Bear Mechanic: BBW Paranormal Bear Shifter Romance Read online

  Oh God, did he notice how weird I'm being? She hoped not.

  If he did notice, he didn't show it. “Well, I've got good news and bad news for you.”

  Elise's stomach twisted. Good news probably meant it could be repaired, but bad news probably meant it would be expensive. The last time she had checked her bank account balance, it had read $93.66. Not exactly enough to replace a transmission or even a tire.

  “Lay it on me,” she said, then flushed at her choice of words. There was at least one reason to be grateful for the nasty weather. He probably couldn't see her blush.

  “Your alternator went out.”

  “…Alternator?” She couldn't remember ever hearing about a part like that.

  “Don't worry, it's not serious,” Noah assured her. “And not expensive, either. The part usually runs between thirty and eighty dollars.”

  “Oh.” That was within even her minuscule budget. “So… What's the bad news?”

  He looked apologetic. “It's not something I carry on me. It might have to be special-ordered, even.”

  Elise smiled. “Since I got a free diagnosis out of the deal, I guess I can forgive you.”

  “Come back with me to the shop, you could get more than that.”

  “Oh! Would you do that? I don't want to impose.”

  “It's no imposition.” He lowered the hood of her car back into place and reached for the umbrella.

  His calloused fingers brushed against the back of her hand. Elise felt a tingle like she'd never felt before. Something electric passed between them.

  The sensation warmed her instantly from the top of her head to the tips of her toes. Suddenly it was like she couldn't feel the cold or the rain anymore; there was just the heat of their bodies and how it made her feel, dizzy and delighted.

  Without thinking, she leaned in closer to him. Under the umbrella, all alone with the rain pounding down around them, it felt like they were in their own private world, just the two of them.

  Noah was looking at her with an intensity she'd never received before. A flash of lightning illuminated him. She caught a glimpse of the dark hazel tint of his eyes, nut-brown flecked with bits of emerald green and gold. His eyes were mesmerizing, and all of his attention was focused on her.

  His lips were parted. He leaned toward her.

  Was he going to kiss her? A man so handsome and kind, wanting to kiss her? She couldn't quite believe it, but all the evidence pointed to yes. Elise's heart pounded like it was trying to escape her body.

  CLAP!

  Thunder sounded, breaking the spell.

  Elise jumped back again before coming back to her senses. What was wrong with her today? The Wild Dogs had put her on edge.

  But it was too late to recover the moment. For a moment, Noah looked disappointed. She thought. It was hard to tell when she couldn't look him square in the eye.

  “Here.” She held the umbrella out. “You wanted this back?”

  He shook his head, as if to clear it. “Right. Right.”

  This time, when he took the umbrella, he did so carefully, making sure their fingers didn't touch again. Elise tried to squash the disappointment that flared up at the gesture.

  See, he wasn't into you, she chided herself. You didn't ruin anything. He wants to make sure you don't get the wrong idea again.

  Well, she wasn't going to let herself do it again. She smiled brightly. “Take me to your mothership!”

  Chapter Two

  Noah

  Noah Hawley snuck a glance at the woman in the passenger seat. She hadn't said much since getting in, besides a quick “thanks” when he opened the door for her.

  Elise was looking out her window. Her fingers drummed on the armrest. Her mind was clearly elsewhere.

  Noah's bear wasn't too pleased with that. It wanted Elise to be paying attention to him.

  His bear had rumbled with interest on seeing her, waking up from a long hibernation. Noah almost always stopped for cars parked on the side of the road if someone was there. If nothing else, it was a way to get his business card in more people's hands.

  Rarely did his bear perk up at these proceedings. But as soon as he'd seen her, standing out in the rain with a puzzled frown, staring down at her engine like it was an alien life form, his bear had come out of hibernation.

  Even with water streaming down her and soaking her clothes, she was a sight to behold. She had blonde hair he knew would be curly when it dried. And her curvy figure was to die for, with wide hips and a generous bosom, all covered in soft, pale skin his hands itched to run over.

  And blue, blue eyes. He'd never seen eyes like hers, so crystal clear and penetrating, like somehow she already knew him. It had been incredibly difficult to tear himself away from her.

  She hadn't found it so hard to do the same. He frowned. The moment he'd touched her hand, he’d known.

  She was his mate.

  He hadn't been around other bears for years. Sometimes it was almost easy to forget he was a shifter. But the moment they touched, his bear's natural instincts had taken over. He had wanted—he had needed—to pull her close and crush her lips against his, to claim her as his own.

  He'd fought the instinct as best as he could. But being so immersed in his bear's desires for the first time in years had been overwhelming. He had leaned in, aching to touch her…

  And she'd pulled away.

  Of course she had. She was a regular human. If she'd been a shifter, she’d have known, too. They'd probably be having sex in the backseat right now. But to her, he was just a stranger who'd tried to help her out of a jam.

  “I'll have your car towed to our place,” he said, breaking the silence.

  She jumped, as if she had forgotten he was there, her blue eyes wide and startled. “Oh! Yeah. That would be good. Triple A! I knew I forgot something.” She rolled her eyes at herself. “I thought I was going to be hitchhiking my way out of that situation.”

  “There's no one who could have picked you up?” He hazarded a glance at her left hand. No husband, no boyfriend…?

  The corners of her mouth turned down. “No.” There was a defensive note in her voice. “Not today, I mean…”

  He cursed himself. Of course she’d take that the wrong way. It sounded like he was insulting her.

  A few more minutes passed in awkward silence. Finally she said, her hands twisting in her lap, “So what's the name of your auto shop?”

  “Sweetwater Automotive,” he said with some pride. “I founded it. We're the best full-service garage in the area.”

  “I've never heard of it.”

  “Ouch.” He grinned. “Well, we do a lot of commercial work. We even work on race cars sometimes.”

  “Really? That's so neat!”

  “Do you like racing?”

  “I used to watch Formula One with my grandpa when I was a kid,” she said wistfully.

  Well, he definitely wasn't going to introduce her to Tyler anytime soon. The charming, F1-driving, playboy tiger shifter who worked in his shop made a habit of stealing his thunder. Fated mates or not, Noah didn't feel like exposing Elise to him just yet.

  “Grandpa was a big fan,” she continued. Her voice turned more serious. “I was going to his house when my car broke down. He passed away a few years ago… but there might be something at his house I need to find.”

  Her tone made it sound like it was something more important than a book or a lost accessory. If she had a problem, he wanted to help her solve it. “What are you looking for?”

  She sighed. “Well, it's not so much a something. It's a someone. My little brother, Cecil.”

  Noah pictured a kid, maybe sixteen. “Did he run away?”

  Her smile was wry, though troubled. “Maybe. I'm not sure where he is. He just… disappeared. Without telling me he was going anywhere.”

  He seized his chance to spend more time with her and get to know her a little better. “I can take you. We can do it now, if you want,” he offered.

  He
r glance was startled. “Right now? Are you sure?”

  “It's no problem. You're worried about your missing brother, that's the most important thing to take care of. The car can come later.”

  Elise laid her hand on his arm, her gaze grateful. Again that tingle passed through him—the knowledge that his mate was touching him. He barely managed to suppress his bear's pleased growl.

  “Are you sure?” she asked. “It's not too out-of-the-way?”

  It occurred to him them that he didn't know where her grandfather's house was. He hoped he hadn't just volunteered to drive them to El Paso. Then again, that was more time he could spend in her presence.

  “How far away is it?” he asked.

  “Not too far,” she assured him, pulling out her phone. “I was about fifteen minutes away. Here, I'll set up the GPS. Are you really sure this is okay? You don't have better things to do?”

  Better things than help his mate find her missing brother? He couldn't think of anything. “It's one hundred percent fine.”

  Relief was evident on her face, and her shoulders sagged a little, as if a burden had been taken from her. “Thank you. So much. I really appreciate this, Noah.”

  She shouldn't be thanking him; he was just doing what any shifter would for his mate. Not that she knew it yet. He’d have to find some way to tell her about his other side. He just didn't know how. Noah took the hand that was still resting on his arm, enfolded it within his much larger one, and squeezed.

  She flushed bright pink, but didn't pull her hand out of his. With a tentative smile, she squeezed back. For the next fifteen minutes, as the voice assistant gave him driving instructions, neither of them let go.

  * * *

  “This is it,” Elise confirmed, chewing her lip anxiously. “I don't see his car, but it could be in the garage.”

  She slipped her hand out of his to dip into her purse and retrieve her keys. He regretted the loss of her skin next to his immediately.

  The house was small and looked cozy, though it was edging past “dilapidated” into “shambling” territory. Shutters on one of the windows had come half-off and were hanging, occasionally clapping against the house in the wind. The front yard was a tiny swamp, dotted with growing puddles due to the rain.

  Elise's rain-wet fingers slipped over the keys, fumbling, and she wrestled with the lock for a few minutes before letting Noah take over. He had to lift the door slightly to get it to unlock, and then shoved it open.

  “Cecil?” she called, ducking under his arm into the house. “Cecil, are you here?”

  There was silence for a few moments, then something sounded in the next room. A rustling, then the sound of something moving.

  Elise froze. She was clearly afraid.

  “What is it?” whispered Noah.

  “What if it's somebody else? What if it's not Cecil? What if we're in danger?” She took a step backward, her hand over her heart.

  The doorknob to the next room twisted, and the door creaked. Noah positioned himself in front of Elise just in case, sending her a reassuring glance over his shoulder.

  “Who's there?” he demanded. There was an authoritative ring to his voice, one that came straight from his bear.

  A tow-haired head popped out. “Who am I?” he asked incredulously. “Who are you?”

  He was older than Noah had imagined: college student rather than high school-age.

  “Cecil!” Elise exclaimed in relief, coming forward. Her shoulders loosened. “You are here!”

  The freckled face didn't lose its fear.

  “How did you find me?” Cecil asked, glancing as if someone else might be lurking around. His eyes landed on Noah, sizing him up.

  She didn't answer his question. Instead, she stepped toward him with her arms crossed. “Have you been here the whole time? Why did you just run away?”

  Her brother’s eyes lowered. Still, his tone was belligerent as he said, “Why did you come looking for me?”

  Her arms fell, and her hands clenched at her sides. Noah couldn't blame her.

  “Why did I come looking for you?” she repeated. “Maybe because you disappeared on me! I've been trying to call you! I haven't heard from you for days!”

  “Sorry,” he muttered grudgingly.

  That wasn't enough for Elise. “Have you gotten mixed up in something?” she demanded. “What did you do? Some guys came by my apartment this morning, Cecil! They wanted to know where you are!”

  That startled him; he looked up guiltily. “That wasn't supposed to happen! They said they wouldn't—!”

  “Well, it did!” Her voice broke like she was about to cry.

  Instinctually Noah moved toward her, wanting to put his arms around her, hold her, and comfort her. He settled for rubbing her back.

  Elise seemed to calm at his touch. She took a deep breath, then let it out. “They said you owed them money.”

  “Just a little!” he defended himself.

  “They're a biker gang! Cecil, how could you do something so dangerous?”

  “You needed it!”

  Elise pressed her lips together and shook her head. “Not that much.”

  “I was just trying to help,” Cecil said.

  She sighed deeply. All the anger seemed to drain out of her. “I know.”

  Cecil's gaze darted toward Noah again, especially the hand that was touching his sister. “Who's this guy?”

  Elise shifted from foot to foot. “He drove me here. His name is Noah. Now will you please come out?”

  Cecil was silent for a minute, then muttered, “Give me a few minutes. Let me get dressed.”

  The door closed. Elise rubbed her eyes. She was close to crying; her eyes were bright. She turned to him. He took the invitation to stroke her shoulders.

  She leaned into him, and Noah was struck with the rightness of it, of how she felt in his arms. Her cheek pressed to his chest; he could feel her breathe in and out, and how the pounding of her heart was easing.

  He lifted one hand to stroke a damp curl away from her face and push it behind her ear. His thumb stroked along her cheekbone, and his hand curled around the back of her neck.

  She raised her chin, meeting his eyes. Her expression was guarded, but hope sparked behind her blue eyes.

  “Everything's going to be okay,” he said quietly.

  “How do you know that?” She sniffed. She clearly wanted to believe him.

  “Because I'm going to take care of it.” It was spoken like a promise, and he meant to keep it. He tipped her head back, and her eyes fluttered closed in anticipation.

  He lowered his lips to hers. At first, it was a soft kiss: tentative and exploratory. A get-to-know-you kiss. Noah had no intention of coming on too strong and driving off his mate.

  But with one touch of her soft lips, the passion between them flared.

  One hand dipped into the small of her back and pulled her body flush against his, until he could feel her heavy breasts pressed against his chest. His bear rumbled, pleased, in his chest. The sensation sent a shock of arousal straight to his cock until he was rock-hard.

  She wrapped her arms around his neck and her lips parted to brush her tongue against him. His grip on her tightened. It was impossible to bring her too close to him. Everywhere, he wanted to feel her more.

  Their tongues slipped against each other, cautious at first, but evolving into something deeper and dirtier. Noah had never felt this kind of magnetic attraction before in his life. She was a stranger to him, but it was as if he knew her already. Something drew him to her, something that made it impossible to look away.

  A noise interrupted them. It was Cecil clearing his throat. Loudly.

  It was like coming out of a daze. He blinked slowly and looked down at Elise, who was doing the same thing.

  Blushing bright red, she quickly detached herself from him—he let her go with reluctance—and put a few feet of space between their bodies. Right away he missed her warmth.

  Cecil turned a glare on Noah.
The kid was protective of his big sister. He cleared his throat.

  “Are you ready to go?” asked Elise, a little too loudly.

  “I've been ready,” said her brother said sourly. “Are you?”

  “Yep! We're ready. Totally ready. Definitely.”

  “Like I told Elise,” said Noah, “you're welcome to stay at my place for tonight, while you figure out what you're doing.”

  “There's nothing wrong with this place,” Cecil argued.

  “Nothing wrong with it?” repeated Elise. “There's a bucket collecting water that's leaking from the roof! Not to mention, oh, I don't know, the lack of electricity!”

  “I've been here for days!”

  “And what were you going to do afterward? Were you just planning to hide out here and hope everything went away?”

  Cecil sounded frustrated and cornered. “I don't know! I was going to figure something out!”

  Noah addressed Elise. “You said something about the Wild Dogs? That's who's coming after you? And this house belongs to you?” At her nod, he continued. “Then they're going to find it. Probably sooner rather than later. You don't want to be here when they do. You've been lucky so far, but you'll be safer with me. They won't know where you are.”

  Cecil still looked mutinous, but eventually he saw Noah's logic, and gave in with a short nod.

  “Then grab your stuff and get in,” Noah said. “Let me take you to meet Sweetwater Automotive.”

  Chapter Three

  Elise

  Every time she thought about Noah's kiss, Elise felt her skin warm and her heart pick up the pace.

  And she was thinking about it a lot.

  That thinking resulted in squirming in the passenger seat to get a little more friction, before she realized what she was doing and, mortified, stopped.

  It wasn't like she was a blushing virgin. She'd considered moving in with her last boyfriend, whom she'd dated for almost two years. She'd been reluctant, though, which was justified when he dumped her for some sorority brat. But she always thought things out beforehand. She liked to consider her options, look at every angle before making a decision.