Alpha's Surprise Bride: BBW Werebear Fated Mate Romance

T
he waitress dropped
the drinks she was carrying and the glasses shattered to pieces. For a moment, everyone in the bar stood still to see what was going on, their eyes on me, but since there were no signs of a fight, they carried on with what they’d been doing.

How embarrassing.

Great going, Simona. What a perfect ending to a crappy week.

“I’m sorry, I’m so sorry…” I mumbled, both to the waitress and the person I was sitting on.

I got up quickly, readjusting the skirt that was maybe hugging my ass a bit too tightly. I kept my eyes down; I was completely mortified. The waitress threw me a dirty look because she had to clean the whole mess up. I almost volunteered to clean it up myself but was unable to get the words out in my flustered state.

“That’s alright,” I heard from behind me.

I peeked over my shoulder at the man I’d unceremoniously perched on, and he had to have been the most handsome man I’d ever seen. His brown-eyed gaze hypnotized me for a moment. I couldn’t look away.

His jaw was angular and visibly tense; he had a five o’clock shadow that looked sexy as hell. The designer suit he wore fit him like a glove. His was well built, with broad shoulders and bulging pecs. He was so well put together, the complete package. Confidence oozed out of his every pore.

Time stood still for a moment as he looked at me and I gazed at his fine features.

“Are you okay?” he asked, his voice low and soothing.

T
here I was
on yet another Friday night, sitting alone in a bar called The Grizzly Rose. I had had a hellish week, trying to find a job – so far, nothing. Compared to my competition at job interviews, I guess I was a little too shy and not assertive enough. It always took me a while to open up, and the limited time a job interview offered just wasn’t enough.

I decided to drown my sorrows in a couple of drinks before heading home. Couldn’t hurt, right?

“Hey baby, why so sad?” I heard the low voice of a man addressing me.

I turned around to face him but only saw a mountain of flesh and fat. The dude was huge. Not that I was a model myself, but he was in a league all of his own.

“Umm…”

I didn’t even get the chance to think of a clever lie before the bear-sized man sat next to me as if I had invited him. I tried to move away, but the bar was full and I had nowhere to go. I shifted a little, but that only made him move closer to me.

“This bar is no place for a gal like you. You too sexy. Can I buy you a drink?” he slurred, obviously having had too much to drink.

“Sure… let me just use the ladies room first,” I answered as politely as I could and started to get up.

He leaned in close, his face only a few inches from mine, and I could smell the stench of sweat and beer. I almost gagged but suppressed the reflex, pushing past him on my way toward the bathroom.

“You better not leave me here alone. I’ll be watching you,” he called after me, half-joking, half-threatening.

I could barely understand what he was saying because he kept falling over his words as I continued to put distance between us. I peeked over my shoulder and sure enough, the huge man was watching my every move while licking his lips. He might have been a nice man when he was sober, but at that moment, he was way too drunk. I decided to get away from him as fast as possible, not wanting to find out his intentions with me.

The bar was so overcrowded that I bumped into several people on my way to the ladies room. Before I could regain my bearings, a waitress came out of nowhere and smashed into me, hard. I lost my balance and landed on someone’s lap. The waitress dropped the drinks she was carrying and the glasses shattered to pieces. For a moment, everyone in the bar stood still to see what was going on, their eyes on me, but since there were no signs of a fight, they carried on with what they’d been doing.

How embarrassing.

Great going, Simona. What a perfect ending to a crappy week.

“I’m sorry, I’m so sorry…” I mumbled, both to the waitress and the person I was sitting on.

I got up quickly, readjusting the skirt that was maybe hugging my ass a bit too tightly. I kept my eyes down; I was completely mortified. The waitress threw me a dirty look because she had to clean the whole mess up. I almost volunteered to clean it up myself but was unable to get the words out in my flustered state.

“That’s alright,” I heard from behind me.

I peeked over my shoulder at the man I’d unceremoniously perched on, and he had to have been the most handsome man I’d ever seen. His brown-eyed gaze hypnotized me for a moment. I couldn’t look away.

His jaw was angular and visibly tense; he had a five o’clock shadow that looked sexy as hell. The designer suit he wore fit him like a glove. His was well built, with broad shoulders and bulging pecs. He was so well put together, the complete package. Confidence oozed out of his every pore.

Time stood still for a moment as he looked at me and I gazed at his fine features.

“Are you okay?” he asked, his voice low and soothing.

His presence was so distracting and magnetic. I nodded, unable to form a decent sentence.

I needed to get away before I made a complete fool of myself in front of this gorgeous man.

The look he gave me was so intense that even one more second next to him would have made me want to jump back on his lap. The thought caused a blush to creep up my cheeks, only strengthening my resolve to escape. I turned on the spot, tiptoed over the broken glass and half-ran to the ladies room.

I stopped in front of the bathroom mirror and studied my reflection as the door closed behind me. Except for the wild blush on my cheeks, I looked the same – a young woman with long, black hair and curves in all the right places.

My skirt was hugging my hips and I readjusted my cute lavender blouse a little and opened the top button, suddenly feeling like I was burning up. My thoughts drifted back to that sexy man. I had always been shy in social situations, but this was a new level of awkward even for me.

“What the hell was that about?” I whispered to myself.

“Are you talking to me?” I heard an angry Latina voice from one of the bathroom stalls.

As if I had interrupted something important with my whispered question.

“No… I’m sorry,” I mumbled.

What was up with all the apologizing?

Get a grip!

I turned on the cold water, splashing a little on my cheeks and cleavage and resolving to get over it. Whatever ‘it’ was.

Seconds later, I was out the door. I didn’t want to aggravate the lady in the bathroom any more than I already had. Apparently, everyone in the joint was looking for a fight, no matter the gender.

I decided to try my luck one last time, knowing well enough that the big obtrusive man was somewhere nearby.

I made my way through the crowd, but the task wasn’t easy – all the men seemed to be unnaturally big. But I was determined to have one more drink before leaving.

Halfway to the bar, I glanced at the spot where I’d crashed into the waitress, to see if the insanely hot man was still there.

But, of course, since it was turning out to be the worst week of my life, the only man I liked in the whole place had already left.

I quietly muttered choice expletives to myself and moved on. Finally, I reached the counter and ordered a glass of white wine. I took a sip of the chilled drink, suddenly feeling all the hairs on the back of my neck stand up.

“You bitch… you think you too good fo’ me?” I heard the huge man I had ditched growl through gritted teeth.

He was even drunker than I remembered.

Crap! Crap! CRAP!
I thought to myself.

I had pushed my luck, staying and hoping I wouldn’t run into him again. He was obviously pissed off. The other patrons seemed to pick up on that, as well, as they gathered around to watch the situation unfold. I was seriously scared, wracking my brain for something to say or do to calm him down.

“You bitch,” he said even louder and stumbled closer to me.

That definitely got the attention of everyone who wasn’t already staring. Yet, nobody looked like they were going to offer any help. I felt like an outsider, which I was, of course.

“I’mma show you how to treat a man right!” the giant thundered, exposing his teeth in a menacing snarl.

I shrank back, terrified. It was like the guy could sense my fear and began laughing, sounding like a stereotypical evil villain with something growly mixed in. Then, he lunged at me, but I was faster and jumped back several feet, bumping into someone behind me.

That someone caught me in a tight hug. I tried to get a look at who it was, but I was too close and couldn’t turn around. The huge scary man stopped in his tracks, and the look on his face changed. It seemed as if he had sobered up a bit. He clearly had some respect for whoever the person behind me was.

“That’s enough, Earl,” I heard a familiar voice say.

It was the same low yet soothing voice I’d heard not fifteen minutes ago. I tried to move away, but his grip tightened around me.

“But the bitch ain’t treatin’ me right,” I heard the angry man almost apologize, but my new companion wouldn’t have any of it.

“I said that’s enough. Leave,” my protector commanded in a more serious and angry tone.

“Eh… to hell wid’ it,” Earl finally grunted, turning around and staggering away.

I took a deep breath to steady my nerves.

“He means no harm, he’s a good guy,” the prince who saved the day said, loosening his grip on me.

I turned to face him, meaning to say thanks but finding myself speechless. He was even more attractive close up. His pupils were dilated and he had a gleam in his eye, as if I were his prey and he’d just caught me.

Not that I would mind being his trophy for the night.

The thought brought another blush to my cheeks.

I had to say something before I started drooling at my own thoughts of him.

“Well, it didn’t really seem that way,” I said quietly. “He called me a bitch, as you might have heard. Not exactly ‘good guy’ behavior.”

Would that ‘good guy’ have left me alone if my knight in shining armor hadn’t interrupted? I didn’t think so.

“I can guarantee he won’t be bothering you again. Are you okay?” the stranger asked, checking me out from head to toe.

I nodded, my shyness hitting me as I recovered from my shock. He was just so
hot
!

“I’m Nathan,” he introduced himself and offered his hand.

I took it and he lifted my hand up to his lips and kissed it lightly, his eyes fixed on mine. Butterflies were having a fiesta in my belly – I almost had a tiny orgasm.

“Si… Simona,” I stuttered, taken aback.

He could obviously sense my shock and smiled the sexiest secretive smile I had ever seen. He looked at me like he could do oh so many dirty things to me, but somehow, it didn’t come off horny or sleazy. He was confident and knew exactly what he wanted.

It felt like time stood still again, and it was only him and me in the crowded bar. What was it about this man that made me feel that way?

Was it love at first sight? Was it lust?

I shook my head, trying to regain some modicum of composure.

“Why don’t we get out of here and go for a walk,” he suggested, offering me a way out of my self-imposed muteness.

He wanted to have some time alone with me. So the unfamiliar feeling of need must have been mutual.

“Sure,” I replied quietly.

Why the hell not? I felt much safer with him than I ever had with anyone else, which sounded silly, but it was the truth.

I glimpsed at him – he looked too sophisticated to be some weirdo in disguise. He led me out of the bar and I took a deep breath of the fresh evening air. Only the city of Denver could provide such a fresh mountain breeze. That’s why I loved it.

“So, where do you live?” he asked out of the blue after we had walked quietly for a couple of minutes.

Maybe he’s a one-night stand kind of guy after all?
I thought with marked disappointment.

“Oh… not far from here, I’ll take a cab,” I said, trying to avoid his direct question.

It really was none of his business, hot or not.

“Okay. So what were you doing in a place like this? You didn’t really fit in.”

He baffled me again with his straightforwardness.

“Was it really that obvious?” I asked, cringing a little.

He smiled another one of his sexy smiles and nodded slowly.

“Well, I kind of tried to drown my sorrows. I guess it wasn’t exactly the best choice of a bar, but it was on my way home. Speaking of not fitting in, neither did you with your tailor-made suit,” I said and checked him out from head to toe.

“No, I don’t fit in, but I go there every week. They know me,” he said simply, shrugging his wide shoulders.

“Oh…” I murmured, trailing off.

“So, Simona, what do you do for a living?” he asked me, taking charge of the conversation.

Forget about my modesty – this man was
so
straightforward! He stopped walking, leaning on a wall close to him. He crossed his arms and just stared at me with a hint of a smile. But it wasn’t creepy. Somehow, he made me want him more and more by the second.

“Umm… I… I’m sort of in between jobs right now,” I said, telling him the truth.

I felt all shy again. My last job had been a pain in the ass. I used to be a waitress with unreasonable hours and a tiny salary. The one before that had been even worse. My ex-boss had tried to harass me, telling me he was a ‘big-booty-kind-of-guy’ and cornering me in his office.

I looked away to see if I could catch a cab, but there were none in sight.

“I apologize if this feels inappropriate, but I have an offer for you. I’d like you to work for me,” he said.

I was dumbstruck. Where did that come from? He didn’t even know what kind of job I was looking for.

I needed to get out of there as soon as I could. For once, I had a bit of luck. A cab happened to drive by right at that moment. I waved at the driver and he stopped. I didn’t get the chance to open the door because, in two steps, Nathan was by my side and was holding the door for me. He came close, very close, and we were almost nose-to-nose.

“Just think about it,” he whispered and slipped me his business card.

He exuded such masculine energy. He shut his eyes and took a deep breath, as if he were inhaling my scent, before stepping back. I looked at him, not being able to say a word. I sat in the car and he shut the door.

As the driver took off, Nathan turned, his hands in the pockets of his pants and a serious expression framing his fine features. It was only then that I realized I was holding my breath and finally exhaled. I looked at his business card.

The card was black and the letters were silver, as was the lining. Below his company name was his phone number. Nothing else. He must have been a well-known businessman who didn’t need any additional information on his card.

This night can’t get any weirder.