Shiftr: Swipe Left for Love (Adaira) BBW Bear Shifter Romance (Hope Valley BBW online dating app romances Book 6) (11 page)

At last, Leigh was back, three rabbits hanging from his mouth. Her instinct was to avert her eyes out of squeamishness, but she forced herself not to. She was a carnivore too, and she would soon eat the food that he’d just caught for her himself.

“Wow, great job!” she called to him. He gave an answering rumble and went into the cabin with the rabbits. She heard the shower going on, and ten minutes later, he came outside, wearing just his jeans. Her head swam at the sight of him. She wanted to throw herself at him, wrap her arms and legs around his body, and feel him close, pressed against her. He gave her a bright, slow smile, with a hint of boyishness.

“It was a good hunt,” he said.

“It looks like it.”

“How’s the reading?”

“Oh, ok,” she replied, crossing her legs to try to take her mind off the thoughts zinging around her brain, but it only made things worse, and the tender spot between her thighs began to ache. For him.

“I thought I’d cook on the fire tonight – barbecued rabbits and potatoes. How’s that?”

“It sounds wonderful,” she said, her eyes flickering all over his gorgeous, muscular torso. He went behind the cabin and rummaged around before re-emerging with a grill and two large, rectangular stones. He set them up not far from the rock she was sitting on, then went off for some firewood. He came back and arranged some logs under the grill, and soon the sweet scent of burning cedar filled the air.

“Is there anything I can do to help?” she asked.

“Nope. There’s hardly anything to do. I’ll go inside and prepare the rabbits. You just take it easy and watch the sun setting,” he said.

Adaira shrugged to herself. The sun was maybe 20 minutes from sinking to the horizon. There was a slight haze in the air, making its outline fuzzy, and the sky was already shot through with hues of pink and yellow. She tried to be calm and clear her head of her feelings for Leigh.

As the flames died down and the wood turned white with ash, Leigh brought some potatoes out, wrapped in foil, and laid them among the wood at the edge of the barbecue where the heat was lower. Then he picked up two beers and sat down next to Adaira on the rock. He popped the top of one, using his teeth, and, before he could get to the other one, Adaira had done the same.

“Cool!” he said, with a grin.

“Ah, good teeth run in my family,” she said, holding her bottle up and they clinked
cheers
.

“Do you have a big family?” he asked.

“Not really. There’s my mum and dad, and I’ve got an older brother and a younger sister.”

“Don’t your parents worry about you being so far away?”

“Not really. My dad is a naturalist, so he was always off on research trips when I was a kid. My parents have always encouraged us to be adventurous. They’ve given us a lot of love, so I guess we’ve always felt secure that our family is there for us, even if they’re not physically present.” Leigh tilted his head thoughtfully.

“That sounds nice,” he said.

“It’s a bit like you and the clan I suppose? You might not see much of each other, but I bet if you called those guys up with a problem, they’d be up the mountain in a jiffy.”

“Yeah, they would,” he said, smiling fondly.

“Could you not persuade your mom to move down to the valley?” Adaira said gently. She didn’t want to push him, but she couldn’t give up without trying, just a little. He sighed.

“She’s lived up here her whole life. This mountain is her whole world, as it’s mine.”

“And every winter, she leaves that world behind and sleeps?”

“She does. As do I.” Sadness washed over her. She didn’t have the right to alter the lives of these two natural beings, who operated entirely through their instincts. The lives they lived were beautiful, and shouldn’t be changed.

“Why did you take me to see your mom today?” she asked. He smiled at her shyly.

“I wanted her to meet you. She’s had other cubs over the years, and they don’t live so close, so it was a real treat for her to see the one that fate has ordained as my mate. She really liked you.”

“I’m glad. I like her too,” she said with a smile.

Leigh brought the rabbits out, already prepared and cut into pieces. He laid them on the grill and they sizzled. Then he brought out dinner plates with vegetables heaped up on them. In a couple of minutes, the rabbit was ready, and he added the huge portions to the plates, and laid them on the table.

“It’s probably a little more basic than you’re used to,” he said, taking his seat next to Adaira.

“Are you kidding? You’ve just cooked me food that you’ve grown and hunted yourself. I can’t imagine anything more amazing than that!” she exclaimed, and popped a piece of the barbecued rabbit into her mouth.

“Wow, that’s incredible,” she said, when she’d finished chewing. “The best meat I ever tasted!”

“Seriously?”

“Absolutely!”

She ate all the food he gave her. There was something about the mountain air that made her very hungry.

“You’ve got a good appetite,” he remarked.

“Are you saying I’m greedy?” she demanded. He frowned.

“No, I was saying that you seem to have a bigger stomach than most humans.” She stared at him, her face frozen in horror. And then she burst out laughing.

“You mean the inside of my stomach, right?”

“Of course. Why?”

“The way you were saying it made it sound like I’m fat because I eat too much.”

“But you’re not fat,” he said, in a tone of mystification.

“Not everyone would agree with you,” she said and took a swig of her beer.

“But you’re tiny.” She poked him in the ribs, surprising him.

“You only think that because you’re a giant.”

“I look like a giant to you?”

“Kinda.”

“Is that weird?”

“No! It’s a great thing! Guys in Scotland aren’t tall, or they’re tall, but they don’t have good bodies.”

“Oh.” He smiled, relieved.

“Do you have to work out a lot to get a body like that?”

“Workout?”

“Push-ups, sit-ups and planks. That kind of thing.”

“No. I just hunt.”

“And the muscle tone you develop as a bear gets transformed into man muscle. Cool.”

“I guess so,” he said, glancing at his corded forearms. “I’d never really thought of it.” Adaira looked at him sideways. There was no trace of vanity in him at all. She wouldn’t be surprised if he’d never looked in a mirror before.

“If I gave you a pen and paper, could you draw a picture of yourself?”

“Of course!”

“I don’t believe you!” she said with a cackle. “Prove it!”

“Let me look for a pen.” He went into the cabin and returned with a chewed pencil and a notepad. He sat down and got to work immediately. Less than 60 seconds later he showed her the drawing. It was a picture of a bear, standing up on its hind legs. It was actually a very good drawing – the lines were simple, but it was remarkably lifelike.

“Cool,” she said, oddly touched at the way he’d represented himself, so much so that she didn’t make a joke about him not drawing his human face.

“One more,” he said, and started scribbling again. She tried to look over his shoulder to see what he was doing, but he angled the paper away from her. He spent much longer on this one, and his brow was furrowed in concentration. Adaira relished the opportunity to stare at him without him noticing. He was so handsome. Her heart fluttered with her awareness of the physicality of his big, sexy man. She wished she could take a photo to immortalize him, just like this. She yearned to plant kisses all the way along the plane of his jaw, to rub her cheek against his beard.

At last, he was done. He lifted the notepad and showed it to her. It was her, posed just as she was now, her right foot up on the rock, and both arms wrapped around her bent knee, her breasts big and full in her tanktop, her hair long and wild, and a soft, wistful expression on her face.

“Wow, that’s lovely,” she breathed. “I only wish I looked as good as that in the flesh.”

“I made it as exact a likeness as I could,” he said, looking a little hurt.

“I wasn’t saying it wasn’t a good likeness. I – oh never mind. It’s beautiful. Can I just say that?” He nodded, relieved, then got up and removed the grill from the barbecue. Then he collected some more firewood and piled it on top of the embers.

Soon the new wood caught, and the flames rose up to the sky, the dry wood crackling and popping.

“Would you like to hear some music?” he asked.

“I’d love to!” He brought out his bouzouki and began to play. Adaira listened in amazement. He was very good. It was a tune she’d never heard before – it was sad and lonely and haunting. She sensed it was about the mountains and his life there. She told him she loved it and he played another and another, each one different, but all with the same sweet, melancholy undertone.

After a while he stopped playing, and brought out another beer to share. They sat quietly, gazing at the stars, the town, so tiny at the distance, and shooting glances at one another. The light from the fire glowed in Leigh’s eyes, making them huge and liquid as they gazed at her intently.

“I can see the flames reflected in your eyes,” he breathed. “Fire in your eyes, and fire in your hair.” He reached out and took a strand of her hair, twisting it around his finger. His mouth came closer to hers, and, forgetting her earlier resolve, she lifted her jaw and met it, slowly pressing her lips to his. They were just going to kiss, she told herself, as his fingers landed on her shoulders and ran lightly down her upper arms. They were rough and callused, and somehow the roughness turned her on. She found herself wondering how they’d feel inside her, filling her up. Her nipples hardened, pushing at the lace of her bra, and her clit began to throb with need.

She wanted him, wanted to have hot, beautiful sex with this gorgeous man. A sideways glance proved that he wanted her too. His cock was a big bulge in his pants. He made a little rumbling sound, deep in his throat, and lifted her tank top up. Aware that she should probably stop him, she lifted her arms and helped him to take it off. He held her breasts in both hands, as if mesmerized by their fullness, then he dipped his head and kissed the valley between them, as his thumbs ran back and forth across her erect nipples. She could feel the heat of his hands coming through the lace of the bra, and the intimate touch made her sigh. He raised his head, eyes questioning. Was he doing something wrong?

“That feels amazing,” she assured him. As he bent to her breasts again, she grabbed a handful of the back of his t-shirt and pulled. If she was going to be half-naked, so was he. He obliged, lifting it over his head, and she bit back a moan of pure desire. His body was just ridiculous. If it was on a magazine cover, she would’ve thought it had been photoshopped, except for the presence of some sexy scars here and there. She ran her hands over his six pack, his incredible pecs, and traced light circles around his flat brown nipples. His breath hissed through his teeth, and his fingers found the clasp at the back of her bra. She stiffened, worried that he’d struggle with it, that her breasts would freak him out when they were free of the bra, but he unhooked the clasp easily and slid the straps off her shoulders, giving a low rumble of desire as her pale pink nipples were revealed. His hands eagerly cupped her bare breasts and gooseflesh broke out all over her body. His hands felt rough, but he handled her incredibly gently, and the contrast was delicious. He dipped his head and flicked his long tongue over her left nipple, and then the right, and then he took a nipple into his mouth and sucked it gently. The growing ache between her thighs became a throb, and she pressed them together. Unconsciously, her hand had moved onto his thigh, and was edging toward the bulge in his pants when she froze. She had to stop right now. If she touched his cock, it would be all over, she knew that without any doubt. She placed her hands on his shoulders and pushed him away from her.

“Leigh, we can’t do this. I know what mating means to you,” she said gently, yet firmly. He met her eyes, his pupils contracting, hurt flashing across his features.

“I just want to touch you, Adaira, that’s all,” he said.

“Just touching?”

“Just touching,” he repeated.
She blinked a few times, her mind spinning. I think I can deal with just touching
, she told herself. In fact, she’d always secretly longed for a man to spend hours pleasuring her body, without demanding any more from her. She was used to guys taking her clothes off and giving her breasts a perfunctory grope before fucking her.
Where’s the foreplay?
her mind had screamed so many times.

“Ok,” she said at last. He leaned forward and kissed her on the mouth, as his fingers moved to the zipper of her shorts. She leaned back a little and braced herself on her hands as he unfastened them and tugged them over her hips. He eased them over her ass and pulled them completely off, and then he hooked his fingers into the waistband of her panties. She held her breath as he tugged them down as well. As her neat triangle of red hair came into view, he gave a purr of pleasure. Guys always made annoying comments and jokes about the color of her pubic hair, but he didn’t. He obviously just loved it.