Big Bear Trouble: BBW Werebear Shapeshifter Romance (Sweetwater Brides) (4 page)

E
van had long mastered
his animal side. He knew when to release it and how to hold it back. But when he opened up that part of him to Karen, he was shocked at how different it felt. The bear was so calm, Evan didn’t even need to pull on the reins. The big beast was putty in Karen’s hands.

We have that in common
, he thought wryly.

He had fallen completely under her spell. The way he caught Karen looking at him gave him hope that the feeling was mutual. They had spent hours out on the clearing, lying next to each other, talking and laughing. It was a perfect lazy Sunday. Driving back into town, they started making plans for the evening.

Dinner again tonight?” Evan asked.

“Sure,” Karen agreed. “But I got the feeling Pierre’s isn’t your usual hangout. Just take me somewhere you’d usually go. You don’t need to impress me, I’m plenty impressed already.”

“I’ve got just the place in mind,” Evan said, stopping the car in front of Bluejay’s.

He opened the door for her and watched her disappear into the building.

Evan used the couple of free hours he had to clean his apartment and get a quick workout in. He had barely gotten back home when his cellphone rang. It was Everett, his youngest brother.

“
Hey, bro, what you been up to
?” Everett said with laughter in his voice.

“Oh you know, same old. What’s up, you need something?”

“
Dude, same old my ass. Don’t think I haven’t heard about you running around town with some smoking hot redhead. Spill!
” Everett’s tone was both accusatory and playful.

Evan sighed deeply. Guess it was just a matter of time.

“Her name is Karen and I met her on a dating site, okay?”

“
Am I running out of single brothers or what… Is it serious? Can I meet her? How long is she in town for?
” Everett rattled off excitedly.

“Cool down, brother. You’ll meet her when I say you’ll meet her, okay? Now I’ve got stuff to do, I’ll talk to you later.”

Everett got out a,
“This isn’t over!”
before Evan hung up on him.

Evan shook his head. He’d thought he’d have her all to himself for a while longer. Now that the cat was out of the bag, they’d all start hounding him.

Better warn her at dinner tonight.

Evan met Karen at the bed and breakfast at around eight. She was wearing a plain white t-shirt and a black skirt, showing off her gorgeous legs. They walked to Maisy’s diner hand in hand, the air around them thick and heady with something Evan couldn’t quite name. As they entered, he guided them to his favorite booth by a window in the back. Maisy appeared within seconds with menus.

“Hey ya, lovebirds. Just signal when you’re ready to order,” she said, giving Karen a friendly smile.

They both decided on a burger and fries, stealing glances at each other between bites.

“I really like this place. It feels comfortable,” Karen spoke, breaking the silence.

“I’m not much of a cook so I come here quite often. Plus Maisy’s a friend,” Evan commented, happy to hear Karen shared his appreciation for the diner.

“Has your family always lived in Sweetwater?”

“Yes, the Grimpaw clan settled here a long time ago. We shifters don’t do well in big cities and the nature here is still relatively untouched. A lot of space for bears to roam. There’s a wolf pack in the area as well, for the same reasons. Clans don’t usually like living this close to each other, but we’ve been able to keep things civil,” Evan explained.

Most of the time, anyway,
he added in his thoughts, not wanting to scare Karen.

“While we’re on the subject of family, I think mine has grown interested in you. I got a call from my brother Everett earlier. I told him I wasn’t ready to share you just yet, but knowing my brothers… Just a heads up.”

“You and your brothers are very close, aren’t you,” Karen marked.

“We’re the only family we’ve got left,” Evan replied, sounding slightly melancholy.

“I’ve only got my mom. I’ve always wanted to be part of a big family, lots of brothers and sisters… didn’t turn out that way. You’re lucky,” she mused.

“I guess I am. I’d do anything for them, and they’d do anything for me,” Evan said matter-of-factly.

He noticed that Karen was fidgeting with the straw of her milkshake, distracted, looking like she was gearing up for something.

“Is something wrong?” Evan asked.

She took a deep breath, her gaze flicking up to him.

“I talked to Joe this morning. I was worried about how long my savings were going to last, and he said you’d already offered to pay for my room. I know it’s coming from a good place, but I am my own woman and I wouldn’t feel comfortable taking your money. And I don’t know how I feel about you making this kind of decision for me,” Karen said, sounding a bit rehearsed.

She had obviously put a lot of thought into it. Evan’s heart sank. It was never his intention to make her feel underestimated or bought off.

“I’m very sorry. I guess I didn’t think it through. I have no doubt that you are a very capable, strong woman. It’s just that you came all the way out here to see me, it didn’t seem fair,” Evan said, reaching across the table to take Karen’s hand.

“I did come a long way to see you, but it was my decision and I knew what I was getting into. I really do appreciate the gesture, I just needed to clear the air,” she explained, seemingly relieved as she squeezed his hand.

“I don’t want this evening to end,” Evan said as they were walking out of the diner.

“What do you have in mind?” Karen asked.

“Why don’t I show you my place? It’s nothing fancy, but it’s mine.”

Karen considered it for a moment as Evan waited nervously. He didn’t have many visitors – his home was his sanctuary. For whatever reason, he wanted Karen to see his world. The desire to share every part of him was unlike anything he’d ever felt before.

“I’d love to see your place,” she finally said.

E
van’s place
was a reflection of him, masculine and minimalist. It was a one-bedroom apartment with a spacious living room and a small kitchen area. Everything was streamlined and monochrome, top of the notch electronics, including a PlayStation and an Xbox.

Karen made her way through the living room, glancing at the framed photos on the way. A couple of him and his family, one of him skydiving with someone who looked enough like him for her to assume that it was one of his brothers. She had noted a mountain bike attached to the wall in the hallway.

“So… you have a lot of hobbies,” she remarked cautiously.

“You think I’m an adrenaline junkie?” Evan laughed and seemed to think about it for a second. “I guess that’s not far off, to be fair.”

“Aren’t you afraid at all?” Karen asked. Living life to the fullest was one thing but chasing an adrenaline high with little to no consideration for one’s safety was quite another. Evan closed the distance between them.

“It’s only dangerous if you’re bad at it,” he said, leaning into her, his breath caressing her neck.

Karen couldn’t hide the shiver that ran down her spine and she could see the smile tugging at Evan’s lips.

Two can play at this game
, she thought.

She got on her tiptoes, brushing her body up against him, dragging her lips across his cheek until she could reach his ear.

“And I bet you’re real good at it,” she whispered.

A low, guttural groan escaped Evan’s throat.

“You’re not playing fair.”

“Neither were you,” Karen answered, excited and pleased by the effect she had on him.

Evan slowly and deliberately walked her back until she bumped against the wall. He slipped his hand to the back of her neck, softly massaging his way up, tangling his fingers in her hair. His hard body pressed against hers, creating friction in the most delicious places.

Karen got on her tiptoes again, reaching to his lips. That was all the invitation Evan needed to drown her in a kiss that quite literally took her breath away. She wrapped her arms around him, pulling him even closer.

Slipping her fingers underneath his shirt, she felt the cool, toned skin of his back. Evan’s hand dipped to her thigh, sliding up under her skirt. Karen felt the blood rushing to the pit of her stomach as Evan’s deft fingers found their way to just the right spot, slowly swirling, driving her mad. She moaned into his mouth, prompting him to move faster, but he tore his lips from hers.

“Still wanna play?” he said raspily, wild eyes roaming her face.

“Why don’t you show me the bedroom next,” Karen got out between panting breaths.

Evan grabbed her into his arms, pulling her legs around his waist and making his way to the bed. They fell onto it together, a tangled mess of limbs and desire.

Karen all but tore off Evan’s shirt so she could run her hands over the smooth muscles of his chest. She didn’t want anything between them, just skin on skin. Evan slid off her t-shirt and unclasped her bra in record time and started kissing down her neck, making his way to her breasts. His hand was back under her skirt, making her insides quiver.

Karen started fumbling with his belt, her attention faltering when Evan started teasing her nipples with his tongue. Excruciating pleasure started mounting within her body, building and building to unreachable heights until it exploded through her, forcing a scream from her mouth as her back arched.

Evan wrapped his arms around her, planting soft kisses on her neck and arms as she recovered. She slid her hand down his stomach to the bulge in his jeans. Slowly stroking him, she moved her lips to his, teasingly planting little kisses around his mouth. Evan’s eyes closed, his body starting to move along with her hand.

She pushed him on his back, pulling down his pants and underwear, and then her eyes grew wide.

He is definitely well-endowed
, she thought.

She wrapped her lips around him, enjoying the gasp it drew from Evan. As her head moved up and down, Evan’s moans grew louder. Suddenly he pulled her back up to him, drawing her into a feral kiss.

He got a condom out of a drawer from the bedside table and put it on. Karen straddled him, slowly moving up and down his shaft before taking him inside. She started slowly riding him while his hands roamed whatever parts of her body he could reach, finally stopping at her bottom, squeezing and kneading.

Karen could feel the pressure start to build inside her again as she began moving faster and faster. In one swift move, Evan flipped them over. Karen was now on her back, her legs still wrapped around him. He moved hard and fast, using his hands to lift her butt, hitting just the right spot inside her.

Karen’s thoughts grew frenzied as her body started to shake under overwhelming waves of pleasure. Another scream reverberated through the apartment, this time echoed by Evan’s.

As they lay in bed, sweaty, spent and still wrapped around each other, Karen could finally think about what had just happened.

Was it the best sex she had ever had?
Yes
.

Was the man she just fell into bed with an MMA fighting adrenaline junkie who didn’t even live in the same state as her?

Also true.

But she couldn’t quite get herself to feel the amount of concern she thought was appropriate for the situation at hand.

“I can practically hear the gears turning in your head,” Evan said, pulling her out of her rumination. “Having second thoughts?”

“Weirdly, no,” Karen replied, thinking out loud.

“Ouch,” Evan laughed.

“No, no, that’s not what I meant,” Karen rushed.

“It’s okay, I’m not worried. I don’t think anyone would put that much effort into faking it,” Evan said with an impish smile.

Karen mock-punched him in the arm. She couldn't even make him wince – big surprise.

“Arrogant much? Anyways, I better get back to Bluejay’s before I doze off.”

“Well now you’ve really hurt my feelings. Didn’t peg you for the “hit it and quit it” type,” Evan teased, playing with her hair.

“It’s just that all my stuff is there and you really don’t want to wake up next to someone who doesn’t have a toothbrush handy,” Karen said, admiring the way Evan’s muscles flexed and rippled when he moved.

“Then we’ll just bring your stuff here.”

“What are you saying?” Karen asked, propping herself up on one elbow.

“I’m saying I want to spend every second I can with you, and I also don’t want Joe to have to deal with guests complaining about the incessant sex-noises coming from your room,” Evan winked.

“Yeah, that would be awkward,” Karen said, snuggling into his shoulder and grinning.

Wyoming was turning out to be pretty damn fun.

E
van snuck
out of bed at around ten, determined to cook the woman still asleep in his bed some breakfast. Luckily, he had recently stocked his fridge.

Foresight?

He whipped up some scrambled eggs and left strips of bacon sizzling on the pan and coffee brewing while he brushed his teeth.

His phone buzzed in his jacket pocket in the hallway. It was Ethan sending him a text about a meeting later that day. When he got back to the kitchen, Karen was standing in the doorway, rubbing her eyes and wearing his t-shirt. Her curls were in a wild tangle and there were specks of mascara under her eyes.

She was completely adorable.

“Something smelled good,” she mumbled through a yawn.

“You smell good,” he murmured, planting a kiss on her neck.

Evan sat her down at the small kitchen table and poured her a glass of orange juice.

“Thanks,” Karen smiled. “Hey, I thought you couldn’t cook,” she added, slightly accusatory.

“I’m no chef, but it’s not like I’ll starve on my own,” Evan said, scooping some eggs and bacon onto a plate and placing them in front of Karen. She inhaled everything within minutes.

“S’good,” she got out between bites and Evan let out a low laugh.

“Guess you really worked up an appetite last night,” he said, getting himself a plate of food and sitting down opposite her.

“Sure did,” Karen smiled. “You got like some mouthwash or something? I’d like to kiss you soon but I’m feeling real gross,” she said before gulping down the last of her OJ.

“Feel free to rummage around in my bathroom. Then we can go to Joe’s and get your stuff,” Evan smiled, excited by the thought of Karen spending her nights in his bed.

“So you were serious about that,” Karen mused, more a statement than a question.

“I was. I don’t want to waste any more time being away from you,” he said, feeling the bear inside him stir in agreement.

“Let’s go for it, then,” Karen nodded.

It was another beautiful day and Evan and Karen decided to walk to Joe’s. She didn’t have that much stuff anyway, and Evan could carry her suitcase easily. They took the scenic route through the little park in the town center.

Since it was a Monday, not many people were out and about. A figure stood at the far side of the park, oddly still and facing them. The build seemed like that of a man, but the face was obscured by a dark hood drawn low over his face.

“Who hides in a black hoodie on a day like this,” Evan mused aloud.

His predatory instincts stirred, telling him he was being watched. Karen shifted her gaze to align with his.

“I guess it is a little weird… Hmm, there’s something a little familiar…” she said, squinting in the sunlight.

The figure turned around and started walking hastily away from them.

“Never mind,” Karen finished. “I think I’m imagining things,” she concluded with a nervous laugh.

They arrived at Bluejay’s and made their way to the back office to see Joe. He was sitting at his table, only the top of his head peeking out from behind the mountains of files.

“Hey, Joe, how’s it going?” Evan asked.

“How does it look like it’s going,” Joe sighed. “I just don’t even know where to begin.”

“Well, you could start by separating your accounting records from your bank records. See, your deposit slips are mixed in with your income statements,” Karen suggested, pointing at some papers flying around Joe’s desk.

The man looked at her as if she’d just flown down from heaven.

“You know about this stuff?” he said, eyes sparkling.

“Sure, with enough nine to fives, you’re bound to pick things up,” Karen smiled.

“But that’s not actually what we’re here about,” Evan interjected. “Karen’s here to pack up her stuff, she’s going to be staying with me from now on,” he said, pride in his voice.

“Great, great,” Joe waived him off. “But I’ve just had the best idea.”

Evan groaned. This was never good.

“Instead of paying for the room, why doesn’t Karen just help me a bit with this madness here,” Joe winked.

Before Evan could protest, Karen had already chirped, “Sure!” and plopped herself down on the chair next to Joe.

“This was supposed to be a vacation,” Evan reminded her.

“I’m plenty rested and I can’t stand just sitting around with my hands in my lap,” Karen said. “Plus he
really
needs my help,” she added, whispering.

I can think of a few other places you could keep your hands,
he thought, leaving it to himself.

“Alright then, I have some pack matters I need to take care of, anyways. Call me when you’re done here and we can pack up your stuff.”

Karen let out a half-hearted, “mhm”, already engrossed in the documents in front of her.

Evan went back to his apartment and jumped in his truck. He took the back roads only their family knew about, weaving through the thick forest on the outskirts of town. In about fifteen minutes, the foliage began to thin and the road started to widen, making way to a weathered driveway.

The former Grimpaw family home was a sprawling red brick complex, reminiscent of times past, when servants and chefs still lived on the premises and ballrooms hosted everyone who was anyone.

Now the house was empty, hollow echoes roaming through the once lively halls. Both the exterior and interior had been left unattended, causing it to be in different states of disrepair. There were no more servants and certainly no more fancy parties, not for a very long time.

Since members of the Grimpaw clan lived in cottages in the wilderness surrounding the town, free to roam the forest in their bear form whenever they pleased, they had no use for the large, lavish house. Evan was an exception when it came to his living arrangements. He felt somewhat disconnected from the clan, which prompted him to abandon his cabin and move into town.

Evan was greeted at the door by Jameson, a tall, sinewy man with clear blue eyes. Ethan valued his opinion greatly and so did Evan. Jameson patted him on the back.

“Good to see you. Ethan is waiting for us upstairs,” he said.

They made their way up the once grand stairway to a corner room on the second floor. It looked like it used to be a study. Bookcases lined the walls, the wood damp and starting to rot. Ethan was inspecting the floor, checking the structural integrity.

Noticing Evan, Ethan got to his feet and pulled his brother into a quick hug before holding him by the shoulders and examining his face.

“Is that a smile I see, Evan Grimpaw?” he said with mock incredulity. “Anything to do with a mysterious redhead Everett’s been telling us about?”

“Everett should learn to think before he speaks,” Evan remarked.

“I’ll leave you to teach him that, brother. Ain’t got the patience,” Ethan said, leaning against an old desk in the middle of the room. Evan crossed his arms, Jameson mirroring the gesture by his side.

“Why are we meeting here, anyway? This place is a mess.” Evan asked, sniffing the air. “And it smells bad,” he added.

“This property has been in our family for generations and we haven’t really done anything with it. I just thought it would be a great place for clan get-togethers.”

Ethan waived a hand around the room.

“Plus, fixing this place up would be quite a challenge,” he grinned.

Evan looked around, noting water damage, exposed beams and rotten floorboards.

“It sure would,” he remarked, cocking a brow.

“Okay, let’s get to why I called this meeting,” Ethan said, getting down to business.

“Isn’t much of a meeting with just the three of us,” Evan retorted.

“Yeah, rest of the higher ranks are all out calming things down in Arizona and I didn’t think anyone else needed to know.”

“Needed to know what?” Evan asked right as Jameson spoke up.

“You know we aren’t exactly on the best of terms with the Clearpond wolf pack,” he started.

“Yeah, kicking their asses probably didn’t help,” Evan snorted. Jameson grinned, probably remembering the battle with the wolves.

“Exactly, and I thought they would be licking their wounds, trying to recuperate. But it seems they’re up to something,” Ethan said, picking up where Jameson had left off.

Wolves and bears had never had the easiest of relationships. One would think that shifters might stick together, but that wasn’t the case. Most shifters were very territorial, and the Grimpaws had been steadily edging out the wolves in Sweetwater, buying up more land. Suffice to say, the mutts were not happy about that. They had even taken a shot at Jennifer, Ethan’s wife, when she first moved to Sweetwater and bought property there.

That was something they had grown to regret – never mess with a bear’s mate.

“Let me guess,” Evan said, fists clenching. “Jamie Clearpond is right in the middle of it.”

Some people just don’t learn.

“That’s what I’ve heard,” Jameson shrugged.

“Just thought you’d want a heads up,” Ethan interjected.

“Thanks. Is that all? I should be getting back into town,” Evan huffed, shifting impatiently. He had only been away from Karen for a few hours tops, but it felt like forever.

“All for now. I’ll keep you updated. We’re thinking about having a little barbeque at my place on Friday. The little ones would sure like to see their uncle. And you’re welcome to bring a date,” Ethan said, smirking like he knew too much.

Can’t keep anything to myself in this damn town.

“Real subtle,” Evan grinned. “I’ll let you know,” he added before making his way back towards the stairs.

“It was good seeing you,” Ethan called out after him.

Evan didn’t respond.