Big Bear: BBW Bear Shifter Paranormal Romance (BRIDES Fur BEARS Book 4) (4 page)

Nick laughed and raised his mug. “For the hospital.”

He drained his mug and pretended to watch the auction, but his eyes remained on Zoe.

The auction proceeded smoothly but not quite swiftly enough. Why did Zoe put herself at the very back of the line? He grew impatient, waiting for everyone else to be auctioned off.

Finally, at long last, only Zoe was left.

She stepped forward and took the mic off the stand. Nick saw that her hands were quivering a little.

Clearing her throat, she gave a small, apprehensive smile. Nick sat up straighter and tensed. This was the moment he had been waiting for.

Damn, this was the woman he had been waiting for.

Don't let anyone win her
, his bear snarled.

Nick felt his claws stabbing out, the predator in him preparing to pounce.

I won't
, Nick promised.
She's mine.

Zoe stepped forward and gulped audibly. She had to clear her throat twice before she could find her voice.

“Hi,
I...I'm the last, but not the least. I hope.” With a small, nervous laugh, she plowed on, “
My name is Zoe Riley, and I'm the newest nurse at Shadow Point Hospital. I've met some of you already.
Even though I don't know
many
of you, yet,
I
do
hope
that
you'll bid generously. I really, really hope that I won't be the only one standing on stage without a single bid tonight.” She made a face and the crowd laughed and clapped encouragingly.

“You'll do fine, Zoe. I'll bid for you!” someone called out.

“Thank you,” she beamed, squinting against the spotlight. “So, the opening bid is...one hundred dollars? Great!” She smiled and blew out a breath, unable to hide her relief.

Yay, she'd raised one hundred dollars for the hospital already. Maybe she could try to push it to one thousand? She had seen how Emily did it. The cute, smart doctor cajoled and challenged the crowd, confidently asking, no, demanding for higher bids.

She just had to do what Emily did. But the difference was that Emily knew a lot of people in town. The vivacious doctor had a lot of friends and was popular among the patients.

Zoe knew she wouldn't be able to attract as many bids as Emily, but damn, she could do better than just one bid, couldn't she?

All right. She blew out a breath.
Let's get this show on the road, girl!

“All right!” Zoe said into the mic. “Let's hear your bids! Do I have two hundred?”

A big hand shot up. Zoe smiled at the young man who was sitting beside that blond, handsome stranger who had smiled at her earlier. His warm, encouraging smile had given her the confidence to see her auction through.

“Name's Damien,” the young man hollered to her. “Remember the name, baby doll. You're coming home with me tonight!”

Zoe smiled as the crowd cheered. Her gaze slid over to the blond hunk beside him.

The man was leaning forward, his blue eyes blazing with heat and hunger. His jaw was tightly clenched, and he was staring intently at her. Zoe took a shaky breath. Would he...bid for her?

Zoe thought she heard him growl and her whole body seemed to ignite under his intense, burning gaze. She clenched her muscles and whimpered. A rush of moisture pooled in her panties.

Eyes wide, Zoe froze on stage. She saw the blond hunk rise to his feet, his nostrils flaring.

Oh shit, oh shit, oh shit!

Could he...scent her desire?

She almost slapped her forehead. Of course he could. From his size and height, she was guessing he was a bear shifter. A big, growly, grizzly bear.

Bears have an amazing sense of smell
, her brain lectured.

And they have amazing big cocks
, her vagina added helpfully.

Zoe bit her lip and silently screamed at her greedy vagina.
Stop thinking about his cock!

Balling her fists, Zoe took a deep breath and gritted her teeth. She had to control her libido, not the other way around. She was on stage, in front of all these nice, supportive townspeople. Her libido had been slumbering for the longest time, so why in the world was she getting all hot and bothered now?

Wrong time, wrong place.

But...right guy?

Zoe ignored that hopeful, niggling voice in her head and dug her heels into the stage floor. She had to remember why she was here. To do her part for the hospital.

She would not embarrass herself and make a mockery of this whole fundraising event. Everyone had worked so hard for this.

Twisting her grimace into an awkward smile, Zoe stepped forward resolutely and faced the audience.

She could do this. She could conclude her auction and raise at least a few hundred dollars for the hospital.

Nick stood up slowly, fighting what felt like a losing battle against his bear. Her scent was intoxicating and maddening.

He could scent Zoe's sweet, feminine arousal, and his bear was rearing up in a jealous rage at the thought that every male in the hall would have whiffed that very intimate scent. A scent that was meant for him alone.

“Two thousand dollars,” Nick growled.

There was a momentary silence in the hall as heads turned to him. He shot every male in the room a warning glare, even the happily mated ones, like his best friend Marcus.

Marcus simply shrugged and grinned affably at him. Nick scanned the hall quickly, but from the faces of his townsfolk, there was no indication that anyone else had whiffed Zoe's fierce desire.

He could scent it clearly and it was driving him crazy. In his passion, he wasn't thinking straight. A female's scent was really very subtle and only her mate would be able to identify the changes in her scent clearly. A bear could track its mate for miles, and know when its female was in heat or in danger.

Nick staggered back a step.

Was that beautiful, curvacious nurse on stage his mate?

All he knew was that he would not let anyone else win the bid for her. Zoe was his!

Damien whistled and rocked back on his chair, lacing his fingers behind his head. “Only two thousand, Nick? Well, I bid three thousand dollars!” There was a gleam of mischief and challenge in Damien's eyes.

There were gasps around the hall. Then people starting clapping.

“Four thousand dollars,” Nick snarled back.

Damien yawned. “Five. Five thousand.”

The crowd went wild and started egging them on. Some shouted Damien's name and others threw their support behind Nick.

“Six thousand,” Nick said, staring daggers at Damien.

Cracking his knuckles, Damien hollered, “I bid ten thousand dollars! Ten grand for you, baby doll.” He winked conspiratorially at Zoe and blew her a kiss.

A kiss?

That punk blew Zoe a kiss?

The thought of Damien kissing Zoe made Nick's head explode. He suddenly remembered what Damien had said earlier. He'd boasted that Zoe would be going home with him tonight.

No way. No fucking way.

Over his dead body.

Nick let out a deafening roar. “Fifty thousand dollars!”

It took a full minute for the echo of his roar to subside. People were staring at him in disbelief, delight and amazement. Then everyone started stomping their feet, hollering and clapping. Over the thunderous applause, Nick swung his gaze to Zoe.

She was gaping at him, and her eyes were shining with a strange, intense light. The color was high in her cheeks as she reached for the mic.

At last, Zoe managed to make herself heard above the wild applause. “That...is the highest bid ever! May I...have your name, sir?”

“I'm Nick, Nick Sullivan.”

“T-thank you...thank you very much, Nick,” Zoe stammered, smiling shyly.

Still blushing, she turned back to the audience and asked quickly, “Any other bids? All right then. Going once, going twice...”

Before she could finish, a deep, gravelly voice interjected, “Fifty thousand and one.”

Zoe started and squinted at the new bidder. A slim, lanky man in a black jacket was leaning against the wall. When he smiled, Zoe glimpsed the tips of his canines and wondered if the man was a vampire.

The townspeople all shot the man curious glances. It seemed that they didn't recognize him. He was either new in town, or he was just passing through and had bought the ticket to the charity auction on a whim.

For some inexplicable reason, Zoe shuddered involuntarily at the sight of the stranger. Surely she hadn't seen the man before, yet she just thought he looked kind of familiar.

“What's your name, sir?” Zoe asked politely.

“Sinclair.”

“Mr Sinclair,” Zoe said. “Thank you for your bid. It is the highest bid so far, but I have to remind you that I am not obliged to accept the highest bid.”

“I understand,” Sinclair answered smoothly.

“For fifty thousand and one dollars, can I ask what you have in mind...”

“I would like to take you on a date, Miss Riley,” Sinclair said with a slight bow.

Some of the women in the audience sighed dreamily. They seemed impressed with his old-school gentlemanly manners.

Zoe acknowledged that Sinclair wasn't unattractive. He was tall and slim, and his shoulder-length black hair was neatly slicked back.

Out of the corner of her eye, she saw Nick stepping forward and she put up a hand quickly to stop him from raising his bid. Fifty thousand dollars was a lot of money.

And this Sinclair fellow had outbid Nick by a mere dollar. She studied Sinclair for a few more seconds and decided that she wouldn't enjoy going on a date with this guy at all.

Maybe some women found him smooth and charming, but she just thought that he looked sly and sleazy.

And she just couldn't shake the feeling that she had seen him before.

Zoe turned to Dali, her hospital director, who was standing at the side of the stage. Dali nodded at her and mouthed,
You decide
.

Glad for the support, Zoe smiled her thanks and faced the audience.

“My two highest bidders are Nick and Sinclair. Sinclair is bidding for a date with me. What are you bidding for, Nick?” she asked, her tone teasing but she realized that she was holding her breath as she waited for his answer.

Nick's buddies began to offer raunchy, unsolicited advice and suggestions.

Ignoring them, he held her gaze for a long while.

Finally, he said, “I want to kiss you. Right now.”

Zoe gasped and felt the heat bloom all over her body.

Some guys pounded Nick on the back, while others groaned and guffawed.

Nick wanted to kiss her. Did he really say that?

Oh yes he did. And he wanted her right now.

What should she do?

Temporarily, her mind went blank. She just stood in the middle of the stage and gawped at Nick.

Her brain had stopped working. Luckily, her libido was still very much alive and kicking.

Kiss! Kiss him already! What are you waiting for?

Zoe stared at Nick and blurted out, “So kiss me already! What are you waiting for?”

As the entire hall erupted into applause and laughter, Zoe recovered enough of her wits to squawk, “Sold—for fifty thousand dollars! To Nick Sullivan! Now...come up here and kiss me!”

With the deafening cheers, shouts and applause, Nick could hardly hear his bear roaring his victory as he walked up to the stage. Zoe was staring at him, her chest rising and falling as her breaths came hard and fast. He could hear the rapid, frantic beats of her heart and hear her soft whimper as he approached her.

But most of all, he could scent her growing, gnawing desire.

This female didn't just want him to kiss her. She wanted more. She wanted everything he could give her, and more.

Nick stood in front of Zoe and took a moment to breathe in her lush, intoxicating scent. She smelled fucking delicious. With a low growl, Nick pulled her to him and pressed her body against his.

The crowd hollered and whistled. Nick tuned them out and the raucous sounds became just a muted sound in the background. Only Zoe stood in the spotlight. She was glowing, looking so beautiful and perfect in her white nurse uniform. She looked like an angel.

She blinked up at him as her curves pressed against his rock hard body. Her eyes widened when she felt his erection push and throb maddeningly against her belly.

Circling her waist with one arm, Nick cupped her nape with his hand and slanted his mouth across hers. She gasped as his lips crushed against her, and he kissed her deeply, hungrily, passionately.

Her arms slowly wound around his neck and she parted her lips willingly. Her tongue touched his and their bodies jerked at the electrifying, scorching heat coursing through their veins.