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

  Del swallowed heavily. She could see that maybe, that wouldn’t be particularly unwelcome. Heat flared through her, settling in her core. She’d said it as a joke, but perhaps, perhaps…

  Finally, they managed to extricate themselves from each other’s arms. Hazel missed his warmth against her immediately. She felt empty without his hot body pressed against hers.

  But we’ll be back soon enough. And then…

  Hazel shivered. Then, she’d be all his.

  And he’d be all hers.

  ***

  The walk to where Hazel had crashed her car was mostly silent.

  Del thought if he looked at her for too long, he’d just end up kissing her again, right here in the middle of the snowy road.

  Not that they could have found a much more beautiful setting for it: now that a small amount of milky sunlight had managed to penetrate the clouds, the snow shone like millions upon millions of white diamonds spread out over the landscape. The thin silvery birches and the huge firs alike were coated in snow, and everything was crisp and clear and beautiful.

  His bear loved this kind of weather. It could smell everything in the air just after a snowstorm – it was almost as if the snow had swept everything else away, and he was seeing the world as beautiful and as new as it could be. As if there was nothing in the world except him and Hazel. A bear and his mate.

  He hadn’t meant to start kissing her back at the cabin, but he hadn’t been able to control himself. His hand had brushed hers, and it had been like a surge of electricity had passed between them. The next thing he’d known she’d been in his arms, their lips pressed against each other, desperately seeking each other’s mouths.

  It had taken everything in him to break away from her. Every ounce of self-control he possessed. If they didn’t go dig the food out of the car now, who knew how long it would be before they’d have another chance?

  You could have hunted for her, his bear said sulkily. You could have brought your mate food, like you’re supposed to.

  Well, possibly. But Hazel had said she lived in the city – he wasn’t sure how she felt about seeing her meat in its unprocessed form. Even if she accepted the fact he could turn into a bear, she might not be ready for that.

  “It should be just over here, I think,” Hazel said, pointing. “Look – you can see where the snow isn’t so high. That must be where I ran off the road.”

  Del nodded. “Perhaps there wasn’t quite as much snow as we thought. We’ll have those groceries rescued in no time.”

  He caught the way Hazel glanced at him, her eyes full of warmth and promise.

  And then, we can be together, he promised her in his mind. If I can just figure out a way to tell her what I am.

  She might be the one he was destined to be with, but she still deserved a choice. A mated bond was for life. Who knew if she was looking to make that kind of commitment right now? From the sounds of things, she’d only just gotten out of a bad relationship. She might not be looking for anything new right now. Of course, Hazel realized that they were attracted to each other – but that didn’t mean she was thinking about spending the rest of her life with him.

  Del and Hazel made their way down the slope, Del holding her hand so she wouldn’t slip. Her hand was warm even through the glove she’d slipped on, and he could still feel the slight tickle of static electricity between them.

  Hazel glanced at him from beneath her eyelashes – she could obviously feel it too. Despite the thick, heavy coat she wore, Del could see her bountiful breasts rising and falling with her breath.

  God, she was gorgeous. It was hard to keep his mind on the job as they started shoveling. The top of the car was still visible in the snow, which was still fluffy and fresh, and easily removed. It wasn’t long before they’d uncovered a door – especially with Del’s shifter strength.

  “Wow, you shovel fast,” Hazel said, admiration in her voice as she leaned back, wiping her forehead. “I’ve already worked up a sweat, but you’re still going!”

  Del grinned. “Well, I grew up around here. Shoveling snow was part of my daily routine in winter. You get used to it.”

  “I can see that.” Hazel’s eyes were ranging appreciatively over his body. “Aren’t you cold?”

  Del belatedly realized he’d only thrown on a light jacket over his shirt. As a shifter, cold had never really bothered him.

  Maybe… I could use this chance to explain it to her? he thought, hopefully. Let her know I’m not a normal human?

  Del stopped, leaning on his shovel. “Well… to be honest, cold doesn’t bother me. It’s just part of who I am.”

  Hazel nodded, as if she understood. “Because you grew up around here, right?”

  “Partly,” Del said, cautiously. “But it’s also something else.”

  Hazel cocked her head, intrigued. “Oh?”

  Del hesitated. Just tell her! his bear urged him. She’s our mate! She’ll understand!

  But… what if she doesn’t? Del thought. What if she thinks I’m insane, and refuses to come back to the cabin with me? She might run away, and I can’t have her being in danger out here in the snow.

  Even the bear had to admit he had a point there. Would it be better to tell her once they were under shelter, when he could reassure her that not only was he not crazy, but he’d never, ever hurt her?

  “Maybe I can explain back at the cabin,” he said quickly. “It might be easier there. It’s… well, it’s a bit of a long story.”

  Hazel was still looking at him a little quizzically. “Sure. Whatever you think is best.”

  You really are ridiculous, his bear scolded him, rolling its ursine eyes.

  Don’t remind me, Del told it, picking up his shovel again.

  Chapter Five

  Hazel wasn’t sure what it was that Del wanted to tell her about himself, but one thing she was sure of was that he was a feast for the eyes.

  He continued shoveling as she took a short break, his muscles curling and bunching beneath the light clothes he had on.

  He was… breathtaking.

  Hazel found her mind drifting back to the amazing kiss they’d shared on the porch of the cabin, and her only half-joking suggestion that she might pull him into the backseat of the car.

  Watching him, she could only ask herself, Well, why the hell not?

  It was something she’d always had a vague fantasy about doing.

  And now – with all of the improbable and frankly fantastic things that had already happened on this trip – it seemed like the perfect time to make her dream come true.

  “I’ve got the door open,” Del said to her, propping his shovel against the side of the car. “I can reach over and get the groceries out of the back.”

  Hazel grinned wickedly. “Maybe,” she said. “Or maybe we could just…”

  She ran her hand down Del’s side. She was amazed at the immediate effect it had on him: his gorgeous chestnut eyes darkened with lust, his lips parting slightly.

  “Hazel…” His voice was husky and low in his throat.

  “Shh,” she whispered to him, reaching up to press a finger to his lips, before running a hand over his cheek.

  “You’re so beautiful.” He sounded almost as if he was marveling at her.

  His big hands came up over her sides, sliding beneath the waistline of her parka, and under her shirt. Hazel shivered. Del’s fingers were warm, despite the freezing air. Desire coiled in her belly, settling between her legs.

  She didn’t want to wait for him. The only thing she could think about was his lips on hers; his cock inside her, filling her up.

  It didn’t matter that they were out here in the middle of nowhere. Desire swept away all rational thought – everything except him and her, together.

  She needed him. Now. More than she’d ever needed anything before in her entire life.

  “Del,” she whispered. It was the only word she felt capable of saying right now. Her lips felt cold, but in the next second, his warm mout
h was on them, parting them with his tongue.

  She groaned desperately into his mouth, winding her arms around his broad back.

  When she pulled back a little, his eyes were closed, as if he was still savoring her taste. When he opened them again, they looked down at her hungrily, as if he wanted nothing more than to devour her where they stood.

  “I have… I need to tell you something,” he whispered, his voice sounding choked.

  “Not now,” Hazel said, pulling him to her again, and then into the back of the car.

  Del was so big she was glad she’d gone with the massive Escalade that Charlie had wanted, insisting it would be the only thing that would get them over the snowy roads. As it was, things were still a bit cramped – but that only seemed to add to the excitement. Hazel giggled as Del, picking her up as if she weighed nothing at all, maneuvered her beneath him, his thick, muscular thighs sitting either side of her hips.

  “God, Hazel, I just can’t resist you…” he whispered, his lips against her throat.

  “Then don’t,” Hazel said, catching his earlobe between her teeth and making him groan. “Take me. I’m yours.”

  ***

  Take me. I’m yours.

  The words echoed in Del’s head. They wiped out everything else. He leaned down to kiss her, his bear roaring in triumph.

  The feeling of kissing his mate was overwhelming. She was soft and warm in his arms, her peaches and cream scent filling his senses. He could think of nothing but how good this felt, how desperately he wanted her. How desperately he needed her.

  She arched her back beneath him, pressing herself against his aching cock. The material of his sweatpants rubbed against it tantalizingly, sending shocks of pleasure all the way along his spine.

  He wanted her so much, had been wanting her since the first moment he’d laid eyes on her, curled up asleep on his couch. It was so hard to remember to be responsible, to remember that he had to tell her that he was a shifter and she was his mate when she was lying beneath him, her fingers tracing light circles over his hips, her lips sending lines of fire down his nerves. Her small moans as he kissed her sent a hot pulse straight to his groin, his blood thickening his cock to almost unbearable hardness.

  Hazel was fumbling with the zipper on her parka, yanking it down before opening it up, her breasts pushing against the material of the shirt she wore beneath it. He could see the outline of her hard nipples, and he lowered his head to them, pushing her shirt up to expose her creamy skin.

  He groaned at the sight. Her breasts were full and almost spilling over the white material of her bra. For a moment, all he could do was stare, his eyes ranging over them to the soft swell of her belly and the sensuous arch of her hips.

  “Do you… is everything all right?” Hazel asked, her voice sounding a little hesitant.

  Del swept his gaze back to her wide brown eyes. “Yes. It’s just… you’re so beautiful. I can hardly take my eyes off you.”

  Hazel smiled shyly. “Really?”

  Del leaned down, kissing her, opening his mouth wide and sweeping his tongue between her lips. “Really,” he assured her, his voice a husky growl, when they broke apart. “You’re the most gorgeous thing I’ve ever seen.”

  Hazel arched herself up, her eyes dark with pleasure. “I want you. Please – I need you.”

  With a groan, Del surrendered. He couldn’t resist the throaty, desperate tone in her voice, the touch of her fingers on his chest. There was nothing he could do.

  Leaning down to kiss her, Del gave himself over to her completely.

  ***

  Hazel groaned as his mouth met hers, his tongue sliding between her lips with a kind of desperate hunger she’d never felt from any other man before. It was as if he wanted to seek out every corner of her mouth, savoring the way she tasted.

  Balling her fists in his shirt, Hazel arched up, seeking his body with hers. She wanted everything he had: his mouth on hers, his hands on her body. His cock inside her. She was already soaking wet as she rolled her hips against his and felt the hot steel of his erection against her.

  Del pulled away from her mouth, kissing down her throat until his lips found her breasts. She groaned as he pushed aside her bra, his tongue flicking over her hardening nipples. Hazel squirmed, crying out, as he bit down on one gently, the soft rasp of his tongue sending bright splinters of sensation all through her body.

  Raising her hands, Hazel tangled her fingers in his hair, digging them into his scalp as he drove her higher and higher into a realm of pure pleasure. Everything he did only seemed to make her hotter, clouding her head until she couldn’t think of anything except how desperately she wanted him – and how empty she was without him inside her.

  “Del, please – I can’t wait any longer,” she gasped. It was true. She had wanted him ever since she’d first laid eyes on him, and their truncated kiss in front of the cabin had only made the ache of her need for him even stronger. She knew she couldn’t bear to wait even a moment longer for him.

  And she was fulfilling one of her longest-held fantasies – in a car where there was actually enough room to do it. Hazel giggled as she thought about Del trying to cram his big body into the backseat of her little hatchback.

  “What is it?” Del mumbled against her skin.

  “Nothing – it’s nothing,” Hazel assured him. “I’m just… I’m just thinking about how this Christmas has turned out to be so much better than I thought it would.”

  For a moment, Del raised his head, his chestnut eyes reminding her of melted caramel. “You’re right – it has.”

  Heat surged through her at his words. He sounded so sincere – as if she truly were the best present he could have received this year. Unbelievably, she felt herself growing even wetter between her thighs, the combination of his words and actions driving her desire to even greater heights.

  “Please,” she said, looking up into his eyes, her voice raspy with lust. “I need you.”

  Apparently overcome, Del only nodded. His hands briefly left her body to push his sweat pants down over his hips, letting his cock spring free.

  Hazel couldn’t help but catch her breath. His erection, thick and massive, stood up proudly from between his muscular thighs, small beads of moisture standing out on the head.

  “Wow…” Hazel murmured, feeling her mouth water. Her belly clenched with desire, longing to feel him inside her. To fill her up completely, and make them one.

  Del laughed, the sound low in his throat. “I take it you approve, then?”

  “How could I not?” Hazel asked, only half-joking. Del was without a doubt the hottest man she’d ever seen in her entire life – and he wanted her. It was for her that he was this hot and this hard. It had been kissing her and touching her that had brought him to this state of arousal.

  Hazel could scarcely believe it.

  But Del’s fervor left very little room for doubt. His mouth was back on hers in a moment, his hand sliding her pants down her hips. Hazel bucked up, unable to help herself, trying to rub her wet pussy over the massive, rock-hard erection that jutted out from between his thighs.

  They groaned together as she finally found him, her slick folds sliding over him.

  “Oh God, Hazel…”

  “Come on,” she whispered in his ear, her fingers stroking the base of his spine. “Please. I can’t wait any more.”

  Nodding mutely, Del shifted his hips, guiding himself to her wet, warm entrance.

  “Oh…” Hazel gasped as he pushed into her.

  Never before in her life had she felt so perfectly filled – it was as if Del had been made for her, and she for him. They fitted together in sweet harmony, like a key in a lock.

  “Hazel…” He breathed her name like a prayer. “My God, you feel…”

  For a long moment, he simply rested where he was, as if he was content to simply feel her body clasped around him. But Hazel needed more – she wanted to feel him move in her, to take her to the heights of ecstasy.


  He groaned desperately as she squeezed herself around him, urging him to movement. And apparently, he didn’t need telling twice.

  Hazel cried out as he moved back slightly, before thrusting deeply into her, stretching her wide open. Hazel’s fingers fluttered against his back, feeling as if she was coming apart at the seams as his movements sped up, his strong body pinning her to the car seat, his hips moving like pistons.

  “Oh God,” Hazel cried out, heat and pleasure surging through her. Del’s thrusts into her body found exactly the right place every time, while the hard muscles of his lower abdomen slid against her clit, making her dizzy with bliss.

  She could do nothing but hold on as he drove into her, over and over again, every movement pushing her closer and closer to the edge. Hazel threw her head back as she rode the waves of her pleasure, higher and higher, until finally she crested, ecstasy flooding her body, all her muscles clenching as stars swam across her eyes.

  “Del,” she heard herself say, her voice little more than a gasp, as she cinched her knees around his hips. He didn’t stop – he kept thrusting, his movements strong and showing no sign of tiring. And then she was coming again, her climax washing over her like a wave, shaking her down to her very core.

  Del groaned, coming only a moment later, the snap of his hips growing uneven as he rode the swell of his own desperate pleasure. He kissed her, his mouth locked to hers as together they came down, shuddering, sweaty, their bodies locked in a tight embrace.

  Oh my God… he really is perfect…

  Hazel closed her eyes, winding her arms around his back as her heart rate began to descend.

  He was the best Christmas present she ever could have asked for.

  Chapter Six

  Del’s bear was snoozing lazily in his chest, utterly content. To be honest, he felt like doing exactly the same thing – just rolling himself up into a ball with Hazel by his side, and sleeping until spring came.