Geek Bearing Gifts (BBW Paranormal Shape Shifter Romance): A BBW in search of love + A sexy shifter who secretly loved her = Smokin' Roaring Romance (Paranormal Dating Agency Book 2) (10 page)

He glanced down at his erection and shook his head. The semi-aroused state he’d been in since opening his eyes and finding Nita in his kitchen had not gone away. If his intentions weren’t to keep her as his mate, he might have felt like a pervert.

She looked up and smiled. That smile of hers reached into his chest and warmed his heart. He waved her over to the table he’d set up with snacks for them. She’d always loved fruit. His sister had made a point of stocking his fridge with all of Nita’s favorites. He had no idea how she’d found out, but he was grateful for Jess. He wore his black framed glasses now. She’d already seen them, but had gotten him to promise he’d wear them the next time they had sex. She’d said he looked really sexy wearing them.

“Hey, that looks awesome,” she said, rushing over and picking up a towel.

“Are you cold?”

“A little. It’s not as warm as it should be
in order to be getting into that creek.” She snuggled into the towel. He frowned when she bounced on her heels trying to warm herself up.

Instinctively, he
wrapped his arms around her, rubbing up and down her sides to warm her up. She glanced up, her eyes filled with an openness he hadn’t noticed before.

“Thank you,” she said, her voice low and seductive.
There was something else there, more than just need or lust. He couldn’t define it, but he liked it.

Thump

The sound of something hitting the ground broke the moment. He glanced around and noticed a branch rolling off his wood shed.

She cleared her throat and sat down, grabbing a plate and piling it up with fruit. “This reminds me of the whole cabin in the woods from scary movies.”

He chuckled and sat across from her, watching her take bites of watermelon and strawberry.

“It’s really not that scary up here. In the dead of winter I put up some floodlights around the pathways for anyone that might get lost.”

She shook her head and scrunched her nose. “I don’t know if I could be walking around here unless there was some form of brightness to ease my fear of the dark.”

“You’re afraid of the dark?”
He blinked, trying not to show the surprise he felt. That was something he’d never known about her.

She shrugged.
He sensed her unease. She wrapped the towel tighter around her shoulders. Her gaze dropped down to her plate. “Yeah. It’s something from when I was a kid.”

The way she hesitated brought out his curiosity.
That was an action that the younger Nita would have done. The woman he’d seen so far didn’t have that insecurity so it worried him that whatever caused her fear was still present in her life. “What happened?”

A l
oose tendril of her hair dropped from her ponytail and floated over her shoulder. With the sunlight showcasing her beautiful caramel skin, he had no problem sitting there and staring at her for hours.

“Not mu
ch. Just kids. Kids can be mean.” She sighed.

He knew that. He’d been picked on as a kid for being slim compared to the other kids in the clan. Even his father had picked on him. To add insult to injury, his need to wear glasses and braces made the comments hurtful and cruel. He’d never told anyone,
though. Not even his wonderful mother and sister. He learned to tell himself that he wouldn’t always be the little guy. That one day he’d grow up and be able to defend himself against bullies.

That day was his eighteenth birthday. It seemed puberty hit him overnight. Muscles had filled out his once puny arms. The braces had gone and women were noticing him in a new light. Even his father had stopped speaking to him like a weakling and started addressing him like the future clan leader.

“What does that have to do with you being afraid of the dark?”

She smiled but it didn’t reach her eyes. “When I was twelve some girls invited me to a sleepover party. I thought they wanted to be friends.” Shadows crossed her features. Pain. Sadness. “I never did anything with anyone other than Tally, my cousin. So this was something new.” She cleared her throat and glanced up, away from him and to the distance. “
Anyway, they asked me to get something in one of the closets and closed the door behind me, locking me in.”

He knew she was reliving the nightmare with the way her breaths quickened and how fast she rushed the words out. She picked up a glass of iced tea and took a sip. Her hand shook bringing the glass back to the table.

He didn’t want to say anything to sound like he was pitying her, but he knew all too well how difficult being mistreated by other children could feel.

“What happened then?”

She gave a dry laugh. “Not much. I pounded on the door, kicked, screamed and cried. I could hear them calling me all kinds of names because of my weight.” She licked her lips, pursing them before going on. “Eventually one of the parents showed up to check on us, noticed I wasn’t there and made the girls tell them where I was.”

Jesus. His chest throbbed from the pressure of holding back the urge to roar.
To stomp around and knock down a few trees. Knowing she’d been through something like that increased his urge to hold her and make things that much better for her.

“It’s okay,” she said, obviously reading his features. “I’
m not fond of small spaces either but the dark is what gets me.”

He’d light up that forest like a fucking Christmas tree if it made her feel better. His bear huffed inside. Neither liked the idea of Nita being afraid.

“What about you? Are you scared of anything?” She smiled, the dark shadows leaving her eyes.

“Does my own cooking count?”

She burst into laughter. The sound soothed his agitated bear.

“No. But I will admit that I’m not the best cook either. Don’t feel too bad. I usually eat out.” She picked up a piece of strawberry and took a tiny bite. The juice coated her lips. Animal instinct told him to lick it off her lips, but he fought it. They’d done a lot more than kiss for the past few hours. He could control himself. He would control himself. Even if it gave him blue balls.

“Tell me one of your biggest pet peeves,” she said suddenly.

“Hm
mm, I guess women who try to be something they’re not. I don’t want the perfect woman, I just want someone who is comfortable in her own skin. Someone who wants to genuinely be with me. No drama. No bullshit.” He knew what he wanted. Her. “Your turn. Biggest pet peeve?”

She bit her lip in thought.

“Uh-oh. Are you one of those that have a laundry list of things you dislike?” he joked.

She laughed. “Now I might not tell you.”

“Come on, I was kidding.” He grinned. “You gotta admit you took long enough to worry me.”

“
You are so bad. So, pet peeve. I guess if I had to pick, my biggest pet peeve is liars. I try to be honest at all times about everything with people. Especially in a relationship. I hate it when men say one thing and then I find out they have five other women they’re dating and a handful of baby mommas.” She raised her brows. “Do you have any baby mamas you need to tell me about?”

He
almost fell out his chair laughing. “No.” He chortled. “No baby mamas here. I am keeping my need to have babies locked away until I get a mate.”

“Good man. Waiting for marriage. I hope you’re not expecting a ring after last night,” she flirted
, her gaze dropping down to his lips. “I mean, you’d need to show me more skills before I can decide on something so important.”

“You need more skills? Will my genius math skills help?”

“Are you?” she asked, laughter sparkled in the depth of her eyes. “Are you a genius?”

“When I was a kid most others thought I was too smart for my own good.” Smart and scrawny.

Her eyes widened and she blinked, her jaw hanging open. “Were you a geek?”

“
You don’t need to sound so surprised.” He twisted his lips in a wry smile. “I’m not all brawn and no brains.”

She swiped her tongue over her bottom lip, licking the juice from the strawberries. Talk about torture in the first degree.

“Oh, I know you’re more than just brawn. It takes some serious smart to do some the stuff you did with your tongue.” She winked.

Heat crowded his cheeks. She made him blush. That was a new one.
He hadn’t blushed in almost fifteen years. “That’s it, I won’t say anything else or you’ll definitely peg me a geek.”

She laughed, the sound sweet music to his ears. “It can’t be that bad.”

He folded his arms over his chest, enjoying the way she stared at him. She couldn’t have denied she wanted him. It was clear for him to see and scent. “Yes it can.”

“What’s your favorite movie?”

“Star Trek. The original, not that remake crap they have.”

Her mouth formed into a surprised O.

“I told you.”

She waved her hand. “A lot of people like that. That doesn’t make you a geek.”

Wind tossed loose tendrils of her hair around her shoulders. He loved the sight of her skin shining from the sun and water. The bronze color glowed in the light.

“A
ll right, suit yourself.” He knew he was treading on dangerous ground. She might figure out who he was if he kept talking about his past. He might look different, but the things he’d enjoyed as a teen were the same he liked as an adult.

“
Hmmm.” She leaned forward and tapped the table. “What’s your favorite TV show?”

“Doctor Who.”

She frowned. “Who?”

“Yeah.”

“What?”

“Doctor Who.”

“I don’t understand.” She pouted her lips prettily. “Who’s Doctor?”

He barked a laugh
. She was a riot and didn’t even realize it. “It’s a TV show. The name of the show is Doctor Who. It is also the name of the main character. Sorry if I confused you.”

“Oh,” she said
, still sounding puzzled. “Okay, I’ll admit that one threw me off.”

“I told you so.”

“Whatever.” She rolled her eyes. “It’s not like you have boxes of mint condition comic books in your room and some plastic gloves to read them with.”

He must’ve given himself away because she gasped.

Busted!

“You
do
have comic books.” Her voice was filled with awe. “Are they in little plastic baggies?”

“No
.” He snorted as if that were some sort of crime. “I have them in a clear enclosure to display them without getting dusty. In my guest room.”

Yeah, tha
t made him sound so much less the geek.

She stood up and strolled around the table to his side only to sit on his lap, curling her hands around his neck. “You know what? I think you’re sexy whether you read comic books, go to Comi
c-Con or watch reruns of the original Star Trek.”

He held her by the waist, pressing her closer. “You don’t think being a geek is stupid?”

She leaned forward and brushed her lips over his. “I think, Mr. Bear, you are the hottest geek I’ve ever met.”

He’d never been told that before. Usually when women found out his entertainment preferences
, and the fact that he analyzed everything, they tended to pull away. If they found out about his net worth or that of his clan then things changed. They’d get real close to him. He didn’t need to dress in button-down shirts or wear a Rolex because he had money. He was a bear shifter. He’d happily spend his time fishing and cuddling with a woman. Not just any woman. Nita.

Nita didn’t understand the surprise
on Ky’s face. How could he think that because he enjoyed different things than she did, it made him somehow undesirable? Hell, the way he looked in those glasses, like a hot college professor, made her thoughts go straight to the gutter every few minutes. She was having a difficult time reminding her body to stay in control.

“Anybody home?”
someone called out. It sounded like Liam.

“We’re back here,”
she replied and stood. The last thing she wanted was to make a bad impression on his clan member.

There was a brief struggle and some giggles when
Ky tried to keep her sitting on his lap. She stuck her tongue out at him and ran around the table to sit across from him.

“You do know I have to go home today.” She watched him for a reaction.

“I’ll come with you,” he offered. “You don’t need to make the drive home all alone.”

She grinned. “No way Mr. Bear. It’s been awesome but I have some work to do.”

Her stomach twisted in fearful knots. Was she going too fast too soon with him? Maybe trusting her instinct that this was the right man wasn’t what she should be doing.

“I can make it worth your while to stay
.” He waggled his brows.

“Hah!”
She didn’t need to say that he definitely could make her stay. All he had to do was say the word.

“What’s so funny?” Liam asked walking out from the kitchen. He had a T-shirt that said Born to be Wild on it.