the personal trainers on staff here.”
“Hi.” I allowed him to take my hand, but was quick to withdraw it. I couldn’t pinpoint what it was, but there was something off about the man, and not in a mysteriously sexy sort of way.
My muscles immediately tensed, intuitively recoiling. A ball of unease formed in my gut, prompting me to take a step back. The way he looked at me had warning bells screaming in my head. He was a predator, or a predator in the making.
“You’re not here to lose weight, are you?” He gave me a charming yet incredulous smirk.
“No, she’s here to see me.” He practically growled at the man.
I jumped as one strong arm came around my waist, possessively hauling my back to his hard front, surrounding me in his warmth. The way he curled around me comforted and soothed me. I didn’t know how, but I knew Stone would protect me; I felt protected already.
Gary held up his palms in surrender and slowly backed away.
It wasn’t until he was gone that Stone relaxed his body, inadvertently showcasing just how edgy he’d been. “Let’s get out of here.” He kissed the top of my head. The move seemed so natural. “Where do you want to go?” He tightened his grip on me, tugging me flush against him, causing heat to gather in my womb.
“Your house.” I blurted the answer before I could consider my phrasing. I knew it was an innocent request, but he didn’t. Most men assumed far more. I hoped he didn’t assume far more, because, with the way my apex was responding to the feel of him, the way my breasts were beginning to swell, the way desire was awakening within me, I knew I wouldn’t have the strength to deny him.
“You don’t have to tell me twice. We can order take-out and watch a marathon of whatever you want.” Breaking away, he snagged my hand, dragging me back towards the front of the gym.
&
nbsp; I breathed a sigh of relief, if but temporarily, as he released me. I needed the time and space to regain control of myself. Of everything thus far, my body’s reaction to his touch was the most surprising.
Stepping into his office, he walked around his desk. He clicked the mouse for his computer a few times, opened the top drawer of his desk, grabbed his keys and wallet, and made a beeline for me again. Flipping the light switch off, he stuffed his wallet into the pocket of his sweats. Meeting my gaze, a smile lifted his lips. “Let’s go, beautiful.”
Closing the door behind us, we paused so he could lock it. Putting a hand on the small of my back, he guided me out, tossing a, “See you later,” at the front desk on our way past it.
“Uh huh.” Lana snickered, assuming the worst I was sure.
Gliding his arm fully around my waist, he pulled me into his side. “Ignore her. Please.” The fact that her words worried him, the fact that he believed her words would upset me and was quick to reassure me, in fact did reassure me of my decision today.
Placing my hand atop his on my midsection, I nodded, letting him lead me outside. Shifting to move behind me as we approached the exit, I felt his eyes on me. Before I could reach for it, he pushed the door open for me and angled back as I stepped outside. The cold air slapped my skin even through my layers, causing me to stop and shiver. It had to be a solid five degrees cooler than when I’d arrived.
He grunted. “You are so damn sexy.”
Biting back a smile, I glanced over my shoulder at him. I burst out laughing at the goofy grin on his face. If I doubted his attraction to me, that single expression made it undeniable. My heart seemed to bounce in my chest, elation and relief swarming me.
Closing the distance between us, he cocooned me in his heat once again, and the cold ceased to penetrate me. I could easily become addicted to the feel of him, the feeling of being impenetrable so long as I was in his arms.
Without thinking, I followed him to his truck, coming to an abrupt halt at the sight of the luxury Rover. There was no gym management position that paid that well, which meant he had to be telling me the truth. Either that or he was secretly a trust fund kid.
Pausing, he studied me, his features twisting minutely. “No one will touch your car, and I have the whole place wired with hidden cameras if they do.” He sniffed, rubbing his nose with one finger.
Rationally speaking, I shouldn’t get in the car with a man I just met. But therein lied the problem: I hadn’t just met him. I’d seen him for the first time, but I’d met him months ago. I knew a solid chunk of his life story and he knew a solid chunk of mine.
I knew he was supposed to be named Winston Alexander Pullen, but, due to a typo, he was legally named Winstone, hence the nickname Stone. I knew he was born and raised in Atlanta, but he liked the freedom that came with no neighbors, so he moved to Black Fall. He planted roots here because his parents were free spirits who abandoned stability the moment he turned eighteen. They lived off the grid now and only visited once a year with about the same amount of phone calls a year. He never knew if they were okay or not; it’s why he was the way he was with me.
He started Beast Mode because he wanted a place where he could workout without stares or judgment. He busted his ass as a delivery driver during the day and a bartender at night until he had enough capital to put a down payment on the property and to purchase the equipment he needed to get going. When he came up a little short, Nate invested the rest and had a twenty-percent ownership as a result, but remained a silent partner for the most part.
This man was smart, sexy, kind, and, based off of how he treated and protected me today, he genuinely cared about me, which gave me every reason in the world to get in the SUV.
Meeting his stare, I nodded my head in agreement. “Okay.”
Pursing his lips, on the verge of a smirk, he moved to the vehicle. “I promise not to bite…hard.” He winked, opening the passenger door for me. There was something endearing about his tease; it was probably the combination of his red nose and the childlike gleam of mischief in his depths.
Walking around him and the door, I climbed into the passenger seat. Sitting in his car, watching him as he closed the door, being in awe of him as he stalked around to the driver’s side, I couldn’t help but think this just might be the best impulse decision I’d ever made.
Chapter Eight
December 19th
Stone
Reaching across the console, I grabbed her hand, lacing our fingers. I didn’t know why, but I felt the need to touch her. Her presence wasn’t enough.
Leaning back, I drove through town. From time to time, I snuck a glance at her, and every time, she was sitting contentedly, merely taking it all in. And, as cheesy as it sounded, I was content to merely take her in. I could stare at her for hours.
Fuck. I’d never been a sap, but damn if she wasn’t changing me. With other women, it was forced. With her, it was effortless.
My bear chose that moment to head butt me, making his presence known. Fuck. After four days of silence, now he decided to demand his freedom.
Letting go of her hand, I rolled my shoulders, doing my best to calm the ornery beast. He’d been in a fowl mood for years; it’d been years since he’d played with a female. Nate and I wrestled on occasion in our bear forms, but it wasn’t the same.
You couldn’t make a true mate magically appear, no matter how hard you wished for one. And, Lord knew I’d wished for one, more times than I cared to admit. Weres are social creatures. We like company, most of us anyways.
Pinching the back of my neck, I barely suppressed my bear’s roar. Shit. The last thing I needed was my bear breaking free and scaring her off.
“Are you okay?” Her voice cut through my tension.
Glimpsing at her, my heart skipped a beat. The furrow of her brows, combined with the way she bit the inside of her lip, showed that she cared, or was, at the least, genuinely worried about me. The last thing I wanted to do, though, was worry her.
Dropping my hand, I gave her a reassuring smile, clearing my throat. “I’m good, now that I’m with you.” I took her hand in mine again, hoping I was convincing enough.
She analyzed me for a few, long seconds before giving me a small nod of approval. It wasn’t apparent whether she believed me or simply wasn’t pressing the matter.
Suddenly, her lips curled into a knowing smirk. “Whatever you say, handsome.” She laughed. The sound was music to my ears.
Fuck, she’s pretty when she smiles.
“So you think I’m handsome, huh?” I watched her reaction closely.
She took her time replying, her expression revealing less than I hoped. “I wouldn’t be here if I didn’t think you were.”
My heart took off, beating wildly for her. All I wanted to do was reach over and kiss her, but that was the surest way to get her sick. Dammit. “The moment I can breathe through one nostril, I’m kissing you for as long as you allow me to.”
Her eyes became glossy.
For one second, I thought she was going to cry, and panic shot through me. It shook me enough to regain full control over my bear and myself. Every protective instinct within me fired up, my bear on the verge of a ferocious rumble, almost as if he supported my desire to love and protect this woman.
“This is a little surreal for me.” She swallowed hard, staring openly at me. “I don’t know what I was expecting, but it wasn’t this.”
Pursing my lips, I tried not to jump to conclusions. “Is this good?”
Again she made me wait for her answer.
Pulling into my driveway, I threw my Rover into ‘Park’ as quickly as possible so I could angle my body to look at her head on. Twisting in my seat, I took her in. My nerves were suspended in mid air, my stomach in knots. For some reason, it was important that she said what I wanted to hear, what I wanted it to be.
I wanted it to be good. I wanted to be good for her, good enough for her. I wanted more than I ever have. I wanted her.
She shook her head. “So far today, yes.”
When the fuck did I forget to breathe? I gasped like a damn overzealous fool. She truly had turned me into someone I didn’t recognize. Typically I was smooth and cool, the opposite of the fumbling mess I felt like right now. “Let’s keep it that way, then.” I winked.
Hopping out of the vehicle, I rounded to her side and opened the door. I saw her eyes glitter as she studied me, unbuckling. I was mesmerized. There was just something about her. I kept repeating that, like an idiot, in my head, but it was the truth.
Reaching out, I caught her around the waist as she slid out of the SUV. The weight of her in my arms was heavenly. Irrationally, I wanted to hold her tighter and never let her go.
But I had to. For now.
Lowering her, I didn’t release her until I was certain she was steady on her feet. The way she looked at me had my heart doing backflips. I’d surprised her; I’d impressed her, and damn did it feel good.
Fuck, I wanted to kiss her so damn bad. Licking my lips, I watched her as she bit her lower lip, holding back a small smile. Damn. Heat glided down my spine, pooling in my groin. My cock reacted to the sight of her alone, but when she did innocent moves that were anything but innocent in my mind… Fuck, indeed. I wanted to shove her against the side of my Rover, kiss her until she was breathless and then carry her to my bedroom and make love to her all night long.
Breaking the spell, she averted her gaze. “The cold air has to be hurting your throat and chest.”
It wasn’t until she mentioned it that I felt the sting with every inhale. She really did make me forget every symptom. “You’re right.”
Reaching out, she placed a gentle hand on my chest. “Let’s go inside before you get worse.”
Shifter Wonderland: Twelve BBW Paranormal Holiday Shape Shifter Romances Page 4
