Bear King's Curves: A BBW Werebear Shifter Romance (2 page)

My arm resting on the window frame twitched in
annoyance. How was he treating this like a joke?

“
Just be there by dawn. I'll have everything
mopped up by then and we can get rid of the rest somewhere out by our
land. Need to recover that damned stone too.”

“
Okay, charmer. Let me give you a little advice my
Pa used to tell me about human women: don't fuck anything you think
you might kill.”

I forced a meager smile to be polite. Even if I wasn't
assigned to take her out, fucking her would've been last on the list.
Human women didn't appeal to me.

Certainly not the scrawny, sneaky thieves auctioning off
our history. And bears as persecuted as our Klamath Clan had nothing
but history.

I pushed my way into the smoky bar, slowly walking along
the stools. Lots of big, boisterous men sat laughing and sipping
their beers.

At first, I worried someone else might have zeroed in on
her for a pickup. If this was going to go off without a hitch, I
needed her alone, damn it.

Then I saw her. From the back, Lyla looked like any
other girl with long dark hair and a glowing green drink in her hand,
out on the town to unwind for the night.

But she wasn't like anyone else. This woman was my
target, and knowing that honed my senses to lock onto her.

I eyed the open seat next to her. I went for it, gently
nudging away her heel as I turned the chair and sat, getting my first
full glimpse of her when she was halfway through a sip of margarita.

Deep, dark eyes spilled into mine, a little surprise
glowing in them like soft starlight. She stretched, never breaking
eye contact, setting the drink down and exposing her full curves.

I sucked in a quick breath, hoping it wasn't visible.

That chest...those
hips...Gods, she was full figured. Big, beautiful, and
ripe
in a way I'd never seen on a human woman. Let alone a single female
in the clan, where nothing but toned muscle mattered.

Lush
. The best word for her, lush all over with
curves poised to make my heart jump. Or maybe some other place on my
anatomy I didn't want to indulge just now.

No doubt. This was a real human woman.

A woman, or else a witch. The wanting heat in my head
made me wonder if I'd been enchanted like something out of the old
legends.

Worse, she was still looking at me, waiting for me to
open my mouth. When I ogled her for two more seconds, she pushed her
drink a little further away, and finally opened those kissable full
lips.

“
Hi, I'm Lyla Redd. Do you always gawk at women
this way, or are you just drunk?”

Oh, shit. Her voice is just as smooth as those legs.

This job had just gotten a whole lot harder. Quick,
clean, and over fast suddenly seemed a million miles out of reach.

II: Big Hard Mistake (Lyla)

I saw him moving slowly along the bar's edge, seeking an
empty seat and an easy pickup. His type were as common to bars around
here as cheap imports, though they rarely looked as good as him.

I sipped my margarita slowly, letting the fiery
sweetness wash into my belly. I watched him in my peripheral vision,
and then took a complete gander.

My, my, my...where did you come from, big boy? You'd
make a mighty fine companion if I were here for date night.

I watched him carefully, breathing slow and shallow.
Waiting, waiting, just waiting for the disappointment to surface on
his face as his eyes roamed my body.

It always happened. Suppose it was inevitable when a man
caught sight of those love handles, that plush tummy I always kept
tucked beneath a couple layers, even during the warmer months.

Margarita salt ground on my teeth. I pinched them
together, breathless and waiting, hoping he'd hop up from the stool
and move on.

No such look.

He was staying put, and looking at me with – what?
Desire?

Well,
at least it wasn't disgust. No, he was staring
very
intently, just on the nice side of being creepy.

Shit. Hope this isn't some undercover cop. Better
find out what the hell he wants.

“
Hi, I'm Lyla Redd. Do you always gawk at women
this way, or are you just drunk?”

His face hardened. I dragged my eyes up slowly along his
hard body, admiring the ridges and angles that formed his chest, all
the way up to his magnificent jaw line.

Yeah, he'd put his hours in at the gym.

“
Nicholas Tunder. Everybody calls me Nick.”
He extended a hand. “And no, I haven't had my first drink yet.
Couldn't help but wonder what a lady like you is doing all by her
lonesome in such a dingy bar.”

He glanced up – probably making sure the bartender
wasn't in hearing range. I smiled and pushed my hand into his.

His hand closed. He shook mine, firm and friendly.
Uncanny warmth rushed beneath his calloused skin.

I stared into his bright eyes, trying to get a read on
him. Men were never easy to read, especially one as guarded as this.

It seemed like he was feeling me out, and not in an
I'm-going-to-bust-your-ass kind of way.

“
I'm finishing a long day. Unwinding before some
travel tomorrow. You?”

As the bartender made his way around, my companion
paused to order a scotch. Then the stranger – Nick –
leaned toward me, casual, but measured.

“
Ah, you're not a local then. That's a real pity.”
He shook his head.

I laughed a little. My, that was forward. He sure knew
how to bait a girl too.

“
Pity? No, sir. I never like to spend too much
time up here. Can't wait to get back through North Cally and back to
civilization.” I lowered my voice to a whisper. “Nothing
but rednecks and ranchers out here. Not really my type.”

“
Too isolated?”

“
I guess you could say that.” I sipped my
green alcohol, letting it flood my stomach. Nick watched in silence,
bathing me in another slow simmering smile.

Careful. Drinking with a man like this could have
unintended consequences.

Didn't it always? Not that I could remember my last
liaison with a man. When you're raiding digs for illicit art and
spending more time in American Timbuktus than Sacramento, you don't
have energy for that stuff.

Steady boyfriends were a luxury I just couldn't afford.

Short, one night trysts with the rare hottie, on the
other hand...

I pursed my fingernails on the counter and raked them
across it, slow and imperceptible to Nick. Maybe tonight would be a
good night after all.

“
I'm an art dealer,” I offered. “Work
with a lot of tribes out here to get my hands on their stuff. You'd
be amazed what rich fools in the cities will pay for a piece of the
wild.”

“
Interesting,” he said, a curious edge in
his voice. “Any particular tribes around here?”

His scotch arrived. He sipped it nice and slow, giving
me ample time to watch it slide down his beautiful neck. Toned
muscles rippled out and smoothed back into place, flexing to his
shoulders as his body accommodated the liquor's new, delicate burn.

He was a little older. Maybe ten years my senior. A
little outside my normal range, but I wasn't going to say no to any
age if the package was this big, this hard, this athletic.

“
Mostly just the ones around Klamath. There's a
certain clan – well, not really Indian – but their stuff
is rare. Fetches top dollar. Their people aren't always very
forthcoming, though.”

“
Maybe they want to be left alone.”

I turned sharply in my seat. The last two words had
nearly blurred into a growl...or was it just my imagination?

“
You've heard about skinwalkers? Bears?” I
eyed him cautiously, downing the last of my drink. At this rate, I
might need another.

I went ahead and ordered.

“
Yeah, I know all about those legends. Don't tell
me you believe that?” He smiled, showing off a perfect row of
big white teeth.

“
Sure as Sasquatch,” I said. “Actually,
I've seen it before.”

“
Really? What is it you think you've seen?”

I flushed with drunken ire. Damn it, he was definitely
working his way underneath my skin.

I nodded. “Watching a man turn into an animal in
front of you isn't something you forget. I know, it sounds like late
night paranormal radio shit. Trust me, I know what I've seen. I've
offered the story up too, but the only media interested aren't paying
very much.”

“
Sounds like you're a good capitalist,” he
whispered, then knocked back his scotch. “A driven woman. I
like that.”

Heat flooded me. He wasn't looking at my eyes anymore,
but up and down my body. Invisible fire poured from his eyes that
felt just like rough hands sliding down my breasts, my sides, my
hips...

Fuck. No. He can't keep launching me on a roller
coaster like this.

I shook my hair, catching myself. Nick breathed deep and
his eyes flashed with a little more lightning, as if he caught wind
of something very interesting.

“
And what is it you do?” I wasn't just being
polite.

I wanted to know. He didn't sound like a local, and
there weren't a lot of other travelers in this little spot.

“
Security. Big firm a little to West. New mining
operation that sprang up since California's regulations tightened.”

“
I thought this area was all tapped out.” I
frowned.

My father had been a miner. Not so far from here either,
working in underground shafts through the hot, stuffy summer for our
little family back home.

Then one day a bear skinwalker ended his life. The cops
tried to cover it up, but my mother knew the legends, and told my
sister and I the truth. Sis wanted none of it, but I learned
everything I could about the Klamath Bear Clan, suffering through all
sorts of obscure files and crank theories to get to the real meat.

It paid off. Their dig sites held some amazing
treasures. All poorly protected too.

“
Not entirely,” Nick said. “Big boom
in precious metals right now. Every little bit counts. Just like
this...”

He picked up my newly arrived hard cider and held it to
my lips. “This one's on me. Just as long as I get to feel this
bottle wrapped around those beautiful lips.”

My heart skipped a beat. His words would've been rude
coming from a lesser man, but something about the kinky hint in his
command made it irresistible.

I flashed him my best smile, drawing my mouth around the
bottle. Jesus, how much had I had?

I couldn't believe I was doing it. I slid the rim deep,
taking the cool glass just past my teeth, following his movement as
he tipped it up for a long, sweet sip.

Yeah, I liked men who took control. Liked it so much my
tongue automatically swirled around the glass, imagining it was
something warmer, softer, infinitely more desirable.

I stopped myself just short of moaning. He lowered the
bottle from my lips. Arousal danced in his eyes, adding new heat to
mine.

For a second, I saw his eyes flash to my nipples, buds
drawing in so hard they pointed clean through two layers of clothes.

“
You staying at a hotel around here?”

The
fateful question. I nearly shouted
yes!
Something held me back. This stranger was moving way too fast,
peeling away layers I'd spent years building up for just this kind of
thing.

If this is going to happen, it needs to be on my
terms.

“
I've got a place.” I watched his hand
moving toward my cider drink again.

This time, I snatched the bottle away, moving it to my
lips for a long, refreshing drink. I was keeping control.

In the cool, sweat, carbonated heaven, I had time to
think.

Maybe I wanted him. The need pulsing between my legs was
getting tighter by the second, wet and real.

My body had decided for me. He might be fun for a night,
and if he wasn't local, I wouldn't have to worry much about seeing
him again.

Mining came and went like the wind. So did men like
this, however handsome.

“
Are you going to let me in?” He said, voice
lower and damnably sexy.

I set the bottle down and blinked. “Let's take a
walk while I can still stand and think. After that, we'll just have
to see what happens.”

Nick paid our tab and we were out the door, slowly
taking several blocks to the square little inn where I was put up for
the night. We were waiting at a light when he reached for my hand,
seizing it faster than I could slip away.