Bear Apparent (BBW Shifter Romance) (Stone Claw Clan Book 1) (5 page)

Heat licked Dahlia’s cheeks, and she plucked the blanket from the couch and raced to hold it up in front of him. She supposed it was better Jess assumed she was into kinky shit than see the wounds on the man’s body. In a low voice, she said to Garrett, “We’re going to talk about you running around my house naked.”

“Don’t bother,” Jessica said, planting a friendly smile on her face. “I was just leaving. You kids have fun.”

“Jessica!” Dahlia hissed, but the woman was out the door in an instant.

“Let her go,” Garrett commanded, then pushed the blanket away. “I need your phone. Now.”

Dropping the blanket to the floor, Dahlia crossed her arms over her chest. “Scratch that. Let’s talk about you ordering me around in my own house.”

He tossed her an unamused glance then pushed his legs into the jeans she had given him. Biting her lip, she was unable to look away as the denim slowly glided up his thick thighs, and when he tucked his junk into the fabric, she thought it would rip from the sheer size. He put effort into closing the lapels, but ultimately gave up, and held his hand out.

“Phone,” he said sternly.

Aggravated with the whole situation, she slipped her cell out of her pocket, and tossed it to him then set about trying to organize the living room. She listened as he plugged in the digits, his breath suddenly labored. His shoulders moved wonderfully with every breath, and Dahlia bit down hard on her tongue. Why did this infuriating, intrusive, supernatural man have to be so damned hot?

He let out a feral growl, and she thought her phone was going to crumple in his hand. He dialed the number again and every second that passed, he became more agitated. She tried to keep her focus by straightening the living room, but his presence was magnetizing, and not just because he was the size of a horse. It had crossed her mind briefly while watching him sleep—err, hibernate, that she hadn’t seen what she thought she had when she was a little girl.

Was the creature I saw a shifter?
And for that matter, if shape-changers were really a thing, what sort of other creatures existed? She wanted to ask, but Garrett was obviously in the wrong frame of mind to deal with her endless questions.

Chapter Five

“Bruin!” Garrett said as the line clicked.

“Garrett? Jesus, we thought you were dead,” the male said, his tone ripe with relief. “We couldn’t feel you anymore, and thought that asshole had taken you out. You don’t know how good it is to hear your voice.”

His shoulders sagging in relief, Garrett closed his eyes. He shared his second-in-command’s sentiment. They might be a clan of outcasts no one else wanted, and they had bonded over the past few years they’d been together despite the normal amount of drama that made up a clan of shifter males. He was aware Dahlia was listening to every word while she tried to hide her curiosity under the guise of cleaning. At the moment, he just didn’t care. “Tell me everyone is okay.”

“Yeah, were all good. When Lazaran went after you I ushered everyone to the brewery. I figured all the chemicals would hide our scents, and with the company registered under a false name, they wouldn’t know about it. But, we can’t stay here forever. Where are you?”

“Not very close, but that’s a good thing. Lazaran tracked me down in the woods but I managed to escape. I’m pretty sure he is still looking for me knowing his history. I was hibernating or else I would have called sooner.”

“We were all devising a plan of retaliation when you called. Tell us what you want us to do, and we’ve got your back.”

Buin’s confidence in him touched his heart despite knowing it was misplaced. His pride demanded they take revenge, but his logic fought to the top. “Don’t retaliate. You know as well as I do we won’t win, not when I’m weak.” The confession stabbed him deep and hard. Especially in front of Dahlia. “You think you can sneak away?”

“Not right now. Lazaran’s clan is circling our territory, apparently looking for us, but they have to rest sometime. Where would we go? The others are determined to defend our home.”

“You’re my beta, and they will listen to you in my absence. Challenging the invaders won’t turn out good for anyone. Right now, my main concern is that everyone is safe, and stays that way.” Garrett looked to Dahlia who was standing against the wall watching him with an intense curiosity. He asked, “What is your address?”

Her eyes narrowed at him in suspicion, but she rattled off the location of her house, and Garrett repeated it into the phone.

“Marcus and Jake have been watching the perimeter. They told me Lazaran’s clan is least active in the early morning hours so I’m sure we can sneak out then. I don’t know if we can make it back to the clubhouse, though.”

“No, don’t bother. Just get your asses as far away from there as possible. When you get here, we’ll figure something out. And do whatever you have to do to cover your scent trails.”

Bruin was silent for a long moment. “Don’t worry. I’ll keep them safe. But I’m more worried about you. That asshole’s reputation is well known… He won’t stop until he finds you.”

“I know. One thing at a time. Besides, I can’t face him again, not until I’m fully healed.” Admitting to one’s beta that he was weak and injured wasn’t the smartest thing to do. It wasn’t uncommon for a lower ranking male to challenge the leader if he were compromised, but they had forged a friendship of trust and respect that went far beyond social expectations.

They cut the connection, and Garrett set the phone down on the coffee table.

Dahlia looked angry, her nostrils flaring. “Did it cross your mind to consult me before inviting your entire family over? You know, I’d like to kiss you first before having to meet the parents.”

She must have realized what she said, because her cheeks turned a lovely color, and she covered her mouth with her hand. Garrett’s lips worked up in amusement, and the idea of tasting her plump lips was highly intriguing, but he didn’t need to get this woman involved in anymore of his problems.

“I apologize. You are right, of course. I was just worried about my clan’s safety after being unconscious or three days.” He took a seat on the Barcalounger where she had been only a moment ago, her feminine scent wafting around him. “I promise I will make it up to you.”

Dahlia’s throat shifted, and she came to sit on the couch in front of him. She ran a finger along the bottom of her lip, apparently deep in thought—fuck, she had no idea what that little gesture did to him. “Okay. So, your clan... Do you mean your family?”

“For all intents and purposes, yes. We’re not related by blood, but by common interest. No shifter ever did well alone and males like us, well were not a benefit to any clan but our own.”

She shook her head as if she had trouble understanding everything. “This guy that’s after you, would he really pursue you halfway across the state just to make a point?”

“Yeah, he would. For the most part, we are given free reign on earth as long as we don’t influence the world of humanity too much. There is a sort of council, a group of Chimeras to govern the clans to make sure they don’t do anything stupid. We have very few rules, and killing another shifter is allowed in two instances— self-defense and challenging another for territory, resources and females. Lazaran is a cruel, vicious shifter, more animal than human. I heard rumors of him circumventing our laws by challenging the leaders of clans, killing them, then abandoning the territory he had won a short while after.”

The female fidgeted, and Garrett didn’t blame her. “So he is a serial killer of the paranormal world. Can you do something? Like petition your council for help?”

Shrugging, he picked at a strand of frayed denim at his knee. “It’s a loophole. They won’t get involved unless humans are at risk. It’s my problem to solve, and I’m sorry I put you in the middle of it. I promise to do everything in my power to get you out.”

She let out a big breath and slapped her thighs then rose to her feet.

“Where are you going?” he asked, hoping she might have more questions. He was surprised how badly he wanted her to know him. He liked the way those big green eyes twinkled like precious jewels. There was something very comforting about the way she looked at him...

“Going to have a whole pack of bears in my house. I need to prepare and get supplies. Something tells me I’m going to need more than clam chowder.”

A flash of heat crawled up Garrett’s neck, and he offered her an apologetic smile, but she didn’t seem all that aggravated. In fact, Dahlia looked excited at the prospects of examining other supernatural beings. Garrett wondered why that was and what kind of story she had to tell. He’d flounced with human women before, but none captivated him like she did and they hadn’t even gotten intimate.

Actually, just being in her general vicinity was likely to destroy him in the best possible way.

Chapter Six

Dahlia bit her lip for the umpteenth time as she watched her guest sleeping on the couch. His chest rumbled with every breath, and the muscles in his face ticked as if he were dreaming. The bandages around his torso had loosened, and were hanging off in tatters so she set up some medical supplies on the coffee table. He had been out for a good ten hours since talking on the phone, and she wondered if he was hibernating again.

Tentatively, she touched
the bulbous muscle of his shoulder and shook gently, the warmth of his skin soaking into her. He lolled his head and that rhythmic, deep breathing cut off. His lashes fluttered open, eyes the color of golden honey greeting her. Remembering what she had said the night before, that uncomfortable heat coursed through her. Yeah, okay. So she had thought about kissing him—what straight woman wouldn’t?

His lips pulled up into what she thought was a smile. “Hey. How long have I been asleep?”

“About ten hours or so, I thought you might be hibernating again. Geez, that sounds weird.” Dahlia motioned to the role of fresh bandage. “We need to change your bandages.”

The man sat up slowly, his hair a tangled mess on top of his head, and that stubble had become a bit of a bush. He ran a big hand through his locks and yawned widely. “Not hibernating, just weary.”

“Okay.” Dahlia glanced at his chest, waiting for him to help, but he didn’t move. He looked dazed, his eyes half-mast, and she supposed it took a little while to come out of a hibernation session. “I’m just going to take these off of you.”

He didn’t say anything as she pushed away the blanket and peeled off the bandages. She discarded them in the wastebasket then turned to inspect his wounds, only to gape. The bear claws across his skin were obvious, but they had scabbed over as if they were several weeks old. She blinked up at him.

Garrett glanced down his body, and muttered, “Oh. We are pretty good at healing.”

“Well,” she said, setting the bottle of disinfectant down. “I guess that is a handy skill to have. Do you have an accelerated metabolism, too? Do you live long live vampires? Wait are vampires real”

He yawned again and nodded. “Yeah, and I’m starving. I’ve never met any vampires, but we are capable of living several hundred years.”

“All right, while you were passed out I went shopping. My fridge is now overflowing with expensive cuts of salmon, trout and other delicacies, and there is enough honey in the cabinets to support several large bee colonies.

He looked at her as if she was speaking in a foreign tongue. “I’m not Pooh Bear.”

Dahlia sputtered a laugh. “Is that your way of saying I’ve gone overboard?”

The man smiled goofily up at her, and Dahlia’s stomach fluttered. “You feed my bears like that and they will never leave.”

“I guess I’m in trouble then,” she teased, surprised by how comfortable she felt in his presence despite knowing he was a dangerous animal. “Why don’t you go take a shower, and I’ll make you something to eat?”

She retreated to the kitchen and took a deep breath—this whole thing seemed too bizarre to be real. She heard him get up, and a moment later, the water turned on. She couldn’t fathom how she was going to deal with several buff, gorgeous men in her house for the next whatever—she could barely tolerate Garrett without her pussy clenching in arousal.

Behave,
she told herself. No sense getting excited about a man that wasn’t interested in her.

As she tried not to imagine frothy suds sliding over all that tanned skin, Dahlia selected a whole salmon and set it on the counter. She had pretty much drained her bank account on fish, but she hoped to ply him for more details about his world. That and he needed his strength if he were going to kill that other… thing. That thought gave her pause. She realized she wanted him to take back his home and declare victory over that monster. She figured that dark desire was a remnant of her childhood experience.

As she set about the task of preparing and grilling the fish, she debated cooking up some rice—did bears eat grains? She had no clue, so she settled for concentrating on the salmon. It was half done by the time the water cut off. She kept her focus on cooking, not wanting to get another look at all that manly perfection—she had a suspicion he would just waltz out the bathroom naked.

When she was certain the fish was cooked through and through, she turned the burner off, and squeezed some fresh lemon over it. As she loaded a plate with fillets, she frowned at the sudden silence. Biting her lip, she tentatively peeked around the corner to find Garrett standing in front of the couch in the jeans she had loaned him, the lapels open. His eyes were shut tightly and he was as still as a mountain. Little beads of water trailed down his body, and her eyes dropped to the dark treasure trail that dipped into the parted crotch of his pants.

Absolutely not!
Dahlia returned to the kitchen and took a deep breath. But damn, that man was gorgeous.

She waited, her heart drumming in her ears. She expected him to enter the kitchen in search of food, but when he didn’t appear she glanced into the living room to find that he was still standing in the center. Could bears hibernate on their feet?

Sighing with frustration, she marched right up to him, but he seemed oblivious to her presence. A single drop of water dripped off his hair and she leaned in, curious. This close she could see that his body was riddled with faded scars, and she wondered if that scuffle with the other bear was an everyday thing for him.

Garrett’s eyes suddenly flipped open, and Dahlia took a step backward out of reflex. Her foot tangled on something, and she went flying. She pinched her eyes close in preparation for the pain she knew was coming—

When her bones didn’t jostle, and her skull didn’t crack, she opened her eyes to find Garrett hovering over her, his strong arms holding her a few feet from the floor. She dug her fingers into his skin, needing the support. “I thought you were hibernating again.”

“Just concentrating. If a strong enough bond exists between the clan, a psychic connection can be forged. I was feeling for any stress that might indicate my clan being attacked.” As he spoke his eyes dropped, and if Dahlia didn’t know any better, he was staring at her lips.

Having a hard time breathing, she said, “The food is ready.”

The man’s eyes flared for an instant as if he liked the way her mouth moved as she spoke. He didn’t release her, nor steady her on her feet, but his grip tightened. His nostrils moved as if he were scenting something delectable.

“Um? Salmon? Honey? Everything a bear likes? If you let me up, I’ll go get it for you—”

“You would care for me,” he murmured, his tone dropping, and it stroked her ears like silk.

She opened her mouth to refute, but her words were cut off as he pressed his lips to her own. She gasped into his mouth, his lips warm and smooth as they slid against her in a whisper thin kiss. The heat of his body soaked deep to her bones, and her lower body clenched—damn, but she was going to need a few hours with her vibrator after this. Garrett let out a deep growl that slowly filled the room. Instead of startling her, it revved her even more, her breasts responding to the sensation of all that hard muscle against them.

“You’re trembling,” he said against her mouth, his breath brushing across her chin.

She wanted to tell him he was moving way to fast, but he steadied her on her feet and stepped away. She watched in disbelief as he made for the bathroom, and forced the door into the jamb. Okay… now she felt like crap. If she didn’t know any better, he had regretted kissing her.

****

Garrett leaned over the bathroom sink, and thrust his fingers through his hair.
What am I doing?
Linking his mind with that of the clan’s had temporarily slowed his judgement. When he had returned to reality, a beautiful face welcomed him.
Dahlia.
She had the greenest eyes he’d ever seen, like the color of moss covering the forest floor. And all that curly hair like ribbons of sunshine… Then she had to go and care for him—didn’t she know the surest way to a bear’s heart was through his insatiable stomach? Christ, he knew he was in trouble. He had distanced himself from females, but that didn’t mean he didn’t desire them.

That must be it! He was just horny, and seeking out the closest thing with tits. The animal inside rumbled grumpily as if it didn’t agree with that conclusion.

Growling, he ran a hand down his washboard abs, further passed his navel, and to the way too snug crotch of his pants.
Yeah… just horny,
he told himself. And the easiest way to take care of that…

Garrett shoved the denim down so that it pooled around his knees, and gripped his cock, the tool hard and aching for relief. He thumbed the glans, spreading the moisture around. He knew it wouldn’t take long, not with images of Dahlia invading his mind.

He stroked himself slow, from base to tip, wishing it was her hand inching him closer to orgasm. He tried to picture the way her pale skin clashed with the flushed flesh of his dick and how her small, perfect fingers would look wrapped around his girth. The fantasy kicked him into over drive, his balls tightening. Maybe she would tease him a little… draw the orgasm up, and keep it there until she decided he should come.

Garrett bit down on his tongue as the climax exploded out of his cock, refusing to make himself known. It seemed to go on forever, the released nearly knocking him off his feet. Leaning against the sink for support, he smiled dumbly as he watched his semen dripped down the cabinet—

Something crashed, and he jerked in response. His dick still in his hand, he blinked at the opening, the destroyed door lying on the floor. Dahlia sat on the couch, her body twisted around, and her expression caught in shock. Her lips parted, and her eyes dropped down, her cheeks flushing beautifully.

Following her attention, he gasped at his own dick in his palm. The son of a bitch was still hard. It was because of her, had to be. And his animal rejoiced. His hesitance blew away, and his focus shifted. He released his cock and straightened his spine, his erection jutting out of his hips. Dahlia’s mouth parted further, and she didn’t look away as he flaunted himself for her consideration. A moment later, a blast of pure female need hit him, and he closed his eyes as he inhaled her luscious scent. It overshadowed the aroma of salmon originating from the kitchen, and he knew she would taste better than honey.

So what if he took her? It didn’t mean he was going to fall in love.

Following her lead, he grinned, and made his way toward her so she could get a better look at his assets. Her reaction told him she approved of what she saw, but he was a slave to the instinct now. His mind lost in a haze of lust, he had forgotten about the jeans around his legs, and he went face planting onto the carpet, right in front of her. He heard her gasp. Embarrassed and angry with himself, he shred the jeans with his claws and tossed them away where they lay in tatters.

You fucking idiot,
he berated himself as he got to his feet, and raced for the nearest exit. Yeah, like she would want to mate with him after that little show of grace? Outside, he located a quiet corner next to a large bush and slid down. Hiding his face in his palm, he didn’t think he could ever look at her again. It was his damned bear pride, and it had been more wounded by his tumble than being beaten in combat. If it weren’t for the fact that he would spread his scent, he’d take off.

A long while passed, the chill night air penetrating him. He prayed the clan made it to him soon. He was worried for them, but they would provide a good distraction from Dahlia.

The back door creaked and Garrett stilled, hoping she wouldn’t see him. After a long second, her voice flittered to him. “It’s chilly out here.”

“It doesn’t bother me,” he lied.

She made a little sound that let him know she wasn’t buying his bullshit. “You know… I kind of got that beat. I mean, never eat Mexican on a first date, right?”

He snapped his attention her. Her form was a welcomed sight, and that little flush of embarrassment creeping up her neck was adorable. He wasn’t sure how she did it, but he managed to relax and not feel so stupid about his trip up. Still, he regarded her cautiously.

When he didn’t move, she came to sit next to him and her scent, mingled with arousal invaded his senses. He got the impression she wanted to ask something, but her gaze was off in the distance, her teeth nibbling on her thumb nail.

“You don’t have a wife? Or mate?” she asked on a big breath.

“No,” Garrett said simply, hoping she wouldn’t press the point.

“And you are stronger with this… mating-bond? So, why not? Just haven’t met the right girl?”

He pulled in a good dose of air, the scent of plant life soaking into him along with the varying odors of human life. Could he talk to her about this? Other than Bruin, he’d never confided in his bears why he had refused to take a mate, though he was sure they had a suspicion. “I watched my father suffer after my mother died.”

“I’m sorry,” she whispered.

Garrett slid his gaze over to her, her face lovely in the pale evening light. When she realized he was watching her, she offered him a meek smile. He found himself longing to confide in her, and that need confused him—they didn’t know each other at all. Was he that desperate for companionship? Or was it just her beauty?