The Bear Comes Home For Christmas: BBW Paranormal Romance Read online

  She certainly hoped so.

  This Christmas was turning from a disaster into something much, much sweeter very quickly.

  “So… is this your regular Christmas haunt?” she asked, hoping that he’d see she didn’t mind his slip of the tongue at all.

  Del glanced over his shoulder at her. “Not really. Honestly, I’ve neglected it a little. I thought it was about time I came out here and… spent some time getting back to nature. I run my business out of Pascoe Hills. I know it’s hardly New York City, but it’s plenty big enough for me.”

  “Pascoe Hills?” Hazel asked. “I live right near there – well, sort of. I work for a agency helping homeless youth over in Soper.”

  “Is that the Soper Resource Center?” Del asked, sounding surprised.

  Hazel nodded. “I’m surprised you’ve heard of it – we aren’t exactly big time. We struggle for funding sometimes, but I’m proud of the work we do.”

  She was telling the truth. The budget might be stretched like a rubber band most of the time and they weren’t a fancy outfit. But they worked hard, and they got results. She still received letters from some of the kids they’d helped, who’d only been able to stay in school or find homes with the Resource Center’s help.

  “I do know you,” Del said, turning fully to face her. “I mean… I know your organization. I’ve donated to it.”

  Hazel stared at him. Was he for real? It seemed impossible, but he just kept getting more and more amazing. He was handsome, kind, made an amazing eggnog… and he was not only aware of her work, but he’d actually helped them carry it out.

  “Really?” she asked, knowing her voice sounded squeaky. “Are you serious?”

  Del nodded, sipping his drink. “We run a fundraiser through my business, Richardson Tech, and donate to worthy causes every year. But I also make private – anonymous – donations too.” Del paused, looking out the window. “It was places like the Soper Resource Center that got me through some rough times as a kid. My mom couldn’t always feed us, no matter how hard she worked. She never wanted to take charity, but sometimes I’d go to a food bank and bring home a bag of pasta and a can of beans. So there’d be at least something in the cupboard when she got home.”

  Hazel swallowed. Her throat felt thick, and her eyes stung. Del’s voice as he’d spoken had been soft, but she could hear the ache behind it. It was clear his memories of that time were still painful.

  “I’m sorry,” she said, her voice only a whisper. “That must be…”

  Del turned to her, smiling. “Don’t be sorry. You should be proud. I know it’s not easy work.”

  “It’s only with donations like yours that we can keep doing it,” Hazel said. “You have no idea how grateful I am.”

  Del’s eyes were soft as he looked at her. “Honestly, just hearing you say that, and knowing I could help – it makes it all the more worthwhile. I don’t know what I would’ve done without the help organizations like yours give people.”

  Hazel nodded. “But you said you run your own business now? You’ve clearly made the most of things!”

  She’d been hoping to lighten the mood a little, and she’d succeeded. Del grinned.

  “Well, I hope so, anyway! We provide cyber security and other IT services. I’d like to think in some small way that I’m helping.”

  “Remind me to thank you next time someone tries to hack my email,” Hazel laughed. “I don’t want anyone seeing some of the stuff that’s in there!”

  Was it just her imagination, or was the look Del cast at her a little… heated? As if he might be imagining what secret things she might be keeping in her inbox.

  Hazel smiled. You could see for yourself, if you’d like, she thought. She’d given up trying to resist her attraction to him. It was useless. It would have been like trying to fight the tides.

  There was something primal about him that called to her. It was like a secret message that was meant only for her – a message that wound its way right around her heart. Hazel wasn’t sure if she was just being silly, but everything about the way Del looked at her, spoke to her, and moved around her said that he felt it too.

  It was… something special.

  Something she’d never felt before with anyone else.

  And she didn’t intend to let it slip through her fingers, just because of something silly like propriety.

  “So… did you decide to come here to spend some time alone?” she asked, putting her now-empty mug down on the counter. The nog had warmed her up a lot. She’d noticed Del hadn’t put a huge amount of rum in it – which was probably him being a gentleman, she decided. Getting her drunk wasn’t what he had in mind.

  “Yeah. It takes a lot of work to run my business… but I guess I need to learn how to let go and enjoy myself a little.”

  “And sitting in a cabin alone in the middle of a blizzard is your idea of enjoyment?”

  Del laughed. “Well… honestly, I have to admit, it kind of is. I suppose I’m not really a city person, when it comes down to it. I guess you could say I wanted to get back to nature.”

  I see.

  “So you’re a nature-lover, then?”

  “You could say that.”

  If Hazel hadn’t known better, she would’ve said that Del’s tone was becoming coy. Playful, but still coy.

  She wondered what it was he might be hiding.

  ***

  I have to tell her.

  Del knew it was true. But where to start?

  He wasn’t even sure how he’d begin to go about explaining what he was – and what they were to each other. He’d never even had to think about it before. Naturally, he’d had relationships in the past, but he’d been far too focused on his work for them to turn into anything serious. And that had been when he’d been spending all his time as a human, the bear mostly forgotten.

  But now that he’d been reminded of just how much joy and relaxation shifting into the bear gave him, he didn’t intend to let it languish again.

  But that meant he’d have to have a difficult conversation with Hazel.

  Even though they’d only just met.

  Hazel’s beautiful dark eyes were bright as she looked at him from across the breakfast bar. Her cheeks were slightly flushed and her rosy lips parted. She could clearly feel the attraction between them. He knew that if he kissed her now, she’d return it. She’d want to be kissed by him.

  For a moment, Del let himself imagine it – the softness of her lips against his; her luscious curves beneath his hands. It would be… perfect. There was no other word for it.

  She was everything he had ever desired in a mate. Beautiful, sweet, and with a kind heart. She spent her time helping people like the young boy he had once been. And all of it was wrapped up in the most amazing set of killer curves he had ever seen.

  She was flawless.

  But he’d have to tell her about himself. And soon.

  He didn’t know how much longer he could go on resisting her allure.

  The only thing he wanted to do was kiss her, and then kiss her again, and then…

  Del forcibly tore his mind away from that train of thought. Just the idea of where it would lead was making his cock stiffen against his thigh, and that would not be a good look.

  Not yet, anyway.

  “Are you hungry?” Del asked, trying to think of a distraction. “I’m afraid I wasn’t really expecting company, so I don’t have much here.”

  The truth was, he’d been planning on spending most of his time as a bear, so he’d really brought up only a very small amount of food. And somehow, he wasn’t sure dragging a deer to the doorstep would be a good way to woo Hazel.

  “That’s all right,” Hazel said. “I’d offer you some of the groceries I bought, but I’m afraid they’re probably buried under about fifteen feet of snow right now.”

  “If the storm breaks, we can go dig them out tomorrow. But for now, I’m afraid you have a choice of beans, beans, or maybe even beans.”

 
; Hazel laughed. “Decisions, decisions. Well, I think I’m going to have to go with beans.”

  “Coming right up, ma’am.”

  He was almost surprised, how easily they could talk to each other. There was a kind of softness in her laughter that soothed him, and made the bear stretch out, as if it was sunning itself in the sound of her voice.

  The beans were heated quickly and easily. He had a few spices in the cupboard, and he sprinkled them in – a little brown sugar, a little clove. Something to sweeten them up, since she’d mentioned she had a sweet tooth.

  “Can I give you a hand there?” Hazel asked from her place by the counter.

  “Nope,” Del said, happily. “I don’t let people who’ve just had brushes with death cook in my cabin. It’s a kind of house rule I have.”

  “It was hardly a brush with death,” Hazel said, shaking her head. “Though I suppose… I was very lucky it wasn’t worse. It really was stupid of me to try to drive in that weather.”

  Del glanced at her. “I can’t blame you for trying to make the best of a bad situation. You’d been left in the lurch. I’m sure if you’d had another choice, you wouldn’t have done it.”

  “That’s very kind of you,” Hazel said. Her eyes twinkled suddenly. “And, well, I can’t exactly say it’s ended badly, all things considered.”

  Del felt his heart leap in his chest. She was flirting with him!

  It was silly for him to feel this way: he was hardly a teenager talking to his crush. But that was how it felt. Every word from her set his heart alight with joy and desire. He felt better than he had done in years.

  He felt… alive.

  She had come into his life, and now everything was illuminated.

  They ate their beans in companionable silence. He realized too late how hungry he was, as soon as the beans slid down his throat and into his stomach. The surprise of seeing Hazel and realizing who she was had temporarily made him forget about his other bodily needs.

  “Mmmm, these are wonderful,” Hazel said appreciatively as she scraped her bowl.

  “It’s the clove,” Del told her. “A little bit of sugar and spice really makes a difference.”

  “Sugar and spice,” Hazel said, as if she was contemplating some deeper meaning to his words. “Does that go for everything?”

  She’s flirting again.

  Again, Del felt his stomach flip-flopping, like he was an inexperienced boy. But that was how she made him feel. Which made sense: a mate couldn’t be compared with anyone else in the whole world. It wouldn’t have mattered if he’d been a certified Casanova, or a genuine virgin. Nothing could prepare you for meeting your mate.

  But still, he knew he had to tell her.

  What’s so difficult? the bear interjected. You’d protect her and look after her. Surely she wants that?

  Del wished he could share the bear’s confidence that things would be so simple. Everything seemed simple to the bear. Once you found your mate, you loved them and protected them and took care of them until the end of your days.

  Del agreed – it seemed simple and beautiful. Nothing that anyone could disagree with. In theory, anyway.

  He knew all too well that human emotions could complicate things, however. And that explaining the existence of shifters was hardly a simple matter. It wasn’t just explaining that he himself could turn into a bear – he’d then have to answer all sorts of other questions, too.

  If bear shifters are real, are werewolves real too? Are vampires? Big Foot? El Chupacabra?

  Del could answer all of those questions easily – yes, no, maybe, and I don’t know – but still, it was a lot to throw at somebody. That the things they’d always assumed were just a myth were real after all.

  That kind of thing could come as a shock.

  Obviously.

  But he couldn’t put it off forever.

  Chapter Four

  “Feeling like a princess after your feast of Christmas beans?” Del asked her, his voice only half-joking.

  Hazel smiled at him reassuringly. “Honestly, it was perfect. I’ve never been one for a giant turkey feast. I’ve always said Christmas is more about the company.”

  There you go again, flirting!

  But it seemed like she couldn’t stop herself, somehow. Especially when it made Del look so adorably flustered.

  She supposed what she was doing wasn’t quite right. But he was obviously responding to her – he was just also trying to restrain himself, for some reason Hazel couldn’t quite figure out.

  Maybe he thinks I have head trauma, she thought. And it’s manifesting by turning me into a shameless flirt.

  Well, possibly. But then, she supposed, she’d just have to show him she was one hundred per cent lucid, and meant every word that she said.

  “Oh,” Del said suddenly, looking past her and out the window on the far side of the room. “It’s stopped snowing.”

  Hazel turned to follow his gaze. He was right – there were still heavy clouds outside, but the snow had stopped hurling itself against the windows in wild flurries.

  “Maybe we should go dig your car out and retrieve the groceries, while it’s clear out?”

  Hazel nodded reluctantly. The last thing she felt like doing was leaving the warm confines of the cabin, but she knew Del was right. She hoped nothing was spoiled, though it seemed doubtful, given the icy temperatures that would have overtaken the car the moment she turned the heater off.

  “Do you have shovels?”

  “Naturally,” Del said, laughing. “Come on – we’ll do it together. And then we’ll have something to eat other than beans.”

  As amazing as the beans had been, Hazel found she couldn’t disagree there.

  Del slipped some shoes on and went around to the shack out the back to retrieve the shovels while Hazel zipped herself back inside her coat. She tried not to feel too disappointed about the way things were going. Del was being helpful – getting her food and luggage out of the car while the weather was clear. If they didn’t do it now, who knew when they might have another chance?

  Del was being sensible.

  Dammit, don’t be sensible! Take me right now, on the couch!

  Hazel rolled her eyes at herself.

  You’re a calm, professional woman, she reminded herself. You don’t throw yourself at men you’ve only just met.

  That might’ve been true, in ordinary circumstances. But this was no ordinary circumstance, and Del was no ordinary man.

  “Ready to go?” Del asked her, sticking his head in the back door. “I’ve shoveled a pathway out to the road. It seems like a snow plow has already been through, thankfully.”

  Hazel was surprised. “That was quick.”

  “If this community’s the same as I remember it, they’re always quick off the mark with things like that. No use waiting for someone else to do what you can do for yourself, is what they used to say.”

  “Hard to disagree with that,” Hazel said. She opened the front door, waiting for him to come and join her.

  He appeared around the corner of the house after only a moment, smiling and holding two shovels. He held one out to her. “Ready to go?”

  Hazel reached out to grab one from his ungloved hand.

  And the next moment, it was like a wave had crashed over her, dragging her into the depths of the ocean.

  Hazel didn’t know if she could even describe it – one minute she had been standing next to Del like a perfectly reasonable adult; then their fingers brushed, and suddenly they were locked at the lips, arms twined around each other, his fingers curling through her hair and cupping the back of her head.

  She could feel the strength of his hand around her waist, even through the thick down of her parka, his desperation to hold her evident in every move he made.

  She melted against his chest, feeling helpless against the onslaught of his desire – and her own. All her thoughts seemed to be blocked out of her head. The only thing she could think was More, Please, Yes.


  Sparks chased themselves through her body, sending small shockwaves of pleasure over her skin. His tongue swept into her mouth like it had been made to kiss her, hungry to taste her.

  Just as hungry as she was to taste him.

  He tasted warm and rich, like milk and honey – like evenings spent sitting by the fireside and drinking whisky. His big, warm body seemed to envelop her, pulling her into him, filling her up.

  God, she wanted him.

  She could feel her nipples hardening inside her clothes, goosebumps rising on her skin.

  And she could tell from the growing hardness at his groin that he wanted her too. That this kiss was having exactly the same effect on him as it was on her.

  She gasped when he broke away, still seeking his lips with hers for a moment before she opened her eyes.

  He was looking down at her, his chestnut eyes drowsy with lust, his lips swollen and parted.

  “I… I…” he started to say, before giving himself a quick shake. “Believe me when I say there’s nothing I want more than to carry you back inside and make love to you from now until tomorrow morning. But…”

  With reluctance, Hazel realized what he was saying. There wasn’t a lot of food in the cabin. If they didn’t go dig her car out, they’d have nothing to eat. And then being overcome with passion might start to seem like not such a great idea after all.

  “I know,” she said. He was still holding her against his body, one arm around the hourglass of her waist, the other tangled in her hair.

  “If we didn’t have to… God, this is hard. So much of me just wants to say to hell with it, and…” Del trailed off, his voice husky with need. “But I promise you, the moment we’re back inside…”

  Hazel nodded, biting her lip. She’d already made one decision today where her emotions had overruled her common sense. She’d be pushing her luck to make another. They couldn’t both turn out so wonderfully.

  “We’ll be back in no time,” Del promised her. “I’m a fast digger.”

  “You better be,” Hazel said. “Because I don’t know if I can wait that long. Might have to just pull you into the backseat of the car.”