Shifters on Fire: A BBW Shifter Romance Boxed Set (35 page)

Talia

Auntie Nani was like the grandmother everyone wishes for. She had a great round belly and claimed that I should trust no cook who was skinny. Her salt and pepper curls were rolled and twisted into a bun at the nape of her neck and pinned with long clips that had sea shells attached to them.

Her husband, Tim, was from Oregon and the two couldn’t be more opposites to the naked eye. But when they looked at each other, anyone could see that they were complimenting pieces of one soul.

Kolani curled one hand around my waist. “I think we should be going. Auntie Nani has probably had enough of me for one day.”

Nani laughed but a tear sprang to her eye which she whisked away with the edge of her apron before it fell. “Come back sooner. Bring this flower with you. I like her. And she needs practice with the gravy.”

I had tried, but Nani didn’t approve completely—so that meant it wasn’t good enough.

“I will.”

Nani took both of my hands and kissed the tops of each one. “My dear girl…” She looked up and shot a look at the people around us who scattered like ants scattered from water. “Listen to me well. If you would let him, he would change it all for you. I know that look in my brother’s son’s eyes. He’d give his very life for your heart. And I know you have other plans—I see the hesitance in you. Just—try not to break my boy’s heart. They act tough and have big muscles, but they break like glass.”

I nodded and then she had to wipe away my tear.

~~*~~

When I got to the SUV, I could see the question on his face, but I didn’t want to lie to him and there was no reason for him to know what Nani said, so I changed the subject.

“It’s getting late. We’d better get my things moved into your room in case your mom comes early.”

He checked the time on his watch and nodded in agreement. “We should. You’re right. After that, maybe we can sneak into the movies? It’s been ages since I did that.”

My facial expression questioned him.

“I have to sneak in—sometimes when I go into the city people recognize me.”

“You can’t be serious.” I knew he was in the papers and news but it couldn’t be that bad.

He stopped at a stop sign and crossed his arms over his chest. “Are you going to help me sneak in or not? There’s a new Bond movie.”

I thought about it. Kolani was not a small person and I couldn’t imagine how in the hell I could sneak him into anything smaller than an arena.

There was a glint in his eye and I wondered for a second if anyone else got to see this. Did anybody in his world get to see how almost lovable he could be when he let loose? Probably not. If they did, certainly they would force him to take a vacation more often.

“I think I can handle that. Do you have a plan?”

He bounced one shoulder. “I was actually just kidding. I can’t believe you bought it. I’m not a celebrity, Talia. Most people either despise me or are scared of me. Don’t know why—it just is.”

I bit my top lip against it, but the words flowed anyway. “If they could all see you like this—with your Auntie—in the ocean—without the suit—they’d all love you.”

Kolani

Questions loomed on my tongue, but I didn’t ask them. Things were going too well.

Something was coming to fruition inside me—but it didn’t feel new—like it had been buried all along and I’d just discovered it—or rediscovered it.

In front of me, I watched her ascend the stairs, the swish of her full hips made me grind my jaw in frustration.

She was my mate—in words only.

I had time, didn’t I?

By the time my hand landed on the top of the bannister and she parted ways with me to retrieve her suitcase, my mind had completely turned and conjured a plan that wouldn’t allow her to leave—would make her mine once and for all.

She’d been wrong the whole time. When we’d made the deal all those months ago she told me that she no longer believed in true mates—or love—or a happy marriage.

And I was dead wrong for agreeing with her.

Talia was mine and I intended to claim my mate.

My bedroom was clean and the bed was made but I checked everything to make sure it was all suitable. I almost panicked with my newfound goal in mind—nothing seemed good enough. The mating bond nearly pushed me over in its haste to make itself known.

For the life of me, I never knew it happened like this—an eternity in a span of seconds.

“Kolani? You okay?” Her voice overrode the tide of knowing and plunged me back into reality.

“Of course. Yes. Sorry.” Why in the hell was I apologizing? Stammering didn’t suit me.  She was holding her suitcase and bending sideways to take the weight. That wouldn’t do. The force I used to take her stuff from her nearly severed her arm and my wolf snapped its jaws in my head.

I needed to get a grip.

She put her palm to my forehead. “Are you okay? You’re acting weird.”

“I’m fine. Maybe a little nervous with my mom coming. She can spot a lie from a mile away. I just don’t’ want to ruin this for you.”

She giggled and it threw me off. There might never be balance in my life again with this female around.

“What’s funny?” I said, grabbing the Xbox controller and TV remote.

“You’re scared of your mom? I just can’t imagine it. You’re this big, burly guy who runs a company with a ton of employees, but your mom coming to visit has you looking like you’re about to throw up. It’s fine. She won’t suspect anything. And even if she does, all of this will end sooner than later.”

There was no emotion in her tone or on her face.

“And what if I don’t want to it to end?” I flipped on the TV and put Netflix on the Xbox. I kept my eyes trained on the TV, not willing to look at her expression, which was probably shock or maybe disgust.

“Don’t be silly,” she said, hopping up onto my King-sized bed and taking the controller from me. “Oh, man! I haven’t seen half of these movies. You’re in such trouble now. I’m never leaving this bed.”

Squeals from my female and swooshing noises from her scrolling through Netflix was all I heard for the next half hour as she found movies, made her own profile, and made a list of movies to watch. There’s a lot you can tell about a person from her Netflix choices. Talia was paradox. She had horror movies, historical romance, and documentaries bundled together in some kind of trail mix of movies.

“Really? Super-Size me next to Pride and Prejudice?” I flicked her hip. She looked down at the place where I’d touched her like she’d forgotten she owned a hip.

Her irises zeroes in on me. “You have an issue with Pride and Prejudice?”

Crossing my arms behind my head, I stuck my bottom lip out and then answered, “Nope. No problem at all. I’m down with Darcy. Jane is hot.”

Her lip curled. “The older sister? Please. I didn’t know you went for blondes.”

I tugged on her hair. “I don’t. But in that version, Jane was hotter than Lizzy. Get over it.”

She took it out of her list.

We said nothing as she added more to her list—a lot more than three months’ worth of movies, by a long shot.

“I thought we were going to the movies.” She said, making the screen go dark.

The only reason I’d suggested the movies was to keep myself away from home. It wasn’t really a home to me. The four-thousand square-foot home might as well have been a stark hotel room for all the comfort it afforded me.

But with Talia here—with her scent surrounding me—there wasn’t anywhere else I wanted to be at that moment.

“It’s getting late and my mom will be here tomorrow morning. I kind of want you all to myself tonight. How about I order in and you can pick the movie?”

A look outside told me the afternoon was thinning and night was about to take its shift. It had been months, maybe longer since I’d seen the daylight not through an office window.

Sometimes we miss things so long and with such fervor that burying them is easier than remembering. That’s what I had done with life—living. I’d buried it so far down that I had no choice but to forget it existed.

Less than twenty-four hours with Talia had uncovered all my hard work.

Damn her and bless her all at the same time.

“Did you hear me?” I heard her say and from her irritated tone, I suspected I’d missed more than my fair share of the conversation.

“I didn’t. I’m sorry. Did you decide?”

Squinting her eyes before jumping off the bed, she crossed her arms and by the look in her eyes, I thought she might be about to tell me off or worse—except I didn’t know her well enough to know what exactly what would be worse.

“I said, let’s eat here. I don’t really like take out or fast food. People assume that because I’m…” she patted her stomach. “Anyway, a movie sounds great. I’m not really hungry yet.”

My wolf kicked up at the insinuation. People assumed a lot of things about me too. But the last thing people should assume was that they knew anything about Talia. I had a feeling that even if she and I were in a true mating for life that I would never know half of who she was.

“People assume too much. But I don’t assume anything. And you…” I got up and walked past her, popping my hand against her bottom. “I assume nothing about you, just like you should assume nothing about me.”

I left my mated female standing in my bedroom with her mouth hung open.

Talia

What in the hell has gotten into him? Ever since we left Aunt Nani’s restaurant, he’s been—almost flirty—which is ridiculous since he was wasting that on the wrong girl.

And this wrong girl wanted to push it off as nothing, but the she-wolf inside knew there was something more—my hackles raised every time he touched me.

I tried to ignore his phone as it continually gonged with unchecked messages. He would check them and then not respond back, choosing instead to delete the messages.

After he left the room, leaving me speechless, the damned thing went off again.

I picked it up, the biggest phone I’d ever seen, and brought it downstairs, putting it in his t-shirt’s front pocket while he microwaved popcorn.

“It’s this woman—Raya. She and I went on three dates—three. And now she’s taken to texting me every five minutes and it’s not words—it’s pictures.”

Gripping the counter next to me, my heart rammed against my ribs in a furious drum. Without thinking, I jerked the phone from his pocket and thumbed through the texts. There were pictures of her—and nothing was left to the imagination.

He watched on. “I don’t look at them if I can help it. I usually just delete them. But she’s been sending them to me non-stop lately. So I muted the conversation.”

Pushing the phone back at his chest, violently, the question tumbled out of my mouth, “Why not just block her? There must be a reason you don’t put a stop to it. You know what? On second thought—it’s none of my damned business. I’m not really your mate, am I? This is all just—it’s not even…”

“Real?” His strong hands grabbed my waist and pulled me to him. “You’re saying this isn’t real?” Kolani’s lips grazed the rim of my earlobe as he growled out the words. A shudder ripped through me and I gasped.

“We had a deal,” I whimpered. My voice betrayed me. He had betrayed me and fuck it all if my wolf wasn’t betraying me along with the rest.

That bass tone drowned out everything else in my mind. “I knew. I knew the moment I saw you approach the altar that I was going to have a hell of a time giving you up. But the more time I have you here, the more I don’t think that’s going to be possible at all.”

Pushing my hands against his chest, I lurched away, needing as much space as possible between him and the way his words flowed over me like warm chocolate. “No. I can’t be what you want. I
won’t
be what you want. I have plans and dreams and none of it involves being someone’s young-bearing slave. We had a fucking deal. Stick to it or I’m gone. Isn’t that part of the deal as well? You get a large sum of money if you marry—I know that. You don’t want to lose that.”

When Kolani smiled earlier in the day and throughout the day, it had almost been the breaking of me. But when I’d retorted to his claim of this all being real, his laughter was enough to crack my shielded heart in half. The joyful bass sound rang in my ears and reverberated through my chest. I never thought a sound could make everything I thought I wanted erupt to the wind like a volcano.

And then I remembered that he was laughing at me.

My fury had hit its peak. “Why are you laughing? Isn’t that your deal? You want more money?”

Which made him laugh even harder. “Look around, mate. I have enough money to last me three lifetimes and more. I don’t need money. Who would tell you that?”

I turned around. I wouldn’t tell him. There had to be a reason why his brother would tell me that lie. Maybe it was to turn me off from liking Kolani. Maybe it was something else.

Growling, I turned. If I had a place to hide, I would be there now. “I’m going upstairs. I’m not in the—I just don’t want to eat anymore.”

“Hey,” he took hold of my forearm and stopped me in my tracks. “How did this turn around to be about us? It’s just some annoying woman. Anyway, it doesn’t matter to you. None of this should matter and it certainly shouldn’t ruin our evening.” Kolani turned and smiled picking up a bag of pretzels and one bag of Oreos. “I put all of this in my popcorn. You mind?”

How in the hell did we move from talking about his deal-breaking to Oreos?

Avoiding the topic was better than facing the gnawing inside me that this male was right.

The deal we had made was flimsy at best and I may just have to cut bait and run like hell.

My fist went to my hip, just for sass’s sake. “Maybe I’m a popcorn purist. That’s not really dinner, anyway.”

He gifted me that smile. “I’ve got other food if you want. Otherwise, this is the three-course dinner.” He opened both packages and without any finesse whatsoever, dumped them into the bowl of popcorn and shook it all up.

I took the moment to steel myself against him. This man who was every bit the poised, proper businessman in public was now ripping open a bag of tortilla chips and quoting Nacho Libre about the chips being for the orphans.

“You’re not gonna put those in too, are you?” I said, tucking my lips between my teeth to quell the building smile.

With a snort, he pulled a jar of salsa out of the refrigerator. “Don’t be ridiculous.” He shook his head and a laughed. “Tortilla chips in popcorn. Disgusting.”

With some kind of ninja skill, he picked up everything and managed to get to the base of the stairs without dropping anything. I yelled after him, “You didn’t get anything to drink.”

He yelled back, “You’ve got arms, right?”

My scoffing was lost on him. Either that or he pretended not to hear me. Grabbing two water bottles from the fridge, I grumbled about all the ways this pretend mate of mine was getting under my skin and getting me to like him a little at the same time.

Shrugging I decided, I could like him all I wanted—there couldn’t be anything more though—nothing more at all.