Romance: Stranded With The Alpha Bear: BBW Paranormal Shapeshifter Romance (Werebear, BBW, Bear Shifter Romance) (Sweet Shifters Book 1) by Ashley Hunter
Authors: Ashley Hunter
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horrible treatment,” he said.
“They meant well,” she said quickly, feeling guilty now for having spoken of them so poorly.
“They weren’t all bad. I mean, they took me to doctors. They were just worried about my health.”
“They took you to doctors? For this?” He held a hand out toward her.
She shrugged and sipped her water.
“It was the same in high school. Too big for cheerleading, always the sympathy case. The stories of my special diet when I was little followed me through high school, even though I wasn’t on it anymore. No one wanted to be my friend for fear of getting caught up in the ridicule. Of course no guy would ask me out, but why would they?”
“I feel perhaps I’m missing something,” he said.
“Were you much larger than this before?”
Shelly folded her arms over her, suddenly embarrassed of what he was looking at.
“No, this is it. I’ve pretty much been this heavy my whole life.”
“But that is ridiculous! You are larger than the sticks in the forest, it is true, but you’re not a great oak threatening to swallow the sun. You move with grace, and curve gently.” Aaron said and paused for second.
“You are like the moon in the day, your beauty subtle and understated, but is the talk of kings and the inspiration of song.”
Shelly wanted to pass all of that off as possibly the greatest line known to mankind, but the way he said it with such passionate certainty made her pause.
So far, she had reason to believe he meant every word. The way he looked at her, touched her.
“If that’s true, why do guys treat me like they do? Looking at me like I’m not worth a damn.”
“Blind,” Aaron said quickly.
“And cowards. Blind cowards.”
Shelly laughed, and he grinned along with her.
“How are you so sweet?”
“I’ve never met anyone that’s awakened me as you have. You’re bringing out the best parts of me.”
For a moment, she could only sit and stare at him. Was this real? She was regretting having pushed him away before that kiss.
“Tell me more. What happened after high school?”
“Oh, well, it got better.” She shook her head and took another sip.
“You’re lying. You say one thing, but your head says another.”
She shrugged a shoulder. “No, it did. I mean, once I was out of high school, I got away from all the stories and reputation that had haunted me throughout my childhood. I got a job and moved out of my parents’ house. Got a car. You know, independence.”
“But it didn’t help.” It wasn’t a question. Damn, he was good.
“No, it didn’t. I wasn’t teased daily anymore, but no one talked to me still. I did well at work, but no friends. No guys.”
“There was one. The man in the forest. Yes?”
“Well, there were two before him. Not really boyfriends. We went on a few dates, but nothing ever came of it.”
“And then the man in the forest.”
“Bryant. Yeah.”
“What drew you to him? He seemed so angry.”
Shelly sighed and looked into her cup. “I don’t know. He wasn’t always that way. He was nice at first. Called me pretty. No one had done that before. We dated and talked. He bought me flowers once.”
The memory of it still made her smile, even though it was now tinged with the ugliness of what had happened in the car.
She reached up and touched the place on her face where he’d hit her.
“Then he got mean. Not all at once. It was just little bits, here and there. When I told him about my parents, and growing up, he started to talk down to me in public. Little things.”
“Taking food out of my hands, telling me I should cut back. Buying me a gym membership on Valentine’s Day instead of chocolates. Stuff like that.”
“Those… are not little things,” Aaron said, his voice tinged with both horror and anger. “Go on.”
Shelly looked up at him,
“They meant well,” she said quickly, feeling guilty now for having spoken of them so poorly.
“They weren’t all bad. I mean, they took me to doctors. They were just worried about my health.”
“They took you to doctors? For this?” He held a hand out toward her.
She shrugged and sipped her water.
“It was the same in high school. Too big for cheerleading, always the sympathy case. The stories of my special diet when I was little followed me through high school, even though I wasn’t on it anymore. No one wanted to be my friend for fear of getting caught up in the ridicule. Of course no guy would ask me out, but why would they?”
“I feel perhaps I’m missing something,” he said.
“Were you much larger than this before?”
Shelly folded her arms over her, suddenly embarrassed of what he was looking at.
“No, this is it. I’ve pretty much been this heavy my whole life.”
“But that is ridiculous! You are larger than the sticks in the forest, it is true, but you’re not a great oak threatening to swallow the sun. You move with grace, and curve gently.” Aaron said and paused for second.
“You are like the moon in the day, your beauty subtle and understated, but is the talk of kings and the inspiration of song.”
Shelly wanted to pass all of that off as possibly the greatest line known to mankind, but the way he said it with such passionate certainty made her pause.
So far, she had reason to believe he meant every word. The way he looked at her, touched her.
“If that’s true, why do guys treat me like they do? Looking at me like I’m not worth a damn.”
“Blind,” Aaron said quickly.
“And cowards. Blind cowards.”
Shelly laughed, and he grinned along with her.
“How are you so sweet?”
“I’ve never met anyone that’s awakened me as you have. You’re bringing out the best parts of me.”
For a moment, she could only sit and stare at him. Was this real? She was regretting having pushed him away before that kiss.
“Tell me more. What happened after high school?”
“Oh, well, it got better.” She shook her head and took another sip.
“You’re lying. You say one thing, but your head says another.”
She shrugged a shoulder. “No, it did. I mean, once I was out of high school, I got away from all the stories and reputation that had haunted me throughout my childhood. I got a job and moved out of my parents’ house. Got a car. You know, independence.”
“But it didn’t help.” It wasn’t a question. Damn, he was good.
“No, it didn’t. I wasn’t teased daily anymore, but no one talked to me still. I did well at work, but no friends. No guys.”
“There was one. The man in the forest. Yes?”
“Well, there were two before him. Not really boyfriends. We went on a few dates, but nothing ever came of it.”
“And then the man in the forest.”
“Bryant. Yeah.”
“What drew you to him? He seemed so angry.”
Shelly sighed and looked into her cup. “I don’t know. He wasn’t always that way. He was nice at first. Called me pretty. No one had done that before. We dated and talked. He bought me flowers once.”
The memory of it still made her smile, even though it was now tinged with the ugliness of what had happened in the car.
She reached up and touched the place on her face where he’d hit her.
“Then he got mean. Not all at once. It was just little bits, here and there. When I told him about my parents, and growing up, he started to talk down to me in public. Little things.”
“Taking food out of my hands, telling me I should cut back. Buying me a gym membership on Valentine’s Day instead of chocolates. Stuff like that.”
“Those… are not little things,” Aaron said, his voice tinged with both horror and anger. “Go on.”
Shelly looked up at him,
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