Blind Date With A Bear (A BBW Paranormal Romance)

BLIND DATE WITH A BEAR

Copyright 2014 by

MARIE MASON

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ABOUT THIS BOOK:

When Quinn Blackwood thought it was time to go hunting for his mate, he couldn’t believe fate handed her to him on his very first blind date. His family thought it was an hilarious turn of events since the big bear shifter had been looking forward to sowing a few more wild oats before settling down with his one true mate. No one was laughing when Paige got the wrong idea and believed Quinn was just looking for a good time.

Paige Matthews had finally given into the cajoling of her co-worker and agreed to a blind date with the woman’s brother. Paige admired the family of bear shifters and had nursed a secret crush on the oldest Blackwood brother, Quinn, since moving to town. Even though she’d known the odds were against it, she was terribly disappointed that she wasn’t his true mate. She did however, decide to take him up on his offer of a good time, cause this good-girl craved the bear’s sweet loving.

CHAPTER ONE

Quinn Blackwood had finally given in and allowed his sister Deb to set him up on a blind date. He’d been reluctant because his sister was making somewhat of a reputation in the shifter world as a true mate matchmaker. He wasn’t sure he was quite ready to take that last and final step. The one that would end his bachelor days forever.

He did admit he was lonely. Starting to feel the weight of the years without someone to share his life. He’d never been in a hurry to find his true mate. Lately though, he’d grown tired of the superficial relationships he had with women. He was tired of the endless nights of nameless faces.

What would it hurt to start looking? It took some shifters years to find their mates, if they ever did. A shit-eating grin split his face. If he had to suffer through dating and banging a lot of beautiful women in the interim, who was he to argue with fate?

Besides, for this first date his sister had set him up with a co-worker. The chances of her being his mate weren’t great. The woman hadn’t been in town long and Deb had made it sound like he’d be doing the woman a favor by going out with her. Quinn got the impression she was a mousy kind of woman who found it hard to connect with men.

He held open the door for a group of women leaving the restaurant and bar, his smile widening when they gave him the once over. He returned the compliment.

Yup, starting out slow on his quest was good. He’d have a little more fun before he donned the mantel of responsibility that came with having a mate. After all, you were only a young bear once.

As he stepped inside, he had to admit his sister had picked a decent place for the date, much better than he would have. He was reluctant to admit his dating skills were a little rusty. Since his usual objective was to find a woman for a long, hard fuck, he frequented biker bars or shifter owned bars. There the women knew the score and why a bear shifter was on the hunt.

Another group of people walked by stirring the air around him and his bear shifted inside.
Whoa there, boy
. He hadn’t had that reaction in a long time. And never that strong. The scent of a green summer forest wafted toward him and his bear—not to mention his cock—roared to attention. He stopped moving.

Well, damn.

Somewhere inside this restaurant was his mate. He threw back his head and laughed, garnering the attention of the nearby patrons. Fate had played a hell of a trick on him. He’d just decided to sit back and enjoy the hunt, and wham, the hunt was over before it even began.

Had his sister set him up for more than just a blind date? Was this co-worker his mate? If so, he could kick himself in the ass. His sister had been trying to get them together for over a month but their schedules had never seemed to jive. Now that he thought about it, Deb hadn’t tried very hard to set him up with anyone else.

Yep, he needed a swift kick in the ass. He could have had his mate claimed and bedded weeks ago. His father always said things happened when they needed to. Thinking of the nights he could have already had his mate in his arms, and in his bed, he wished this would have happened a little fucking sooner.

He strode straight to the bar where his date should be waiting. If his date wasn’t his mate, he’d have to apologize quickly and go on the hunt. Several women sat at the bar and another walked toward him wearing a slinky red dress. As she brushed past him, flashing a come-and-get-me smile, not to mention a good portion of her boobs, her cloying perfume was all he could smell. Thankfully, she wasn’t his mate.

He let his bear sift through the smells. Perfume, alcohol, food. Finally, the animal zeroed in on the intoxicating scent. It was coming from a busty little brunette sitting at the far end of the bar, half obscured by the shadows.

Thanks to his shifter sight, he could see every little detail of her appearance. She was exactly his type. A curvy girl. Her full, feminine flesh peeked from between the sides of her stiff, buttoned-up shirt, teasing the onlooker. Her hips curved beneath the fabric of her pants, the material falling soft and loose over her rounded bottom. Black pumps, sedate with a low heel, encased her feet. In fact, she looked like a member of the wait staff taking a break. A sex kitten she wasn’t, even though she definitely had the shape for it.

Her hair was thick and shiny, falling in gentle waves to the middle of her back. He loved women with long hair. There was something so feminine, so earthy about it, almost urging him to plant his seed deep inside where she would nourish it. At least that’s what this woman’s appearance said to him.

Which wasn’t the least bit surprising since she was indeed his true mate.

That mouthwatering smell of a green summer forest grew stronger as he approached. His bear rumbled in approval. He thought of a million and one ways he could—and would take her. He’d have to be careful of her. She might be a bigger girl, but she was still human; her body would need time to adjust to being the mate of a shifter, especially a bear shifter. They were the biggest of the shifters—everywhere. Plus, he could sometimes get a little rough in the bedroom. Yeah, he’d have to be careful when he pumped inside her.

His cock throbbed just thinking of spreading her legs for the first time. He had to resist the temptation to adjust himself inside his pants.

Drawing in another lungful of her delicious scent, he realized if he gave into his baser instincts and carried her out of the restaurant and back to his house to ravage her, he’d have his work cut out later convincing her he was indeed her white knight in shining armor who was looking for a happily-ever-after. Those were the instinctive actions of his animal. Since she was human, she wouldn’t feel the same kind of pull. He’d have to prove himself to her.

He felt himself grow even more nervous, glad neither of his brothers, nor for that matter his sisters, were here to see him sweat. He was the first of the Blackwood sons to succumb to the call of mating. His two sisters had already found their mates and much to his mother’s delight, cranking out grandchildren faster than an assembly line.

He checked his appearance in the mirrored wall as he made his way through the bar. He wasn’t usually vain. Today had been hellish on the construction site. He’d just had enough time to go home, shower, shave, and throw on a clean pair of khakis and an open necked polo shirt before needing to be at the restaurant. The restaurant he’d chosen—or rather, his sister had chosen—was classier than those he usually took his dates. It was not so stuffy it demanded a suit and tie. Something Quinn hated. All those layers of clothes seemed to smother him, caging in his bear.

“Hi.” He smiled when his mate turned his way, pouring on the Blackwood charm. “I’m Quinn. Please tell me you’re Paige.”

He held out his hand, waiting impatiently for the first skin-to-skin contact with his mate. His bear grumbled when the woman hesitated. The man didn’t like the hesitation either. He understood why, but he didn’t like it. He was a seven-foot bear shifter and his size intimidated women. Hell, he intimidated most men and even other shifters. He didn’t want to intimidate this woman. She hadn’t stood when he’d greeted her so he probably seemed even larger from her seated position.

Her beautiful smile was a little shy. Her rosy red lips parted to reveal even white teeth. The corners immediately lifted as though she was always smiling. He liked that. She’d be a good-tempered mate. And hot, don’t forget the hotness.

“Yes, I’m Paige.” She held out her hand and he engulfed it in his larger one. He caressed her knuckles with his thumb and heard the soft hitch of her breath. Fuck, she had tiny little hands. It would take both of them to wrap around his cock. He reluctantly let go of her, sliding his palm across hers as he relinquished her hand. Yep, fate—and his sister—had a twisted sense of humor.

His blind date was his mate.

At least he didn’t have to leave her and go make excuses to another woman for standing her up. His sister was going to be so damn smug.

“Can I get you something else to drink?” Only a glass of water, most of the contents gone, sat on the marble bar top in front of her. Had she been waiting long? As unobtrusively as possible, he checked the time on his watch. Nope. He’d made it on time. Just barely.

Having grown up with two older sisters, he guessed Paige had arrived early, hoping to catch a glimpse of him before he saw her. Deb had told him she’d ditched more than one date by leaving through the restaurant’s back door as her date had come through the front.

Like that was going to happen. Once he’d caught his mate’s sweet scent, he would have given chase until he found her.

“A glass of wine would be great.”

He sat down on the empty stool to her right, gesturing to the bartender. “White or red?”

“Red, please.”

He added a long necked bottle of beer to the order.

“So, Deb tells me you work in the same office?”
Really Quinn, how much lamer could you get?

“Umm, umm.” She cast a quick look his way then hurriedly turned her attention back to the glass the bartender placed in front of her.

Quinn did more than give her a casual look. He turned slightly on the padded barstool, giving her his full attention. He tried not to let his mouth hang open or show her his bear panting with need. She was cock-hardening tempting even if she was dressed ultra conservative in that white button-up blouse and black slacks. Nothing form fitting or eye-catching about her outfit. The only concession she’d made to dressing for a date were the earrings dangling from her shell-like earlobes. They were black and sparkled with each movement of her head and enticed him to look at the sweet curve where her neck and shoulder met. The place most shifters marked their mates. He wondered if she would taste as sweet and satisfying as he imagined.

Okay, slow down, buddy
, he told himself. That was two overly possessive type thoughts he’d had about this woman in less than ten minutes. Yes, he’d felt the instant attraction, the instant awareness that this woman was his. His bear was closer to the surface than it had ever been in his life. Inside, he heard the animal whisper to the man.

Mine. Take. Mate.

He stood up and faced her. Like he said, his size intimidated most women. One good look might be enough to scare her away. His bear didn’t like the thought of that.

The man knew she might take one look and run. Yeah, he liked larger women—make that freaking loved women of size—and Paige fit the bill with big boobs and a big butt. Besides the attraction, though, he needed a woman who could go toe-to-toe with him, giving as good as she got. While bears might appear laid back and easygoing, they could be, well, a bear to live with. He didn’t want a shy, mousy woman who’d let him run roughshod all over her. Dominate her—hell yeah.

What were his sisters and mother always telling him and the twins? There was a fine line between being dominating and domineering. Sometimes shifter males learned that difference the hard way.

Before he could say anything, he saw her head turn, her green eyes watching his every movement as he rose. Her gaze raked him from top to bottom and back up again before she spoke.

“You’re very big.”

Oh, baby,
he thought
, you don’t know the half of it.
Her voice was soft and sultry, something you would hear over the phone if you called a sex line. His cock stood at attention. Again. If she kept looking at him like that, she’d soon have a pretty good idea of his size. Her tongue came out to lick her lips and he thought he just might shoot his load in his pants.

“I, um, Deb, didn’t say how tall you were.”

His eyes took on a heavy-lidded look. He needed to hide the effect her voice was having on him. His pupils had no doubt dilated and the golden color of his bear was shining through the natural brown color of his eyes. A bear clawing at the surface, ready to spring into action, ready to mount this woman.

Cherish her.

He felt an unfamiliar stirring inside that had absolutely nothing to do with sex. Did you fall in love with your mate the instant you met her?

“And she didn’t say how small you were.” He grabbed his bear by the throat and yank him back. He had a suspicion she wouldn’t appreciate being slung over his shoulder and carried out of the restaurant for a night of hard, rough loving.

Instead, he needed to get to know her, show her how civilized a bear shifter could be. Then take her home for a night of hard, rough loving. The bear liked that idea. A lot.

She snorted before a smile lit up her whole face and both man and bear basked in the warmth of her expression. Before, Quinn had considered her pretty, now he could honestly say she was the most beautiful woman he had ever seen.

“I’m far from small.”

“Everyone is small compared to me.” He held out his hand to help her from the stool and her delicate hand was lost in his. His mother had once measured his hands with her dinner plates. His finger-span had easily covered the white china and everyone had laughed. Bear shifters were supposed to be big.

“Maybe that’s why Deb thought we would be good together.” Her voice held a hint of emotion he couldn’t decipher.

“Deb knows I appreciate a beautiful woman.” He raised her chin with a finger, making sure she was looking at him before he continued. “Look, I’m a big man. You’re a curvy woman. I think that makes for a perfect combination.”