Blind Date With A Bear (A BBW Paranormal Romance) (2 page)

“You sure don’t pull your punches, do you?”

“Why, because I called you a curvy woman?” If she said one thing about her size, he’d take her over his knee.

“No, because you claim you’re a big man.” Her gaze fell to the bulge in his pants, the bulge she’d put there. Heat blasted him and his heart did a somersault at the spirit behind another sweet smile.

“I always tell the truth, baby,” he grinned. Now that he had her talking, she was turning out to be a little sassy. He liked that. He realized he liked a lot of things about her. He was hard pressed to pick his favorite. The full, pouty pink lips he’d love to see wrapped about his cock or the dark green eyes he wanted burning with passion as he pounded deep inside her. The sultry voice he’d soon have screaming his name as he licked her slit, making her cream all over his tongue.

Okay. He wanted this woman. Any other time he’d be cursing the fact that his big sister had found his mate on the first try and he’d never see the end of her smugness. Now, he wondered what he needed to buy her as a thank-you gift. And how to convince Paige to come home with him tonight so he could show her just how big bear shifters could really get.

Just then, her stomach growled, making him frown.
Provide. Protect
. The two instinctual mandates all male shifters felt for their mates. He needed to feed her. “Let’s get you fed and then we’ll discuss the particulars.”

Like will I be fucking you at your place or mine?

He grabbed her hand—an overblown matish mannerism to show his possession—and headed toward the hostess stand. He had a feeling he’d have to watch that in the future. No doubt, Paige would give him shit if he was too dominant. Even after thirty years, his father still messed up trying to dictate to his mate.

Her stomach rumbled again. No telling how long she’d been at the restaurant before he’d arrived. His mate was hungry. No more waiting. As if the man behind the stand could sense Quinn’s determination, he held up two menus.

“Right this way, sir.” When he stopped by a small table near the front, Quinn shook his head.

“No. Over there.” He pointed to a secluded section of booths in the back of the restaurant. The area was slightly apart from the other patrons and provided some semblance of privacy, something he knew he would need. It was not going to be long before his bear demanded a taste of this woman.

His woman. His mate.

He had already claimed her in his head. He knew it wouldn’t be as simple as that and he wanted to roar in frustration. Unlike shifters, humans did not feel that instantaneous pull to be with their mate.

As they walked, he noticed more than one head turn in their direction. He was used to getting looks from women. The heads turning tonight were all male and definitely not looking in his direction. He suppressed the urge to roar, warning them away. He knew what the woman walking by his side looked like—pure, unfiltered sex. Her loose, generic clothing did nothing to hide the swell of her breasts or the sway of her hips. He knew for a fact every man in the room was imagining the thousand and one ways they could thrust their dicks deep inside her. He pictured shifting and grabbing the nearest male and crushing his skull with one hand. When another man’s lustful gaze roamed over Paige, he let loose a muted roar that caused the waiter to stumble and Paige to look at him with concern.

After the waiter seated them and left, Quinn turned to his date. His freaking blind date. One minute he’d been alone and the next the woman who made especially for him had appeared. Just like that.

He needed to know what she knew about shifters. There was some stupid shit out there about shifters and mating. “You do know I’m a shifter, right?”

She threw him a puzzled look. “Yes. Deb told me the
Blackwoods were bear shifters.”

Humans had known about shifters and other paranormal beings for years. The first few years after the great reveal had been dangerous. He’d only been a small cub and his parents had protected him and his brothers and sisters from most of the harsher realities of the integration. Shifters were myth and magic come to life and many humans had not been happy with the change in the status quo. Just as many shifters felt superior.

“We are. Dad’s a grizzly and mom’s a brown bear.” He watched her carefully as he asked his next question. “And that’s all right with you?”

She smiled that sexy smile again and he wondered what he could do to keep ‘
em coming. They shot straight to his groin and he was beginning to like that feeling.

“No. I don’t mind that you’re a shifter. I was glad there was another curvy woman at the firm when I got there. It gets a little tiring when you’re surrounded by blonde-headed, stick women who look as if a strong puff of wind would blow them away. Makes a person wish they lived in the Windy City.”

It took him a moment before her dry sense of humor struck home and he laughed.

She fingered the pattern on the tablecloth and he wondered if she was nervous. He breathed deeply. She was so new to him, he couldn’t read her scent yet. Not yet anyway.

“I’ve had shifter friends before.”

“Have you ever had a shifter boyfriend?” He had to ask. He knew women compared a man to every man they’d ever slept with. Not that he believed he’d have any problem wiping away the memory of some other bastard’s touch. It was always good to know what you were up against. Bear shifters were naturally better lovers than any of the other shifter breeds, and eons ahead of human males.

The real implications of having a human for a mate swept over him, causing him to sweat. A mate for a
bear
shifter. What was he going to do? He wanted her. His bear wanted her. He liked his sex hard and fast and as frequently as possible. Yes, he was a considerate lover, making sure the female found as much satisfaction as he did. Again, the troubling thought popped into his mind. Paige was human. A fragile, beautiful human.

Who smelled so good. He leaned forward, focusing on her lips, wondering if she would taste as good as she smelled. Berries. And cream. Cream from her pussy—

“No.” She shook her head answering the question he’d almost forgotten he’d asked. She pushed a strand of her long, brown hair behind her small ear. The perfectly formed shell and plump lobe were just right for nibbling.

“I haven’t had many boyfriends.”

She said it without censure or bitterness. She simply stated a fact.

The waiter came with the drinks they had left at the bar, ready to take their dinner order.

Quinn nodded for her to go first, frowning when she asked for the smallest steak they had and a house salad for the side. He knew she was hungry, he’d heard her stomach growl, not once, but twice, since they’d been seated. He started to open his mouth, demanding she order something else. He closed it quickly. He had to remember she was human, not a bear sow like his mother and sisters who knew they needed to eat to keep up their strength. Instead, he placed his own order of two medium rare steaks, two baked potatoes, and a double order of green beans. He also ordered two appetizers and demanded hot, fresh-out-of-the-oven yeast rolls be delivered immediately. If she wouldn’t order what she needed, he most certainly would. It was his job to provide for her.

“I, um, guess you’re hungry.”

“I suppose I am.” The look in his eyes left her in no doubt exactly what he hungered for.

Her.

He felt his bear trying to override the man. He knew this struggle wouldn’t be over until she was claimed. She is
ours
his bear reminded him with a not so gentle swipe of a heavy paw across his insides.
Ours
. Quinn rubbed his chest as if the bear had caused him physical pain. Every minute he was aware of his animal, the second presence in his soul. The bear usually made very few demands. If he didn’t find time to shift and spend some time in the woods, the animal let him know and
he
became a bear to live with according to his family. Other than that, the bear was content.

Unless Quinn went too long between women. Quinn had left his parents’ den as soon as he’d turned eighteen. His mother had protested, but his father had convinced her it was for the best. He knew a young, male bear needed to fuck as much as he needed to shift.

He had noticed an increasing restlessness in his animal over the last several years as his sisters had found their mates and started their own household. Tonight the bear was alert and active, fiercely seeking to communicate with the man. To convey the animal’s needs. Which happened to mirror the man’s needs. A need for Paige.

The bread came and he didn’t give her a chance to protest that she wasn’t hungry. He tore open a roll, lathered it with butter, and thrust it toward her. “Eat.”

To his surprise, her hand wrapped around his wrist as she bent to take a bite.

She moaned at the taste.

And he silently groaned. Would she moan so deep and low when he stuffed her mouth with his cock? Before he could give in to the impossible urge to snatch the bread from her mouth and replace it with his throbbing member, his cell phone rang.

She took the rest of the bread and he retrieved the phone from his front pocket, the fabric tighter than normal thanks to the massive boner he was sporting. He looked at the screen. He wouldn’t have bothered except he’d halfway been expecting a call from one of his twin brothers, Ryland or
Ryker. Blackwood Brothers Construction had been experiencing trouble with their latest project. Several break-ins had resulted in sabotage. Equipment had been tampered with and supplies stolen. Tonight his brothers were helping the night watchmen patrol the area. It wasn’t either of his brothers, however; it was his sister.

He heard Deb’s voice as soon as he connected the call.

“How’s it going brother-mine?” As he'd predicted, smugness coated her voice.

He decided to torture her as long as he could. “The restaurant is great, Sis.”

Paige stilled at his greeting to his sister. Needing to reassure her he was quite happy with how the date was going, he winked. His attention easily caught and held by her heart-shaped face and the rich, brown tumble of curls streaked with gold that framed her face. His cock, having deflated somewhat, popped right back up as she nibbled at her lips. He’d already noticed she did that when she was nervous. He hated that she was nervous.

He thought of several ways he could make her feel better, all of which included his cock and her pussy and various combinations thereof.

“Yes, I arrived on time, Deb.” He rolled his eyes, making Paige laugh as she spread butter on another roll. His attention was torn between listening to his sister and watching Paige eat. Was there anything more sensuous than watching a woman enjoy her food?

Yeah, watching her enjoy our cock,
the bear rumbled.

Right now, every one of his predatory mating instincts focused on the curvaceous woman sitting on the opposite side of the booth. From what he’d observed, she had no idea how appealing she was, nor how she aroused him. All she had to do was look a little lower and she’d know without a shadow of a doubt how much she aroused him. He barely resisted the urge to adjust himself as his trousers restricted once again around his rock-hard cock. He’d be lucky to leave the restaurant with his pants intact.

“So, was I right?”

“Yeah.” That’s all he said. He couldn’t very well blurt out
yeah, Sis, Paige is my mate and thank you very much for finding her
. He did say, “How did you know?”

He couldn’t see her, but he’d bet a hundred dollars she just shrugged her shoulders. He sometimes gave his sister a hard time—he gave all his siblings a hard time—but he was very proud of each of them. Deb was very modest in her achievements, be it as a wife, a mother or a working professional. Heck, she’d helped a lot of shifters find their mates. Maybe she should start charging for her matchmaking abilities.

What he wanted to know was why she hadn’t worked harder to introduce him to Paige. She’d apparently had one of her feelings, something Quinn was never going to doubt again. The women had been working together for a little over a month at a top engineering firm. Not only was his mate beautiful, she was very intelligent. She and his sister held degrees in civil engineering.

He and his brothers had tried to get his sister to work for them. She’d refused, stating she didn’t want to work for a bunch of
jackassed bears. They did hire her as a consultant when the need arose. Maybe they could do the same with Paige. Or entice her away from her current employer. He quickly rethought that idea. Or maybe not. He wouldn’t get a hell of a lot of work done with her around. He’d be bending her over his desk and fucking her every chance he got.

“Because you weren’t ready, baby brother.”

He needed to add mindreading to his sister’s list of skills. “And you think I am now?”

The thought of having a mate scared him shitless.

She laughed and said goodbye.

Disconnecting the call, he leaned over, taking one of Paige’s hands in his. “Okay?”

“I’ve never done this before.”

She licked her lips and images of her kneeling before him, devouring his dick like a giant lollipop flooded his mind.
Get it together, bro
.