Wedding Bear: BBW Bear Shifter Paranormal Romance (Enforcer Bears Book 3) (3 page)

“Welcome! I used to own this bakery until Eve took over from me and my wife. But I've always told her that one day, she'd find the right man. And on her wedding day, I'd be there with a cake, even if I have to come out of my retirement.”

Eve wrapped her arms around him, laughing as she pressed a kiss to his cheek. “It wouldn't be a wedding without you! Still, we're going to have to decide on flavors today to make it a little easier for you.”

As Kayden watched in amusement, Eve brought the next cake over from the counter so that her wedding committee could try her creation.

“Salted caramel banana pudding with caramelized walnuts,” she announced cheerfully.

Kayden's smile widened as he leaned forward with his fork. This time, instead of taking a bite himself, he raised it to Sidney's lips. She gave him a startled look, her cheeks flushing brighter. As her friends whooped, she tried the cake Kayden had offered her. Captivated, he watched as her tongue slid along her lips, cleaning away the salted caramel cream.

Then her eyes widened, and she moaned softly as she swallowed.

“Oh my God,” she whispered. “Eve! That is so good! That might just be the best thing I've ever tasted!”

Kayden couldn't look away from her. Sidney was wearing a low-cut silky top that revealed the tantalizing shape of her breasts. He'd watched her throat move as she swallowed. He wondered what it would feel like to press his lips to that spot, to slowly kiss his way downward to the hollow between her collar bones.

Her skin would be hot. He'd be able to feel her pulse beneath his lips. Would it race with excitement for him? Would she push her hands into his hair and squirm beneath him, hoping he'd kiss his way further down?

“Here, you need to try this,” Sidney said, her voice a little breathless.

This time, she used her own fork to offer him a bite. Her friends were giggling softly, but Kayden didn't mind. He
wanted
them to be jealous of Sidney. He wanted to be the perfect date for her. Because Sidney deserved it. And because she was damn sexy when she flushed at all the attention.

Slowly, he leaned forward for the bite she had offered. “Mmm,” he moaned at the taste of the cream.

Sidney hadn't exaggerated. He'd never tasted anything like it before. It was a perfect blend of flavors—the rich sweetness of the caramel, the hint of salt that perfectly balanced it, the sweet tang of the bananas that melted on his tongue, creamy and smooth.

“It's delicious,” he said hoarsely, his eyes still on Sidney as he swallowed.

She flushed an even deeper red as her friends kept giggling at their flirting. Her eyes were soft, dark with a desire that pulled at Kayden as well. It was as if nature herself had tied them together. It was inescapable, like a storm, like the moon calling the tides, and suddenly this overwhelming love that filled his heart was too much to bear.

Slowly he leaned forward, giving her time to pull away. But Sidney didn't move back. Sidney kept watching him, the gray of her eyes darkening with passion, her lips parting—and then their mouths met.

Somewhere in the background, he heard Eve whoop and her friends cheer—but right now, all of that had ceased to matter.

Sidney's mouth was soft beneath his own. Her lips were warm and they moved against his own, tender and light like the touch of petals. Still, beneath it all there was a surge of passion that was electrifying. One single touch was enough to make his blood rush through his veins, heat rising inside him.

As much as he wanted to make Sidney happy, as much as he wanted to impress her friends and family, the feral bear within him wanted to claim his mate, wanted the taste of her skin and the trembling of her thighs as he claimed her again and again.

He drew back before that need became unbearable. Flushed and out of breath, they looked at each other.

Her eyes were wide. Passion had kindled a light in them, the gray of her pupils the color of storm clouds lit by lightning.

Oh yes,
his bear growled.

Kayden had to swallow. If this was what a single kiss caused, he could not wait for the sparks when he finally claimed his mate.

Gently, he reached out to brush a strand of hair back behind her ear while she watched, wide-eyed, her lips swollen and red. And then he became aware of the way the room had suddenly fallen silent.

When they turned around, they were met by grinning faces—and there, in the door, stood a newcomer. The stranger was a woman, tall and with perfectly coiffed white-blonde locks, wearing a white blouse and a pencil skirt so tight that Kayden wondered whether she was able to move in it at all.

“What’s this?” the woman asked and arched an eyebrow.

She sounded affronted, and for a moment, the atmosphere in the cheerful little bakery turned icy.

“Really, Sidney, what a display.” The newcomer sniffed after a moment. “Mom said you had a secret—did you keep silent just so you could make a show out of it?”

Next to Kayden, Sidney now rolled her eyes.

“Kayden, meet Karen,” she said. “My sister.”

“Pleased to meet you,” Kayden drawled, keeping an arm lightly wrapped around Sidney’s shoulder.

As a bear shifter and one of the Iron Fang clan enforcers, Kayden was used to tense situations. Gatherings in cozy bakeries might be new to him, but as soon as Karen had stepped into the picture, Kayden felt in his element.

The sisters might not be bear shifters, but damned if he didn’t recognize the posturing from the many brawls in his clan he’d taken part in.

Karen reminded him of some of the opponents he’d had to defeat. Not that she seemed in any way out for his blood—but there was that intense need for fame and acknowledgment, the jealousy over every perceived slight, the anger at not having the spotlight.

Suddenly Sidney’s desperate lie in front of her mother made sense. No wonder Sidney had decided that she’d rather pretend that a complete stranger was her date than have to bear her sister’s insults.

After a moment, Karen waved her hand. “I just wanted to announce that I have no time for your little party here. Mom called me and she was nearly in tears. It seems that no one offered to help Auntie May when—”

“Actually,” Sidney said and jumped up, “you’ll find that I’ve already driven to Auntie May’s house, collected her tablecloths and washed, dried and folded them all. I’ve told Mom three times this week alone. Are you sure you’ve really talked to her?”

Karen’s mouth fell shut as she stared at them.

Kayden used the chance to get up as well, taking hold of Sidney’s hand. “And we’ve also volunteered to collect a load of folding chairs from your uncle. We should better get started on that. Why don’t you take our place and help Eve decide on a cake, Karen? I’m sure she’d appreciate that.”

From the corner of his eye, he saw Sidney mouth
salted caramel
to Eve.

Eve gave them a little nod, not quite succeeding in biting back her laughter. “You should take the bakery van for the chairs. Just bring it back later today. And thanks for your help, Kayden. I’m glad we got to meet you today. Take good care of Sidney for us!”

Eve threw the keys to Kayden, who caught them right out of the air.

“The best care,” he promised, and pressed another gallant kiss to Sidney’s hand.

Once more her friends cheered while Karen brushed past them with a grim face.

Wedding preparations were something completely new to Kayden. He hadn’t known what to expect. But now he was reassured.

It was
exactly
the same as the yearly clan meetings of the Iron Fang clan.

Well, no one had gotten drunk enough to singe their fur at the fire yet. Or insulted the mother of a clan Elder by accident. Or lost a game of dice and wound up betrothed to their childhood nemesis.

Somehow, he was excited to see what horrors this human clan meeting would bring instead.

“S
orry I just dragged you right into the middle of that. My family can be intense.” Sidney gave Kayden an apologetic look.

He was driving the van back to her place after they'd filled it with the folding chairs. As he’d worked, he'd folded back the sleeves of his shirt, and now she couldn't stop staring at the hard muscles and tendons in his forearms. He'd carried stacks of chairs as though they weighed nothing. She wondered if he was used to this sort of work. His skin was tanned as if he spent lots of time outside, and there was a long, pale scar crossing his arm.

Sidney bit her lip. She desperately wanted to reach out and touch him.

It was insane. He was a complete stranger. She didn't even know him! But since the first moment she'd seen him, she hadn't been able to stop thinking about him. He was incredibly handsome, all rugged and masculine with his scruffy chin and his tousled, dark hair. Also, he'd cleaned up well.

For the meeting with her friends, he'd dressed in a white shirt and black jeans, and he'd charmed them all from the moment they first walked into the bakery. He'd be the perfect date for the wedding. She really couldn't ask for anything more.

And then the kiss had happened.

She was still breathless, confusion entwining with the helpless desire for him that hadn't left her since that very first meeting. What did the kiss mean? Was this still all part of the pretense to Kayden?

She wanted it to be more. She wanted it to be more with a desperation that scared her.

She'd had many relationships. It exasperated her mother, but it was true: Sidney had tried again and again to find the perfect man to settle down with. It hadn't been her fault that it had never worked out—for some reason, after a few months, all those men had invariably begun to show their true faces.

Sidney wanted romance. Sidney wanted passion. She wanted the kind of love that was all-encompassing. She didn't want a man to stay with her out of obligation or duty, and she didn't want the kind of love that burned out quickly. She’d seen too many romances turn into the sort of relationship where the couple didn’t even really talk to each other anymore.

Sidney had always wanted more. She wanted to be loved for herself. And she wanted a man who'd still tell her that he loved her when they were old and walking along the river hand in hand to feed the ducks.

Surely that wasn't too much to ask. Unfortunately, so far every man in her life had thought it was.

“No need to apologize, that was fun.” Kayden gave her a quick, amused look. “Don't worry, I can see why you needed a date for the wedding. Your family is...
intense
is the right word.”

“Sorry for that,” Sidney began, grimacing as she wondered what her sister was telling their mother right now.

“Don’t apologize. I like that! Families should be large and loud. And if you do all your fighting over cakes and dresses and dates, that means that you've got all that love and support left for the important things.” He tilted his head questioningly at her. “Don't you?”

Sidney frowned. She'd never thought of it like that.

She loved her family. She wouldn't want to be without them, although they also knew exactly how to drive her mad. But still... She knew her Mom meant well. No matter what the problem was, she could call her Mom day and night.

And Karen... Even though she never let them forget that her life in the city was perfect, Sidney knew that she cared for her, deep beneath that old sibling rivalry. Back when Sidney and Timothy had split up, Karen had listened to her cry for hours, and then whisked her away for a weekend in the city with her glamorous friends.

Sidney had felt really out of place, but it was the thought that counted. And all the free margaritas that weekend.

“You're right,” she said with a wistful smile. “They're loud and obnoxious, and most of the time I wish they could just behave like normal people—but I love them. They're my family. And I know they care for me.”

Kayden gave her a low, pleased laugh. “My family's the same. Big and loud and in the end, the more we fight, the more we love each other. That's important. Not the fighting, but that in the end, you're still there for each other.”

Sidney released a deep breath as Kayden pulled into her driveway.

“I didn't hire you for the wisdom, but I think I should have! Thanks,” she murmured, flushing again as she looked at him. “I really mean it. I love them, but they drive me crazy sometimes. Maybe what I really need is a voice of reason to get through all of this.”

“The quiet in the eye of the hurricane?” Kayden murmured, and then reached out to cup her cheek with his hand. “I can be that for you.”

Sidney shivered. She couldn't look away from him. The sun had vanished behind a cloud, and in the sudden gloom, there was a wildness to him that reminded her of that moment when she'd first seen him.

She couldn't quite say what it was.

It was something about his eyes. Not the scruffy beard, not the tangled hair that was just a little too long, not even the insane strength of those hard muscles. It was his eyes.

She was so close that she could see a ring of light circling his pupils. It looked like a band of liquid gold against the brown of his eyes, filled with the burning heat of wildfire. She'd never seen anything like it. She felt as if she just looked at it long enough, she would sink right into him. She'd be able to read his thoughts, his desires, his dreams in that molten heat of his gaze...

A sudden, loud boom resounded.

Shock made her straighten, then look at the sky. “Another thunderstorm! There's never this much rain in the summer. And there's only two weeks left to the wedding!”

“Better it rains now than in two weeks, then,” Kayden said quite sensibly. Then, with a fierce grin, he pulled her close to kiss her.

“I've wanted to do that during the entire drive.” The words came out with a sexy little growl. “Now come on, let's get those chairs out before we get completely soaked.”

Sidney squealed when the clouds began to release their burden. Rain came down heavily, like a curtain of water, and within seconds, they were soaked to the bone.

“This wedding is cursed!” Sidney called out over the distant, rolling thunder as she fetched another chair from the van. “There's no way we can have the reception outside! I need to call Cleo again—”