The Playboy Bear's Baby: BBW Paranormal Shape Shifter Romance (6 page)

Mara nodded. “I can be patient as long as you don’t
keep me waiting too long.”

“Just a few more minutes. I promise.”

“Cool.” They walked a little further. She heard the
surprise long before she saw it. The sound of running water grew louder with
every step they took until what started as a quiet babbling turned into a
roaring cascade. 

She sped up, anxious to see what lay ahead, and ran
out into a clearing at the end of the path. Up ahead, she could make out the white
ripples of water surging over a small waterfall. The closer she got, the more
she could see of the waterfall and the pond below. “Oh wow. This is beautiful.”

“Mara,” Gray hollered. “Stop!”

“What?” She skidded to a halt and looked back over
her shoulder at him. “Why?”

His eyes flashed an inhuman shade of black.
Something rippled under the smooth skin of his face and neck, reminding her of
the animal lurking just beneath the surface.

“There’s a black bear and her cubs just ahead of
you, Mara. She senses our presence and she isn’t happy about it.”

She jerked around, looking for the threat, and
spotted a mama bear and two small cubs down by the water less than one hundred
feet from where she stood. The big black bear was staring their way. “Oh shit.”

“Everything will be fine, but I want you to slowly
back up and get behind me.”

Her pulse kicked into high gear as she followed his
orders. Visions of the protective mama charging and ripping them both to shreds
with her razor sharp claws sprang to the surface of Mara’s mind and scared the
crap out of her.

In what felt like an eternity, but couldn’t have
been more than a handful of seconds, she reached Gray’s side. “What now?”

Gray didn’t take his gaze off the bear. “Run!”

She looked back and blanched at the sight of the
big bear rushing toward them. Without thinking, she grabbed Gray’s arm and
tried to drag him backward with her. “Come on. Let’s go.”

His feet didn’t budge. “Go! I’ve got this.”

Before she could ask what he meant, fur sprang from
his pores and the terrible cracking noise of bones snapping echoed through the
forest. She released him and took off running back down the path the way they’d
came. Between one heartbeat and the next she stopped and turned back, too
terrified for Gray’s wellbeing to go any further. There wasn’t anything she
could do to protect him from the female bear, but she could damn well stay and
make sure he wasn’t left alone should he need help.

Gray’s clothes shredded under the strain of his
burgeoning transformation from man to beast. He dropped onto all fours, let out
an ear piercing roar, and charged toward the rampaging mama bear.

She stood frozen and watched as the two bears
collided and lifted up on their hind legs to swat at each other with massive
claws. The black bear was smaller and leaner than Gray’s heavily muscled
grizzly bear form, but twice as vicious in her pursuit to chase away what she’d
undoubtedly deemed a threat to her cubs. She slashed and snapped at Gray,
trying to hurt him. In contrast, Gray seemed to be trying to scare her off
without harming her. He roared and used his larger bulk to force her backwards.

The black bear dropped back onto all fours and
raced off toward where she’d left the cubs playing by the water. Gray chuffed
and swiveled his broad head around to look Mara’s way. He trotted toward her at
a sedate pace.

Despite knowing the bear was Gray, a blast of
anxiety shot through her as he approached. In bear form, Gray was huge. Even on
all fours, he was almost as tall as her. She called his name as he drew near.
“Can you still understand me?”

The grizzly bear jerked his broad head up and down.

“Is that a yes?”

 He repeated the same head movement.

Mara grinned, pleased. “Are you okay?”

Another nod.

She looked him over, searching for wounds. Although
it was hard to see anything through all the fur, there were a few areas where
his hair was matted and bloody. “Are you going to shift back so I can check to
see how bad your wounds are?”

He shook his head.

“Okay then.” Feeling daring, she stepped closer. “Can
I touch you?”

He nodded again.

Taking him at his word, she inched forward and
slowly extended her hand. She stroked the top of his head between his ears. His
soft fur tickled her palm. Joy bubbled up inside her at being allowed to rub
him in this form. She scratched behind his ears and laughed at the way he
pushed up into her touch. “You like that, huh?” She rubbed him harder. “You’re
beautiful like this.”

He shook his head.

“You don’t like being called beautiful? How about
extremely handsome and virile?”

He nodded and chuffed.

“Handsome and virile it is then.” With a grin, she
rubbed her hand over his head and the back of his neck. Dating a shifter was
definitely different, but it wasn’t without its perks.

Chapter Six

Gray
had never been so thankful to return home to Marion. Under normal
circumstances, he enjoyed visiting the New York office. Manhattan was one of
his favorite cities. He loved the anonymity of the crowds and the bustling
nightlife. Living there full time would have been a nightmare, but short term
visits were always hectic and fun.

This
trip had been different. The minute he’d stepped out of the helicopter and set
foot in the city, something had felt off. His bear had been restless and
agitated, hovering right beneath his skin.

It
had taken him days to figure out the problem. Mara. He’d left her behind,
pregnant and unclaimed, and his bear was pissed. The human half of his psyche
knew she was fully capable of taking care of herself and their unborn cub, but
the bear didn’t understand human behavior or rationalizations. His wilder
instincts didn’t give two shits about his career or business responsibilities.
Every fiber of his being shouted for him to get back on the helicopter and
return home. Unfortunately, that wasn’t an option.

The
best he could do was call Mara every evening. Using FaceTime or Skype would
have been better, but neither choice was available since Mara’s cell phone was
older than dirt and her laptop didn’t have a working webcam. Hearing her voice
soothed his nerves, but it was a temporary fix.

Fighting
his own nature like that had been futile, but necessary to ensure the family
business continued to grow and flourish. The energy he’d expended on
self-control alone left him exhausted and ornery. By the end of his final day
in town, he was sure his subordinates were glad to be rid of him and his bad
temper.

He
vibrated with impatience the entire helicopter ride home. As soon as they
touched down on the helipad, he unlatched his safety belt and yanked off his headphones.
He didn’t wait for the rotors to slow before he jumped out, ducked to avoid the
blades, and made for the roof access door that would take him to the stairwell
and down to his waiting car.

He
was already dialing Mara’s number as he burst through the ground floor exit and
hustled across the asphalt lot. “Hey,” he said the second she answered. “Guess
who’s back in town?”

“Is
this Leroy, my big hulking prison pen pal?”

“Very
funny.” He used his free hand to dig his keys out of his pocket and unlock his
vehicle.

“I
thought so.”

“So,
I’m back a day early and would really like to see you. How about I pick you up
and take you out for dinner?” He climbed into the vehicle and shut the door, sequestering
himself inside what felt like hell on wheels. The interior had to be over one
hundred degrees.

“I
would love that,” she said with a sigh. “I’m not sure I’m up to going out
tonight though. The morning sickness is really kicking my butt—whoever decided
to call it morning sickness should be shot, by the way—and I’ve been working on
boxing up the rest of Grandma’s things all day. I’m filthy and exhausted.”

“How
about I bring dinner to you instead of going out? We can eat and veg out on the
couch afterward.” Actually, that sounded better than going out anyway. He
started the engine, rolled down the windows, and cranked up the air
conditioning.

“I
don’t know. I want to see you, but I look like hell and I doubt I’d be very
good company anyway.”

“I’ll
take my chances.” There was nowhere he’d rather be than next to his cranky,
pregnant mate. He didn’t care if she was in sweats or covered in dust. He’d
take her any way he could get her. “Are you craving anything special?”

“No.
Not really.”

“All
right. I’ll pick up something good and be there in about an hour.”

“I
guess I’ll see you soon then. Drive safe.”

“Will
do.” He hit the disconnect button and dropped the phone in the cup holder
beside him. All he had to do was figure out the best dinner for a woman with a
queasy stomach, swing by his house to clean up and change into something more
comfortable than the suit he currently wore, and get his butt over to Mara’s
house within the next hour. Piece of cake.

Forty-five
minutes later, he jogged up Mara’s porch steps and knocked on the front door.

She
opened with a smile. “Hey stranger.”

“Hey
beautiful.” Despite what she’d claimed on the phone, he’d never seen a more
beautiful woman. She made a messy bun, oversized T-shirt, and yoga pants look
good. He pulled her into a one-armed hug and kissed her hello. As soon as their
lips touched, the bear inside him calmed, satisfied by her closeness. He pulled
back long before he was ready and stared down at her. “I missed you.”

She
caressed the side of his face and kissed him softly. “You say the sweetest
things.”

“I
mean every single word.”

“I
know you do.” She stepped back. “Come on in.”

“Thanks.”
He closed the door behind him. “How’re you feeling?”

“I’m
okay at the moment. A little hungry actually. What did you decide on for
dinner?”

“I
got chicken fried rice, egg rolls, and pork potstickers. If none of that sounds
good to you, I can always go back out and fetch something else.”

“No
need. Chinese food sound fantastic. I’ll go grab some plates and utensils.”

“I
can help.” He followed her into the kitchen and helped set the table. “What do
you have to drink? I forgot to bring that.”

Mara
opened the refrigerator and looked inside. She glanced over her shoulder at
him. “I have water, milk, and juice.”

“Water’s
good.”

“All
right.” She pulled out two bottles of water, carried them over, and set one
next to each plate.

They
sat across from each other and took turns filling their plates. Once he was
finished, Gray took a drink of water and looked over at her. “So, you said you
were boxing up your grandma’s stuff today? You weren’t lifting anything heavy,
right? I read somewhere you’re not supposed to lift anything over ten or
fifteen pounds when you’re pregnant.”

“Don’t
worry. I didn’t hurt myself or the baby by lifting boxes filled with old
clothes and accessories.” She shoved a forkful of fried rice into her mouth and
chewed.

“Just
checking. I know you can take care of yourself, but it’s in my nature to
worry.”

“It’s
okay. I get it. I’m the same way. Grandma used to call me her little
worrywart.”

“That’s
cute. I can almost picture you as a precocious little kid. I bet I could find
photos of you if I looked hard enough. Maybe even a stash of those naked
bathtub pictures all parents hoard to embarrass their kids when they’re grown.”

“You
could, but then I’d have to kill you.”

Gray
laughed. “Those pics must be bad if you’re escalating to threats so fast.”

“You’ll
never find out.”

“We’ll
see about that.” He popped a potsticker in his mouth. “I’m totally on board with
taking embarrassing pictures of our own kids, by the way. We have to carry on
the tradition.”

Her
expression turned thoughtful. “Our kids, huh?”

“Yep.”

“What
makes you think there will ever be more than this one?”

“Just
a gut feeling.” He sipped his water. “I’d like to have two or three kids. Maybe
more.”

“I
don’t know about that. I can’t really think beyond the baby I’m carrying now.”

“That’s
okay. We have plenty of time.”

“Speaking
of the baby, I’ve been meaning to ask you whether or not this one will be human
like me or a shifter like you? What are the odds?”

“The
shifter gene is dominant. If you’re carrying a boy, chances are good he’ll be a
shifter. If it’s a girl, she’ll be a carrier of the gene and pass it down to
her male children.”

“So
there aren’t any female shifters?”

“No.
Males are the only ones who’re born with an animal spirit.”

“Huh.
That doesn’t seem fair.”

He
shrugged. “It is what it is.”

They
finished eating and Gray helped put away the leftovers and clean up. As they were
finishing up, Mara turned to him. “Do you want to stick around for a while? We
could rent something from pay per view.”

“Sure,”
he said, trying to sound as casual as possible, while inside his bear was
wiggling with glee. “I could do that.”

She
smiled over at him. “I can make some popcorn if you want.”

“That
sounds really good.”

“Okay.”
She dried her hands off on one of the two hand towels by the sink. “I’ll pop
some in the microwave if you’ll grab a couple of drinks out of the fridge.”

He
nodded and hopped into action. Three minutes later they were sitting on the
living room sofa in front of the television watching some kind of new romantic
comedy. He didn’t care. He was paying more attention to the woman next to him
than what was playing on the TV anyway.

Thirty
minutes in, she snuggled up beside him and rested her head on his shoulder. He
was in heaven. He put his arm around her and inhaled the sweet, floral scent of
her hair. Contentment settled deep in his core. The bear inside him rumbled in
approval. He could’ve happily sat there all night, holding her in his arms.

Halfway
through the movie, he gave into the innate urge to nuzzle her hair. She smelled
so good, like wildflowers, pure sensuous woman, and home. He’d never caught
wind of anything more perfect. Her hair was thick and soft against his face.

Mara
tilted her head up and back. Their gazes locked and sparks ignited between
them. Gray lowered his head, closing the scant distance between them, and
covered her lips with his own. He groaned at the taste of her soft lips and
instantly tilted his head and dove back in for more. He licked over the seam
between her lips and beyond the instant she parted and let him in. The tip of
her tongue met his, touched, and retreated. He gave chase, exploring her mouth
and caressing the hidden depths, and then pulled back to allow her a chance to
pursue him.

They
parried back and forth, the kiss growing deeper, hotter with every second. Heat
flashed through Gray’s body, tightening his muscles and stiffening his member.
Every touch made his desire for her grow by leaps and bounds. The glide over
her palms over his neck and shoulders inflamed him with the longing for more.
He wanted to feel her touch everywhere, moving over his bare skin, scent
marking him as her intended mate as surely as he yearned to return the favor.

Someone
banged on the front door with a hard fist.

Mara
jerked away from him and stared up at him with wide eyes. Her cheeks were
flushed and her lips were red. He wanted nothing more than to kiss her
senseless all over again. “Are you expecting someone?”

“No.”
She glanced at the door. “I guess I should see who that is.” She stood,
straightened her clothes, and headed toward the door.

Gray
sat up straight and readjusted his jeans, which were more than a little
uncomfortable at the moment. He hoped whoever was at the door didn’t stay long.

Mara
yanked open the door and gasped. “Mom?”