Confessions of a Mail Order Bride - Complete (9 page)

Brad’s apartment was just like him…smooth and modern, yet masculine at the same time. I made a mental note to add a few feminine touches, but other than that, I could see myself fitting in quite well. I nestled onto the couch, flipping off my heels and tucking my legs underneath me.

“Drink, babe?” Brad asked.

“Sure, I’d love a glass of wine.”

“It’s coming right up.” Brad uncorked a bottle of red, poured a glass of wine and gulped it down. Then, he gulped down a second glass. Uh-oh, did he have a drinking problem?

But then, he pulled a clean wine glass from his cupboard, poured a single glass of wine, and handed it to me.

“You’re not having one with me?” I was surprised, but then again, I guess he had swilled down two already.

“Yeah I will, but if you don’t mind, I need to go for a run first.”

“You want to go for a run?” What the heck?

“Yeah, it just gets me cranked up,” Brad winked, “if you know what I mean.”

I knew exactly what Brad meant. It was common knowledge that going for a run increased a shifter’s sex drive. It just hurt a little that he needed to run before he made love to me. What was up with that?

“Oh…okay.”

Brad started pulling off his clothes. I’d never seen a shifter change before and it was fascinating to watch, not to mention I got the pleasure of Brad’s body. And what a body it was. Brad was chiseled, with a well-defined musculature. I made a point not to check out his package though. I would save that pleasure for later. As he stripped, his whole body bristled with an electric energy as his bones elongated, fur grew, and his body hunched over. In just moments he had transformed into his wolf, and it was shocking to see this hairy beast before me. He nudged the door open and was off.

I had no idea how long he’d be gone so I curled up on the couch. Despite my catnap earlier, I was still tired, and I decided to doze off for a while. It was hard to sleep though. I kept seeing Evan and Grant, and the look of hurt and disappointment in their eyes when I told them I had a different mate in mind.

It seemed like just minutes later that I felt soft kisses on my face. I looked up to see Brad standing over me with a towel wrapped around his waist.

“I just got out of the shower, babe. I think you’d better take one too.”

“Me? Do I look messy or something?”

Brad chuckled. “No, it will just refresh you. I left clean towels on the counter.

“Okaaay…” My guts thought it was a little weird that Brad wanted me totally washed before he made love to me. He seemed like a bit of a clean freak. But then again, how bad could that be?

I went into the bathroom, stripped down and took a hot shower. I made sure to clean everything thoroughly. I didn’t want any complaints from Brad.

I wrapped a towel around my body and went back into the bedroom. Brad was stretched out on the bed buck naked, a glass of wine in his hands. I did a double take as I took in his body. He was so perfect…like a Greek God. My eyes trailed down his muscular chest to his thighs. I gulped. He was generously endowed too. Brad was Mr. Perfect.

“Take off your towel,” Brad demanded. He set his wine down on the nightstand.

The first time I was naked in front of a man, I was always a little shy. I was comfortable with my curves and the scars on my belly, but I was never sure how a man would react. “I will,” I said. “Let me sit down for a minute first.” I sat down on the edge of the bed and took a deep breath. I knew I should be in heaven. I was here with the man of my dreams, Brad Stanford. Yet, there was a queasy feeling in my stomach. It wasn’t how I imagine it would be.

Brad reached his arm around my shoulders. “You’re a beautiful woman, Judith. I want to see all of your curves.”

As I nestled into his arms, I could feel myself let go a bit. It was only natural I was uncomfortable. I could end up with this man forever. I really wanted him to like…I mean love—me.

I stood up in front of Brad and looked directly in his eyes. Inhaling deeply, I dropped the towel.

Brad grinned and his eyes slowly trailed down my body, taking in my shoulders and breasts. As his eyes moved to my stomach, he flinched and recoiled in surprise.

“These are my, ah…scars.” I looked down at them. I had seen them so many times. But it was like I was seeing them for the first time when I looked through his eyes; zig zags of white, pink, red and brown, with a flat, lumpy, pickled, uneven texture that splattered against my belly and stood out against my otherwise smooth skin.

“I can see that,” he raised his brows. “What’s that all about?” he asked.

“Burn marks…I was burned in a campfire when I was a kid. My family took me to a bonfire and my shirt caught on fire from an ember.”

“I see. Well, that sucks.” He caught my eye, shaking his head, then looked back at my belly, grimacing. “Do they hurt?”

“They can itch sometimes when they are dry, but nothing like they did when they were healing.” I could feel a flush running across my naked skin. Wow, I knew the skin tissue was damaged and it was not the prettiest thing in the world, but the way he was making me feel right now…

He paused for a moment then he shook his head. “That’s terrible, Judith.” With one firm hand, he pulled my body towards his and down on the bed next to him. Wrapping his arms around me, he held me tightly. “You went through a lot. And you’re fucking beautiful.”

I breathed a sigh of relief. So, ok, Brad had been a little stunned at first, but I guess it could be shocking. I was so used to them I didn’t really see them for what they looked like anymore.

“Yeah, babe, you’re fucking gorgeous. And you and me…we’re going to make Shifter Villages our bitch.”

I giggled a little. Brad didn’t mince words. The minute I saw Brad and read his bio I saw us as a power couple…he just said it in a different way.

Brad kissed the top of my head. “You don’t have to worry about those scars anymore.”

“Oh, I’m not worried about them. I mean, I am not thrilled, but I’m used to them now. I consider them a badge of courage for what I went through.”

Brad laughed. “That’s good. I like your spunky attitude. But if you want to be with me, you got to be the bomb, babe.”

“What?” My eyes widened. “What are you saying?”

“I’m saying that we’ll get it taken care of. I’ve got a friend who is a plastic surgeon. He has lasers. Lasers can do wonders on burn scars.”

I pulled away from Brad, my jaw dropping open. “But, I…”

“Did you hear what I said, Judith? I’m sorry you got burned and everything, but we need to fix it. If you want to be with me, we need to get that ugly shit off your body, pronto.”

Wow…Brad was so handsome, so muscular, so successful, and yet…he was so fucking ugly.

I stared at him.

“What baby? What’s wrong?”

He didn’t have a clue. He really just didn’t have a clue.

He reached over to put his arm around me and I pushed him away. This was the man I’d thought was my dream man, my forever guy, my life’s partner…and he wasn’t that at all. I’d wanted that special someone so badly that I’d imagined something that wasn’t…the same mistake I’d made with my first two husbands.

I felt like crying but I blinked back the tears. After all, the nights I’d gone through as a child, tormented because of the pain the scars caused me and from the teasing the other kids gave me…this grown assed shifter man was not going to make me cry again. My crying days were over.

“I appreciate you telling me how you feel, Brad,” I said coldly. I turned my back to him and walked towards the bathroom.

“Judith!”

I turned back to look at him. He was such a big man, but somehow he just looked so small on the bed.
 

“Oh, come on…if you really want to keep those scar things you can. I just don’t know why you would. You have a beautiful, luscious, curvy body. You’re a bit big, but I like that, more to hold on to.”

I watched as Brad drew the curves of a woman’s body in the air with his hands.

“And your ass, I love that bubble butt.”

“Ugh,” I curled my lower lip and shook my head. He just didn’t get it. Brad Stanford didn’t have a clue.

I turned away again and walked into the bathroom. I closed the door tightly and leaned against it. What the hell had I been thinking? With trembling fingers, I pulled on my red dress. I didn’t waste time to zip up the back. I walked back into the bedroom.

“Judith, what the heck…?” Brad raised his eyebrows.

“Goodbye, Brad,” I slipped my heels on, grabbed my pocketbook and headed towards the door. “I’ll let myself out.”

“Wait a fucking minute. You can’t go walking out on me. Get your ass back in here or I’ll…”

“You’ll do what, Brad?” I turned back to look at him. His nostrils were flaring and his eyes had narrowed into beady slits. What had I been thinking?

I opened the door to the apartment and walked out, slamming it shut. I could feel my heart thumping in my chest and my stomach was in knots. 

I hadn’t gone a few steps before I heard heavy breathing behind me.

“Judith,” Brad’s voice called out.

I ignored him and kept walking.

“Judith, come on and give a guy a break,” Brad whined. “I didn’t mean to hurt your feelings.”

“Well, you did,” I yelled over my shoulder. I could feel my body shaking. “Just leave…leave me the hell alone!”

“Is everything ok here?” A man stepped out from behind a tree.

In the early evening sky I could make out a scruffy beard and the sound of a familiar bear’s growly voice. “Evan?” My eyes widened in surprise.

“Yes, it’s me Judith,” Evan responded. “Are you ok?”

“I’m here too,” Grant said, appearing beside him. “Did he hurt you?”

“What are you two fucktards doing here?” Brad grumbled.

“The question is not what we’re doing here. It’s what you’re doing here.” Grant cocked his brow. “Didn’t you hear the lady tell you to leave?”

“Like hell I will. This one’s mine,” Brad hissed as he moved closer to me.

I took a step back from him. No wonder people said Shifter Villages was rowdy. This was sheer craziness and I was right in the thick of it.

“No, she’s not yours,” Grant growled. Grant quickly walked towards me and wrapped his arm protectively around my shoulder.

Brad hunched over and I knew instantly what was coming. I recognized that posture from earlier in the evening.

“He’s shifting!” I yelled.

But it was too late to stop him. In seconds he had transformed into his wolf. His bones crunched and elongated as hair sprouted on his body. His pelt bristled as he bared his fangs, his lips spread wide open. Then he leapt onto Evan, knocking him to the ground. Pinning Evan down, Brad lunged for his neck, his incisors snapping.

Grant grabbed my arm and pulled me a short distance away. “Stay here,” he yelled.

I watched in shock as Grant transformed into his bear. If I’d thought Brad’s transformation was astonishing, Grant’s was even more so. His chest exploded, with tufts of dark blondish brown fur, and a giant hump emerged from his back. His sheer size overwhelmed me. I’d always thought of bears as cute and cuddly, but Grant was far from that. This was not your childhood teddy. Grant was monstrous!

He shot me an intense gaze, his snout flaring, and then he was off. The anger was palpable as the grizzly growled and rushed towards Brad and Evan. I’d never realized how fast bears could run and how huge they were. He towered over Brad.

I gasped as the giant bear took a swipe at Brad’s fur with his sharp claws. The wolf howled in pain as blood gushed from an open wound. Brad had been holding down Evan to keep him from shifting and was gnawing at his neck, but with Grant on him he had no choice but to release Evan and try to take on the massive furry bear or try to get the hell away. As Grant roared, Brad realized he was no match for the grizzly. Letting go of his hold on Evan, Brad yipped and made a run for it, his neck bleeding as he ran.

“Thanks, brother,” Evan said, pulling himself up and dusting himself off. “You made short work of him.”

The grizzly nodded and rubbed his fur lightly against my skin. Then he moved a short distance away and turned his back to us. I watched, amazed as he transitioned from a burly bear back into his brawny man. His backside was strong and muscular with a firm ass coated with a light gleam of sweat. He yanked on a pair of jeans and his tee.

“Really Grant, thanks for jumping in there,” Evan grinned. “Brad was on my neck and I couldn’t breathe to transition. But next time, I get to be the hero.”

In the distance I could hear the sound of several fire truck sirens. Someone must have reported the fight and they were coming to break it up. Well, better late than never.

Grant laughed at Evan’s words, but his face grew serious as he looked towards me. “Are you ok, Judith?”

“I’m fine…a little shook up and shocked…but fine.”

“Shocked? What happened? Did Brad do something to you back there…?” Grant asked, concern creasing his face.

“No, it was just the shock of seeing you transition.”

“Oh, haha, you’ll get used to it.”

“What are you guys doing here anyway?”

Grant looked at Evan and shrugged. “We don’t like or trust Brad. We know what kind of shifter he is.”

“What do you mean?”

“He does a lot of real estate transactions and we think some of them are shady. No one has caught him yet, but we have our suspicions.” Grant said.

“Yeah he has a property management division also. We rented a property from him, the old Crazy Cakes Bakery site.”

“Was that the bakery that burned down?” I asked.

“Yep, that’s the place,” Evan nodded his head.

I furrowed my brows. “I remember Vic, the owner of the ‘Luscious Lad and Ladies Marriage Mates’ site saying something to me about his brother Max being blamed for that.”

“Yep, Deputy Bob had some lame excuse about Max being in the area and having a lighter. He arrested Max and threw him in the slammer. But he’s out now.”

“Anyway,” Grant said, “We think that Brad had something to do with the fire. We’ve heard his investments haven’t been going so well lately and he needed cash. We think he wanted to collect money on the fire insurance.”

“Whoa…” It was hard to believe that Brad could be so conniving, but then again…maybe not.

“Ok, ok…but why were you hanging around Brad’s house? Why not just report your suspicions to the police?”

“Well, to be honest, when we saw him leave the wedding with you, we were concerned about your well-being,” Evan said. “We just wanted to make sure that nothing happened to you.”

“Oh wow,” I could take care of myself but it gave me a warm feeling inside to know they felt protective towards me.

“Judith,” Grant said softly He looked at me, his expression a mix of sweet love and sheer desire.

I could feel his warm cocoa eyes probing into my soul.

“We want to be with you all the time, in every way. We know you are our mate—our intended,” Grant motioned to Evan. “We both feel it.”

I glanced at Evan. He had that same longing and loving gaze in his eyes.

A shiver went through my spine. I’d always been the one to choose my man. Maybe it had something to do with always wanting to be in control, something I hadn’t been when I was burned. Maybe it was time to give up some of that control. I looked at Evan and Grant again. They were staring at me intently hanging on my every move and word—hope in their eyes. These two men had fought for me. They were kind and good, and even the scruffy beards had grown on me…in fact they were really kind of sexy. They deserved a chance!