ROMANCE: PARANORMAL ROMANCE: Mated, Bearfoot and Pregnant (Bear Shifter BBW Pregnancy Romance) (Werebear Hero Fantasy Romance) Page 6

  The cab stopped outside of the motel buildings and Victoria paid the driver. Gabriel cast a scrutinizing glance at the rundown buildings, then looked back to her.

  "You're staying here?" Instead of disdain, there was concern in his voice. "This place isn't safe. We should go somewhere else."

  "I promise it's fine. I'm not here for much longer, just while I figure things out." It was Victoria's turn to place her palm on his back. With a gentle force she led him forward and towards the cabin she was staying in. "This is all I've got going on for me right now."

  A few steps in and already Gabriel had stopped. He shook his head, refusing to move any closer towards the units.

  "I can't. Not here."

  "I promise it's safe." His refusal was making her heart break. For the first time ever Victoria had found the confidence to call a guy and meet him on a date, and now that she was bringing him home — however innocent the intention — he was backing down. The self-esteem she'd cobbled together since leaving Peter began to erode once more.

  "It's not that, V. It's..." He turned to look at her, and she saw how torn he was. Tension broadened Gabriel's shoulders and straightened his posture, like an animal in danger trying to make itself looked bigger than it appeared. The same spooked mannerism haunted his words. "It's something I can't explain. Not here. You just have to believe me. I can't stay here."

  Already he was pulling away, backing towards the street. The cab hadn't driven off, and Gabriel waved him down again. What had him so spooked? Victoria didn't understand.

  "Let me come with you." It was all she could think to say. If Gabriel couldn't join her in the motel, she could join him elsewhere. "I don't want to be apart, not yet."

  He stopped. Some of the tension eased from his shoulders.

  "Alright," it sounded as though he'd given in. "Come. I don't want to be apart, either."

  For now it was good enough. Until Victoria discovered what was afoot, understanding what ate at Gabriel would be beyond her. They entered the cab again, and this time Gabriel gave the directions. The cabby laughed at their indecision in good humor, and then they were off.

  From around the side of one of the motel rooms a dark haired male emerged. At a distance he watched the cab disappear, and once it had faded from view he worked his way across the grounds and to the spot Victoria and Gabriel had lingered at. His nostrils flared.

  "Gabriel Liston," he murmured, lifting his eyes to observe the darkened horizon. Street lights cast long shadows through the night. "The warrior King, fallen from grace."

  And then, a laugh.

  There were many things Victoria did not yet understand about her blue eyed stranger, but before long she'd have no choice but to learn.

  Chapter Four

  The more time he spent with Victoria, the more Gabriel doubted that she was human. Coexistence between mortals and shifters had always been peaceful, largely due to human ignorance, but never had a human and a shifter formed It. The Bond. As soon as he'd seen her at the Masquerade he had known. The way his heart seemed to swell at the sight of her, the way his pulse raced when he put his hand upon her back, and the way her words made his conscious sing told Gabriel that there was no going back.

  Fiance or not, Victoria was the girl for him.

  They danced. They talked. He fell deeper into her spell. And then she tried to take him home.

  As soon as the cab turned past Crimshaw and towards Pike, Gabriel knew there was going to be a problem. They'd traveled to grounds far outside of his territory, even past the neutral buffer zone that the two lion prides had established over the years. These were the grounds that belonged to Jessica's pride, and although the engagement had solidified relations between the two groups of lions, it was not a place Gabriel wanted to be seen with another woman. Not until he had time to work out how he would break the news.

  And when they left the cab, his fears were confirmed. On the air he could smell other lions, and one scent was particularly fresh. There was no way he could go home with her, as much as he wished the opposite were true.

  And so now they sat in the back of the cab once more. Victoria stared at her knees and played with the feather layer beneath her skirt, twisting it nervously this way and that. God, was she beautiful. The lion inside of him urged him to push her down against the bench of the cab and breed her recklessly, but the disciplined soldier that Gabriel was knew restraint. If she agreed to be his mate he would not hold back, but until that point he was more than just a beast. He would show her the respect a lady deserved.

  Back within his kingdom, the cab pulled to a comfortable stop outside of a suburban residence near the outskirts of the city. Urban was just a few blocks away, but the house was distanced enough from the busy downtown streets that it was secluded. These were prime properties, owned by the wealthy. On a soldier's salary a house like this was out of the question — the house belonged to Finneus, and Gabriel occupied the basement. Still, Victoria's eyes were wide with wonder.

  "You live here?" she asked. The house was gated. The upstairs boasted four bedrooms and two bathrooms, alongside a huge kitchen and living room. It was perfect for a family; how Finneus stayed here all on his own, Gabriel had no idea.

  "Sort of. It's home for now. Come."

  Mindful of her heels, Gabriel led Victoria down the drive and around the side to the back basement entrance. They descended the stairway together.

  A military upbringing ensured that his living space was kept tidy. The room they had entered served as both living room and kitchen. There was a couch and a television, counter space and cabinets. A fridge, mostly unstocked, and a freezer with a few cheap steaks and a couple of frozen pizzas was pressed into the corner. An old stove fit amongst the counter space. When there were dishes to do, Gabriel washed them in the bathroom sink.

  Victoria turned in a slow circle to take everything in, then turned towards him. Those beautiful blue eyes, so much like those many of his pride possessed, locked on his and softened.

  "So you had something to tell me?"

  Voice like honey. How he wished to eat her up.

  "Yeah," Gabriel mumbled. Staring into her eyes like he was, he was losing his resolve. The urge to take her as mate was growing, and the importance of sharing his lion status and explaining the intricacies of The Bond seemed less important than they were. Victoria was a human, she had to be. They'd danced together all night in close proximity, and he'd not smelled any trace of animal on her. To a human he'd just met, The Bond would be nothing more than a crazy idea, a desperate fantasy used to get her into bed.

  Gabriel refused to look desperate.

  "I wanted to tell you that I think you're the most beautiful woman I've ever seen, and I'm not just saying it."

  The blush that rose across her cheeks lit his heart.

  "You've been on my mind ever since our paths crossed at the Ambrogio. I think you've been going through some hard times, but I want you to know that, if you'll let me, I want to help you through them."

  Her full lips, the same pretty color of pink he'd seen the night they met, parted just slightly.

  "Do you mean it?" There was vulnerability in her voice, but also budding desire. The way she looked at him had changed; her eyes had lidded just slightly. The chemistry on the air thickened.

  "I swear it," he replied. The first stirrings of arousal shot through his groin. If she felt The Bond as he did, taking her now would mean they would be mates. Amongst shifters It was easy, but if Victoria had no idea what sex with him would mean, would she still want to commit after she found out?

  As the beast inside gained strength and rose to lurk near the surface, Gabriel found it hard to care. All he knew was that he wanted to have her.

  He stepped close. One hand cupped the side of her jaw and lifted her gaze. Victoria's cheek nuzzled his palm so gently it was almost imperceptible.

  "Gabriel," she whispered as their lips grew closer, "it might sound crazy, but I want you."

  The Bond, he wa
s so sure she felt it, and yet he couldn't bring himself to end the moment and conquer his animalistic arousal.

  "I am yours to take," he mumbled back, lips brushing hers. The menthol in her lipstick tingled against his lips, but it did not deter him. The hand at her jaw remained steady, and at long last he kissed her, hard and full. And Victoria kissed him back.

  One of her hands tangled itself in his short hair, and half blind and unwilling to part from their passion, the pair stumbled across the room to sink down onto Gabriel's couch. Victoria sunk first, and Gabriel found himself straddling her as the kiss continued. Already he was hardening, his desire for her inescapable. Whatever circumstance that had brought tears to her eyes on the first night he'd seen her had met its match; Gabriel's feelings were true, and he was determined to protect her for the rest of her life.

  The kiss continued, and it deepened. Everything about her was soft, from the curve of her waist to the lips he claimed as his own. Touching her was like stepping from reality into the comforts of a dream; all of the stress he faced distanced itself when they were together. Victoria was the balm his life had always needed.

  With firm direction he parted his lips and let his tongue trace across hers. Victoria inhaled in muted pleasure and opened her mouth, granting him access. Their tongues met. Her hand tightened in his hair, and he felt her body arch beneath her. Whatever divinity had sculpted her was to be worshiped. From the most evident to the littlest thing she did, Gabriel was hooked.

  As their tongues explored one another, his hand trailed down her shoulder and to the round of her breast hidden beneath the blue dress. How could he resist? As his palm closed in around the peak, Victoria gasped. The honey that brightened her voice left the sound sweet, and Gabriel felt him length twitch with arousal. Perhaps this really was a dream; no woman had ever moved him this deeply. Victoria was perfect.

  Their lips parted and Victoria looked up at him with partially lidded eyes. Each deep inhalation saw her chest rise and fall, and as tempting as it was to focus only on her heaving breasts, Gabriel could not escape her gaze. Eyes so blue they should have belonged to one of his lionesses, and an expression in them so sincere he felt as though a lie could never tumble from her lips.

  "I never do this," she told him. "I've never gone home with a man I just met."

  "This isn't the same." He wished he could explain. Instead, he brought their lips back together for a sweet kiss intended to sooth her. "Our souls have known each other for longer. I feel like I've known you my whole life."

  From the way she glowed at the words, her lips curling into the sweetest of smiles, Gabriel knew she felt the same way. The mark of The Bond, unknown and inexplicable to humans, was second nature to him. This was right and pure. If only she knew.

  Silence passed comfortably between them. Gabriel marked its arrival with another kiss, letting his lips start at hers before trailing down her jaw and neck. The bare skin of her chest was worshipped, and then he arrived at the bust of her dress. Kisses were lost to the fabric, and so Gabriel let his nose trailed down the length of her body instead. The soft curves of her stomach made him hunger to touch her unclothed. When at last he arrived at the puff of her skirt, Victoria breathed heavily. There was no doubt that she anticipated what he was about to do as much as he anticipated doing it.

  Gabriel's lips set themselves upon her thigh. The sheer stockings she wore provided scant protection from his passion. With slow insistence he let his kisses trail upwards and inwards until he had to push back billows of tulle to continue. Victoria gasped now, body tense, and it took Gabriel a moment to realize that she was afraid. The scent of her body, as sweet as the honey on her voice, had distracted him from it, but when it registered, it was impossible to ignore. Immediately he stopped, but did not rise up from his position.

  "What's wrong?" He let a hand stroke her thigh, attempting to calm her. Those beautiful blue eyes looked pained, and it broke his heart. Had he done something wrong without realizing it?

  "Do you really want to do this?" Victoria asked, her voice hardly more than a squeak. Like an animal braced to run, her body was wound tight. "... To me?"

  Gabriel lifted his head then, looking up at her in full. Confusion set in. The desire to bury himself in her clouded his thoughts, but as strong as the lion was, Gabriel resisted his animalistic impulses. She was worth it.

  "I don't understand," he said in earnest. "Why wouldn't I want to bring you pleasure?"

  Tears had begun to sparkle in her eyes again. In the dim light of the basement they were as beautiful as they were troubling. Concern churned inside. Did she not feel the connection he felt? Did she doubt his intention? The thought of her changing her mind and walking out the door tortured him.

  "It's just," the tears were in her words now, threatening to choke her. Gabriel prickled with protectiveness, but the foe was unknown, "no one has ever wanted to do that to me, and if they do it's only because I nag too much, and then they hate it and hate me. I don't want to force you to do something you don't want to do. I don't want you to hate me. Not you."

  For a moment he remained frozen in stunned silence. A tear escaped Victoria's eye and slid down her cheek, but she pulled herself together and no others followed it. Whatever man had crushed her self-confidence, whatever man had convinced her that she wasn't good enough or desirable enough to deserve selfish pleasure, had better have fled the country. The soldier and the lion reared in unison to take offence, rage rushing through him to consume his every synapse. To feel this way was not natural — this was a learned behavior. Someone had taught his perfect Victoria that she was not good enough, and he would hunt that man down and teach him better. If their paths ever crossed, the meeting wouldn't be pretty.

  "I don't hate you, and I won't hate you. The only person I hate right now is the man who convinced you that you aren't worth affection." Their eyes locked. Victoria's were still misted with sorrow, and Gabriel knew his were narrowed in rage. The feeling was hard to control. Between his military training and the beast inside, justice was had through combat. What he wouldn't give to tear into that scumbag.

  "I... Okay." She was speechless, floundering for words. Gabriel continued.

  "I want to share this with you. I think you are beautiful and desirable, and I'm not just saying that. I've been crazy for you since we met, and I want to prove it to you. I want to treat you like the princess that you are."

  Some of the tension eased from Victoria's shoulders and thighs, and she lay back upon the couch and closed her eyes to compose herself.

  "I trust you." Those three words made his heart soar. Gabriel placed a tender kiss upon her inner thigh and nuzzled the tender flesh there in adoration. The gesture was catlike, but he could not hold back his true nature when so overcome with emotion. Victoria did not seem to notice. A moment passed, and then the kiss continued until he could rise no further.

  Careful fingers hooked over the edge of her stockings, and he drew them down and then off. Beneath she wore a blue thong lined with lace, and the sight of it sent a rush of arousal through his groin. God, was she beautiful. No matter how long it took, he was going to prove it to her.

  With her underwear now freed from beneath the stocking, Gabriel gripped the fabric with his teeth and drew it down her body. She was shaved, not a hair on her body. The sight was breathtaking. He tugged the garment down to her knees and then could not hold himself back any longer. As Victoria shifted and squirmed beneath him, working the thong down her calves and then to her ankles, Gabriel rose to explore the recently uncovered part of her body. Either hand secured a thigh, and he pushed them apart gently. Victoria's sex glistened for him, already slick with anticipation. Her clit, swollen, awaited his attention. It wasn't going to be that easy.

  Gabriel kissed her thigh again, as close as he could be. Victoria was breathing hard, but otherwise she was silent. How much of it was discomfort and how much arousal he wasn't sure, but what he did know was that he would make her forget that she'd ever felt
self-conscious. As much as he hungered to taste and tease her, he was determined to show her how much pleasure she deserved to have. Whatever relationship they shared wasn't all about him, and it would never be.

  The kisses trailed inward, meeting the soft flesh she'd shaved so carefully for him. Then, just as the path he followed led him to her hardened bud, he stopped. A tender moan parted from Victoria's lips in surprise, and Gabriel took it as a good sign. If she anticipated and lusted after his touch, they were already closer to getting her into the right headspace. But before he sealed the deal and introduced her to his tongue, he wanted to make sure that she understood just how wonderful a man who cared about her could feel.

  Instead of run his tongue across her clit, Gabriel traced around it. Women often vocalized to him how conscious they were about their taste, but of all the women he'd ever been with, Gabriel found Victoria the sweetest. She had nothing to worry about.