Twice The Growl (BBW Paranormal Shape Shifter Romance): A BBW in need of a date + Two hot Alphas looking for a mate = The hottest triad ever. (Paranormal Dating Agency Book 1) (8 page)

“You’re going to have to come out of the car, darling,” Connor taunted.
She’d voiced her opinion on how unexcited she was about the entire event, but her call with Nita and then her grandmother had sealed the deal. She’d go and show her face. Show everyone she was alive and well with two hot men by her side.

“I’m coming,” she grumbled.
The wind whipped her curls all over her face. She’d forgone the glasses for a set of contacts.

“I really hate that you didn’t wear the glasses today,” Theron said
, coming around the car to her side. “I have a thing for the prim schoolteacher look.”

She had no idea what he was talking about. Tally might not be overtly sexual with displaying herself, but she didn’t try to hide her body either. She wore what she liked. That was usually long
, soft dresses. For the wedding, she’d decided to wear a shorter dress that hugged her curves. Connor had complimented her on it at least five times in the past hour.

“Have I told you how beautiful you look in that dress?” He winked.

Make that six times in the past hour.

“I don’t think so, no.” She grinned. “I may never get out of this dress if you keep it up.”

She allowed them to lead her into the reception hall. They’d deliberately taken their time so that things were busy by the time they arrived. The reception was being held locally in a large banquet hall. A massive party location known for hosting top-notch events.

She found their names and seating assignments on a table at the entrance to the main hall. Inside, music pumped over large speakers. Disco lights blinked in different colors and a DJ urged the crowd to do the electric slide.

“I’ll go get us some drinks,” Theron offered when they reached their table.

The crowd cheered as the music ended. A new slow song started and the DJ called couples to the floor.

Connor squeezed her hand. “Come on, let’s dance.”

“I don’t know...” She stumbled to her feet and followed behind him.

“You want to dance. Stop worrying over what others will think.”

He was right. She did want to dance. That was one of her favorite songs the DJ was playing. Connor held her close, staring deep into her eyes.

He lowered his face close, until his lips were by her ear. “Ignore the people.”

She laughed. She was the one that usually said that. When had things changed? And more importantly, did she really care what anyone thought? Not really. She smiled and let her muscles relax. Until that moment, she hadn’t noticed how stiffly she held herself.

“That’s my girl.”

Their dance and fun time was short-lived. Someone bumped into them from the right. She opened her mouth to apologize but stopped at the sight of Paul and Candy.

“You came?” Paul asked, his face a mask of disgust.

“Of course I came. This is my family.” She stopped dancing to face him.

“Have you even bothered to think of what it’s doing to them for their friends to see you waltzing around with two men like—”

“I’d be very careful
of the words that come out of your mouth,” Connor whispered, his voice hard.

Paul glared at him and then back at her. “You have no shame at all, do you?”

“I don’t see why you’re worried over my personal life. You’re not part of my family.” She curled her hands into fists. Connor stood behind her, he’d tried to gently get her to move to his side, but she didn’t budge. This was her fight and she was going to handle it all by herself.

She saw Theron from the corner of her eye
, ready to move forward. She met his gaze for a second and shook her head.

Grandma Kate stopped dancing with her uncle and joined them.

“What is going on? Why aren’t you all dancing?”

Nita moved to Tally’s side. She had waved at her cousin when she’d walked in, but hadn’t spoken to her yet.

“What’s the problem here?” Nita asked, her voice held more than a little aggravation. “Why did you stop them from dancing, Paul?”

Paul
gave Nita a murderous look. “I’m genuinely disturbed for the family.”

Nita and Tally’s gazes met. Nita rolled her eyes and Tally
sighed.

“Why are you disturbed, Paul? I see no reason to be worried
,” Grandma Kate said.

“With all due respect, Kate, your granddaughter is making a spectacle of herself with these two men she’s brought to the wedding.” He huffed.

Connor let loose a soft growl and Paul took a step back.

“Why are her dates any of your concern?”

“I’m worried for you, madam,” he stated. “I would not like to see your good name and that of your family spoken of poorly due to Tally’s sexual deviance.”

“My what!” Tally screeched.
She’d kill him. The jerk had actually had the guts to talk shit about her in the middle of a packed dance floor.

“You heard me!” Paul threw back loudly.
The music stopped and everyone listened to the argument. “You’re sleeping around from one guy to another but that’s not enough for you, is it? You have to bring them to a family event. To show the rest of polite society what kind of life you lead.”

Tally lifted a hand to slap him, but Connor was quicker. He grabbed her arms and pulled her back. “He’s not worth it.”

“Let her hit me,” Paul instigated. “I’ll have her arrested for assault.”

“You asshole!” Nita hissed. “You think we’d take you over Tally?”

Paul turned to Grandma Kate. “I’m sorry to say this, but your granddaughter is a whore!”

The crowd gasped. Grandma Kate took a step closer to Paul, raised her sixty-five year old hand and slapped him so hard it resonated around the hall. 

“You listen and you listen to me well,” Kate said softly. “This is my family. Talia is my granddaughter. You’re nothing. Get out of here before I find my cane and shove it up your uptight ass.”

Paul’
s wide eyes and shocked face was one look Tally would never forget.

“I—”

“Get out!” Kate yelled. “I’m too old to put up with crap. Others might have let your assholery slide, but I won’t. I don’t want to see your face at any other family functions, or believe me, my cane will find a new home up your ass.” She turned to Tally’s uncle. “Get him out of here.”

Tally’s uncle nodded. “Whatever you say, mom.”

Connor released Tally. She started to move away from the dance floor when her grandmother stopped her.

“Talia, come here, please.”

Tally turned back to Grandma Kate and stopped next to her. Kate grabbed Tally’s hand in her own and glanced around the hall. “This is my granddaughter. She’d had a poor excuse for parents, but she’s got me.”

“She’s got us too,” Theron yelled.

“And me,” Nita added.

Kate nodded. “So if anyone here says anything about my Tally, they’ll be seeing a side of me anyone rarely sees. She’s not alone.”

Tally’s eyes filled with tears. She never needed anyone to protect her or stand up for her. But there she was, surrounded by her grandmother, Connor and Theron and Nita, all showing her how truly special she was.

“Put the music back,” Kate said to the DJ. “We’re not done dancing over here.”

* * *

Tally giggled again. “Theron if you keep pressing that same spot I’m not going to stop squirming.”

He lifted her foot to his face. “What spot? These feet are so tiny.”

She giggled again. His attempt at a foot massage had started well, but had turned into a tickle Tally session. She laid on the sofa, her torso on Connor’s lap and her feet on Theron.

“My feet are not tiny. You better stop saying that.”

“They really are,” Connor agreed, brushing curls away from her face.

“Are you two blind? Didn’t you see how swollen they are?” She glanced into Connor’s laughing eyes.

“You decided to dance the night away.”

She groaned. “I know, but how could I dance so much with you and then not with Theron?”

Theron snorted. “I was more than happy to watch you
dance. I told you that.”

She shook her head, watching him rub circles over her ankles. “I felt guilty. I want you both to feel my time is spread evenly with you.”

“Tally, we don’t suffer from insecurities. We’re united, not competing,” Theron replied.

If only she could remember that. Most of the time she was too worried about not making one feel less wanted than the other that she sometimes overdid it.

“I had fun tonight,” she said. Thinking back to all the family events of the past, none came close to her cousin’s wedding.

“Your grandmother sure laid it out there for Paul,” Connor snickered.

“Oh my god, did you hear her tell him she’d shove her cane up his ass? If I hadn’t been so angry I would’ve burst into giggles.”

“You know, she was right,” Theron said, meeting her gaze with a smile. “You’re not alone. You’ve got us
, too.”

She wanted to open up and say something emotional, but held back. She’d been analyzing her feeling and had come to the conclusion there was something deeper there between the three of them. Something she couldn’t name yet, but that she was willing to spend more time developing.

“Thank you, I appreciate that.”

“So remind me again, why having two men
any woman would kill for that want you is a bad thing?” Nita smiled at the waitress that brought their coffee and cake.

“I’m not saying it’s a bad thing for them to want me,” Tally grumbled.

Maybe. Okay, she didn’t think it was bad they wanted her. Hell, it was like her deepest wet dream come true. Two super-hot guys who wanted her, spent time making sure she not only saw their interest, but felt wanted.

“So why the long face?”
Nita put her usual too much sugar and cream and sipped her coffee.

“Because of my history,
Nita. I have bad luck with men. And these guys are so...” Wonderful. She didn’t want to say it, but for the past few weeks, she’d either gone to dinner, movies, walks and shows with one the other or both. And the sex? The best, porn had nothing on them. They were the best team out there. One focused on a particular part of her while the other worked another until she was begging one or both to fuck her. Heat crowded her cheeks. She’d lost every last scrap of inhibition and had let loose the sex drive she had no idea lived inside her.

“So what?”
Nita asked, bringing her back to the present.

“So damn nice! They deserve a good woman who will make them a good mate. Not some insecure, bitter
, fat girl that man-hates and wants to tie them in the closet so nobody else gets their claws on them,” she said honestly.

“First of all, you are not a fat girl. You have curves. And so the fuck what if you are fat, I am too and let me tell you, we fucking rock.”

“I know that. I am not saying we don’t. Until I met these two, I never felt self-conscious of my body. I’m pretty happy with myself. I know I won’t be a skinny woman. I know I can’t fit into the sizes most women wear and that’s okay. I am fine with that. What I am having a problem with is the fact that they bring out my insecurities.”

She eyed the cake on her plate. If only it would solve all the problems in her life. There was no real answer to things other than taking chances. She didn’t like the idea of making a decision she’d later regret. She was at a point in life where she felt she’d wasted all the time she was going to waste in a useless relationship.

“Let me ask you a few questions,” Nita said. “How do you feel when you are with Connor?”

She smiled. “He’s such a sweetheart. So worried about my feelings all the time. He has this...something that he knows when I’m feeling worried or sad and he’ll hug me without saying a word.”

Connor’s actions had really broken through a lot of barriers in her. She tried, but it was useless to keep him at a distance. His constant care and concern for her proved to her that he was genuine in his feelings.

“I think one of the biggest parts of all this is that he is so scared about me meeting their pack.”  She bit down on a piece of heavenly chocolate cake.

Whenever they spoke of her meeting the pack, Connor would frown or hold her tighter as if hoping to protect her from the people she’d have to one day meet if she took them up on their offer.

“What about Theron?”
Nita pressed. “How do you feel with him?”

Oh, lord of all naughty things. Theron had the sex drive of her dream man. He was rougher, tougher and wilder in bed. He wanted to do things to her she’d never even thought of. While Connor was the sweeter side of the man of her dreams, Theron was the rugged, panty-tearing biker that could fuck her raw and leave her shaking in the aftermath.

Together they made up the perfect man. Her perfect combo. But time was running out and she’d have to tell them soon if she was willing to be their mate or if they would need to continue their search for someone else.