Blind Date With A Bear (A BBW Paranormal Romance) (16 page)

She pushed the metal door up as she’d seen Quinn do. Closing the door was more difficult than opening it, but she got it closed. Stabbing at the big red button that would take her to the top, she shook off the umbrella. After folding it up, she leaned it against the side. As the elevator rose, the umbrella tumbled through a gap in the floor she’d hadn’t seen. She watched as it fell to the ground, a bright splash of red on a dark, dreary day.

Ryker had indeed found something. This time not just tracks, but shifters. The damn woods behind the construction site was crawling with jackals. Two or three dozen. What was Marcum hoping to accomplish? A blitz attack against the Blackwood brothers now that the site was shut down? If he thought a couple of dozen jackals were a match for three pissed-off grizzlies, the man was delusional. With the Council on their way to Atlanta, there was no way the man would get away now. Large drops of water fell on Quinn’s bear as the rain started to pour down. The bear roared and the man cursed. It was turning into a totally fucking bad day. A moment later, the animal lunged forward and two other big bears fell in behind him without question. The jackals were going down.

The top floor of the building was empty when Paige stepped off the elevator. Even in the rain, the view was fantastic. She wondered if, when the building was complete, the occupants would appreciate the beauty right outside their windows, or would they be so caught up in their day-to-day activities that they would forget to look up and see the beauty all around them? She moved closer to the edge of the floor, remembering Quinn’s anger when she’d gotten too close.

“Well, well, well, who do we have here?”

Paige jumped, startled by the voice coming from behind her. “Oh, you scared me.” She put a hand to her chest, trying to still her fast beating heart. The man moved toward her and Paige got an incredible urge to run away as fast as she could. “Who are you?”

“I’m, shall we say, a business associate of your, um? Exactly what are you to Quinn Blackwood?”

Something, some instinct, warned her not to tell this man the truth. “I’m just delivering some papers to Mr. Blackwood.”

He came closer and Paige had nowhere to retreat. Behind her was the edge of the floor.
She stepped to the side, trying to get closer to the large iron girder that was to her left.

“Oh, I think not, sweet cheeks. See, I’ve had Quinn followed for the last several months. I believe you recently went out on a date with him, didn’t you? A blind date?”

Paige kept her mouth closed tight. Was this the man who had been causing so many problems for Quinn? And what did he want with her? Because he did want something, she saw it in the dark, evil depths of his eyes. The elevator dinged behind them. Before she could do anything, he moved with a swiftness she could only assume meant he was a shifter. Within seconds he’d twisted one of her arms behind her back and was holding her against his body with an iron arm clamped around her neck.

Paige’s shouldn’t have been surprised when a large bear lumbered out of the elevator. She was surprised the metal cage hadn’t buckled beneath the animal’s massive weight. It was Quinn. The man holding her fumbled
for something under this jacket and pulled out a gun.

“No,” Paige whispered. Quinn was big and damn scary looking, but he was no match for a gun, shifter or not. Her mind whirled with ways she could save him.

“That’s far enough,” the man holding her ordered the bear to stop. Quinn did, but not before letting loose a roar that filled the air. She felt the man behind her tremble.

The bear sat down and stared
at the man. The animal’s eyes were a dark gold with a small ring of red around the iris. The bear wasn’t happy. At all. Her breath caught as the bear disappeared and one very pissed off Quinn appeared in its place.

“Let her go, Marcum.”

She licked her lips as he stood there in all his masculine, male glory. How inappropriate, she thought to herself, seconds before he gave her a sexy wink as if knowing she couldn’t control her reaction to him. And to reassure her, she hoped, that everything was going to be okay.

“Not likely. Not until you agree not to come after me.”

Quinn threw back his head and laughed, completely oblivious to his nakedness. “You burnt that boat the moment you put your hands on my woman.”

“Quinn,” Paige whispered.

Marcum’s arm flexed around her throat, choking her. She whimpered and used both hands to try and break his grip. He was too strong.

Quinn growled and stepped forward.

“Hush, bitch.” Marcum not only tightened his hold, he took a step backward, closer to the edge.

Paige didn’t know if a shifter c
ould survive a ten-story fall, but she sure as hell knew she couldn’t. Her fear left her to be replaced by anger. There was no way in hell she was going down without a fight. She’d just found Quinn.

She’d been so engrossed in the play between Marcum and Quinn she hadn’t realized the elevator had left only to return with Ryland and
Ryker. Both men exited and walked swiftly to Quinn’s side. “Here, bro.” Ryland handed Quinn a pair of jeans and he quickly dressed.

She didn’t need to be a shifter to smell the fear rolling off the man behind her. Who wouldn’t be scared looking into the faces of three bear shifters? One of which look
ed like he was just waiting to tear you limb from limb?

“This is the last time I’m telling you, Marcum. Let her go
.” Quinn took one step, then another. When Marcum backed up again he stopped. “It’s over. We caught your pack and the Council is on its way.”

Quinn didn’t like the look of panic that crossed Marcum’s face. From the subtle movement of his brothers, he realized they had seen it as well. The look of a desperate man.

“Let her go and I just might let you live.” He knew the Council would show the man no mercy, especially now that he’d threatened Quinn’s mate. He hadn’t bonded with her yet, but she did carry his scent and bore his mark. He could kick himself six ways to Sunday because he hadn’t known someone had been following him. Following her.

“We both know better than that, Blackwood. Hart will send his dogs and take me down.” In a swift
move, Marcum released his chokehold and grabbed Paige with one hand. Sharp claws appeared at the tips of his figures and he dug one into the side of her throat.

She gasped at the pressure and Quinn snarled as he watched a trickle of blood run down the side of Paige’s neck. At the moment
, he felt more wolf than bear. “You just signed your fucking death warrant you son-of-a-bitch.”

He was about to lunge forward and just fucking pull Paige from his arms, when the bastard raised his hand and placed the barrel of a gun against Paige’s temple
. “One step closer and your mate dies.”

Paige’s eyes pleaded with Quinn to be careful. There was no fear, no doubt that he would indeed get her out of this mess. Then her eyes changed and she looked as if she was begging for his forgiveness. Before he could stop her she let her body go limp and become a dead weight in Marcum’s arm. It was the opening he needed to lunge hard and fast. He vowed to put his mate over his knee when this was over. The move forced the bastard’s attention away from Quinn and he struck. He felt Ryland move around him and grab Paige by the arm, yanking her to safety.
Ryker charged from the other side. It wasn’t necessary, Quinn had his hand around Marcum’s throat and was on the verge of snapping the jackal’s neck when he heard Paige’s voice.

“Quinn, let him go, baby. Let him go.”

He hadn’t realized his bear had come out until he looked down and saw his claws had extended from the tips of his fingers and his hand had sprouted long brown hair. Over the sound of his blood pounding in his ears, he heard Paige repeat his name over and over again. Once Ryker grabbed the man from him, Paige launched herself at him and he caught her and pulled her close. He ran his hands. “Are you okay? Tell me you’re okay, sweetheart.”

Tears were coursing down her face, but she was smiling
. “Yes, I’m fine, I’m fine.” She placed tiny kisses over his face, rubbing her hands through his hair. He realized that she’d wound her legs around his waist and her sweet center was rubbing his cock through the placket of his jeans. He caught the back of her head in his hand. He claimed her mouth in a savage kiss, his fangs piercing the tender skin of her lips. Never again, he vowed. Never again. He’d always keep his mate safe.

While the man who had impersonated
the building inspector would be dealt with by the police, Marcum’s punishment would be carried out by the shifter Council. Larson Hart, the Council leader, had assured Quinn the jackal would receive his just desserts. Quinn had no doubt, he was a man of his word. Right now, Quinn was more concerned with getting Paige home and claiming his mate.

CHAPTER NINE

Conflicting urges tore at him as he unlocked the door to her small rental house. He wanted to pamper her, comfort her, and make up for the terror she had experienced at the hands of the vengeful shifter. He also wanted to grab her, hol
d her, and kiss that plump mouth until it was bruised from his possession. Not to mention all the things he wanted to do to her pussy. The first thing he needed to do was make sure she knew exactly who she was. His true mate.

As far as she knew, they’d gone out on a blind date and had sex. As his father—and sister, after she’d been told of the events of the afternoon—had pointed out, he hadn’t convinced
her she was his mate. While humans could feel that instant attraction, they didn’t immediately recognize the other part of their soul, not like a shifter. “Are you sure you’re okay, Paige?”

“I’m fine. He really didn’t hurt me, just scared me a little.” Paige’s mind still whirled with the events of the last hour. The fake email had been sent by the man who had held her hostage. He was the business rival of Quinn’s who had been responsible for sabotaging the site over the last several months. The same incidents that had kept pulling Quinn away from her. She r
eally should have kneed the guy when she’d had the chance.

Quinn went from courteous and concerned straight into over-the-top-male rage in sixty seconds flat. He grabbed her by the shoulders and gave her a slight shake
. “What the fuck were you thinking?”

“Excuse me?”

“I should put you over my damn knee and spank you.”

“Excuse me?” She knew she sounded like a broken record.

“What did you think you were doing, pulling that fainting routine?”

“How do you know I didn’t feel faint?” The look in his eyes said she was crazy if she thought he believed that for a moment. “All right, maybe it wasn’t the smartest thing to do. But it works in the movies. I couldn’t let him shoot you, Quinn.”

She said it with such sincerity some of his anger faded. Not all of it, but some. “I’m a damn shifter.”

She was in his face, poking at his chest
with her finger. “And it was a damn gun.”

“
He could have shot you. Or thrown you over the edge. Or snapped your neck, Paige.”

“He could have done a lot of things. We’re both here now. That’s all the matters.”

“We need to talk.” He drew her down beside him on the sofa. When he’d wanted to take her to his home, she’d insisted on coming here, now she was glad. The words ‘we need to talk’ never ended well for one person in the conversation. Once she was seated, Quinn sprung up as if he couldn’t sit next to her and paced the small area in front of her couch. “I know I should have explained this sooner. You are my mate.”

Paige frowned. He was using the tone of voice someone used to confess something terrible. If she was his mate
, apparently, he wanted no part of it.

“No, I’m no
t.” She shook her head. As much as she wanted that to be true, she knew that it wasn’t.

His face closed up and she knew she’d made the bear angry. Uh, oh.

“You. Are. My. Mate.”

“That’s what you keep saying, but I don’t think that’s true,” she said the words gently, without anger. She was grateful for whatever time she had with Quinn. He didn’t have to sugar coat it and she told him so. “I want to be with you. You don’t have to, umm—”

“Lie to you? Is that what you think? Is that what you freaking think?” His questions were more of a continuous roar than actual words.

For once, Paige was on the verge of being afraid of her shifter lover. When he saw her reaction, the anger in him dissipated quickly. He still continued to curs
e. “Shit. Shit. Shit. Shit.”

He also continued to pace, thrusting his hands through his hair. Her eyes widened when she saw him actually pull at the dark strands.

Whoa,
she thought. She didn’t know a bear could get so angry. Of all the shifters, they were the most laid-back and easygoing, but man, they apparently had a temper.

She stood up and approached the man who had come to mean more to her in one short week than anyone else in her life ever had
. “Quinn?”

He stopped pacing. She had the impression that he wanted nothing more than to fling open her front door, shift and lumber off into the nigh
t. “Talk to me, Quinn.”

“I almost got you fucking killed, Paige.” When he finally turned around the golden hue of his eyes
sparkled. “I almost lost you before I even told you. I should have said the words sooner. I should have told you the moment I saw you sitting at the bar that you were my mate, because that’s when I knew. I walked into that restaurant and I knew my mate was inside. When I got close enough, your scent engulfed my senses, awaking my bear as never before.”

Part of him, the basic animal part of him, wanted to reach for her, crush her in his arms, taste the honey that had tormented his mind and body for the last week. The other part of him, the experienced part, the part that had got his ass chewed from his family, knew he had to make it perfectly clear what he wanted from her. He stalked toward her, the true predator that he was shining out of his eyes and present in his every mov
e. “Instead, I got cold feet. I backed away from you.”

“Quinn, we’ve only known each other a few days.”

“And for most of these days I didn’t see you, I didn’t touch you. Because you kept telling me no.” He stopped, still a few feet away. “I didn’t get to love you. You are my mate, Paige. And I should have damn well thrown you over my shoulder and carried you out of there. I should have taken you home and fucked you seven ways to Sunday.”

She didn’t know what to say or what to do. At his first glance, her body had started to hum. H
um with an energy and knowledge she knew was coming directly from Quinn. And somewhere deep inside herself. “I’m afraid to believe.”

“Then let me show you.” He picked her up and she instinctively encircled his neck with her arms, his waist with her legs. His big hands gripped the globes of her butt and squeezed as he walked to her bedroom
. “Oh, yeah, baby, me likey. Much better than slinging you over my shoulder.”

She giggled, but proteste
d. “Quinn, put me down. I’m too heavy.”

He stoppe
d “Let’s get one thing straight, right here and right now, Paige Mathews. I love your shape. I love your curves. I love the curves of your curves. You were made especially for me, made exactly how you are because you are perfect for me. If you were any different, you wouldn’t be what I needed or wanted.” He pressed his forehead against hers, their breaths mingling, as if trying to breathe the truth into her. “Do you understand?”

His mouth hovered inches from hers. She could feel the warmth of his breath on her cheek. His natural, musky scent
enfolded her. For one heart-stopping moment, she seemed locked with him in some still, quiet place where nothing else mattered except the beat of their hearts. It was if time slowed to a stop, waiting for the next tick of the clock. Then, it felt as if they were flying forward. Very slowly, he lowered his head and brushed her lips with his. It was no more than a whisper of contact. The thrill of it, the magic of it, drew forth something inside her.

“Kiss me,” she ordered. “Please.” She tilted her head back and parted her lips. With a muffled groan, he claimed her mouth in a fierce kiss that flooded her mind with the sheer joy of his touch and stole a big piece of her soul. Oh sweet heaven, the man could kiss. Her insides were melting, her knees turning boneless. A kiss like this should never end. He carried into her the bedroom even as he continued to kiss her. It was decorated in pale pink, the bed covered in a soft, silky comforter. So girly. He followed her down into the softness.

Paige shook with either pleasure or anxiety; she didn’t know which. Quinn had just proclaimed they were true mates and he was looking at her like she was a piece of candy he couldn’t wait to lick.

“Let’s get you out of some of these clothe
s.” He smiled, the look predatory and possessive. She remembered again, he was a shifter, not an ordinary man. He reached for the buttons of her blouse. He opened them one by one, revealing her a little at a time.

By the time it was open all the way, she was one big, panting mass of need
. “Hurry.”

“Now, darling, what’s the fun in hurrying?” He traced a path from her throat, down the valley of her breasts, stopping to swirl his finger around her navel before the waistband of her pants stopped his downward descent. Just when she thought he was going to undo them, he moved his attention northward again, focusing on her breasts.

One large hand cupped her. Her breast overflowed even his large hands. He palmed the flesh, squeezing and kneading. Her nipple turned turgid. He slipped the cup of her bra down, revealing the tight red bud. His mouth possessed it, licking and sucking. Paige’s back arched, pushing herself further inside.

“Quinn,” she gasped. She twisted her fingers in his hair, pulling at his scalp
. “Please.”

“I plan to please, baby, don’t you worry. Now stay still.” He turned his attention to her other breast and she thought she’d died and gone to heaven. Every touch and every pull made her pussy throb. With one hand
, he unhooked her bra, pulling the cups away, revealing all of her to his gaze. “Oh, baby, you are beautiful.”

With the tip of his index finger he traced one
areola than the other. They crinkled and contracted, tightening her nipples even more. Paige could have sworn her bones were melting. He pinched and released the tight buds until she was panting his name.

“Quin
n.” Her hands left her side to grab his forearms of if to stop his tortuous touch. He did stop, holding her nipples between his thumb and index finger, lightly, almost no pressure at all.

“Oh, Paige,” he t
isked. “Didn’t I tell you not to move?”

“I, I,” she stammered, thrown off balance
, no doubt, by the look in his eyes. Yes, bears were very easy going. Some of the other breeds, those that had never met a bear in the forest, even called the lazy. And why shouldn’t they be? Bears shifters were the dominate species on earth. Why work hard when you had others to work for you? A bear knew the best thing to do was spend its energy dominating its mate.

He cupped her breasts, lifting them as if they were an offering. His thumb
moved in concentric circles. Bending his head, he drew one bud in his mouth. He lathed it then dragged his teeth across the wet surface. “Did you know bears like to play with their food, Paige?”

“Sure?”

He groaned and lowered his head taking her in his mouth again. This time his touch was hard and experienced. When he moved his attention to the other breast and his whiskered jaw brushed across her wet nipple, the sensation burst forth like fireworks, causing her nipples to swell and a zing to ricochet through her body, straight to her clit. He urged her to unwind her legs from his hips.

His hands skimmed back down her body and reached for the waist of her pants. He slid the zipper down in a slow glide. Paige was thankful she’d allowed Deb to talk her into buying new lingerie. The older woman had convinced her wearing something sexy would do wonders for her self-esteem. Paige had never felt better wearing the matching bra and panties. Knowing she looked
her best as Quinn stripped off her clothing, made her feel twice as good.

He eased the pants from her body, moving down so he could push the fabric of her pants past her ankles and toss them aside. And there she lay. Her bra and shirt open
ed, revealing her taunt nipples, and wearing a pair of silky blue boxer cut panties. His gaze raked her from head to toe as he continued to kneel between her legs. He eased his body back down on the mattress and clasped her hips, his tongue licking her pussy through the thin fabric of her panties

“Oh!” Before Quinn, she’d never felt a man’s mouth or tongue in such intimate contact with her body. His tongue stroked the seam between hip and thigh. God, his tongue was magic. Broad and long.

“Please.” That was the only word she was capable of saying. Instinctively, she thrust her hips forward, begging him to taste more. She pushed her fingers through his brown hair. The golden highlights distracting her for a moment. If his hair was one color of brown, it was fifty. If he’d been a woman, she would have accused him of spending hundreds of dollars to achieve the beautiful color.

His fingers skated under
the lacy band of her panties and the small snap he gave hurt. “Pay attention.”

“Give me something to pay attention to,” she groused. He had stopped licking her. Something Paige really, really liked. He jerked her panties down past her knees. His thumbs parted her and she felt his hot breath on her wet curls.

“Beautiful.” His tongue stroked from the bottom of her opening to her clit. He didn’t linger as she wanted. She wanted him to take her nub in his mouth and suck.

“Quin
n.” This time she growled and she felt his grin against her inner thigh, which he nibbled with his sharp teeth. Oh, God, was he going to bite her there? And why did that thought make her pussy cream?