Big Bear Trouble: BBW Werebear Shapeshifter Romance (Sweetwater Brides) (3 page)

A
fter Evan had left
Karen at Joe’s to get settled in, he made his way to Maisy’s for some coffee. When Maisy had brought him his
“black, two sugars, just how you like it,”
he started thinking back to the day he had just had.

Karen’s profile had only had one picture of her, and while he had already pegged her as gorgeous, the photo hadn’t done her justice. The sunlight brought out the tiny freckles on and around her nose and made her red hair shine like fire.

Her perfectly pink lips looked so full and soft that thoughts of kissing her filled his head the moment he saw her. And while that cute little dress would be considered modest by most anyone’s standards, it hinted at deadly curves underneath. No one had ever accused Evan of being the touchy-feely type, so when he greeted her with a full-on hug, he had surprised even himself. He just craved being close to her.

She didn’t seem to mind or pull away, at least.

That car ride to Bluejay’s, on the other hand, could have gone better. Totally out of character again, he had just kept blabbering on and on. They had clicked so well online and, for whatever reason, he felt extremely comfortable around her. He also wanted her to know about this place, his home. He wanted it to be familiar to her, welcoming.

But you’re supposed to ask questions about the other person, not go on about your own stuff, right?

Ugh, it’s definitely been too long since my last date.

He decided he could make it up to her over dinner. There were so many things he didn’t know about her and he was intent on changing that.

Forgetting about his coffee, Evan leaned back in his seat slightly, shaking his head. Seeing her in person had been damn good, but who was he kidding, he’d known she was going to be the end of him after the first text.

Love at first text has a certain ring to it, I
guess
, he mused.

“Pretty sure that coffee’s gotten cold there, honey,” Maisy said, leaning next to his booth with mild concern in her tone.

“Yeah, I guess I got a little lost in thought,” Evan responded sheepishly.

“Something wrong or something right?” Maisy asked.

“Hoping for the latter. Any restaurant recommendations?”

The fact that he hadn’t thought about where to take Karen hit him like a mallet to the face. He felt incredibly dumb for not having planned anything out yet.

Maisy perked up.

“No TV dinner tonight? Who’s the lucky girl?” she asked.

“She’s not from around here. A city girl,” Evan responded, trying to sip his coffee and spitting it back in disgust when the cold liquid hit his tongue.

Maisy laughed.

“Better not bring her here, then. How about that Italian place that just opened? I’ve heard it’s good.”

“Thanks, Maisy,”

“Yeah, yeah, what would you do without me,” Maisy said, walking over to another table, a gentle hint of a sigh in her tone.

Evan abandoned his coffee and went for a quick run to clear his head, but not before he called Pierre’s and made a reservation for two.

When he got back to his apartment at around five, giving him plenty of time to shower and get dressed, he still felt like he was rushing against the clock. He opted for dark gray slacks and a black button-up. For the first time in a very long time, he felt like giving a damn about how he looked and the impression he made.

He arrived at Joe’s at six thirty and waited anxiously in the lobby. Evan’s head was full of swirling thoughts, the things he wanted to know about her and the things he wanted to tell her colliding.

He had been sitting in the lobby for about ten minutes when he noticed Karen coming down the stairs. All his worries flew away when she saw him and smiled.

She was wearing a dark red dress that hugged her ample curves in all the right places. Her wild curls were tamed in an up do, some flyaway tendrils framing her heart-shaped face. Evan just wanted to sit there for hours and drink her in. Instead, he got up and embraced her, whispering, “You look amazing,” into her ear. A faint blush colored Karen’s cheeks, making her even more irresistible.

The drive to the restaurant was pretty intense. Evan had to remind himself to keep his eyes on the road but still kept stealing glances at her. However, it seemed she was not unaffected by him, either. She sat as close to him as she could, brushing up against his arm, smiling every time she caught him staring at her.

They talked about this and that – Karen’s latest job, her first impressions of Sweetwater, Evan’s family, how long he’d been living in the small town. The conversation continued to flow freely at the dinner table. Karen talked about her childhood, growing up on her grandparents´ farm. She said she loved the fresh air and easygoing nature of Sweetwater.

Evan told her about his brothers, how they stuck together after their father and Alpha of the Grimpaw clan died. Karen seemed curious about the shifter lifestyle but mostly refrained from asking questions and let him do the talking. When it came to work, Evan casually steered the conversation in another direction.

Not yet
, he thought.

“What do you want to do tomorrow?” Evan asked as they were finishing their desserts.

“Oh I don’t know, something outdoorsy? Gotta work off all the pasta,” Karen said with a little smile.

“We could go hiking. I know a great trail. The view from the top is breathtaking,” Evan suggested, adding,
Almost as breathtaking as you
, in his thoughts.

“That sounds great. You’ll pick me up in the morning?”

“Of course. You ready to go?” Evan said, taking care of the check.

Karen nodded and they made their way to the exit.

The night was uncharacteristically warm for early spring and they decided to take advantage of it and walk back to Bluejay’s. Karen slipped her hand in Evan’s, making his heartbeat accelerate. They strolled down the street in comfortable silence. Evan walked her up to the steps of the bed and breakfast, hesitant to let go of her even when they were standing in front of the door.

“I’ll see you tomorrow morning?” Karen said, a slight question in her voice.

“You definitely will,” Evan responded, looking into her bright emerald eyes.

“Well, I guess I…” Karen started.

But Evan couldn’t resist any longer. He needed to know if she tasted as good as she looked. He slipped a hand around her waist and pulled her close.

Karen’s eyes widened in surprise, but after a second, she wrapped her arms around his neck. Evan cupped her chin with his free hand. She leaned into the kiss, closing her eyes. Evan softly placed his lips on hers, starting out with light, probing little kisses. Karen let out a sigh, driving Evan over the edge.

His kiss grew deep, needing, unrelenting. Karen pressed herself against him, matching his fervor.

They didn’t stop until they both ran out of oxygen. The air around them was full of electricity. They stayed wrapped around each other for a while, panting.

“I would love to see where this is going,” Karen said, out of breath. “But I think I need to tread cautiously on this one. I’ve jumped into things before and it never ends well.”

“I understand,” Evan replied, dipping his head down and leaving a trail of kisses on Karen’s neck.

She melted in his hands like honey.

Good to know he hadn’t lost his touch.

“Oh my god,” Karen mumbled. “You better go before I rip off your clothes right here on the street,” she said, gasping.

Evan almost trembled at the thought.

“As you wish,” he said cheekily, releasing her and taking a step back.

Karen’s cheeks were pinker than usual, her lips slightly parted and a bit swollen. Evan’s bear gave a low roar, the growl reverbing through him.

Ours.

“I’m gonna go take a cold shower now,” Karen giggled, smiling with slight embarrassment.

“Thanks for the mental image,” Evan said with a wink.

“Get out of here already!” Karen laughed.

Evan turned around and started walking back to his car. The smile didn’t leave his face until he fell asleep.

He should have guessed that nothing could be that easy.

K
aren closed
the door behind her and made her way to the bathroom. She was giddy with excitement and unspent sexual energy. The whole night had been great – the conversation, the food, the lazy hand-in-hand walk back…

But that kiss was just something else. He quite literally made her weak in the knees. She would have loved to feel more of those strong hands on her body, but it was a first date after all. Not that she was into those what you can and can’t do on which date type of rules. That was nonsense to her.

Do what feels right, she always thought. But there was no point in rushing into things. While they had talked like old friends, Karen having conquered her awkwardness, she still didn’t know him well enough to jump into bed with him. No matter how much her body wanted to.

She kicked off her heels and peeled off her dress.

The cold shower thing is such a popular saying, there’s gotta be some truth to it, right?
she thought, stepping into the stall.

Once refreshed, Karen wrapped herself in the robe she found in the closet and pulled out her laptop. She sank into one of the armchairs by the coffee table and checked her e-mail with slight dread.

No new messages.

Her phone had been unusually quiet as well, save for a few calls from her mom. She couldn’t tell if that was a good sign or not.

But there was nothing from the temp agency either, which made her a little nervous. Even though Evan said Joe was going to give her a discount, she didn’t know how long she could afford the fancy room. Joe definitely hadn’t mentioned anything about prices. She decided to talk to him in the morning.

Karen rummaged through the closet, glad she had thought ahead and packed some Wyoming-appropriate clothing. She even had her running shoes with her, despite the fact that she hadn’t run in ages. She used to love it – the way it cleared her head and made her feel strong – but somehow life had gotten in the way and there just didn’t seem to be enough hours in the day. She was looking forward to the hike and using her muscles again.

Karen woke up to her alarm at seven thirty. There was a text on her phone from Evan, saying he would pick her up at around nine, if that was okay. Karen responded with a quick,
Can’t wait!
She brushed her teeth, got dressed and made her way downstairs for breakfast.

The dining area was mostly empty, save for one canoodling couple and a man in a business suit reading the newspaper.

Guess it’s still off-season
.

She picked up some fruit and eggs and bacon from the buffet and took a seat near one of the windows. It was a beautiful morning. When Joe came around to see how everything was going, she waved him down to her table.

“How’s your breakfast, pretty lady?” Joe asked with a smile.

“Delicious, thank you. There was just something I wanted to ask. We never really talked about prices and you put me in such a gorgeous room –” Karen started.

“I’m gonna stop you right there,” Joe said, holding up a hand.

“Evan is like a son to me and I haven’t seen him this excited in a long time. It’s hard to tell with him, but I’ve known him for a long time now. He may not let on, but that boy has a lot of hurt in his past. I wasn’t supposed to tell you, but he already told me he would take care of the bill. Not that I want his money, but he is one stubborn son of a bitch. And please, don’t let him know you know any of this, I just didn’t want you to worry,” he said.

Karen was dumbfounded.

“I have money saved up, he doesn’t need to… He didn’t even really know me before he invited me up here and…” Karen trailed off.

“Look, I think he just wants you to stay as long as you can and not rush back because of money. Please don’t take it as him thinking you can’t handle things on your own or anything like that,” Joe said, probably regretting he had opened his mouth.

Karen mulled it over.

“I can’t promise I won’t take it up with him.”

Joe sighed.

“I guess that was the risk I had to take. Don’t be too hard on him,” he noted, turning and making his way back to the lobby.

Karen finished her breakfast, went back to her room, changed into her workout gear and then sat outside in the courtyard until nine, soaking up the sunshine and thinking things over.

The sound of footsteps closing in behind her brought her back to reality.

“Joe told me you’d be out here. Ready to go?” Evan said.

Karen turned around with a smile, deciding not to pick a fight before she’d had a chance to really process everything Joe had told her.

“Let’s do this,” she chirped enthusiastically.

The trail was gorgeous. A moss-covered path snaking through dense forest, the sunlight passing the vibrant leaves. They had been hiking for about half an hour when Karen finally felt brave enough to ask the question that was still weighing on her mind.

“Is there anything about my past you want to ask me about? I’m the one who brought up the part about being an exotic dancer, and it’s only fair if you have questions. The way I phrased it, I don’t want you to feel like it’s a taboo topic.”

“Honestly, the only reason I would be interested in it is to know you better. I don’t judge you for it, but it is a part of your history. If you feel like you want to tell me something about it, you can, but it’s fine if you don’t,” Evan said after some consideration.

“I just want to make it clear that I’m not ashamed. At that point in my life, I was spinning. I didn’t know what I wanted and it seemed like easy money. The only reason I feel bad about it is because of how lost I felt,” Karen explained, surprised at how honestly the words flowed out.

“You have been very adamant about not being ashamed. Did someone try to make you feel like you should be?” Evan queried, his brow furrowing.

A perceptive man
, Karen’s inner voice noted.

“Well, I don’t think you’re supposed to talk about your exes on dates,” Karen hesitated.

“Screw the rules. Let’s just be who we are,” Evan said with passion in his voice.

Can’t argue with that.

“He started out as a client. I think we connected because he was lost as well. You wouldn’t think it by looking at him, but he’s a trust fund baby. Never had to work a day in his life. And since he didn’t
have
to do anything, he just kind of coasted. His feelings for me were stronger than mine for him, so I ended it. He didn’t take it well,” Karen recounted, inspired by Evan to just do what felt right. She didn’t want any secrets between them.

“He said something to you, after you broke up?” Evan prodded.

“I think “stripper whore” were the exact words used,” Karen said sourly. “I know he was just hurt and wanted to hurt me back, and it’s not like his opinion carries much weight… But I guess it still stung and brought out some deeper insecurity,” Karen continued with a sigh.

When Karen noticed that Evan had turned silent, she snuck a look at him, only to find that his hands were in fists, his knuckles white.

“What a puny man to say such things to a woman you deem to care about just because she rejected you,” he all but snarled.

Karen was caught off guard by his anger.

“It’s fine, really. It’s all in the past now,” she said, trying to calm him.

“It’s not fine, but you’re right. Let’s not let that ass put a damper on our day,” Evan reassured her, unclenching gingerly.

They made their way to a small clearing and Evan pulled a blanket, a thermos and some sandwiches out of his backpack.

“Time for a little break?” he asked, spreading out the blanket.

They both had some sandwiches and tea before lying down on the blanket and enjoying the rays of the afternoon sun on their faces. Evan inched closer and took her hand in his.

“I really appreciate you opening up to me, I know it can be scary,” he said, turning to face her. “If there’s anything you want to ask me, go ahead.”

“Well,” Karen started, trying to calm down the butterflies in her stomach and ignoring the urge to straddle him right then and there. “I did notice at dinner that you avoided the topic of your job.”

Evan shifted nervously.

“I help manage pack affairs. My brother Ethan is the Alpha and I’m his right hand. Me and Jameson, his lieutenant, take care of the more sensitive matters in clan politics. But I also have… I guess you could call it a hobby. I fight. Mixed martial arts. I have a guy who sets me up with matches in the underground scene.”

Karen mulled that over for a while.

“Isn’t that dangerous?” she finally asked.

“For those I fight, it sure is,” Evan quipped with a little laugh.

“I’m serious,” Karen said. “I can’t stand thinking about you hurt.”

Evan rolled over to his side to face her.

“Everything in this world is dangerous. It can’t stop us from living, from doing the things we love. I like pushing myself physically, testing my body’s limits. I guess part of it’s the animal inside of me, but moreover, it’s who I am.”

Karen turned to look into his hazel eyes. Who was she to judge? If this was what he loved to do, she couldn’t possibly be anything but supportive. Something occurred to her.

“I’ve never even asked you what you shift into,” she said. “Is that a rude question?”

Evan laughed. “Not at all. I could tell you… or I could show you.”

Karen pulled herself up to a sitting position, excited. “Really? Oh my god, yes!”

Evan got up and backed away from Karen as his skin started to ripple and twist around him. He was a large man already but somehow seemed to grow even bigger. Fur exploded out of his body, covering him in a shiny light brown coat.

Before Karen could even properly process what was happening in front of her, Evan had been replaced by a grizzly bear, slowly padding towards her. He lay down next to Karen, head on his paws, big black eyes staring up at her. She put her hand on his head, feeling the soft fur between her fingers. The bear sighed, closing his eyes and nudging his head into Karen’s lap, almost knocking her over. Karen giggled and started to pet him.

“Well aren’t you just a teddy bear?” she cooed.