A Wife For The Bear: BBW Paranormal Shape Shifter Romance (Bear Brides Book 3) (6 page)

Rearing up, Brad threw her
onto her back and held her wrists over her head with one hand. He
put his other hand under her knee and pushed her leg up, spreading
her wider for him. He pounded furiously into her, driving his cock
into her clenching pussy again and again.

Lisha made a keening sound as
Brad prolonged and heightened her orgasm. She was still coming, her
body shaking as her pussy rippled and tightened around his cock. He
wanted to see this look of sheer ecstasy on her face every night.
She was so fuckingly beautiful and sexy.

With another thrust, Brad
emptied himself into her. He bit down on her shoulder as he shot his
seed deep into her body. He needed to claim her, mark her. His bear
wouldn't back down until he had staked his claim.

Lisha wrapped her arms around
his neck and pulled him down to her. Sharp teeth sank into the base
of his neck, and Brad jerked as another orgasmic wave of pleasure and
pain pounded violently through him. He snarled and bit deeper into
his mate's flesh. He wanted this to last forever, their bodies
joined, their limbs and hearts entwined.

“Mine,” he
growled, still moving languidly in and out of her body. “You
are mine.”

She sighed and kissed him
tenderly. Her ragged breaths slowed and steadied, but she had her
legs around his hips, encouraging him to remain inside her.

“And you are mine, for
tonight. Just for tonight,” she whispered with a smile. But
the smile didn't reach her eyes.

“Not just tonight,
Lisha.” Brad held her face. “Tonight is just the
beginning.”

“The...beginning?”

“Yes, the beginning of
our forever. We are mated, Lisha.”

Lisha's eyes rounded at
Brad's declaration.

“What?” she
spluttered.

“Look.” Brad
pointed to his neck. “What's this?”

Lisha gasped and clapped her
hand over her mouth. “Oh my God! I bit you! I...I've never,
oh, this is…” She swallowed and shook her head. “Did
I hurt you?”

Brad threw back his head and
laughed. “No, you didn't hurt me. You marked me, Lisha!”

“I...what?”

“You marked me, as your
mate. And I marked you right back.” Brad grinned. “You
are most definitely a shifter, Lisha.” He tapped her nose
lightly and peered at her. “Your tiger recognized me as your
mate, and staked her claim.”

Lisha stared up at Brad,
raising her hand slowly to the bite mark on her shoulder. She gaped
at the corresponding reddish mark on Brad's neck. She had never ever
bitten her ex-boyfriend, not even once. Yet she had bitten Brad with
an almost possessive, feral passion their first night together.

What had she done? What had
gotten into her?

Lisha dragged a shaky breath
into her lungs. No, nothing had gotten into her. It was in her all
along.

Brad was right. She was a
shifter. She could feel her tiger purring and preening with
satisfaction at having marked her mate. There was no doubt. Her
first shift would happen soon. The scent and closeness of her mate
had awakened her animal and her tiger was now ready and raring to
emerge.

“Brad...” she
began shakily.

“You can't get rid of
me now. I'm yours. Forever,” he said smugly, folding his arms
across his broad chest.

Lisha looked down, struggling
to find the words. She honestly didn't know what she was feeling at
the moment. Overwhelmed, she put her face in her hands and turned
away.

“Hey,” Brad said
softly. He knelt in front of her as she sat on the edge of the bed.
Very gently, he peeled her hands away and thumbed away her tears.
“It's okay. It's okay, baby. I understand. I want you and I
love you, Lisha, but I understand if you don't...love me back.”
The stark pain and sadness shone in his eyes. “You might have
marked me by mistake. It happens.” He shrugged and tried to
smile. “I won't hold you to it. It will tear me apart to see
you with another, but...I won't interfere with your happiness.”
He started to stand. “I will love you forever, and if ever
you need me...”

“No, no!” she
cried, horrified that she had hurt him. “Brad, I want you! I
do, I do love you! Oh, you dear, sweet, silly man. How can you
think that I'd love another? There's only one man for me. Forever.
There's no mistake. My animal knows and my heart knows. You are my
mate, Brad.”

Brad stared at her for a beat
before grabbing her and hugging her hard. He crushed her to him and
kissed her hair, her forehead, her eyelids.

“I will cherish you and
love you forever. And I will protect you. So will the clan. You
have nothing to fear, Lisha. No one will harm you,” Brad
gushed. “I know tigers are solitary, independent creatures,
but...would you like to be a part of the Nightfire clan? Or...if you
prefer not to belong to a clan, I can speak to Cole and he'll make an
exception.”

Lisha swallowed. She knew
that as his mate, she would automatically belong to his clan. Yet
Brad was giving her a choice. He wanted her to be perfectly
comfortable and confident in her choice and her life.

Deeply touched, she pressed
her lips to Brad's so that he wouldn't see her tears. But they were
tears of joy and gratitude.

“Yes,” she
whispered, giving him another lingering kiss. “I'm happy and
honored to join the Nightfire clan.”

Brad stared at her for a
moment before his face split in a grin. He straightened up and
started to tug her off the bed. “That's fantastic! Now, let's
get you packed. You are moving in with me. My place is a two-story
terrace house. It's not that big, but...”

“M-moving?” she
stammered.

“Yep. Or if you prefer
to stay here, then I'll go and pack my bags right now. I'll move in
with you.”

“You're kidding.”

She saw the determined set of
his jaw and released a slow breath. “No, you're not kidding.
You really would stay in this rundown, dingy apartment with me,”
she whispered.

“Of course. You are my
mate,” he said matter-of-factly.

Lisha stared at him,
speechless. Brad had his own house, a spacious double-story house.
Yet, he didn't mind staying in this rathole and would move in with
her in a heartbeat. He didn't care for luxury and material comforts.
All he cared about was her safety, and he would do anything to be
with her.

She was deeply moved. And
for the first time in a long, long while, she felt a sense of hope
for the future. With Brad, she felt safe, secure, cherished. There
was a sense of home and belonging, and she knew, without a doubt,
that he was her family, her mate, her love. She wanted to be with
him too, but she couldn't make him stay here in this leaky,
dilapidated building with her.

Lisha gazed up at Brad and
smiled.

He was an amazing man.

Protective, patient, but
strong and determined.

He didn't back down from
things that were important to him, but he did it in a way that wasn't
brash and controlling.

“I'll go pack right
now. I don't have many things, as you can see. Then I'll give
notice to terminate my lease,” Lisha said.

“You...you'll come home
with me? Oh, I can't wait for you to meet the clan. Some of the
guys can be a bit loud and gruff though.” Brad grinned but she
detected the excitement and nervousness in his voice. “My
brother and cousins will be thrilled. They like to joke and brawl
sometimes, but they're solid. So are Abby and Terri. Those girls
are like bossy, big sisters. They'll love you...”

Lisha put her fingers to his
lips to stop him and assure him, “Your family and your clan
sound wonderful.” She nuzzled his neck and said softly, “I
love them already.”

Lisha grabbed an armful of
books and went to work shelving them. Polly and Josephine had the
afternoon shift and would be in later. She couldn't help smiling
when she recalled the meeting with Brad's family early this morning.

After Brad had hauled her
suitcases to his house, he had brought her over to Cole's house,
where Dalton, together with Tony and his mate, Terri, were already
gathered.

There had been a collective
intake of breath when she stepped through the front door. She gulped
and blushed, realizing they could scent the tiger in her and Brad on
her. She saw their eyes widen when they saw the mate mark on Brad
and her. Then Dalton and Tony started clapping Brad on the back and
teasing him mercilessly.

Cole, Abby and Terri had come
up to her and embraced her warmly, welcoming her into the family.
When Brad finally extricated himself from his exuberant cousins, he
came to stand beside her, his arm possessively around her waist.

They had adjourned to Cole's
sizable kitchen to sit down for a bite and chat. Abby and Terri had
pulled out a few frozen pizzas from the freezer and popped them in
the oven. In a few minutes, they were laughing and joking over pizza
and coffee. She knew that Brad had already told them about her
background, so when Cole and Dalton asked her a few careful questions
about her father's murderer, she answered their questions candidly,
unflinchingly. She volunteered information about herself, and told
them exactly what she was, a half human, half tiger who hadn't yet
gone through her first shift.

“You got yourself a
tiger wife, Brad,” Tony had quipped as he clinked coffee cups
with Brad. “Well done!”

She had smiled shyly at them
as they told her more about the clan and the town. They peppered
their comments with jokes and amusing anecdotes about the clan
members, and Lisha felt as though she already knew the whole clan.

Lisha smiled as she
straightened the books on the shelves. She could see the family
resemblance between the Jameson men, but they shared more than just
good looks. They were alike in temperament as well. She could feel
their genuine warmth and good humor, and the bond between them was
strong. Terri and Abby were both funny, smart, caring women, and
they fussed over her like two bossy, doting big sisters. Lisha was
an only child, and she'd always envied her friends who came from
large families. Listening to the rapid-fire exchange around the
dining table, Lisha guessed this must be how it felt to be part of a
large, close-knit family. There was much joking, squabbling,
ribbing, and no one was spared. A scuffle even broke out between
Dalton and Tony over who should get the last slice of pizza. Tony
won, but she intuitively realized that Dalton would sacrifice
anything to ensure that his younger brother and cousins never went
without. The family looked out for each other, but Cole and Dalton
made more sacrifices as Alpha and Beta of the Nightfire clan. They
were good leaders, protectors and providers, not tyrants and insecure
bullies who abused their power and wealth.

She was proud to be part of
the Nightfire clan and the Jameson family.

Lisha finished shelving the
books and walked out from between the tall, crammed bookshelves.
There were already quite a few people in the library, poring over
books and magazines.

Lisha narrowed her eyes at
two beefy, brawny men sitting at the end of a long table. They were
wearing large, horn-rimmed spectacles with no lenses and they kept
stealing glances at her. They nudged each other as she approached
and hurriedly hunched their muscular shoulders over a big stack of
paperbacks in front of them. Lisha glanced at the books. The covers
all featured brooding shirtless hunks clutching limp, swooning
females in their arms.

When she walked past them,
the two men fidgeted and sank lower into their chairs. She saw that
they were holding the books upside down in their meaty hands and were
flipping the pages randomly.

She cleared her throat as she
walked very slowly and deliberately behind them.

One of the men turned to peer
at her over the top of his fake glasses and hurriedly ducked back
behind his book when his companion elbowed him and hissed, “Lie
low, Jason!”

Jason made a complaining
sound and picked up another romance novel and opened it. She heard
him chuckle as he pointed out a passage to his friend. What poor
Jason received for his trouble was a slap upside the head.

Lisha pursed her lips and
huffed out a breath. Then she went and gathered some landscaping
books and magazines from the shelves and marched back to Jason and
his friend.

They stiffened when she
stopped beside their table and placed the books and magazines in
front of them.

“Here, I thought maybe
you'd enjoy these more,” she offered.

Grimacing, the two burly men
emerged from behind their steamy romance novels and stared at her.

“Um, thank you Ma’am,”
Jason stammered.

“It's Lisha. But you
know that already.”

Their eyes widened and they
began to protest their innocence.

Lisha put up a hand. “I
know you're Nightfire bears. And I know you're on babysitting
detail.”