Fast and FURious Bears: BBW Bear Shifter BWWM Werebear Paranormal Romance (Wild Alpha Shifters Book 4) (3 page)

“You OK?”

The arm had prevented her from falling. She half expected to see Tom, but instead it was Greg, his hazel eyes brimming with concern.

“Thanks. Yeah, I’m fine.”

Greg let go of her. “I’ve almost fallen flat on my face coming out of there more than once.”

“Really?” Amanda grinned. “Management should do something about that.”

“You’re telling me.” Greg laughed. “I’ll get it fixed when we come back into work. Hopefully nobody kills themselves before then.”

Amanda smiled. That’s why she liked Greg. He was so responsible. If Greg said it would get done, it would get done. All of a sudden, she felt all warm and fuzzy. The feeling had come out of nowhere. And Greg was right there, strong, broad shouldered, and always looking out for her. She wrapped her arms around him and gave him a quick hug, then stood on her tippy-toes and pecked his cheek.

“What was that for?”

“You looking out for me.”

Greg smiled.

“You seem like you’ve had a couple. Are you sure you’re OK?”

“Two beers does indeed make a couple, and, yes, I’m fine.”

“OK. Just checking.”

Amanda squeezed his strong hand and snuck back through the crowd.

**********************

Greg watched her go. Brandon had started playing the guitar and Jeremy was on the drums, the crowd clapping along, but Greg’s eyes were on Amanda. He felt his bear growl. He felt the need to protect her. But what could he do? He was her friend, not her mate. Besides, she wasn’t in physical danger. He just didn’t like her choice of company. Greg heard a guitar riff and then Brandon’s voice started singing.

“Sweet home, Wild Summit…”

Greg liked that song. He turned to the makeshift stage, and Brandon pulled him up and passed him the microphone. Greg’s rich baritone joined in. “Where the life is so true.”

Greg was so happy to be in the moment, with his friends, that for a short while he forgot about Amanda. But then he felt that old familiar ache in his gut as he saw her take Tom Cooper’s hand.

**********************

“What do you say we get out of this place?” Tom whispered breathily.

Amanda took another pull on her beer. She liked that idea. The crowd was thinning down and the once bright sky had taken on the purple hues of twilight. Still, despite Tom’s hard body and bad-boy good looks, something wasn’t sitting right with her. She glanced up at the stage, which was the last place she’d seen Greg. Why had he looked at her the way he did? It was strange. It was like he wanted to tell her something.

“Give me a second,” Amanda said.

She wanted to talk to Greg. She wanted to find out what was going on. Amanda wandered through the crowd.

“Hey, Amanda,” Bailey said.

“Hey, Amanda,” Jeremy joined in.

“You guys seen Greg?” Amanda asked.

“Yeah, he was getting more ice,” Jeremy said. “I think he’s bringing it around.”

“OK, thanks.”

Amanda looked back at Tom. He was eating a burger and chatting with Jada, so he could wait a moment. She needed to talk to Greg. Amanda walked around the corner of the wash shack where she saw Greg pushing a wheelbarrow full of ice. He had taken off his regular shirt and tie and wore a V-neck T-shirt, his taut muscles glinting in the lamplight. Amanda marveled at the breadth of his chest and the strength in his arms. She wasn’t used to seeing Greg like that, in a physical capacity. She wanted to ask him why he had been avoiding her the entire party. And why had he been looking at her the way he had?

After all, it was her. Amanda. They were friends.

Amanda walked between the cars as he pushed the wheelbarrow around a lamppost. Then she stopped. Greg wasn’t alone. He was with a stick-thin woman she didn’t recognize. Big boobs, perfectly cut hair, nose job. What was Greg doing with her? Greg said something and the woman laughed. They seemed to know each other pretty well. Suddenly Amanda was overcome with a feeling of dread. Was she embarrassed? She wasn’t sure. She turned around and headed over to Tom.

“Hey, where’d you go?” Tom asked.

“You were saying you wanted to get out of here?” Amanda said.

“Yeah, you want to go for that ride?”

“You’ve been drinking,” Amanda said.

“One beer,” Tom said, putting down his paper plate. “My car’s right there.”

Amanda glanced over at Tom’s metallic red race car sitting at the back of the lot.

She saw Greg out of the corner of her eye. He was still chatting amicably with his skinny bimbo. Greg saw her too. Their eyes met. What to do?

“It’s loud, I couldn’t hear you,” Amanda said.

She moved in close to Tom, turning her ear toward him.

Come on. Whisper in my ear.

Tom looked down at her, his eyes smoldering. He dropped his hand down her back until it rested just above her behind.

Come on. Do it.

Amanda glanced across the party. Greg was still there, still in her line of sight. Now he was offering the bimbo a beer. Amanda looked at Tom as he leaned in and she felt his breathy whisper in her ear.

“I said, Let’s take a ride.”

Amanda glanced across the lot at Greg before leaving with Tom. It was dark enough that she wasn’t sure if he saw them as they slipped into Tom’s car and drove away.

Chapter Three

Amanda and Tom drove through town and then onto the winding highway. Tom worked the wheel like a pro, but he drove fast, too fast for comfort, and Amanda began to question whether he was telling her the truth about that one beer he’d consumed. What at first had seemed reasonable, now felt scary to Amanda. Tom reached down for her hand. His touch was strong, possessive. She took her hand from his. She wasn’t ready for that. Not yet.

“Tom…”

What happened next happened so quickly that Amanda could barely recall the sequence of events. They wandered over the centerline. He said something. She screamed. And a semi-truck bore down on them, horn blasting.

Amanda shut her eyes in fear.

She hoped.

She prayed.

And Tom swerved, horns blaring. Amanda felt her whole world whirl as their car spun around. Rubber screeched. She held on the best she could, silently wishing for the best, her guts wrenching as their circular motion gradually slowed and the car came to a standstill.

Amanda took a deep breath and opened her eyes, her heart in her throat. Dust rose around them as the semi-truck’s red taillights disappeared down the road. Their car was in the middle of the road, facing the exact opposite direction they had been going before the close call. Tom clenched the wheel tightly. He was trying to play it cool, but Amanda could tell he’d been shaken.

“You all right?” Tom asked.

“Have you been drinking more than you said?”

“Like I said before. One beer.”

“I think I’m ready to go home now,” Amanda said.

“You sure?”

“Quite,” Amanda said curtly.

Tom drove back to town. What had she been thinking? Accidents could happen to anyone, but they were much more likely to happen when you drove as recklessly as Tom. Still, she reminded herself, he hadn’t meant for it to happen. It had been a lack of attention and bad timing, and the scary thing was, it could have been much worse.

“Where am I taking you?” Tom asked.

“1415 Wildwood Lane.”

“Just down the road here?”

Amanda nodded. “I’ll tell you where to turn.” She was beginning to feel bad about her harsh tone. She suspected that Tom was as shaken up as she was. “So, what about you?” Amanda asked.

“What about me what?”

“Where are you staying?”

“Here, there.”

Why was he being so cryptic?

“Tom. Where are you spending the night?”

“I don’t have a place yet, so I’ve been couch surfing. A night in my car, then a night at your brother’s. I’d stay there again, but he has some kind of company right now. I guess tonight I’m back in old Betsy here,” he said, tapping the steering wheel.

“You’re not staying in your car.”

Tom looked offended. “In case you hadn’t noticed, Betsy’s not so bad. Her seats recline all the way down and she’s got a nightlight,” Tom said, indicating the dome light above.

Amanda laughed.

“Yeah, Betsy’s all right. But you can sleep on my couch.”

Tom dropped a hand on top of hers, but Amanda removed it.

“I said you can sleep on my couch. Not with me.”

**********************

Amanda opened the door of her flat. It was clean at least. She didn’t usually bring guys back to her place. But it wasn’t like that. Tom was a friend of her brother’s. She was offering him a place to stay for the night.

“Couch is there. I’ll grab you a blanket,” Amanda said with a smile.

“Sounds good.”

Amanda went to the linen closet and pulled out a blanket and sheet. She handed it to him.

“Bathroom’s at the end of the hall. If you need anything—water, food, whatever—help yourself.”

“Thanks.”

Amanda used the bathroom and went to her room. Wow. What a confusing night. Tom seemed like a nice enough guy. Even after what had happened, she was still kind of into him. But Greg? Greg was the real kicker. Why had he been looking at her the way he had all night? As if he was interested in her. As if he wanted her. He’d never looked at her like that before.

Amanda sat on the side of her bed and pulled off her heels. The strappy sandals were sexy as all hell, but it felt good to give her feet a rest. Then she got up and pulled off her dress. She laughed to herself. If her brother wasn’t a police officer who personally knew Tom, she doubted she would have brought him back to her place. Not that Tom didn’t seem all right, just that you never knew.

Amanda removed her bra and pulled on her long nightshirt, the cream satin one that felt so good on her skin. Even though it was Labor Day weekend, Sunday was a big shopping day, which meant they had work tomorrow. Time for bed. Darn. She should have offered Tom a toothbrush. Not to worry, his teeth wouldn’t rot in one night. Amanda pulled back her covers and shut the light. She was about to climb into bed when she heard a light knock at her door. Tom. What did he want?

“Tom?”

He opened the door.

It was dark except for a few rays of light entering her bedroom window from the outdoor security lamp. Tom stood in the doorway, his chest bare and covered in ink. He wasn’t nearly as tall as Greg or as wide, but he was sinewy and built strong, as if he was made to last. Seeing him there, Amanda felt a familiar ache spring to life within her. She pressed her thighs together, knowing full well that the comforting pressure would have to suffice. She wasn’t going to act on the feeling. Not tonight. The near accident had shaken her up.

“Amanda?”

“Yes?”

“Do you happen to have an extra pillow?”

“Sure.”

Amanda grabbed one of the pillows off her bed and stepped forward, handing it to Tom. His fingers brushed against hers and then, without warning, it happened. In an instant he pulled her near and she was in his arms. He kissed her. On the mouth. Hard, forcefully. At first it was just his lips, but then Amanda felt his tongue entering her mouth. Firm. Probing.

So much for not acting on it. Something about having Tom kiss her, his tongue in her mouth, made her forget about everything. Amanda thrust her own tongue out to meet his. She liked his raw taste, the swirling and probing. He ran his hands down her satin nightshirt, and she felt herself getting wet. Was this really happening? Yes, yes it was. His hands on her ass confirmed that. She ran her hands down his strong, muscled back to the hem of his jeans. He felt warm, supple. She could feel his stiff cock pressing against her. Amanda hadn’t felt that for a long time.

Amanda thrust her tongue deeper into his mouth. Tom was about five foot ten, just a few inches taller than her, and positively rippled with muscle. She felt her nipples harden against the satin of her nightshirt as she pressed against him. The dull ache between her thighs had grown more urgent and her panties were sopping. She felt his hand slip down her leg and reach up under her nightshirt.

“How do you like it?” Tom asked.

“Hard,” Amanda whispered.

And Amanda felt his fingers plunge into her willing crease. She wanted him. She reached down his strong chest for his dick. She found it there, standing at attention, and Amanda freed it from his jeans. She could feel her own juices wetting her inner thigh as she ran her hand over the silky head of his rigid member and down the shaft. She’d seen bigger, but it would do the job.

“You said you like it rough,” Tom said.

She stared into his eyes.

“I said I like it hard.”

He pushed her against the wall forcefully, and Amanda felt a familiar heat welling within her. She watched as he stepped out of his jeans and stood naked before her. Swirls of black and blue ink accentuated the line of his rippled muscles, as if he had the coiled strength to burst right out of his skin.

Tom placed his strong hands on the satin of her nightshirt, kneading her breasts below it, toying with her nipples beneath the thin fabric. She wanted his mouth on them. Wanted him to suck them hard. She was breathing heavily, anticipating what would come next. Tom looked her in the eye and he felt feral to her, part animal. He reached his fingers under the collar of her nightshirt and smiled. Then he ripped it open in one powerful movement.

“Fuck me,” Amanda whispered.

He pulled her near with one hand on her ass and cupped her ample breast in the other, sinking his mouth around the entire aureola, the nipple, everything. He sucked it back and Amanda felt an electric current pass through her veins. His tongue still around her nipple, he grabbed her close. She could feel his cock, ramming into the fabric of her panties, making a mockery of the hollow that existed just below the thin, damp fabric.

He placed his other hand on her ass, tugging the nipple between his lips and she thrust her mound forward, feeling his cock standing there. Tom licked across her cleavage and took her other breast into his mouth. He swirled his raspy tongue around it and she moved her clit up and down on his cock. She was so wet now she was soaking, the ache within her grown to a need. She needed him inside of her. Her slick channel needed filling.