Too Much To Bear: BBW Shifter Romance (Shifters of Spellholm Forest - The Bears)

Copyright

Chapter One

Chapter Two

Chapter Three

Chapter Four

Chapter Five

Chapter Six

Chapter Seven

Chapter Eight

Chapter Nine

Chapter Ten

Chapter Eleven

Chapter Twelve

Chapter Thirteen

Chapter Fourteen

Other Books By Harmony Raines

***

All rights reserved. This book, or any portion thereof may not be reproduced or used in any manner without the express written consent of the author or publisher.

This is a work of fiction and is intended for mature audiences only. All characters within are eighteen years of age or older. Names, places, businesses, characters and incidents are either the product of the author’s imagination or are used in a fictitious manner. Any resemblance to real persons, living or dead, actual events or places is purely coincidental.  

© 2014 Harmony Raines

Silver Moon Erotica

Kindle Edition

“I’m on my way, Paris. Sorry I’m running late, I got held up at the farm.” Nodding at Paris’s reply, Jenny pressed the button to end the call, and put her phone back in her bag.

That’s when she heard the sound of a motorcycle coming up the road behind her. It was coming fast, way too fast for the narrow country lane. Stepping onto the grassy verge, she pressed her curvy body back towards the hedge to make sure she was completely out of the way.

The bike seemed to speed up as it approached. No manners, were her first thought. Turning her head to watch the loud throbbing vehicle draw nearer, her heart skipped a beat, and then sank to the pit of her stomach.

Mixed up emotions coursed through her body. Beck. The one word, one person, who made her body a mass of conflicting emotions. She loathed him. From the moment she started high school he had been on her back, harassing her about her weight, her looks, and particularly about her parents.

In his eyes, she was no match for him, and his bear shifter family. Self assured, he saw the funny side of a voluptuous young woman like Jenny shifting into a little bird when she came of age at twenty one.

The conflict part? Well that took a bit more explaining. Despite the way he treated her, she had secretly been crushing on him all through her teenage years. Until the day he finally crushed her, grounding her desire into dust, and then allowing it to scatter on the breeze. He couldn’t have been more vile, humiliating her in a way that still haunted her, making her insecure whenever his words wormed their way into her brain.

Turning her head swiftly, to look away, she hoped he would not notice her. However, he looked her straight in the face, his gaze stuck on her as he roared by. She knew he must have recognised her, because his engine faltered. He eased off the throttle, and for one long minute she was sure he was going to stop. His bike wobbled a little, strange for a man who always seemed to be part of the machine when he sat astride it. Then he righted himself, and she let out her breath as he sped off.

Where the hell had he come from. Beck was the black bear of his family, literally, and had gone off to make a name for himself amongst his clan somewhere far away. In the passing years, Jenny had learned to forget him, to push all thoughts of him away, but now they threatened to resurface. Anger and rage threatened her calm existence, but she was no longer a child, and she would pay him back for his treatment of her, if it were the last thing she did.

Jenny moved back onto to the road, and took a faltering step forward, belying her resolve. Because despite her firm words, she knew she was no match for him. Worse still, she would not be able to avoid him. He was heading to the exact same place as she was. The Den, a local bar for shifters.

His brother Wes owned it, Jenny only hoped Beck was passing through, and not staying for long. “Well you can’t spend your whole life running away,” she told herself. She would not let him ruin her life a second time. Paris, her new best friend, and also Wes’s mate, was waiting for her and she was already running late. Firmly pushing him from her thoughts, she walked quickly to see what fate had in store for her.

Jenny’s mood didn’t improve when she reached The Den, and saw his bike pulled up around the back. It took all her courage to go to the back door and pull it open. Ignoring her rapidly beating heart, she walked into the dimly lit room, afraid that when she called out for Paris, her voice would betray her fear.

Deep breath in, and out. It was how she had learned to control her panic attacks, and the dread of those returning was almost too much. However, Jenny was stronger now than she had been then, and she held on to that thought and called brightly, “Hi Paris.”

There was a moment’s pause before Paris’s voice answered. “I’ll be right there. Go through to the bar, Wes will fix you a nice cold drink.”

“It’s OK. I can wait here.”

“Don’t be silly, he’s expecting you.”

She was about to protest again, and then decided to give it up. If Beck was in there, she might as well get this first meeting over with in relative privacy, and with people she trusted around her. Wes was a good man, especially now his true mate had captured his heart. Paris had become his world; it was obvious by the way he looked at her, and the way his body seemed attuned to hers when she walked into the room. Jenny smiled, she only hoped when she finally settled down her mate would feel that way about her.

Walking down the hallway, which led past Wes’s office, she looked in briefly to see if he was there. No. Onwards, she pushed herself, until she walked through into the bar, to find Wes leaning against the bar and, as she feared, Beck sat down on a stool nursing a drink.

She stood still, for a split second she knew she could turn and run, that they might not have seen her. However, almost instantly Beck stiffened and turned to her. She fought herself, part of her wanting to stand there and cry, the other part wanting to run away before he could say anything to hurt her.

Wes stood up, and looked at her, a strange smile on his face. Oh god. What if Beck had turned them against her already, made them see how ridiculous she was. A big fat joke.

The colour drained from her face, and she stood awaiting her fate. Wes’s smile grew wider, and she was sure he lifted his hand to cover a snigger that wanted to escape. Then he shook his head, and said, “Hi, Jenny. What can I get you? The usual?” Wes sounded normal, although the glint in his eyes told her something had been said.

“Yes...yes please Wes. Or I could wait out back if you want some privacy.” She looked pointedly at Beck, who now ignored her with determination.

“No, I’ve been waiting for you to get here while Paris is upstairs. There’s something I wanted to ask you.”

“Oh.” Here it comes, she thought.

“Yes.” His voice dropped, and all humour went from his face. He came closer to her, setting her glass down on the end of the bar. Glancing behind her, he nervously said, “While Paris is still upstairs, I wanted to get your opinion on something.”

It wasn’t what she had expected him to say, and she knew then this wasn’t a joke, he would never do anything to hurt Paris. “What do you need, Wes?”

“It’s her birthday in a couple of weeks, as you know, and I wanted to do something really special.”

Jenny listened, trying to stop her eyes from drifting past Wes to rest on the hunched over figure at the bar. “I know she’ll appreciate whatever you do.”

“Yes, but what I have in mind might be a bit much, considering the circumstances.”

Jenny knew what he was hinting at. Paris’s mom had never told Paris who her father was, not until a couple of months ago. Now they were all waiting to see if Paris had the shifter gene, being only a half blood, it could go either way. Although Paris tried to keep it from Wes, she had confided in Jenny, telling her how disappointed she would be if she were unable to share this part of Wes’s life. “Why don’t you tell me what’s worrying you.”

Wes looked over his shoulder at Beck, and then back to Jenny. He looked awkward, and she got the feeling he didn’t want to talk in front of his brother. Yet Beck might as well not be in the same room, he was lost in a world of his own.

Sighing, Wes continued. “I want to propose to Paris.”

“Wow. That is not what I was expecting. I thought you were going to get her a gift, like a car or something.”

“Do you think that would be best? I don’t want to put too much pressure on her, but I want her to know that even if she doesn’t change, I don’t care one bit.”

Jenny felt tears threatening, but she swallowed them down, and tried to keep her voice level. “That is so sweet, Wes. I think she will be over the moon.”

His face relaxed. “You think so.”

“Yes. I know I haven’t been friends with Paris that long, but it doesn’t take a genius to see how much she loves you.”

He let out a long breath. “Thanks, Jenny. Want to see the ring?”

She smiled at his enthusiasm. Wes had always been a tough bear, unapproachable and rude outside of his bar. When her parents had suggested she get to know Paris, she had worried about having to spend time around Wes. However, she found him a big soft teddy bear where Paris was concerned, and he had accepted Jenny as his mate’s friend.

“I’d love to see it.”

Wes slipped past her, and headed out of the bar to his office. For the first time Beck stared straight at her, and she wanted to disappear. Instead, she lifted her glass and took a sip of her drink, bracing herself for his snide remarks.

“He’s really serious about Paris isn’t he?”

“Excuse me?”

“Wes, he’s really taken the whole mate thing to a whole new level. Never thought he had it in him.”

She tried to find some hidden trap in his words, but they appeared to be honest and straight. “They’re good together.”

“You mean she’s changed him for the better? The whole true love, fated mates thing, tying him down to domestic bliss?”

“I know it’s not for you. But it’s not like she controls him or anything. They complement each other, isn’t that what a marriage is all about?”

He took a gulp of his beer. “Marriage. My brother getting married.” He shook his head in what she figured was disbelief.

“Is that why you came back, to change his mind?” It would be completely in Beck’s character to want to spoil things for everyone.

He looked at her sharply, and she thought she’d upset him, something she thought impossible. “No. I was homesick.”

“Right,” she said, her voice thick with sarcasm. “The great Beck, black bear of the family got homesick.” She couldn’t believe he was using that as a reason, how gullible did he think they all were. “Let them be happy, Beck. For once in your life don’t make people miserable for the sake of your entertainment.”

He opened his mouth to say something, but Wes appeared behind her. In his hand he held a ring box, which he opened proudly. “Do you think she’ll like it?”

Jenny looked at the simple diamond ring, it was perfect. “She’ll love it. I promise you Wes.”

“You also need to promise me you won’t say a word.”

“I promise, of course I won’t. I’m just so pleased for you both.”

He snapped the box shut, the sound of Paris coming downstairs from the living quarters above the bar made him look very guilty. Jenny put a hand on his arm. “Relax, Wes.”

“Hi, Jenny.” Paris said, holding a box in her arms.

“Hello Paris, need a hand?” Jenny asked.

“No, I’m fine, thanks,” she said, smiling, but she didn’t look her usual self. “Is this what you were looking for?”