Wolf Rock Shifters Books 1-5: Five BBW Paranormal Romance Standalone Novels (31 page)

Zoe sat down, her face in her hands, trying to discern if she was angry, flattered, or both. Here was a man who wanted her, and even after her rejections had been persistent in his generosity. Not only that, but he had taken on the role of a sort of guardian or protector. Much as it pissed her off to have a man think she needed looking after, it gave her a sort of inner peace to feel that someone in the world was thinking about her.

As she sat still, her eyes covered by her hands, she felt as though the large cat within her was all but purring. Her muscles relaxed; her mind seemed to clear, if only temporarily.

It had been a good day.

T
he days went
by as the first had; from Monday to Friday, first thing in the mornings Zoe raced over to the wolves’ cabin to shower, proceeded to the school to teach and returned home to find that the house in the trees had altered in some way during the day and the delicious scent of a man with the spirit of a bear had remained in the air. On occasion Zoe would find a flower sitting waiting for her arrival, or sometimes Colson had left behind some chocolate or homemade cookies for her. Each time she received one of his gifts, she felt herself melt a little bit, the fortress strategically constructed around her heart losing its indomitable strength. But she told herself that it was no good; she was no good in a relationship.

Still, the cookies were delicious. That was something at least.

T
he wolf pack
seemed to have adopted Zoe. Perhaps it was because Kyla, who was a senior member of the group, had befriended her. Whatever the case, the wolves had accepted her as one of their own, as they seemed to have done for Maddox the year before. Zoe felt at home in their cabin, though ultimately she preferred the solitude and height of her tree. Also, there was the fact that the more she stayed at her own home base, the more chance there was of running into a certain bear shifter. Though Zoe felt that they should remain friends, she thought of him often and wished, against her will, that she could see more of him.

After the morning showers, Zoe headed for the “school,” which was slowly becoming a series of small structures in the woods. There was very little classwork and only rarely did she or the other teachers instruct the children formally. Most of the time they’d head into the woods in groups. Zoe and Maddox each performed demonstrations of their abilities, each showing the children how to shift while discussing the attributes of the creatures they changed into.

“An eagle,” Zoe told them, “can fly and see long distances. But if you’re wanting to head into the woods their large wingspans make them impractical.” With that, she changed and demonstrated the problem by flapping in between two trees which grew close together. Her wings clipped each of them and she was forced to land near one of the changing stations, which she entered to shift and clothe herself. She came out when she was dressed and said, “And so always remember where you’re strongest.”

One little girl raised her hand and said, “But you can be anything. What do we do if we can’t do that?”

Zoe crouched down next to her. “You can be anything. Maybe not any animal, but anything you want. You can be the president of the United States one day.”

The little girl laughed.

“The thing is,” said Zoe, standing again, “to remember that you are humans who shift. So you have all the skills a person has and the instincts and the talents of your inner animal. Never feel like you have to hide your abilities or keep them all inside.”

When Zoe went for her lunch break that day, she heard banging in the woods and wandered over to see how the buildings were progressing. A wooden frame was being erected for a small cabin that would act as a classroom, and she walked around it, looking at its sturdy structure.

“Hey, Zoe,” a voice said from behind her.

She turned to see Colson, a hammer in his hand.

“Oh my God,” she said. “I had no idea you were here. I should’ve smelled you.” When she sniffed the air, she wondered how she could have missed his musky scent, which made her muscles go weak now. God, he smelled best when he’d been sweating. She knew that already from his scent in the air when she’d return home in the evenings. She was always grateful that he didn’t wait around for her because the smell aroused her, and she wasn’t entirely sure how long she’d be able to resist telling him how much she wanted to kiss him, to taste him, to put her hands on him and sink her teeth into his flesh.

“Sorry to startle you,” he said, smiling. For a moment she wondered if he was reading her thoughts.

“That’s okay. I just didn’t know it would be you. It seems like between fixing cars and building me a mansion in a tree, you’d be too busy to do something like this.

“Someone came around the garage asking if anyone was particularly good at building and I couldn’t resist an opportunity to help the kids,” he said, stepping forwards, his tanned chest shiny with perspiration. “Or the chance to see you.”

Zoe raised a hand, palm forward, and realized that she was about to lay it on his chest. Or rather, it was about to lay itself, since she seemed to have no control over it. But she pulled back just as she made contact with his hot skin, which created a pulse of throbbing nerve endings between her legs.

“What the hell am I doing?” she wondered. At the very least, this wasn’t the time or the place to touch Colson.

“I…it’s good to see you, too,” she stammered.

“Do you like the way your treehouse is coming along?”

“I do. Of course I do. I can’t believe you’re doing that for me, Colson. I really can’t.”

“It’s what someone does for their…”

“Their what?”

“Friend,” he said, his face serious as he looked into her eyes.

“Friend. Well, that’s good. I’m glad to know we’re friends,” said Zoe, turning away. “I should get back now…”

She felt her right hand being pulled back now, his own grasping it gently.

“Zoe…” he said.

“What?” she asked, her voice sounding irritated, though it was frustration that was doing her in. She kept her face turned away from his.

“Have a good day.”

With that, she pulled her hand away and walked back the clearing, and back to her life.

T
hat evening
when she got home, Zoe saw that Colson hadn’t done any work on her house in the trees, but she wasn’t surprised. Even
she
couldn’t be in more than one place at once; how could she expect so much of him?

She went to sleep that night, her panther form curled up into a ball, imagining his bear wrapped around her in comfort and safety.

She missed him.

And she hated that.

C
olson wasn’t
at the school the following day, and Zoe assumed that it was because he had too much work to do at the garage. But when she returned home she found that he’d added walls to the now octagonal structure that had become her new home. He’d even framed large windows on all sides, so that Zoe had a beautiful view of the world around her; the treetops, and the sky and mountains. There was an extraordinary amount of care going into the project. And on top of that, Zoe was impressed by Colson’s intellect and speed.

She sat in her new abode that evening, eating fruit and bread, and thinking about her feelings for the man. She was learning, slowly, to calm herself; to breathe and to enjoy life. And he was a part of this new life of hers, and in truth he was one of the best aspects of it.

It seemed that Drake had learned his lesson. It was Zoe’s greatest hope that her former lover had cut his losses and wasn’t trying to find her. Perhaps he’d grown wiser with the slash marks across his chest.

And Zoe was not Annette. She was a different woman; a smarter one and a happier one. She had a new home and a new life, and most importantly she had found her purpose.

Perhaps she could begin to open herself up to Colson. Maybe it was time to learn to trust someone other than herself.

After she’d eaten and brushed her teeth using the water supply that he’d provided, she laid down on her makeshift mattress and slowly pulled up her skirt so that her thighs were exposed to the elements. Normally she slept in panther form for warmth, so being nude in the great outdoors wasn’t uncommon, at least in the mornings when she’d shift back to human form. But Zoe had rarely been relaxed enough to partake in tonight’s activity, which was to run the fingers of one hand slowly and gently up her thigh, her other hand reaching inside the folds of her dress, seeking a nipple to fondle. When she found it, she allowed her fingers to pass over its tip lightly, hardening its tingling pink under her touch. She looked down and watched the other nipple as it followed suit firming under the thin fabric which covered it. She was loving this body of hers and its eagerness for pleasure.

The image of Colson’s face was etched on her mind, and she pictured him lying over her, his weight on his strong arms as he smiled down at her face. The idea of him above, pinning her down, was one that she loved. She hated the idea of being commanded by a man, but being willingly dominated was another thing entirely. Secretly she fantasized about the beautiful, muscular mechanic holding her arms at bay while he entered her and teased her opening with his hard cock. She’d seen his gorgeous, delectable bulge straining against his jeans; she knew that hers wasn’t the only eager body around. Colson’s cock wanted to be inside her as much as she wanted it.

Her fantasy advanced now and in her mind’s eye he pulled at her dress, tearing the fabric away from her breasts, baring them and leaning down, his voracious appetite telling him to suck on her beautiful pink nipples, hardening them to long, sensitive stones. He would, she knew, want more and more, and want to nuzzle them with his lips, to squeeze her full tits with his hands. And as he did so she would feel him, pressing against her pelvis, his length hardening as it sat atop her soft skin before plunging into her depths again.

Her right index finger found her wet clit and stroked in delicate circles, rotating to imitate a soft, sensitive tongue. Her cat purred as she thrust her hips upwards, imagining his yellow and green eyes looking up towards her breasts and her face as his mouth feasted on her pussy, the muscles of his shoulders tensing as he pulled her thighs apart and pushed his tongue inside her…she would reward him by fucking him. She would give his hard cock the royal treatment, and he would explode in waves for her, his searing heat shooting through her core. He would come for her, and her alone.

It didn’t take long before Zoe felt herself tense and thrust still further upwards in a haze of delicious orgasm. Her scent, she knew, was being released into the wild. The smell of sex, ecstasy and frustration. The smell of desire.

T
he next morning
when she’d showered and arrived at work for the day ahead, Zoe was approached by Kyla.

“Could we take the kids to watch the construction of the new buildings today?” Kyla asked. “It’s kind of more practical and dull than what you’re used to talking to them about, but kids are never too young to learn the delicate art of putting up shelters.”

“Sure,” said Zoe. “I take it the usual guys will be around, working?”

“What do you mean by the usual?” asked Kyla, though she knew already, of course. She was smiling in her knowing way.

“Oh, just wondering who was…”

“If a certain bear shifter would be here, you mean? Yes, I think he will.”

“So do you know Colson at all?” Zoe knew better than to ask Kyla which bear shifter she was referring to. The woman knew everything, and besides, Kyla had figured it out the first night; probably before Zoe even knew that she was beginning to have feelings for Colson.

“I don’t know him, not really,” said Kyla. “But the little bit of interaction we’ve had has impressed me. He’s a good guy, Zoe.”

“Yeah, I know he is. At least I think he is. I don’t think I actually ‘know’ anything. But Colson…he’s special. He doesn’t treat me like most men have all my life.”

“That’s because he respects you. And that’s a good thing.”

“I suppose he does. Still, I don’t know, really, that I’m ready for a relationship after last time.”

“And I can’t tell you that you are, of course,” said Kyla.

“But you can see something, can’t you? You have thoughts and you’ve had visions.”

“I can only ever see how life might go, Zoe. How it actually goes is up to you. You are in control, and so is Colson.”

“To be honest, Kyla, I’m a little afraid of losing control.”

“You’re afraid of falling in love. Which is much the same thing. But it’s possible, you know, that it’s too late for you to worry about that.”

Zoe made her way over to her first student of the day, realizing as she walked that Kyla might be right.

A
fter the children
had had their lunch, Zoe and Kyla brought them to see the work that was going on in the woods. Normally the students were told to stay out of the construction areas for safety reasons, but today they were allowed near one particular structure which Colson was working on. Zoe eyed Kyla, wondering if this was a deliberate set-up on her part.

“Hi guys,” said the bear shifter as they approached. He looked into Zoe’s eyes then and smiled. “Well hello, Zoe.”

This caused some giggling among the young girls, who in all likelihood thought the tall, strong man before them was rather handsome. Fortunately, thought Zoe, they would have no idea yet what it was to feel so drawn to such a man that it was painful. She didn’t envy them that aspect of their future lives. Of everything difficult about growing up, she thought, love was the hardest. Love, want, rejection. Maybe that was it. Maybe she was afraid that Colson would realize that she wasn’t good enough and let her go.

She shook the thought from her mind and replied, “Hi, Colson. Children, this is Colson. He knows how to build things. He also know how to fix cars.”

A few of the boys let the standard “Wow” emerge from their mouths.

“And he’s quite a climber,” Zoe added, smiling at the man before her, who grinned back. It was rare to see a show of relaxed friendliness from her.

“I’m going to show you how to frame a house today,” said Colson. “Are you guys excited?”

Something in his tone of voice made Zoe want to laugh. She could see that even if the children weren’t thrilled, he was delighted to be there. But of course they were as well, and the entire class yelled, “Yeah!” in unison.

Colson began with some planks of treated wood, showing them how to cut the ends and screw them at right angles in order to begin construction of the frame.

“Would someone like to help me with the drill?” he asked.

“I would,” said Conner, who stepped forward. Since his talk with Zoe on her first day, the young boy had become outgoing and confident, and Zoe was beyond pleased to see his progress.

With Colson’s hand over his own to protect him from the power drill’s weight, the bear shifter helped the boy to drill a screw deep into a piece of wood.

“Excellent,” said Colson. “You’re a natural.”

“Thanks,” said Conner. “I like making things.”

“Oh yeah? What else do you make?”

“Toys, mostly,” said Conner, shrugging as though it were no big deal. “Sometimes I build toy cars with my dad out of wood.”

“Well, your dad should bring you round the garage sometime. We can show you how the insides of a car work.”

Conner smiled, revealing the adult teeth which were now growing in his mouth.

“Really?” he asked.

“Of course.” Colson turned to Zoe. “You could bring the whole class if you’d like.”

“I might just do that,” she said. “One of these days.”

“Well, you should do it before the weather turns cold.” It was October now and he was right, of course; it would soon be cold out. Zoe thought of her funny, impractical home, and how she’d keep warm over the winter months.

W
hen the lesson
was done and the children had been dismissed, Zoe began to make her way towards the woods and Colson’s work station.

“Zoe!” she heard a little boy’s voice from behind her.

“Hi, Conner,” she said, turning around.

“That man in the woods. The one who builds. He’s your friend, right?”

“Yes, he is,” Zoe said, crouching down in front of the boy.

“I like him. He’s nice. He’s not a bad one.”

“What do you mean, not a bad one?” Zoe smiled, amused at the choice of words.

“There are good people. Some people are in the middle. And there are bad people who like hurting others. Colson is a good person. He doesn’t like to hurt anyone.”

“I’m sure you’re right.”

“And he likes you.”

“I know he does,” said Zoe, standing up. “Now you head on home to your parents, and I’ll see you tomorrow, okay?”

“Okay,” said Conner, his toothy smile re-emerging. He turned on his heels and dashed off in the opposite direction.

Zoe found Colson finishing off a corner of the new building.

“How’s it going back here? I mean, aside from the obvious distraction of ankle-biters running around.”

“They’re not the distracting ones,” he said, raising an eyebrow suggestively. “But it’s good. All good. I’m sorry though; I spent so much time here that I didn’t get a chance to work on your place.”

“That’s okay. This is more important.”

“Nothing’s more important, Zoe,” he said, his yellow-flecked eyes looking down into hers.

“So,” she said, unsure of how to acknowledge his sincere words, “would you like to come by? I have some food left over from yesterday. It’s nothing exciting but you’re welcome to have dinner with me.”

Colson looked surprised.

“Sure. I mean of course. I’ll just clean up here and maybe take a quick shower before I head over. I’ll be there soon though.”

“Good. Don’t take too long,” she said, turning around and beginning the walk home.

Colson watched her go as every drop of blood in his body seemed to rush to his cock.

“It’s just dinner, buddy,” he said. “Calm down.”