Hero Bear: BBW Paranormal Bear Shifter Romance (5 page)

She slumped against his broad shoulder and he kept his arms tight around her while they both caught their breath. “Sorry,” he said. “I couldn’t hold on any more, you just felt too good.”

Michaela laughed weakly, feeling him still inside her. “Lucky for me you couldn’t or the top of my head might have come off.”

“Yeah?” He tilted his head so he could see her, a grin on his face.

“Oh yeah.” She grinned back, then leaned up to kiss him. In truth, she was gobsmacked by it all, that he’d asked her out at all, much less brought her to such a beautiful spot— a beautiful spot where she was currently
naked in his lap
and had just had the best sex of her life. Shyness overtook her, and she giggled.

“What are you laughing at?” His hands roamed up her sides, looking for ticklish spots.

Michaela squirmed, a little sad that her movements dislodged his softening penis from her. “Nothing, I just— I’ve never done anything like this before. Especially not on a first date.”

“You know what?” He stopped teasing and got serious for a minute, looking her in the eye. “Me neither. I come up here all the time, you know, to think. Especially since I came back home. Never occurred to me to bring a girl up here before now.”

“Oh, and I suppose now you’re going to bring all your women up here,” she teased.

“Don’t have ‘women.’“ Caleb nuzzled against her chin, placing a soft kiss on her throat. “Just have one, if she says she counts. Do you?”

Michaela’s heart thudded loudly in her chest. Was he saying he didn’t think this was just an impetuous, one-time thing? “Well.” She bit her lower lip. “I don’t think there’s any argument that you just had me— pretty thoroughly.”

He grinned, looking a little pleased with himself.

“So I’d say yeah, I count.” A night breeze brushed over her skin, and she told herself that was the only reason she shivered. This had all happened so fast— it
was
happening so fast— but it felt right, and Michaela didn’t think that was just the hormones talking.

“You’re cold,” he said. “Come here, let’s get you dressed again.” He hauled up his jeans, and she noticed for the first time that he hadn’t taken them all the way off. She could see where the prosthetic met his leg, and it was a near thing that he’d been able to keep the knee. She wanted to ask him more about the injury, just from a professional point of view, but knew better. If they were going to have a relationship, being a professional with him was off-limits.

Too late, he saw her looking. “You can ask.”

She pulled her clothes back on to hide her embarrassment. “Sorry, I don’t want to be rude.”

“Nah. It’s a short story anyway. We were on a normal patrol, and I just wasn’t paying close enough attention to the road. Everybody makes a big deal about it, but truth is, it was just a dumb mistake. I’m no hero, just a klutzy country boy.”

Michaela finished dressing and put her arms around him. “Real heroes never know that they are.” Then she kissed him before he could argue.

Chapter Five

Caleb would have floated home, except that would’ve meant leaving his truck behind. He’d had dates that had ended with sex before, but sex with Michaela hadn’t been the end of anything. They’d spent another couple hours cuddled up, finally wrapping up in the blankets when it got too cold, looking at the sky and just talking. She wasn’t just pretty, she was smart, really smart. Smart enough that he wasn’t sure she belonged with a broke-down one-legged grocery cashier in a place like Salem’s Creek, but he wasn’t about to argue.

His bear was not only awake, it was strutting back and forth and letting out the occasional triumphant roar. Caleb was grateful he was the only one aware of it, because it was a little embarrassing. Sure, he’d been celibate a long time until tonight, but he didn’t think that was the reason for the ostentatious celebration. Maybe his bear was just happy. Caleb sure as hell was.

The lights were still in the house as he turned in the driveway. Caleb hoped like hell Dalton had just gone to bed with the lights on, because Dalt needed to be awake in a few hours for work.

“How’d it go?” Nope, Dalton was sitting up in the living room watching TV like a dad waiting for his daughter to get home.

“What are you still doing up?” Caleb was equal parts exasperated and touched. “You’re never gonna get up in time for work in the morning.”

“Couldn’t sleep,” Dalton said, and Caleb knew he was lying. “Musta gone okay, since you’re just getting home. Hope your girl didn’t have a curfew.”

“She’s not gonna get grounded by her folks.” Caleb tried to walk past so he could go to bed, lie down and bask in the memory of a perfect evening. Dalton stopped him.

“Come on, Cal. You like her? You can’t just stay out ‘til two and not give me something here.”

“I like her,” Caleb admitted. “We’re gonna go out again, for sure.” He wouldn’t dream of telling Dalton any details, and if he mentioned the jig his bear was doing, Dalton would just make a big deal out of it. “Now go to bed, ya dummy. Your baby’s home safe.”

“You’re growing up so fast.” Dalton hauled himself off the couch and ruffled Caleb’s hair before ducking the swat Caleb aimed at him.

Caleb went to bed, but he couldn’t sleep. It wasn’t just that he was thinking about Michaela and her soft, sweet body (although he was), his blasted bear would not settle down. It was making him out of sorts and restless, finally driving him to pace the floor of his small bedroom.

Desperation found him outside in the back yard, pacing where there was more room. The bear spirit within him wanted something, and damned if he could figure out what it was.

He wants to come out and play
, a helpful voice in his head suggested. It might be true. Caleb felt the restlessness within. That bear had been hibernating for so long, and then kept in the cage of Caleb’s human form. He couldn’t blame it for wanting out. The question was: could Caleb let him out?

That was the million dollar question, and Caleb didn’t have but twenty-five bucks on him. Sooner or later, though, Caleb was going to have to stop being a coward and find out what kind of bear he was now. Ah, what the hell. The yard was quiet, and they were miles from the nearest neighbors.

The first thing he did was sit down in the dew-wet grass and take off his left leg. He was pretty sure the prosthetic wouldn’t shift with him, and he didn’t want to risk blowing out of it like the Hulk. That meant the second thing he did was strip out of his shorts and t-shirt.

Shifting wasn’t something he’d ever had to really think hard about before. He just decided to do it, and it happened. It had been that way since puberty, when his dad first walked him through the process. It was instinctive, which meant he had no idea how to make it happen. He tried thinking hard about being a bear, remembering how the ground felt under his paws, how the breeze ruffled his fur. The bear spirit within him surged forward, like it had just been waiting for an invitation.

The more he tried to hold the image of his bear in his mind, the stronger the sensation got. It was going to happen, he was going to manage it! He saw the bear, felt it, and then felt the focus start to slip. The bear he pictured had four legs, four paws. That was all wrong. That wasn’t him. It wasn’t his bear.

Just as sure as he thought it, he felt his bear retreating, slipping away from him like water through his fingers.

Caleb was sitting naked and one-legged in the middle of his empty back yard for no reason. Feeling like a first-class idiot, he pulled his clothes back on, and re-attached his leg.

He should have known it wouldn’t be that easy.

“Someone’s too damn cheerful this morning,” Marty groused as Michaela walked into the clinic humming.

How could she not be? Not only had she had the best date (and best sex) of her life, but Caleb had texted her that morning to say he was thinking of her. After he’d dropped her off, despite his reassurances to the contrary, she’d spent a good part of the night worrying about having had sex with him on the first date. Normally she wouldn’t worry so much, but Salem Creek was an awfully small town, and based on her experience so far, had the expected small-town values. And everybody gossiped. The last thing she needed was to be branded as a scarlet woman.

“Not my fault you can never find the right side of the bed in the morning,” she teased.

Marty gave a gruff snort, but she could see him hiding a smile. It was almost impossible not to be fond of the old coot. If nothing else, it was because of him that she’d met Caleb.

And she was in trouble, if she was going to start relating everything in her life to how it connected to Caleb.
Calm down, girl. It’s much too soon.
It still seemed too good to be true. Not that Michaela was ugly or anything, she supposed she was cute enough, but she always thought the big buff types liked lean, athletic women. Someone who could keep up with them.
You didn’t have any problems keeping up with Caleb last night
. Her cheeks heated at the memory, and she ducked into her office to hide them.

Before her first client, Dottie stopped by, and when she closed Michaela’s office door behind her, Michaela’s heart skipped a beat.

“Morning,” she said. “Everything okay?”

“Probably so,” Dottie said, and sat down. “I don’t wanna pry into your personal business, but . . . do we need to rearrange some schedules around here? My sister-in-law said she saw you and Caleb Bentley driving around town together last night.”

“We did go out,” Michaela said. “I’m sorry, I should have said something to you first, but—”

Dottie raised her hands to stop her. “Like I said, that’s your personal business. Caleb’s not your client, and we’ll just juggle things a little bit to make sure he never is. Since Marty takes a sick day about once a decade, I reckon we’ll muddle through.” She smiled. “Caleb’s a good man. He deserves a little bit of happiness. For that matter, you do too.”

Michaela was puzzled. Did she come across as sad? “I’m happy,” she protested. “I mean, I was before already.”

“I know. You’re cheerful and bright.” Dottie fixed her with a look. “But I also know there’s no reason for a girl like you to come to a backwater like this unless she’s running from something. Don’t get me wrong, I’m grateful to have you. And I’m glad you’re getting a fresh start. Looks like it’s a good’un.”

“Yes, ma’am. I promise, I was going to come see you about Caleb, but it seemed kind of soon after one date...”

Dottie laughed. “See, you’re already fitting in, ‘yes ma’am’-ing with the best of them.” She patted Michaela on the arm. “I know you would have. I just wanted to save you the trouble, that’s all.” She stood up. “We’ve got some new clients coming in soon, so I’m going to be able to give you a few folks of your own, no more filling in. I’ll have files to you later today.”

“Thanks. For everything.” This day couldn’t possibly get any better, she was sure of it.

Caleb proved her wrong.

She walked out of the clinic at the end of the day to find Caleb leaning against the side of his truck, holding a bouquet of wildflowers.

“I know I probably should have called,” he said, leaning down to kiss her cheek as she took the flowers. “Is it weird that I wanted to surprise you?”

“No. Not at all.” Michaela’s stomach fluttered and swooped and she couldn’t think enough to put together any coherent words. Finally she managed, “Thank you. They’re beautiful.”

“I thought we might go somewhere for dinner, if you wanted to?” He rubbed the back of his neck with one hand, and looked so hopeful it hurt her heart, as if he thought her answer might be anything other than yes.

“You cooked for me, I’d offer to cook for you but I think it would be more of a punishment than a reward,” Michaela laughed. “Still, if you want, we can get a pizza or something? We could, um, eat it there, or get it to go, and go on back to my place?” On seeing him, the one thing she knew she wanted for sure was a chance to get him into her actual
bed
, instead of just the bed of his truck.

“Or we could do that, yeah.” His smile came out from behind the clouds and warmed her to the core.

“If we got a take-and-bake, it’d almost be like me cooking for you.”

He laughed. “Sounds good. What about dessert?” His voice was entirely too innocent— he knew what she was up to and liked it.

“I’m sure we can find something around the house.” She leaned up to kiss him and he met her halfway. When his arms went around her, nearly lifting her from her feet, she had to remind herself that they were right outside her workplace, and to behave herself because her first instinct was to climb him like a damned tree.

“You wanna follow me?” she asked, when she could finally breathe.

“I’ll meet you there,” he said. “I’ll stop and get the pizza. Say about half an hour?”

That was perfect. It’d give her a chance to make sure her sheets were clean and she didn’t have any dirty laundry thrown around. She floated back to her car.