Loved by the Lion: BBW Paranormal Lion Shifter BWWM Romance (8 page)

Bear Mechanic

by Zoe Chant

Special Sneak Preview

Elise expected exhaustion to set in any minute, but the opposite happened. She felt jumped-up, like when she drank one too many cups of coffee.

“Is that normal?” she asked as Noah led her upstairs.

He flashed a grin over his shoulder that nearly sent her into a tizzy as he unlocked the door at the top of the stairs. “I try to keep my life as boring as possible. So I wouldn't know.”

“You? Boring?” He was anything but.

“I know it's hard to believe, but it's true. I came back from Afghanistan and just wanted to settle down.”

Ex-military. That explained his perfect posture and short hair.

When they stepped through the door, there was an immediate transformation of the space from “business” to “personal.” There was carpet on the floor she could sink her toes into if she were barefoot, and all the furniture was made with elegant dark wood, a far cry from the plastic and linoleum suffusing the waiting room downstairs. Inside were a tidy office space and an open door that looked like it led to a bedroom.

He shrugged off his jacket, revealing a well-muscled figure beneath. His white T-shirt hugged his skin, showing off the defined muscles not of a gym rat but of someone who worked with his hands and body for a living. Her eyes were glued to the way the muscles in his back rippled as he hung his jacket on a hook.

“You're welcome to the bed.” He nodded toward the bedroom.

Elise bit her lip at the first thought that came to mind;
that
probably wasn't what he meant. “You don't need to do that.”

“There's a couch in the office area. I'll be fine. The bathroom is right here if you want to change.”

Elise sighed with relief. She'd gotten soaked before Noah had shown up with his umbrella, and she’d been stuck in damp jeans for hours.

She left the door cracked open. As she peeled off layers of moist fabric, she asked, “Do you live up here?”

“Yeah, I do.” Was it her imagination, or did he sound embarrassed? “For a few years now.”

“Isn't it really loud?” She didn't know what kind of machinery was used in a garage, but every time she got her oil changed, there was plenty of noise.

“I had it soundproofed. But it's quiet at night, when no one’s here.”

Cool air passed over her still-damp skin, making her shiver. She pulled on the nightshirt she’d brought in her getaway bag. It fell past her hips to brush the tops of her thighs. She didn’t have any shorts with her, so she’d have to go out there and talk to him in her underwear. Elise felt a little thrill at the prospect.

She stuck her head out the door. “All my clothes are still wet. Where should I put them?”

He glanced down at the bundle in her hands; her non-lacy, non-sexy workaday bra was on top. Oops.

After a moment he cleared his throat. “Anywhere’s fine.”

Elise laid them over the backs of a few chairs scattered around, then went to explore the bedroom.

It was simple. Beyond simple, actually. She’d go so far as to call it
sparse
. The only major piece of furniture was the bed, which was large and looked handmade. The warm wood frame with wrought-iron detail was stylishly rustic, and it stood out against the plain cotton sheets and colorless walls.

In fact, the room looked like he had just moved in. There were still boxes in one corner, some open and some closed.

“Sorry, it’s not much. I don’t get a lot of visitors.”

Noah was standing in the doorway behind her. Elise felt his eyes flick over her bare-legged figure, and her cheeks warmed.

Elise ran her fingers over one of the bedposts, along the grain of the wood. “This is really beautiful. Where did you get it?”

“I made it.” A note of pride entered his voice.

“You’re a mechanic
and
a carpenter? Is there anything you can’t do?” she asked with an incredulous laugh.

She didn’t know any guys who could do something like that. Who could build something for themselves, with their own hands.

No.
Man
. She didn’t know any men like him. And he was, very much, a man. That fact impressed itself on her mind as she looked at him again. A primal maleness radiated from him. It wasn’t just his height or muscles, but something less obvious. His confidence and command. His protectiveness when she was in trouble. The line of his strong jaw was darkened by barely-there stubble. She wanted to run her fingertips over it, feel how rough it was, see if it would scratch her skin.

He smiled a charmingly crooked smile. “I guess you could say I was getting ready,” he said enigmatically.

Elise tilted her head. “Ready for what?”

“Ready for someone to share it with.” His dark gaze caught her breath and made her flush from head to toe with knowing.

She hadn’t forgotten the kiss. Almost unconsciously her fingers rose to touch her lips in remembrance. He was close, closer to her than she’d realized.

Close enough that she could feel the heat of his body radiating from him.

“When do you think she’ll be around?” she said flippantly, trying to ignore the jackrabbit pace of her beating heart.

He cradled her face with both hands; she felt small between them, something to be protected and cherished.

“I’m starting to think she’s already here,” he whispered, brushing a thumb over her cheek.

On impulse, she went up on her tiptoes to press her lips to his. His arms caught her, and he bent eagerly to meet her.

His mouth on hers washed away the memory of every other kiss she’d ever had. Nothing even came close. His hands tipped her head back gently as he explored her mouth, running his tongue across her lower lip and deepening the kiss.

She’d never felt anything so overwhelming before. She reached up and ran her hands over his hair, savoring the way the short bristles felt against her hands, clearly a leftover from his military background.

They were pressed together as close as any two people could be, but Elise wanted more. They both had clothes on, she decided hazily, and those definitely had to go.

She slipped her hands underneath the hem of his shirt, feeling his light gasp against her mouth as she pressed her palms to his abs. She could feel each little twitch of his muscles.

One arm unwound from her, and he reached behind himself to pull off his shirt. In another quick movement, she divested herself of her own top. Then they were pressed together skin-to-skin, with nothing between them but her bra.

His hands ran over her skin eagerly. For a moment Elise was afraid of what he might think of her body, but there was nothing but pure desire in his gaze as he looked at her. The last remaining fluttering nerves in her belly eased, to be replaced by a powerful wave of want.

His large, powerful hands cupped her breasts over her thin cotton bra, kneading and massaging with a gentle but firm touch that sent a shockwave of pure lust shooting between her legs.

He rolled her nipples between his long, dexterous fingers, caressing and squeezing. The callouses on his fingers gave his touch just the right rough edge, and Elise’s knees turned to jelly. She moaned and held on to him for dear life.

His lips descended on her exposed throat, nipping and nibbling. His stubble scratched against her delicate skin, making her shiver.

Finally Elise pulled away with regret. “I don’t know how much longer I’ll be able to stand up,” she informed him breathily, “so we should do something about that.”

His mischievous grin made her wonder what she’d just gotten herself into.

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