Bear It All: A Werebear Paranormal Erotic Romance (3 page)

She wasn’t sure what type of date Taylor was taking her on, so she decided to dress casual-fancy. She wore dark blue skinny jeans, a white frilled-shirt, and black heels. She hoped the outfit would be enough for any place they went.

At seven o’clock on the dot, her doorbell rang. Standing on the other side of the door was Taylor. He was wearing his usual blue jeans, but he had changed into a black button-down shirt. Gemma couldn’t help but appreciate the way the tight shirt clung to his strong arms.

“Are you really sure you want to go on a date?” Taylor growled, causing Gemma to look away from his arms to his face. She was surprised to see desire in his eyes. Usually, men merely gave her a glance before turning away to much more beautiful women.

“I’m sure.”

“Such a shame, I would love to tear those clothes off your amazing body and devour you.”  Taylor licked his lips, as his eyes travelled the length of her body.

“This was a mistake.” Gemma shook her head before trying to close the door, but Taylor slammed his large hand against the wood and shook his head at her.

“I’m sorry. I promise not to make any more remarks like that. Please, let me take you out.” Taylor held his hand out, a small smile on his face.

Gemma sighed before placing her hand in his, surprised at the sharp snap of electricity that flowed through her. Taylor frowned, shook his head, and led her down the path to his car. He helped her inside the tall vehicle. She didn’t want to question where they were going, since she liked the unknown.

She was pleasantly surprised when Taylor rolled up to the beach. She had yet to experience the beach here. In fact, the last time she had been to one was when her parents took her when she was a small girl. The smell of the salt, fish, and sweets hit her enhanced senses as soon as stepped out of the car. She couldn’t help it when a smile blossomed on her face.

“I thought the beach would be a good idea. I mean everyone likes the beach, right?” Taylor shrugged before pocketing his phone and wallet and taking her hand in his.

“Where would you like to go first? Are you hungry or we could go to the arcades?”

“Maybe we could eat first, I missed lunch.”

“Of course, I know a brilliant crab hut a little way down the beach. You’re not allergic to seafood are you?” he asked, as a look of worry crossed his face.

“No, I’m not allergic to anything,” Gemma said, as she chuckled and headed down the beach with Taylor. She enjoyed listening to the random little facts he was spouting out, like how the fountain by the arcades was nearly two hundred years old and how most of the sand of the beach was imported. She could see how much Taylor truly cared for this town, as he spoke proudly and fondly about it.

Taylor motioned for her to sit on the bench outside one of the huts. A young teenager girl headed out of the little hut, a hat the shape of a crab on her head. She was smiling as she headed towards them, holding two menus in her hands.

“It’s okay. We know what we want, Angie.”

“We do?” Gemma leaned back slightly and smiled at Taylor
. Call me old-fashioned, but I liked it when men order for me
, she thought.

“Yes. We’ll have four of the crabs. Bring the protective sheets, too. It’s bound to get messy,” Taylor said, as he winked at Angie. Gemma watched, as the girl blushed and rushed away.

“Come here often, do you?”

“I used to come here every weekend with my parents when I was a little boy.”

“Used to?” Gemma placed her hands on the table and couldn’t help but smile when Taylor reached across and wrapped her hands in his.

“My parents died when I was nineteen. They were driving home from my cousin’s wedding and something jumped in front of the car. My dad swerved to avoid it and they both died in hospital the next day.” Taylor rubbed his thumb across the top of her hand while he was talking, but Gemma could hear the pain in his voice.

“I’m so sorry.”

“It was nearly ten years ago now; I’ve had time to adjust.” Taylor looked up before a smile spread across his face.

“Tell me about yourself.”

“What would you like to know?”

“Betsy told me that you were thrown from your last three towns, is that true?”

“Who is Betsy?” Gemma frowned and tried to pull her hands away, but Taylor refused to let her move them; so, she sighed and settled back down.

“She operates the phones at the station. You should meet her. She’s like my second mother.” A look of happiness appeared on Taylor’s face again and Gemma couldn’t help but smile back at him. It really did seem like he loved Betsy like he loved his own mother.

“It is true. Once they found out that I was a wolf, they chased me out of town. I had only two days to pack my stuff up from most of my towns, so I try and avoid unpacking. I’m hoping this town is different though.”

“How did they find out you were a wolf?”

“In the first town, I couldn’t quite control my shifts and I accidently changed in the supermarket. In the second town, one of the neighbors saw me shift in the woods. Then, the last time someone was getting a bit too suspicious, so I just left. I’m hoping I won’t have to leave this town. I like it here.”

“I like you here, too.”

Gemma was luckily saved from responding when the food came to the table. There were four whole red crabs sitting in two baskets, a mallet, and something that looked like a nutcracker sitting next to them.

“I’ve never done this before.”

“You’ve never eaten crab before?”

“I have eaten crab, but it usually comes in a packet or something. I’ve never had to crack it up before.” Gemma watched as Taylor placed a plastics sheet in front of her and one in front of him. He then gently laid a crab on each.

“Okay, watch me.”  Taylor tied a bib around his neck and attacked the crab with various items. Soon enough, he had a pile of crab meat sitting off to one side and triumphant smile on his face. “See, easy.”

“Right...” Gemma tried doing the same thing, but she just ended up splattering crab juice over herself and the table. Taylor chuckled, and then reached over and helped her. As he did so, he instructed her how to pull the meat away.

“This is gross,” Gemma said. As she put the meat in her mouth, she had to admit that fresh crab tasted much better than the store-bought crab. They finished their meal and cleaned away the shells before Taylor paid for dinner. Although she offered to pay for her share, he insisted on paying the entire bill, since it was a date.

“Shall we go play some arcade games?”

“I spent many hours in arcades when I was younger, so be warned.” Gemma took the last mouthful of her drink before tossing it in the trash and heading towards the arcades.

****

Taylor didn’t realize how much fun a date could be. He had a great time watching Gemma laugh and cheer each time she beat him at a game. He enjoyed the way her eyes lit up when he offered to pay for everything she wanted to try.

When she wanted a giant pink mushroom that was inside a glass-walled grabbing machine, he was determined to win it for her. She peeked through the glass at the side and attempted to direct him where to drop the claw, “Go to the left a little bit!”

Taylor moved the controller to the left slightly, so the claw hovered over the giant pink mushroom. He wasn’t sure why she wanted the odd toy when there were plenty of normal looking things in the machine, but she was determined to have the mushroom. He had spent way too much in this machine already, but he didn’t want to give up.

“Up a tiny bit.”

Taylor moved the controller up and pushed the grab button. Gemma’s face was pressed to the glass, her smile widening as the grabber hooked on the pink mushroom. She jumped in glee when the mushroom dropped from the grabber and into the winner’s slot. Taylor bent down, tugged the horrible thing out, and handed it to her.

“I don’t understand why you wanted that.”

“It’s different, like me. See, its eye is falling off.” Gemma tugged the googly eye that was attached and it nearly fell off.

“Well, okay then...” Taylor took Gemma by the hand and they left the arcade. They spent almost three hours inside the air-conditioned room, so it was a shock to go outside into the muggy air.

“I would offer to buy you an ice cream, but it seems like all the places are closed for the night,” said Taylor. He looked around the beach, but none of the huts had their lights on anymore.

“It’s okay. I should really get home now, I have grading to do,” Gemma said, as she smiled at Taylor and he nodded. He felt a wave of disappointment at the thought of taking her home, he liked spending time with her and it made him upset that he had to leave her.

That’s strange. I haven’t felt anything for anyone, since my parents’ death
, he thought as they headed towards her home.
“When can I see you again?” Taylor asked, once he had walked her back to her door after the short car drive.

“I’m busy tomorrow all day, but maybe Monday night. Or if that’s too soon then-“ Taylor stopped Gemma’s ramblings with a delicate, quick kiss to her lips. Gemma’s eyes opened slowly after the kiss ended and she smiled at him.

“Monday is perfect,” he said.

“I’ll see you Monday then.” Gemma waved at him before disappearing inside. Taylor waited until he heard the door lock before getting back in his car and driving to the police station. He figured that Betsy would still be working and he wanted to talk to her about the date.

“Betsy?”

“I’m in the back, love.”

Taylor headed into the back and flopped down onto the sofa next to her. Then, he turned his head to look at her, a smile on his face.

“How was your date?”

“Good, I didn’t think dating could be fun, but with Gemma something is different.”

“Maybe because you actually respect this young lady, unlike the other women in this town.”

“I do respect them. They were the ones who threw themselves at me.”

“Why did they throw themselves at you, then? How do you think you got the reputation of being a player, Taylor?”  Betsy turned her body to face him, a frown on her wrinkled face.

“So, I may have slept with a few women. It doesn’t mean I’m a player.”

“Listen to yourself. If you obviously care for Gemma, then you wouldn’t have taken the time to take her on a date. When was the last time you went on a proper date except for tonight?”

Taylor tried to think, but he couldn’t think of a single time that he had been on date, except for his prom night. He didn’t think that prom counted because the two of them weren’t alone. Betsy must have seen his struggle because she patted him on the shoulder and smiled. “This means something to you. Don’t ruin it by trying to get her into your bed, Taylor.”

“Thank you, Betsy.” Taylor kissed Betsy’s cheek before heading home for the night. Since he’d started speaking to Gemma, he had no desire to jump into bed with other women. Usually his bear was demanding that he sleep with every available shifter in the town, but for now his bear was content.

****

The next month passed faster than Gemma would have liked it. She and Taylor spent almost all of their free time together; but it was hard, since he was a police officer and she was a schoolteacher. Consequently, it was usually the weekends or evenings when they would see each other.

While Gemma was the one who told Taylor that she didn’t want to sleep with him, her whole body craved an intimate connection with him. Every time they were close, she craved his touch, his lips on her neck, and his body pushed against hers. She wasn’t sure how to voice her desire though. She didn’t want to be like all of the other women in the town who had shared his bed.