Romance: Stranded With The Alpha Bear: BBW Paranormal Shapeshifter Romance (Werebear, BBW, Bear Shifter Romance) (Sweet Shifters Book 1) by Ashley Hunter Page A
Authors: Ashley Hunter
Ads: Link
uncertain. His eyes were sympathetic, but his hands were out from between his knees now, clutched together tightly.
“It didn’t seem bad at the time. Kinda rude, sure, but whatever. He made sure I knew a f—“
She stopped herself, looked away from Aaron, then met his eyes again, “a curvy girl like me didn’t deserve a man like him.”
He had nodded approvingly to her correction of the word “fat” and then snorted.
“That man was no prize.”
“So I’ve come to realize,” she said and stuck her tongue out at him.
Aaron smiled and even chuckled.
The light mood grew heavy again when Aaron looked down.
“What happened tonight? Your clothes… You were running from him. It was your cries that had drawn me to you. I cannot abide a woman in trouble.”
Shelly gave him a sad smile.
That was probably the most amazing thing she’d ever heard a man say, period, much less when talking about her.
“He said we were going to celebrate, and took me for a drive. A long drive. The next thing I knew, we were pulled over in the middle of nowhere. He started kissing me, and then… he wanted to…”
Tears stung her eyes and she shook her head, unable to say it out loud.
“There was no way I was going to let him do that to me. He’d been drinking on the way, though, and he wasn’t taking no for an answer. He tore my shirt, and when I fought back, he hit me.”
“He what!”
Shelly shrugged, unable to think of an answer that would calm down the bear inside Aaron.
“When a man hits you, you hit him right back!”
“I did.”
Aaron’s head jerked slightly in surprise, and his postured settled a little. “Oh.”
“Yep. I punched him, and then slammed his face against the steering wheel. In the movies that always honks the horn, but that didn’t happen. Anyway, while he was dazed, I ran. And then you know what happened after.”
IV.
“A true man never takes what a woman doesn’t offer,” Aaron said, fidgeting with his hands.
She could see it was a struggle for him to keep from touching her to comfort her. She had pushed him away, and he was respecting that gesture, even now.
“A man like that… if I had known, I wouldn’t have settled for just running him off. I would’ve grabbed him in my teeth and—!“
This time it was Shelly’s turn to make a move. She leaned forward and placed her hand on his arm, her touch silencing him unintentionally.
That was just as well, as she had something she wanted to say.
“You’re very sweet and brave. And handsome.”
He reached over and put his hand atop hers. “You think I’m handsome?”
She sighed with a grunt and growled at him. “So hot.”
He laughed and squeezed her hand affectionately.
“This is good to know. I was beginning to suspect it was one-sided.”
“Oh no, not even close.”
Aaron slid from the coffee table and stood on his knees before her. Taking the cup from her hand, he placed it on the table beside her, and then held both of her hands in his.
“That man was unworthy of you. I see the strength in you now. Even through what happened with your parents, and the other men, you still respected yourself enough to say no. You refused to be treated that way, and you stood up for yourself.”
“But I ran.”
“After hitting him. Then you ran into the woods in the middle of the night. I turn into a bear and I still know it’s dangerous out there. You’re very brave indeed.”
Shelly laughed and looked away, but he caught her chin again and with soft fingers, drew her face to him again.
This time, his face lingered a breath away from hers.
“May I?” he whispered.
“Please,” she breathed.
His hand spread across her cheek and pulled her lips to his. A moan escaped her throat as they kissed.
In all her life, she thought she understood what it was
“It didn’t seem bad at the time. Kinda rude, sure, but whatever. He made sure I knew a f—“
She stopped herself, looked away from Aaron, then met his eyes again, “a curvy girl like me didn’t deserve a man like him.”
He had nodded approvingly to her correction of the word “fat” and then snorted.
“That man was no prize.”
“So I’ve come to realize,” she said and stuck her tongue out at him.
Aaron smiled and even chuckled.
The light mood grew heavy again when Aaron looked down.
“What happened tonight? Your clothes… You were running from him. It was your cries that had drawn me to you. I cannot abide a woman in trouble.”
Shelly gave him a sad smile.
That was probably the most amazing thing she’d ever heard a man say, period, much less when talking about her.
“He said we were going to celebrate, and took me for a drive. A long drive. The next thing I knew, we were pulled over in the middle of nowhere. He started kissing me, and then… he wanted to…”
Tears stung her eyes and she shook her head, unable to say it out loud.
“There was no way I was going to let him do that to me. He’d been drinking on the way, though, and he wasn’t taking no for an answer. He tore my shirt, and when I fought back, he hit me.”
“He what!”
Shelly shrugged, unable to think of an answer that would calm down the bear inside Aaron.
“When a man hits you, you hit him right back!”
“I did.”
Aaron’s head jerked slightly in surprise, and his postured settled a little. “Oh.”
“Yep. I punched him, and then slammed his face against the steering wheel. In the movies that always honks the horn, but that didn’t happen. Anyway, while he was dazed, I ran. And then you know what happened after.”
IV.
“A true man never takes what a woman doesn’t offer,” Aaron said, fidgeting with his hands.
She could see it was a struggle for him to keep from touching her to comfort her. She had pushed him away, and he was respecting that gesture, even now.
“A man like that… if I had known, I wouldn’t have settled for just running him off. I would’ve grabbed him in my teeth and—!“
This time it was Shelly’s turn to make a move. She leaned forward and placed her hand on his arm, her touch silencing him unintentionally.
That was just as well, as she had something she wanted to say.
“You’re very sweet and brave. And handsome.”
He reached over and put his hand atop hers. “You think I’m handsome?”
She sighed with a grunt and growled at him. “So hot.”
He laughed and squeezed her hand affectionately.
“This is good to know. I was beginning to suspect it was one-sided.”
“Oh no, not even close.”
Aaron slid from the coffee table and stood on his knees before her. Taking the cup from her hand, he placed it on the table beside her, and then held both of her hands in his.
“That man was unworthy of you. I see the strength in you now. Even through what happened with your parents, and the other men, you still respected yourself enough to say no. You refused to be treated that way, and you stood up for yourself.”
“But I ran.”
“After hitting him. Then you ran into the woods in the middle of the night. I turn into a bear and I still know it’s dangerous out there. You’re very brave indeed.”
Shelly laughed and looked away, but he caught her chin again and with soft fingers, drew her face to him again.
This time, his face lingered a breath away from hers.
“May I?” he whispered.
“Please,” she breathed.
His hand spread across her cheek and pulled her lips to his. A moan escaped her throat as they kissed.
In all her life, she thought she understood what it was
Similar Books
