Pursuing the Panther: BBW Shifter Mail Order Bride Romance (Mail-Order Mates Book 7) (3 page)

“I wanted to come and talk about the carnival,” the woman said. She was looking at Zelda with a deep frown on her face. “Who is this?”

Zelda was rattled. Ben could smell it. He was having an effect on her and his mother had ruined it. Her smell was rapidly changing to one of anger. Ben’s panther was more than a little mad at the development.

“Zelda, this is my mother, Maude.” Ben tried to sound civil. “Mother, this is my LK Bride, Zelda Simmons.”

Maude came forward to shake Zelda’s hand but she frowned even harder. “Nice to meet you.”

“You know you aren’t supposed to come over unannounced,” Ben told her.

“That formality has never been an issue before.” Maude gave him an icy stare. “It isn’t like I barged into your home. You’re standing at the front of the house. Maybe you should have a little more decorum.”

“This is my property.” Ben’s jaw ached, he was clenching his teeth so hard. “I will do whatever I please anywhere on my land. I’ve warned you many times, Mother. I’m going to start locking the gate.”

“Now that I’m here, I can meet your match according to LK.” Maude looked Zelda up and down like she was garbage on the lawn.

“I was just leaving, actually.” Zelda picked up her purse from the grass and marched away.

“Hold on!” Ben walked with her to her car. “I understand how this looks, but I’m not my mother.”

“Sure. It’s been really nice, Ben.”

Zelda fumbled to find her car keys. Ben could hear the emotion in her voice. Her feelings were hurt. Not the best-case scenario, but at least she wasn’t enraged. He was good at apologizing. He could fix this.

“Let me make it up to you.” He pulled out his phone and sent a text to Jackie Frush. She was the new front desk worker at the Lunar Motel. “I’m going to pay for your room. Just go in and they’ll have everything ready for you. Let me take you out tonight. We’ll have a fun time and you won’t even remember why you were mad.”

She nodded curtly. “One more chance. Mess this up again and I’m gone for good.”

“I’ll pick you up at nine.” Ben wanted to kiss her goodbye but the moment didn’t feel right. He couldn’t wait to get his hands on her again. It felt like she was his mate. The feeling of anguish when she drove away almost brought Ben to his knees. He hadn’t expected to be so attached to her so quickly. They’d only spoken for a short time, but the kiss had sealed it. She was his mate and he couldn’t let her go.

His mother cleared her throat on the front steps. “Is that really the best LK can do?”

Ben rounded on his mother and growled. “That’s my mate you’re talking about. I won’t have you disrespecting her in my presence.”

Maude put her hands on her chest. “Benjamin! I don’t know what’s gotten into you, but that is no way to speak to your mother.”

“The way you acted was humiliating.” Ben went to the front door and let his mother inside.

“The way I acted? I was perfectly nice to the girl.” Maude followed him to the sitting room. “I can’t help if she’s intimidated by a lady.”

Ben tried to calm down. He didn’t want to be nasty to his mother, but she had to understand. Zelda was his mate and would come first in his life. He couldn’t let his mother chase off the girl who could be the mother of his cubs.

“Mom. The way you looked at her was repulsive. I had to apologize for you, and I’m going to have to work hard to make it up to her.”

If she had been a little younger, Maude would have rolled her eyes at Ben. “LK found this girl and says she’s your match. That doesn’t make it true. They’ve done well with matches in town; I have to admit that much. But I don’t know if they’ve done well for you, Ben.”

“Really? And how do you know? You haven’t even talked to her.”

“You didn’t give me a chance,” Maude snapped. “Besides, I have a feeling. I’m good at judging these things. She doesn’t seem right.”

Ben crossed his arms. “Thanks for giving me your unsubstantiated and unfounded opinion. I know you came to talk, but you’re going to have to go.”

“Excuse me? You’re kicking me out because I’m suspicious of some girl you just met?”

“I’m asking you to leave because I need to get ready for a date tonight. I have to find a gift to make up for the way you treated her.”

“A look isn’t poor treatment. No mother would be thrilled to find a barely clothed girl all over her son in the middle of the day. It was incredibly improper.”

“She was fully clothed,” Ben said calmly. “I don’t really care what you think. Have whatever opinion you want. It isn’t going to make her stop being my mate.”

“I don’t know how these shifter things work, but maybe it’s just lust. Anyone would be fooled by a pretty girl. You have no idea what her motives are. She could be using you to get to your money.”

Ben sighed. “She didn’t want to stay because I lied about the money. I didn’t tell her that I was well off, and it freaked her out. I think that says enough about how much she wants my money.”

“She was lying. She was pretending to get you to trust her. I know these types and how they think. You should see some of the divorce settlements. They would make your eyes pop out of your head. Just six months of marriage and she could get half of everything you own.”

“Thanks for the information. If I can convince her to stay, maybe you’ll get a chance to get to know her later. Or not. It’s entirely up to you. Goodbye, Mother. You know where the door is.”

Ben left the room and went to his office. He heard the front door open a short time later and breathed a sigh of relief. There was work to do. He had no idea where he was going to take Zelda, but it had to be somewhere good.

***

“I have a room reservation,” Zelda said to the pretty girl behind the counter. She looked to be just a little younger than Zelda and she had a similar look. The girl looked 1950s girl-next-door retro cute. Zelda’s retro glam was a little more punk, but she liked the girl right away. Anyone who could get a ponytail that high and tight would always be cool in her book.

“You must be Ben’s girl. I’m Jackie Lunar.” The girl put out her hand. “I have your room ready. You’re upstairs in fifty-two.”

“Thanks.”

“I’m an LK Bride too.” Jackie handed her the room keys. “I know it’s tough at first, but it gets much easier.”

“I don’t know about that,” Zelda said. “Ben’s different than I was expecting.”

Jackie laughed. “I ended up with two guys. Trust me, I know exactly how you feel. Give it a little time and I swear you’ll feel right at home with him.”

“
Two
guys?”

Jackie nodded. “My husbands are the alphas of the town’s wolf pack. They’re great guys, but I never in my wildest dreams imagined I’d marry two men.”

“That sounds very complicated.”

“It can be, but it works for us. There are a lot of brides in town. They’ll all tell you the same thing. Give it time and trust in your match.”

“I’ll try. Thanks for the advice.”

“No problem. Enjoy your stay.”

Zelda set up her stuff in her room and checked the time. She had time to kill before her date with Ben and she was starving. She decided to walk down to the Chinese food place she’d seen on her way through town. She ordered her food and sat down. There were two women at the table next to her.

The store was so small she could hear everything they were saying. She tried not to listen, but it sounded like they were LK brides too, and that made her curious. Jackie had been very nice, but that didn’t mean all the LK brides in town were the same.

The shop owner called her name and she got her food and sat back down. She decided to eat in the restaurant instead of eating in her room. She couldn’t spend her short stay holed up at the hotel. She wanted to get a feel for the town just in case things did work out between her and Ben.

“Zelda?” The redhead at the table was looking at her. “Are you an LK bride?”

“Wow, word travels fast.” Zelda laughed. “Yup. I’m Ben’s bride.”

“Pull your chair up,” the girl with curly black hair insisted. “I’m Molly, and this is Gwen.”

“Of course word travels fast,” Gwen said. “We need to watch out for our own. Jackie said you just checked into the hotel and you were having a hard time.”

Zelda set her food down on their table and pulled up her chair. “It’s a little weird. And Ben’s mom wasn’t the nicest. Is that how she normally is?”

Molly and Gwen exchanged looks. Gwen spoke first. “Not at all. Maude’s a sweet woman. A little overbearing when it comes to her son, though.”

“I bet that’s it,” Molly said. “Rumor has it that she wasn’t too thrilled with Olivia and LK Brides when they didn’t find Ben a match lickety-split.”

“I dunno. She seemed to have a problem with me, not with the agency.”

Zelda got angry thinking about how Maude had looked at her. It was like she was no better than a bug under her shoe. It made her feel very unwelcome. She didn’t want to have a bad relationship with her mother-in-law. She wasn’t particularly close with her own mother, but they got along well enough. In a small town like this, it would get really old very fast to have her mother-in-law hating on her.

“Ben’s a special guy,” Gwen said carefully. “Maude gets suspicious when any girl comes around. She wants her son to get married real bad, though.”

“You mean Ben’s a really rich guy.” Zelda got right to the point. “He didn’t tell me that before I came here. I would have thought twice if he had.”

“Most of the shifter men in town are doing well financially,” Molly said. “We have a lot of business owners and self-made men. My husband is one. I think it’s an asset. You know you and your kids will always be taken care of and your husband is very hard worker.”

“I don’t think you get Ben’s kind of money being self-made,” Zelda said. “I saw the other homes in town. They don’t look anything like Ben’s estate.”

“Don’t let that get in the way,” Gwen told her. “Nobody is going to mention how wealthy they are on a first date. That would be so tacky. And emails were your first date. I’m sure he had good reason to keep it to himself.”

“Plus, if you stay, you could be in our commercial!” Molly told her. “It got pushed back until the holiday season, but LK Brides is doing a whole ad campaign in town.”

“Wow. That sounds like a big deal,” Zelda said. “What did you guys do to get the star treatment?”

“We all got married and knocked up.” Gwen laughed. “There are a lot of LK brides in town and soon there’ll be a lot of babies. The company wanted to get as many babies in the ad as they could.”

“They must be pretty good.” Zelda thought of her sister. Tessa loved her wolf shifter fiancé Tobias. The first time they met, Tessa had known that Tobias was the one for her. It sounded like all the women in town who’d gotten matched had good marriages too. Maybe she had made too hasty a judgment. Ben had been perfectly nice. All right, then: she would get to know the guy before she hightailed it out of town.

“Thanks for the company,” she told the ladies as she got up. “It was really nice to meet you. If you’ll excuse me, I need to get ready for a date.”

“Have a great time,” Gwen said.

Ben pulled up in front of the hotel at five to nine. He was driving his big black pickup truck for the night. He preferred to drive his Aston Martin, but he didn’t want to risk annoying Zelda.

He got out of the truck to go upstairs but she was already bouncing down the steps. She was in a much better mood than the last time he’d seen her. She was also wearing very different clothes.

Her small jeans skirt barely covered her ass and her bandana top exposed her entire back. Her long black hair wasn’t curled like it had been earlier. The sleek curly updo was replaced by her natural curls. Ben much preferred this look and his panther agreed. It was going to be hard keeping himself in check tonight. Her high heels pushed her ass up and made it look even more tantalizing. Ben had to make sure he wasn’t staring too hard at her luscious body.

“Where we going?” she asked when she got close.

Ben opened the passenger door for her and helped her step in. “The Boozy Bear. It’s a little bar outside of town. I thought it might remind you of home.”

“I think I’ve heard of that place. Isn’t it one of the oldest shifter bars in the country?”

Ben got into the driver’s seat. “It is. How’d you hear about it?”

“One of my regulars did a bike tour of the country. He went to a shifter bar in every state.”

“That had to be a hell of a time.” Ben handed her a small box. “Just a little something to say I’m sorry for what happened earlier.”

He held his breath as she opened the little box. Most girls loved jewelry, but he didn’t want to give her anything too extravagant. He’d run his idea by his friend Owen’s wife Erin before making the purchase. To his relief, she had said it wasn’t too extravagant and shouldn’t freak Zelda out.

She pulled the little glass turtle from the box. “Awww. This is so cute.”

Ben relaxed in his seat. “Even if you decide not to stay, I thought you could take this home with you. It’ll be a nice reminder of your sister while she’s far away.”

“Thank you so much.” She looked at him. “I’m not mad about earlier anymore. I’m disappointed that you didn’t tell me how well-off you are, but I understand.”

“I’m really glad to hear that. I thought I was going to be on your shit list for at least a few more days.”

Zelda laughed. “Nope. I know how it is. More money, more problems. I’m sure you’ve met hella gold diggers who only want your cash. You can’t be too careful these days.”

“Yeah. I figured you’d Google me as soon as you had my name. I was honestly surprised you didn’t know more about me.”

Zelda put her head back on the seat. “Damn. Why didn’t I think of that? I never look people up before a date. But I’ve only ever dated people I knew. You’re the first guy I’ve known zero about.”

“You’re the first out-of-town girl I’ve tried to get serious with, too,” Ben said.

“First black girl?”

Ben shifted in his seat. “Yeah. I guess you would be. Am I the first white guy you’ve dated?”

Zelda shook her head and laughed. “Things are a little more colorful down in Louisiana. We have all different colors at home. Here you guys only seem to have two.”

Ben knew what she meant. He’d never thought about it before, but there wasn’t much racial diversity in Sunset Falls. “Being a shifter, that isn’t even something I would notice.”

“So, what, are you guys one big happy family?”

“No, you notice if there are others of your kind. Same as what you humans do with different colors.”

Zelda nodded. “Tessa hated that she was the only turtle shifter in the entire state. People were always making a big deal about it if they found out.”

“Exactly. We only have one shifter who’s one of a kind in Sunset Falls. He’s a big cat, though, so at least he’s sort of close to me and the tigers.”

“I’m always surprised there aren’t more one-animal towns.”

It sounded like she had more to say, but it was lost. Seeing the Boozy Bear for the first time had that effect on people. There was a giant neon drunken bear flashing on top of the building, and you could hear the roars of different animals floating on the air. Ben used to love the bar when he was underage but it wasn’t the kind of place he’d come to anymore. The crowd was a little too rowdy for him. Even in his late twenties, he’d grown tired of the antics at the Bear.

“It’s something, isn’t it?” he asked as he parked the car.

“I’ve never seen a sign like that in my life.” Zelda got out of the car and gawked. “I can’t believe they’re this open about being a shifter bar.”

“Is your bar underground?”

“No, but we don’t advertise that it’s for hard-living shifters. It attracts the wrong kind of people.”

“The Bear does, but it’s one hell of a good time for a night. Stay close to me. This place may be a bit rough for you. If you don’t like it, I know a human bar close to here that you might also like.”

Zelda rolled her eyes. “I work in a shifter bar. I can handle your little Bear.”

A bird flew through the air and shifted into a naked woman at the entrance. Zelda watched wide-eyed as the woman walked into the bar without even pausing.

Ben took her hand and walked with her to the front of the club. “Like I said, this place is a little different. The normal rules don’t apply here.”

***

Zelda thought she’d seen it all, but the Boozy Bear was a whole different monster. There were people shifting all the time. She’d never been in a bar where the clothing was optional before. It seemed way too dangerous.

Ben got them both drinks and she had a better look around. There were bikers and suits mingling at the pool table. The naked bird was with one of the suits at the pool table and the guy didn’t seem to mind that his girlfriend’s tits were on display for the whole bar.

The naked women and men didn’t seem to mind one bit. Besides a few cursory glances, no one else seemed too bothered by the naked people, either. She caught the eye of a man while she was looking around. He flicked a very long reptilian tongue out of his mouth and winked at her. Zelda hadn’t ever seen a snake shifter before. She was tempted to go over and talk to him. If she hadn’t been with Ben, she wouldn’t have hesitated, but she doubted he would appreciate her asking another shifter all about his animal.

One of the naked women came over and pressed into the space next to Ben at the crowded bar. Zelda watched incredulously as the woman pressed her breasts against Ben’s arm while she ordered. She had a lot of nerve. Zelda went and hugged Ben from behind. “I think I’d like a shot too.”

The women tilted her head and shrugged as an apology. Zelda would have to keep a better eye on Ben. There were already more girls eyeing Ben from across the bar. Not that he was the only one getting attention; there was more than one guy making eyes at her. While she was curious about the snake shifter, she didn’t care to meet anyone new tonight.

“Shots.”

Ben handed her a redheaded slut that was mixed perfectly. He clinked her glass before downing his shot. She followed suit and chased it with half her martini. She had had a big lunch and didn’t expect the punch the drinks packed. Her stupid low tolerance always got her in trouble. She was going to have to cut herself off after one drink. Maybe two more shots. They were so yummy she would have to have a few more of those. But that was it. She wanted to keep her head mostly clear for the night.

“Let’s dance.” Ben finished his drink and led her out onto the dance floor. She hurried to finish her drink and set the empty glass down on the bar. She loved dancing and was pleasantly surprised to see that Ben had rhythm. The shot and drink had loosened her up enough to not care how much her feet hurt. She and Ben danced to the pulsing music until they were both covered in sweat.

“Drink break?” Ben asked after the eighth song. Zelda nodded in agreement.

While Ben was getting them drinks, a tall, man with long dark hair approached her. She didn’t make eye contact and ignored him.

“What’s a pretty sister like you doing with vanilla ice cream?” The man leaned against the table and tried to catch her eye.

Zelda gave him an icy stare. “This sister happens to love vanilla ice cream.”

“Maybe you just haven’t ever had chocolate before. Most ladies love chocolate. I don’t think you’ll be an exception.”

The man hissed and slowly let his tongue run up and down her arm. His eyes changed to the horizontal eyes of a snake and he hissed at her again. Zelda looked at him, repulsed, and flicked his tongue off. “Gross! I’m here with someone, asshole.”

“Armando, I see you’ve met my date.” Ben put the drinks down on the table forcefully.

The man put his tongue back in his mouth. “Sorry. Didn’t realize she was here with you, brother. My apologies, miss.”

Zelda nodded, but she was still pissed. How the hell did Ben know this guy?

“Haven’t seen you in a long while, Ben.” Armando shook his hand. “Are you fighting tonight?”

Ben shook his head. “I’m on a date. I’m not looking to get roughed up tonight.”

“Join one of the smaller fights.” Armando put his hands together. “Think about it? I could use a winning ticket. No one here probably even remembers you. We could make a nice stack.”

“Tempting, but I don’t think so.”

Armando shrugged. “You know where to find me if you change your mind.”

“What was that about?” Zelda asked when they were alone again.

“An old friend,” Ben said without explaining any more.

As soon as they finished their drinks, they went back out to the dance floor. Zelda was having a great time until a giant man bumped into her. He spilled his drink all down her back.

“Watch where you’re going!” Ben snapped at the guy. He grabbed napkins from the nearest table and started patting the beer off Zelda’s back.

“Maybe you need to keep a better eye on your woman.” The big man pushed Ben.

“Leave it alone, Ben,” Zelda warned. The guy was clearly drunk. She was a little past tipsy herself. She didn’t want to deal with a fight this late in the night.

“Listen to your lady.” The man smirked at Zelda. Ben grabbed him by the back of the neck and punched him in the mouth. Before she could blink, a wave of men had stepped in pull them apart.

“No fights inside,” the man who had Zelda’s arm barked. “If you gentlemen want to take this outside, fine by us. If not, cool it or you can get out.”

“Let’s take it outside,” the burly man snarled at Ben.

“We were just leaving,” Ben told the bouncer.

They let him go and walked the pair outside. The man he’d punched was thrashing and making a scene.

“That was a dirty shot! You bastard. Get back here.”

Ben didn’t even look back. He opened the car door for a very shocked Zelda and drove away from the bar without another word. When they’d gone a few miles he finally spoke. “I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to fight.”

“It’s okay. It happens.”

Zelda didn’t know what else to say. Normally she hated bar fights. She had no idea how to interpret this one. Ben didn’t seem like the kind of guy to fight. She would think about it more when she was less drunk. Right now, all she wanted to do was get back to the hotel and into bed.