Men Love Curves: BBW Romance

by Ruby Madden

  Ryker’s bear automatically went on guard when they walked into the bar. It wasn’t totally run-down, but it certainly wasn’t exclusive enough to have bouncers at the door to keep the troublemakers away.

  “She is so not going to work here anymore,” Ryland growled.

  Ryker agreed. The bar spelled danger in so many ways. It was not a safe place for their mate to be. Ryker glanced at Ryland, and saw the man’s bear was riding him hard. His eyes almost glowed in the darkness. He laid a comforting hand on his brother’s shoulder, but the tension didn’t ease. “We’ll find her and get her out of here as quick as we can.”

  Emma kept one eye on the door and one of the customers trying to feel her up. One would think she was the greatest thing since sliced bread the way the men grabbed and pinched. She so wanted to let out a long, low snarl to warn them away but knew better. Half the bar was filled with shifters and she couldn’t afford to give herself away. She never knew who the Panthera had working for him. In every town they’d been through, someone, somehow, had heard about the bounty on their heads and couldn’t wait to give them up.

  Abigail had worked an earlier shift and was now hiding out in the back. Not that the owner had known it was Abigail. He just thought Emma had agreed to pull a double, something she’d done quite often in the past. Same as they would do at the diner. They would work each other’s job so no one would get suspicious of Emma and her little flaw.

  Just as he knew it would, the beat of the music pounded into Ryker’s head as soon as they entered the building. The scent of the cat shifter was playing the same tricks it had on the construction site. He could still feel the aggression rolling off Ryland. Strangely, his bear had settled down once they’d crossed the threshold. Outside, her scent had been strong, overwhelming him. Now, it had faded again.

  But he could still follow it.

  “Do you scent her?” Even above the loud beat of the music, Ryker heard his twin.

  “No. Not yet.” His eyes scanned the room. This wasn’t a typical single scene with flirty blondes and yuppie men trying to get laid. The bar was filled with men who had come here to drink and forget their troubles—or their wives—and women who wanted to help them forget.

  Watching one of the customers reach out and grab the ass of a waitress, Ryker gave a little growl. He might like to fuck women, but he never disrespected them. The crowd instantly parted for him. Even though that had not been his intention, he and Ryland took full advantage of the fact and headed toward the bar.

  Before they could reach it, he stopped dead in his tracks, the scent of oranges pulling at him. If Ryland hadn’t been paying attention he would have plowed into him, sending both of them to the floor. “Fuck.”

  He jerked his head, pointing Ryland in the right direction. If he wasn’t mistaken, their mate was the curvy woman leaning over the bar wearing a white blouse and a denim skirt short enough to show everyone everything should she bend over too far. He didn’t even take time to memorize her features before he surged forward. He had a vague impression of coal black hair and a creamy, pale complexion.

  Oh, fuck no, Ryker thought as he pushed through the crowd in front of them. There was no way in hell his mate was going to wear that skimpy little outfit. Or work in a bar filled with shifters and humans just waiting to grab a piece of her fine-looking ass.

  Fuck no.

  He gave a little roar and this time the path completely cleared in front of him. The males threw him an uneasy look and the women gave him I’ve-got-just-what-you-need smiles. He didn’t bother to return any of the silent invitations, his attention focused solely on the woman as she got her drink order and turned to walk back through the crowd. She lifted the heavy tray above the swaying bodies as she made her way around the dance floor to the tables in back. He quickened his steps, dimly aware that Ryland was on his six.

  As she moved, the air drifted back to him, filled with her scent. Oh, there was no doubt this luscious bundle of curves was his. He shook his head to clear away the possessive thought. Theirs. She was theirs.

  Her ass swayed as she walked and it was all he could do not to crush the heads of the men who ogled her as she walked by. She was definitely giving off the mate vibe—his bear and cock had both roared to attention the moment he’d caught sight of her.

  He got to her just as she bent over to rest the tray on the first table. He snarled when the move revealed the rounded softness at the top of her thighs. He pushed a couple of wolf shifters out of his way in his hurry to get to her, ignoring the snarls he received. Wolves might be meaner, cats sneaker, but bears were at the top of the food chain.

  Just as he got close enough to touch her, his bear suddenly stopped its possessive roaring and his cock deflated.

  What. The. Fuck?

  The woman finished delivering her drinks and picked up the tray. As she straightened, she bumped into his side. He felt her quick intake of breath, but other than that, she showed no reaction to his presence except annoyance. “Can I help you?”

  She had to shout over the music and the buzz of conversation, but her tone was sweet and sexy. She had a nice little southern drawl that let him know she was from further down south than Atlanta. And damn, but she was pretty.

  But what the hell had just happened? He stepped closer and took a deep breath. Yep, she was the source of the sweet smell that set his bear on edge… but yet she wasn’t. Was she?

  Hell, he was damned confused. He ran his fingers through his hair.

  “Yeah, I need to talk to you.” He took her arm, determined to find out what was going on.

  “Let her go.” The low-throated words sounded behind him, spoken by the brother he’d momentarily forgotten, in a tone he’d never heard before. His bear came to full alert, instinctively rising to protect the woman he held.

  “Back down,” he growled.

  “Let. Her. Go.” Ryland’s teeth gritted together as he spat the words at his brother. He had to clench his fists to prevent himself from drawing the woman away and beating his twin to the ground. His vision blurred, a red haze settling over him. What the shit?

  “I will when you get a grip on your animal.”

  Ryker’s words slowly sank in and Ryland’s bear backed off. The man had as much right to touch this woman as he did.

  Theirs. She was theirs.

  “Hey, let me go, you big lug.” Ryker had pushed the woman behind him, but had kept a firm grip on her arm. He felt her fingers clawing at his and tightened his hold. He felt her involuntary twinge and mumbled an apology.

  “Sorry, sweetheart.”

  “I’m not your damn sweetheart.” The woman snapped at him and continued to try to pull away. Ryker’s hold loosened but not enough for her to get free.

  “Don’t be so sure about that,” he mumbled again as Ryland stepped forward.

  Before they could speak, another man joined them, his arms crossed and his feet planted in an I’m-not-about-to-move-out-of-your-way, way. Immediately the two bears closed ranks around their mate.

  “These men bothering you, Emma?”

  Ryland and Ryker exchanged a long look. Should they grab their mate and leave? Or stay and try and be civil? The blood coursing through Ryland said snatch her and run. Of course, that blood was filled with flaming red-hot desire. It was as if a barrier had been lifted between him and his mate. For the first time, Ryland felt as if she was real. As if she was his. That feeling went straight to his cock.

  And now they knew her name. Emma. A sweet, old-fashioned name. It suited her. Her hair was long, falling just below her shoulders. It was dark, almost midnight black. Her eyes blue, a slightly brighter blue than most humans had. He wondered what type of cat shifter she actually was.

  Before he could get to know his mate, they had to get rid of the behemoth standing in their way. The man was a wolf shifter, the biggest damn one Ryland had ever seen. On any other day he would have applauded the man for taking such good care of the women who
worked there, but today wasn’t that day. He needed to get his mate alone and find out what the fuck was going on. “I just need to talk to my mate.”

  Emma’s eyes widened at his possessive tone. He started to grin.

  “I’m not your mate!” This time the little cat shifter put a little power behind her words and increased her struggles to free herself.

  “Here, hold this.” Before the big wolf could protest, Ryland pulled the tray from her hands and slammed it into the wolf’s chest.

  “This way.” Ryker, working in tandem with his brother, pushed through the bodies and headed toward the back, pulling a protesting Emma behind him.

  Ryland followed silently, enjoying the swing of her curvy ass.

  CHAPTER FOUR

  Shit. Shit. Shit. Emma’s mind raced. How had they found the bar? They were supposed to have found Abby at the diner—Abby, not her. If only her damn stubborn sister hadn’t ran like a scared rabbit, everything would have gone according to her plan.

  Mate. Her cat quickly reminded her of the claim the animal wanted to make on Ryland. Her mate—no, no, no—Abigail’s mates. For whatever twisted hand fate was playing, the bears had found her, or them. Her. Abigail. They had found Abigail. Damn, it was getting confusing. All that really matter was these two bears were Abigail’s salvation.

  “In here.” The big bear in front shoved open a door and motioned them to follow.

  Damn it, why did he have to pick the liquor storage room? There were a half dozen other doors he could have opened. The one to the office, the foodstuff storage room, even the employee lounge. Why did he go directly to Abigail’s hiding place? Did he sense the other woman was inside? They had just switched shifts when the bears had arrived. She prayed her twin had heard them in the hallway and had time to hide, or better yet leave as soon as she smelled the bears.

  Seeing the stiff posture Ryker took as soon as he entered the room, she knew Abby hadn’t left. Emma knew exactly which bear was which. Ryker’s shoulders were a hair’s breadth wider than Ryland’s, while Ryland was a few centimeters taller than Ryker. Oh, and they smelled totally different—at least to her. Family, family always knew the difference she thought with a remembered smile. Shifters could be fooled, but it was damn difficult. And a mate? A mate just knew.

  Would Ryland be able to tell the difference between her and Abigail? There were natural, subtle differences in the sisters’ appearances, even though Abigail denied it. Emma’s butt was bigger and Abby’s breasts were larger.

  And of course, their smell would have held different nuances, if Emma had a scent.

  That was Emma’s dirty little secret.

  She’d been born without a scent.

  It was a rarity in the shifter world. In earlier times, shifters born without a scent had been put to death, feared as an evil omen since everything in the shifter world revolved around scenting.

  Her parents had never told anyone, afraid of what would happen. They’d been smart to be afraid.

  It was the reason the girls were on the run, their father God only knew where—and why a mate could never imprint on Emma.

  Even though her cat recognized Ryland as its mate, his bear would never be able to recognize Emma’s cat. And without his animal scenting hers…

  Her heart hurt thinking of spending the rest of her life alone.

  Ryker had let Emma go as soon as they’d entered the storage room. The shelves were loaded with cases of beer and bottles of whisky and rye. It smell of dirt and mildew mixed with traces of booze. But none of that mattered. Not now.

  Ryland stood just inside the door, blocking the only escape route. Ryker seemed fixated on something in the back of the room. She prayed it wasn’t Abigail, but knew it was a foolish prayer. Her sister was here. Emma wanted nothing more than for these two loyal bears to claim her sister, but she still needed the twins to believe there was only one of her, um, them for just a while longer.

  No one had bothered to turn on a light and the only illumination was a security light above the door. It cast a dim, whitish glow around the room. Seeing the set scowl on Ryland’s face, Emma knew it was time to get down to business.

  “Why have you been running from us?” Ryland beat her to the punch. His voice was deep and dark and did things to her she’d never admit.

  “I was afraid you might think I had something to do with the jackals.” She hung her head, trying to appear as vulnerable as she could. She didn’t want to manipulate the two men, but at this point she was willing to try anything. Just a couple of more days and her plan could be set in action. Or sooner if the Panthera made his move.

  “Oh, baby, we never thought that.” Ryland stepped closer. So close she could see the golden streaks still shimmering in his brown eyes. She watched as he raked a careless hand through his thick, brown hair. She bet it had a tendency to curl at the nape of his neck when the humidity was high.

  A sharp thud sounded in the back of the room. Damn it.

  “Is someone else here?”

  Ryker frowned and started forward. Emma knew he couldn’t smell Abigail, well, he could smell Abigail, was smelling Abigail. She just prayed the musky smell of the room was confusing the shifter. She grabbed Ryker’s shirtsleeve.

  “No. No one’s here. There’s rats, though. Huge rats. Must have knocked something over.” The bar did have some big rats running around, but they weren’t large enough to have made that kind of noise. She gave an involuntary shiver at the thought of rats—yeah, she knew that was a sad reaction from a cat shifter, but what could she say?

  It would serve her sister right if Emma did let Ryker find her. She should never have run away from the diner. Not after everything Emma had done to get the bear shifters there in the first place.

  “Mine.” Ryland growled and stepped forward, pulling her away from his brother. He not only pulled her away from his brother, but straight into his arms. Emma gasped when his mouth covered hers. She had to grab his shirt to keep from melting into a puddle at his feet. She pulled him closer, mashing her lips to his. Sweet, holy water. The boy could kiss. Her cat purred. He was not a boy; he was a man.

  Amen, sister, she silently agreed.

  Her cat rose toward the surface and Emma shifted her weight, moving her legs restlessly. She wanted to claw her way up his body and climb him like a tree.

  He stroked her, his big hands gliding up and down her body, exploring every curve with a sure, firm touch. And all the while his mouth piled hers, demanding, encouraging, giving and taking. His hand grasped her rounded bottom and kneaded before pulling her sharply to him, frantically rubbing the hard length of his cock into the soft flesh of her belly. She wanted that. To have someone love you that much. To send a male into such a frenzy that they couldn’t control their desire. She shivered, remembering the downside of such an obsession.

  Ryker froze when Ryland drew their mate into his arms and started kissing her. A faint scent of arousal wafted through the air and his bear jerked him back. What the hell? The scent of her desire turned his bear off? He took a step back and then another, tripping when the heel of his boot hit a packing crate. He stopped and breathed deeply. It seemed to calm the bear. Away from the embracing couple, the evidence of her arousal did not fill the air. It was just her sweet, orange blossom scent.

  Maybe this was how mating was supposed to be? Maybe they weren’t meant to share her at the same time. He lifted one of his hands and rubbed it across his face. Or, maybe, he wasn’t meant to know his mate intimately. Would fate be so unkind? To bind him with a woman he could never kiss or caress? Never truly love?

  As he watched the kissing couple, he knew he should be feeling something else. Like the urge to join. Or to tear his brother’s fucking face off. Something.

  Ryland licked his lips before slipping his tongue back into his mate’s mouth. Damn, she tasted good, like the ribbon candy his mother had given them at Christmas when they were younger. So sweet and slick and delicious. He kne
w her pussy would taste the same. His fingers found the soft flesh beneath the short hem of her skirt. He caressed the satin skin, delighting in the feel of his mate. She moaned and he focused his attention back on her mouth. He’d learned early in life that women loved to be kissed almost as much as they loved to be fucked. And they were a lot more willing to kiss a stranger than fuck him in a storage area that smelled of stale beer and smoke.

  He put all his effort into impressing his mate with his kiss. He slowed the tempo, stroking the inside of her mouth with long, languid glides of his tongue. He encouraged her to follow his lead and coaxed her little tongue into his mouth. His groan came from deep within, from his bear, when their tongues caressed each other. He opened his mouth wider wanting to devour her on the spot.

  He lost all sense of time until he heard a movement behind him and remembered his brother was still in the room. That they were in the backroom of a dirty, smelly bar. Turning down the intensity of the kiss, he gradually ended it. As he pulled away, Emma opened her eyes and lifted her face to his. Her eyes were so beautiful. They were wide set and heavily lashed and large enough for a man to get lost in. They had darkened with her arousal, their unusual color turning to a deep, dark navy color. He found himself wondering what it would be like to see those eyes the first thing in the morning for the rest of his life.

  A sudden warmth filled him and for a moment, he glimpsed a piece of the future. Him, this woman, and a baby. He looked at his brother, his heart breaking. His brother had not been part of that vision.

  Emma was shaking when Ryland let her go. Yep, the man could kiss. He’d almost kissed her right out of her panties. “I, um.” Man, she felt as limp as a wet dishrag. What would she feel like after sex with the man?

  Complete, her cat purred.

  Can’t, Emma. Just can’t, she warned herself. Her first duty was to see that Abigail was safe. And the only way she could be safe was if these two men claimed her. Yeah, her cat had known for certain when Ryland had kissed her that the bear was her mate. Something she’d never thought she’d have. She’d tried to attribute the pull she’d been feeling to the big shifter as just being horny as hell. Or lonely as hell. She supposed it made sense. No one had ever said she couldn’t imprint on a mate, just that he couldn’t imprint on her.