The Playboy Bear's Baby: BBW Paranormal Shape Shifter Romance (10 page)

He ran through the house and skidded to his knees
in front of Mara. Tears flowed down her face like rain. He wiped her face and
kissed her softly before moving behind her and forcing a partial shift of his
claws so he could saw through the cotton bundled around her hands. “I’m so sorry
I left you, baby. So damn sorry. But I’m here now and nothing’s ever going to
hurt you again.”

“Gray…” Mara said his name like a benediction and
reached for him.

He pulled her off the chair and into his arms, holding
her tight. “I love you. I love you so much. Thank fuck I got here when I did.
If anything had happened to you…” He shook from the thought of losing her.
Without her, nothing mattered.

“I love you too.” She clung to his neck, trembling
against him. “I’m okay. I knew you would come.”

“Always. I will always come for you. You can count
on that.” He kissed her hair and the side of her face and then pulled back to
really look at her. Her right eye and cheek were red and already beginning to
swell and change color. Fury built in the pit of his stomach. He wanted to go
back outside and rip that bastard a new asshole for what he’d done to Mara. She
was going to have one hell of shiner. “Your poor, beautiful face. I should have
killed that asshole.”

Mara’s bloodshot eyes widened. “Where is he? Did he
get away?”

“You don’t have to worry about him. He isn’t going
anywhere. I hogtied him and left him on the front lawn. Who is he anyway? Do
you know him?”

“No. I don’t know. He kept saying Nancy owed him
money for a package she lost. It didn’t make a lot of sense.”

Gray nodded. Learning what they had about her
mother’s drug withdrawal the night before, it sounded she may have been
involved in a drug deal gone bad. Her mother could have been a dealer or a
mule. He didn’t know. All he cared about was the woman in his arms and she
didn’t need more bad news or speculation at the moment. It would all come out
in the wash later.

She exhaled and buried her face between his neck
and shoulder. “We should call the police.”

“I will in a minute.” That bastard could bleed out
onto the lawn for a little longer. He wasn’t Gray’s priority. He hugged Mara
close, breathing in her familiar scent, and reassuring himself that she was all
right.

Chapter Ten

The next few hours were a blur of flashing lights,
questions from the police, and being poked and prodded at the hospital. Despite
her assurance that she was fine, Gray stubbornly insisted on taking her to the
hospital just to be sure she and the baby were both okay. After she’d passed
muster and was released, she decided to swing by her mother’s hospital room.
Gray waited out in the hall, while she went inside.

She found her mother sitting up in bed and flipping
through a magazine. Although she still looked rough, her color had improved and
her eyes appeared clearer.

Mara took that as a positive sign. She pulled a
chair up next to the bed and sat down. “Hey Mom. How’re you feeling?”

Nancy sat the magazine down, looked up at Mara, and
gasped. “Jesus Christ. What the hell happened to your face?”

“One of your friends dropped by the house earlier.
As you can see, he wasn’t exactly friendly.”

Nancy’s face paled. “Frank? Oh shit. He shouldn’t
have come so soon. I was supposed to have more time. Damn. Are you all right?”

“No thanks to you. Why couldn’t you have at least
warned me you were in trouble? If it weren’t for Gray, I’d probably still be
tied to a chair in my kitchen praying for a miracle.”

“Fuck, kid. You have to believe I had no idea he
would just show up here for no reason.”

“I think fifty grand was plenty of encouragement
for him to make the trip.”

“Is that what he said I owe him?” She snorted.
“That bastard is crazy. I owe him ten grand, max.”

Mara sighed. “I don’t really care. That’s not what’s
important. The fact of the matter is you led a strung out junkie to my doorstep
and then neglected to even warn me of his existence. I could have lost the
baby. Hell, he could have killed me.”

“Don’t be so dramatic. You look fine other than a
few scrapes and bruises.”

Anger and disappointment simmered low in the pit of
Mara’s stomach. She didn’t know what she’d expected from her mother, but she
hadn’t counted on such blatant disregard. “Have the police been by to talk to
you yet?”

“No. Why would they come here? I haven’t done
anything.”

“Because I told them about your involvement with
the man who attacked me.”

“Why the hell did you do that?”

“Because it’s the truth.” Obviously.

Nancy’s eyes narrowed and her nostrils flared. “You
ungrateful little bitch. I brought you into this world and I can take you out.”

Mara knew she should probably be wary of Nancy’s
threats, but all she could feel at the moment was sadness. The woman in front
of her might have given her life, but they would never be family. “I’m sorry
you feel that way.” She stood and pulled her purse strap over her shoulder. “I
think it would be best if you stayed far away from me in the future. I don’t
know what’s going to happen to you when you leave here, but you aren’t welcome
at the house.”

Ignoring the vile insults and threats being hurled
at her, she walked out the door and into Gray’s waiting arms.

* * * *

Gray stopped for fast food on the way back to his
house and she tried to eat some of the chicken sandwich he handed her although
her appetite was nonexistent. Her face ached and a low grade headache lingered
and refused to be thwarted by the acetaminophen she’d taken at the hospital.

The man who’d attacked her had been hauled in by
the police. They hoped to charge him with breaking and entering, assault, and
drug possession since a search on him had uncovered two balloons full of
heroin. Mara hoped he was charged, convicted, and rotted in jail. She didn’t
know what to think about her mother’s involvement with someone like that, but
she didn’t have the energy to worry about at the moment. All she wanted was a
hot bath, a full night of sleep, and Gray—although not necessarily in that
order.

Gray had stayed by her side all night, lending
emotional and sometimes physical support when she’d needed it. He’d been
nothing less than wonderful and for that she was thankful. She didn’t know what
she would have done without him. He saved her life. He loved her.

She loved him back.

If there was one thing she’d learned over the last
forty eight hours, it was that there were no guarantees in life. You could be a
good person, follow all the rules, and still have your life turned upside down
when you least expected it.

From now on, she planned to grip life by the balls
and do what made her happy. That started with locking down a commitment to the
man next to her. She’d put off allowing Gray to claim her, unsure of whether or
not they were moving too fast, or of what others would think of her if she
submitted to him without dating for the acceptable amount of time first. Both
reasons for the delay now sounded ridiculous. She knew they were meant to be
together. She might not experience the mating connection the same way Gray did,
but she felt the rightness of it in her bones.

She’d been keeping their relationship on hold out
of fear. That stopped tonight. She wasn’t waiting another minute to cement
their bond. She wanted to move forward and make plans for the future, to
prepare for the baby, and be a family. A real family.

They arrived at Gray’s house and she followed him
inside. Her pulse raced at the thought of asking Gray to claim her, to make her
his in the most fundamental way of his kind. She was as excited as she was
nervous. The bite was bound to hurt like hell, but she wasn’t going to let a
little pain stop her. Any hurt would pale in comparison to the pleasure he
would give her.

Gray paused in the living room and turned to her.
“Do you want something to drink?”

“No.” She dropped her purse on the end table by the
sofa, moved in close, and ran her hands up his chest. “The only thing I want
tonight is you. Take me to your bedroom and claim me. Make me yours.”

Gray’s nostrils flared and his eyes flashed. “Are
you sure? Once I claim you, there’s no going back.”

“I’ve never been more sure about anything in my
life.”

“Hell yes.” His smile lit up his face. “It’s about
damn time.”

“I’m sorry for making you wait. I don’t know what I
was thinking.”

“It doesn’t matter now. Nothing matters except you and
me and the beautiful cub you’re going to give me.” He leaned forward.

She closed her eyes, thinking he was going to kiss
her. Instead of his lips on hers, she got an arm behind her back and knees. Her
eyes flew open just as he swept her off her feet. “Oh my God, Gray. Put me
down. I’m too heavy.”

He bounced her up and down and headed for the
stairs. “You’re light as a feather.”

“You’re crazy.”

“About you.”

She snorted.

“Too cheesy?”

“Maybe a little.” Secretly, she liked it.

He climbed the stairs and headed down the darkened
hallway toward his room at the end of the hall. He kicked open the door and
strode inside like a man on a mission, not stopping until he reached the bed.
He gently set her on top of the duvet and followed her down, looming over her.
She reached for him, sliding her hand around the back of his neck, and urged
him to come closer. His lips met hers, caressed back and forth, softly at first
and then harder, deepening the kiss with every pass. He licked over the
sensitive inner rim of her lips and she gladly parted her lips and invited him
inside. There was no hesitation in the way he forged ahead, exploring the
recesses of her mouth and staking his claim. She followed his lead, but gave
back as good as she got, pouring all her longing for him into kissing him back.

She ran her hands over every inch of him she could
reach, frustrated by the clothing in her way, and rubbed her body against him.
He was so big and smelled so good. Although she’d never been accused of being
petite, he made her feel dainty and beautiful. Wanted.

Her blood heated and her body quickened. The
delicate skin around her mouth warmed under the friction from his coarse
evening stubble. She’d have ghastly red beard burn in the morning, but she couldn’t
bring herself to care.

The longer they kissed, the higher her need grew
until she was practically writhing beneath him, desperate for more skin, more
connection. She turned her head, panting, and said, “Clothes. We need less
clothes. Now.”

Gray pressed a line of kisses from the corner of
her mouth to her ear. His hand slid beneath her top and caressed her stomach.
“Sounds good to me.”

Before she could get distracted by his talented
mouth, she slapped his shoulder to get his attention. “I mean it. Get naked.”

Without waiting for him to act, she unbuttoned her
pants, lifted her ass up off the bed, and shoved them and her panties down over
her hips. Seeing her undress seemed to be the motivation he needed to jump to
action. While she kicked off her shoes and wiggled out of her pants, he jumped
off the bed and started tearing off his clothes. The sound of seams ripping
amused her and made her move faster. Her arms were up, her shirt over her head,
when he crashed down on the bed beside her and pinned her arms over her head.

She laughed and wiggled, trying to pull the shirt
over her face to no avail. “Come on, Gray. Let me take off the shirt.”

“In a second.” Gray kissed down her neck

Warm lips coasted down her throat and across her
chest. Even suspecting it was coming, she wasn’t prepared for just how amazing
his mouth would feel on her breasts. The teasing flicks of his tongue and hot
suction around her nipples sent a pang of yearning straight to her core. Not
being able to see what he was doing somehow upped the pleasure—as if everything
she felt was amplified. He switched back and forth, from one breast to the
other, until she was ready to beg for him to take her.

She squirmed and pressed against him, trying to get
closer and entice him into giving them what they both wanted. “Gray! Gray
please…”

The heat on her breast vanished and the shirt was
pulled from her face and yanked off her head and arms. She only had seconds to
blink up at Gray, catalog his stern expression and the dilation of his pupils,
before he moved between her legs and crushed his mouth over hers. His kiss
stole her breath and boosted her longing for him. She wrapped her legs around
his hips and arched up against him, unashamed of how much she needed him. He
drove her crazy in the best way possible and there was no reason to hide her
responses from him. They were together, for better or worse, and about to be
mated for life. She wanted to share everything with him.

Gray pulled back and reached between them. He lined
the broad head of his cock up with her entrance and paused. “You ready?”

“More than,” she replied.

He nodded and eased into her slowly, splitting her
open around his massive shaft. She moaned and raked her nails across his back
as he began rutting into her, taking her hard and fast. She moved with him,
rocking her hips and struggling to keep up, every bit as desperate for the
physical connection he offered. He filled her so perfectly, like he was made
for her and her alone. She lost the ability to think or sense anything but him
and the anticipation of each maddening thrust.

“Be mine,” he growled, the strain in his voice
obvious.

“I’m yours,” she answered and clung to him harder.
“All yours.” She thrust her hips to meet his, falling into rhythm with him.

Sweat dappled their skin as they moved together,
both seeking the ultimate high. Her core throbbed around him, so swollen and
sensitive.

Warmth gathered low in her groin as every nerve in
her body strained toward release. One more thrust and her orgasm hit her like a
tsunami. Her channel spasmed around him, tightening and relaxing, over and over
again, until she wasn’t sure she could stand another moment of the overwhelming
ripples of pleasure. She trembled and called his name. Instinctively, she
tilted her head back, baring her throat, and heard him suck in a breath.

“You have no idea what you do to me,” Gray
murmured, all tongue and teeth along the cords in her neck.

She whimpered at the press of his teeth, suddenly
nervous about the bite, but unwavering in her desire to be claimed. “Do it.
Claim me. Make me yours.”

Gray struck without warning, sinking his sharp
teeth into the malleable flesh between her neck and shoulder. At the same time,
he thrust deep and ground against her, spilling his warmth inside her.

Pain lanced through her flesh, but took backstage
to the rush of emotions that hit her like a tidal wave. Love. Attraction.
Tenderness. The feelings were so clear and poignant, it took her a moment to
realize they weren’t hers. She was feeling Gray’s emotions as clearly as her
own.

“Oh.” She gasped, her eyes flying open in wonder.
“Oh wow. I can feel you. All of you.”

Gray released his hold on her and licked over the
wound he’d left behind. A loud rumbling purr vibrated his chest. He kissed up
her throat and across her jaw until he was hovering above her and staring down
into her eyes. “You’re so beautiful, Mara. Inside and out. I love you so much.”