First Bear: BBW Shapeshifter BWWM Werebear Paranormal Romance (Wild Alpha Shifters Book 1) (3 page)

As soon as the backpack was on, Brandon let his inner bear go free. The shift was almost immediate. His body morphed into the powerful form of a fifteen-hundred-pound grizzly bear. Brandon liked to shift. He liked the raw power, the feeling of invincibility that possessed him when he did it. And he liked being in the woods for a change, too. Too often in the last years, he had needed to shift in inopportune places, places where there was nowhere for his bear to run free. But here at his ancestral home in Wild Summit, there were thousands of square miles of national forest and privately owned reserves. Here he could be what he truly was—a bear, a wild creature coming home.

Brandon quickly pulled off his clothes and put them into the tan colored backpack he removed from his briefcase. When he’d first considered the idea of having a backpack tailored that would fit his bear, even he had thought it was a crazy idea. After all, it wasn’t something that had been done before. But it proved to be a crazy idea that worked, and now Brandon carried the backpack with its extra long straps most everywhere he went.

But shifting wasn’t without its risks. For one thing, he needed to be sure no one saw him. Which he wasn’t exactly sure of right about now, because even though he had been as careful as he deemed prudent, he could still make out Jada in the Ferrari’s rearview mirror. Had she seen him?
Not likely,
he thought. Besides, he had other worries. If Jada needed his help, he wanted to be there. Wild Summit was built along a single mountain road, so whether the scummy little customer chose to turn left or right, he’d be able to follow by way of the forest.

Brandon’s bear stared out at the Ferrari as it reached the road.

Wait for it…

The guy turned to the right. Good choice. Brandon had been wanting to go for a run up that way for ages. Now his bear could roam free.

************************

Jada didn’t relish the idea of getting into the car with the ornery customer, but she didn’t dread it, either. He probably felt like a jerk and wanted to apologize to her. The concern that something might still be wrong with the car was no doubt a ruse. The mechanics at Wild Alpha knew their work. But she’d listen for any unusual clinks or clanks. She’d often done so when they were short-handed. It was part of the job.

More than the car or the customer, though, Jada’s mind was on Brandon. Had he really asked her out?
Hold on, sister. Slow down.
He hadn’t asked her out. He’d suggested they get together and talk. Tonight. In the evening. Of course she had said no. What was she supposed to do? Melt in his sexy dark eyes and say, “Anything for you, Brandon.” Bend to his every whim? She knew she had to get herself together. The statute of limitations on love had long since run out. Sure she wanted to be with him. Hell, she felt herself tingle all over at the thought. Her nipples pebbled and her breath got shallow, but what was she thinking? Did she really want to open herself up to him? Brandon Heller was one thing. A player. Still, even though she hated herself for it, she felt herself falling for him. Brandon had asked her out. Yes, put whatever slant you wanted on it, all six foot six of him had asked her out.

“There. You hear that?” Croyston said.

“I don’t hear anything,” Jada said.

“That.”

Jada listened intently. Croyston had started driving quickly around the corners as they pulled out of town. He was going faster than she would have liked, but not so fast it scared her. Not yet.

“There it is again,” Croyston said.

“Sorry, I don’t hear anything.”

Croyston sped up around a tight corner.

“You can’t hear that?”

“That’s the tires scrubbing the road. And I’d appreciate it if you slowed down.”

“Would you now?” Croyston hammered the gas. “How’s that?”

“That’s not slowing down.”

“No,” Croyston said as they swung around the corner. “It’s not.”

Croyston reached into his pocket and pulled out a hip flask. Great. Now he was going to get drunk. He gulped down a mouthful of liquor.

“Listen,” Jada said. “Did somebody teach you to be this much of a douche, or does it just come naturally to you?”

“Only thing that comes naturally to me, baby, is you.”

Jada cringed at the familiarity. He reached across the gearshift and put his hand on Jada’s thigh. Jada firmly removed it.

“Touchy,” Croyston said.

He returned his hand to her thigh, turning to her. Jada could smell the alcohol on his breath.

“You know you like it,” Croyston said. And this time he went too far. He reached up from her thigh to her breast.

Jada slapped him hard. She wasn’t going to take that. Croyston flinched, but if Jada had to guess, he had enjoyed the slap. This wasn’t looking good.

“Keep your hands to yourself,” Jada said.

“But why should I when they feel so good on you?”

Croyston reached over once more and Jada pushed his hand away. Croyston just laughed. Shit.

“Look out!” Jada yelled.

When Croyston didn’t react, she reached for the steering wheel. There was a deer in the road. A ten-point buck. They were heading right for it. Croyston wrenched the wheel away from her, but he overcorrected. The Ferrari went spinning out of control.

************************

Brandon’s bear ran free. It felt good to be in his bear form and even better to charge through the trees. The rocks massaged his thick padded feet, the rain-soaked branches brushing his fur. He inhaled the fresh mountain air. Everything about the run felt good, alive. Everything, that was, except the reason he was running. His bear’s instinct had told him there might be a problem. It had told him that the customer Croyston might go too far. Yes, he could sense it now. Jada was in danger. He could feel it. Brandon redoubled his bear’s efforts as he crashed through the undergrowth at the side of the highway. And then he saw the flashing red and blue lights. A car in the ditch. Jada…

Brandon pounced ahead, shifting into his human form midleap. Then he remembered his clothes. He had briefly forgotten that he was naked when he shifted from bear back to human form. He reached into his backpack and quickly threw on his pants and shirt and ran forward. He saw the crashed Ferrari, its nose in the ditch. He saw Croyston, a gash on his head, a police officer questioning him. But he didn’t see Jada. Where was she?

“Jada?”

A second police officer strode froward.

“Sir, I’m going to have to ask you to stand back.”

“I’m family!” he blurted out. Even though it wasn’t true, Brandon felt like he was.

“She’s over there. She’s okay,” the officer said.

“Family?” Jada said.

Brandon’s heart rose as he heard Jada’s voice. She was sitting on the side of the road, but she looked okay. He rushed toward her. “What happened?”

“Our friend here couldn’t keep his paws to himself. Not to mention the fact that he was hitting the bottle.”

Brandon felt his bear spring to life again. He wanted to kill the man who had dared touch her. Rip him apart with his bare hands, but Jada put a hand on his arm and stopped him. He felt a pulse shoot up his spine as she did. Her touch electrified him.

“Let it go. He’ll get his,” Jada said.

“Are you sure you’re all right?”

Jada nodded. “I was wearing my seat belt. I’ll be fine.”

Brandon watched as the second police officer directed a tow truck toward the ditched Ferrari. Meanwhile, the first police officer cuffed Croyston and put him into the back of the cruiser. When Croyston was safely locked inside the back of the police car, the officer approached.

“He’s been arrested for drinking and driving. If you wish to press charges regarding his other behavior, I’m going to need you to make a formal statement at the station, ma’am.”

“Right now?” Jada said.

“It’s fine as long as you come in sometime soon.”

“I’d like to swing by my house first. Brandon will give me a ride.”

“Yes, ma’am.”

Brandon’s heart swelled with pride as she said his name. Yes. She would go home with him. And he wouldn’t let any harm come to her. Not ever.

************************

Jada was more than a little shaken up by the whole incident, but she managed to keep it together. Shit happened. The customer was an asshole and he would get his. Now she would get a ride to the station with Brandon, give her statement, have a glass of wine, and call it a day.

“Tell me something,” Jada said.

“Anything,” Brandon replied.

“You always run around barefoot?”

Brandon looked down at his feet. Mud squeezed between his toes. He’d forgotten to put his shoes on.

“I, uh, yeah, I suppose sometimes I do.”

“So where did you park?”

“Huh?”

“Where did you park?”

“Oh, yeah. I got a ride up here.”

“So where is it?” Jada watched as the police cruiser pulled away.

“What?”

“Where’s your ride, genius?”

“I had him let me out when I recognized the car in the ditch.”

“So we’re going to walk?”

“We’re going to walk,” Brandon said.

Way to go, Brandon. Could have said something if you didn’t have a car,
Jada thought. No harm done. It didn’t matter that Brandon didn’t have wheels. It was a pleasant evening and they were just a couple miles from town. Besides, Jada found herself strangely pleased at the turn of events. Her heart was still beating more quickly than it should have been, but seeing Brandon up here, she couldn’t escape the feeling that somehow, in some weird way, he had come to her rescue. Still, the guy had some explaining to do. Thirteen years worth of explaining.“Are you sure you’re all right?” Brandon asked.

“I’m fine.”

“Because if you’re not, you know, you could tell me.”

“Thanks.”

“I mean it,” Brandon said. “If he’d hurt you, I don’t know what I would have done.”

“That’s sweet.”

“I’m serious, Jada. Now that I’m back, I’m going to protect you. You do something to me. Something no other woman has ever done.”

Brandon took her hand and Jada felt a frisson of excitement. But not enough excitement to ignore the obvious. Jada respected herself too much to do that. She withdrew her hand.

“Protect me like before?”

“What do you mean?”

“Do I need to spell it out?”

Brandon looked pained. Regardless, Jada didn’t feel like going easy on him. Her pulse was still racing from the accident.

“When we were kids, thirteen years ago, we didn’t talk much, we didn’t even see each other that much, except in the school corridors, but there was something special between us.”

“Yes, Jada. I felt it every time I passed you in the hall.”

“Then why did you stand me up for prom?”

Brandon looked away. He seemed tongue-tied.

“Well?”

“I choked,” he said. “I was going through some issues. Personal issues and I choked. I just couldn’t do it.”

“What personal issues?” Jada asked. “Your tux too tight? Maybe your shoes didn’t match your tie?”

“You have to believe me. I’m sorry about what happened,” Brandon said. “Really sorry. It was stuff at home. Big stuff. I left town the next day.”

“So it wasn’t about me?” Jada asked incredulously. “Nothing to do with me?”

“Never. It was never about you.”

“You could have told me that.”

“I know. I screwed up twice. First by not showing up, and then by not telling you why. I was just too embarrassed to call you. But I never stopped thinking abut you, Jada. Never stopped thinking about the girl who stuck her tongue out at me in the hall.”

“I did not do that.”

“You did so. Friday afternoons, third period. You were showing off that you had free period and I had chemistry.”

“You remember that?”

“Like it was yesterday.”

Jada thought about it. In spite of his walk down memory lane, her emotions were mixed. She felt a wave of relief sweep over her, yet at the same time anger. Anger that he hadn’t said anything in all this time. Anger that he had made her think it was her.

“I’m so sorry, Jada, I really am.”

“I know, but you just showing up like you did, I can’t just forgive everything. It’s not that easy.”

Jada looked Brandon in the eye. He seemed sincere. But it also seemed like what he was saying was too good to be true. She was conflicted. She couldn’t deny the excitement she felt in his presence. Yet you couldn’t make up for years of feeling the way she had in an instant. Nobody could change gears that quickly. Whatever Brandon had been going through, it didn’t justify what he had done. Would a phone call really have killed him? Of course it wouldn’t have. Still, better late than never. He had apologized.

Jada you need to calm down.

Relax.
 

Enjoy the moment.

The truth was, Brandon’s touch had set her heart aflutter in spite of herself. Sure she’d had a rough afternoon, but here he was, come to save the day. It was enough to make a girl go gooey on the inside. Or it would have been if they didn’t have their history.

There you go again, Jada. Can’t you let bygones be bygones?

Brandon casually allowed his hand to brush against hers. This time, she let him hold it. Not because she was over what had happened. But because she was considering letting go of the feelings she had been carrying for so long. She watched as his tanned, broad chest slowly rose under his crisp white shirt. Just the thought of spending time with him, the thought of his skin on hers, made her a little wet.

“Look, Jada. I know it’s hard to forgive, but I’m going to make it up to you, I promise.”

“Really? How?”

“I don’t know. A little groveling?”

“A little?”

“OK. A lot.”

Brandon got down on his knees, and kissed both of Jada’s hands.

“Enough groveling?”

“More.”

He kissed her knees.

“How about now?”

“Getting there.”

Brandon moved his lips down to the ground and started kissing her feet. Jada laughed hysterically.
 

“Jada, you are the most beautiful, bright, intelligent woman I have ever met and I’m going to make it up to you. I swear.”