Releasing the Bear: BBW Paranormal Shapeshifter Romance (The Callaghan Clan Book 2) Read online

  Brennan opened and closed his fists several times, shoulders staying tight. “I needed to see you.”

  “Why?”

  He shook his head. “I was going to…” His voice trailed off while he composed himself. But then he surprised me with a laugh. “Well, I was going to tell you that I had some more contracts for you to sign, but I can’t do it.” Rubbing his hands through his hair while he sighed, I waited silently. “The truth is I don’t know why I’m here. I sat in that damn parking lot for a while trying to figure it out. But he,” Brennan slapped his chest, “he won’t let me be away from you.”

  “Your bear?” I asked.

  He nodded and clenched his jaw. “Yes. My bear. My bear who can’t seem to get over that wolf inside of you.”

  My stomach fluttered for a million reasons. The attraction had certainly been mutual but more important than that, our animals had recognized something in each other. The animal always knew when they’d found their mate. The human side might take a bit longer to come to that conclusion, but not our other halves.

  “Interesting,” I said with a sexy smirk.

  His eyes jerked up to meet mine. “We can’t.”

  I took two steps closer to him.

  “Scarlett,” he warned.

  “How long have you known me?” I asked, allowing the wolf a little control.

  “Not long enough.”

  “Not long enough for what?” Another step. “For our animals to see something in each other? How long does it usually take for a grizzly?”

  Brennan shifted from side to side as I stalked toward him. “Depends.”

  “Well, what do you know about wolf mating customs?”

  He crossed his arms as though he needed to hold himself back. “Not much.”

  I was close enough to touch him, but instead I just stood in front of him and let my wolf look up into his eyes. “In the wild, typically only the alpha couple mates. The rest of the females wait to be chosen if the dominant male feels the need to mate with another.”

  “Okay,” he said, voice shaking.

  “But I’m not in the wild, and I’m not fully wolf.” I brushed my fingers along his forearms, tense with anticipation. “And I am an alpha female.” Lifting my chin, I invited him in.

  “I know that,” he whispered. “But I’m a grizzly.”

  Waiting for his lips to press against mine, I brushed up closer to him, the bottom of his arm pushing against my breast. “You certainly are.”

  “This can’t work.”

  “Says who?”

  Brennan stared down at me, the yellow in his eyes unable to hide the desire inside. “Nature.”

  I lifted up on my toes and kissed his chin. “Do you want me?”

  “Yes.”

  “Does your bear want me?”

  “More than anything.”

  “Then I believe that nature has already made our choice for us.”

  Without another second of hesitation, Brennan wrapped his arms around my waist and lifted me up off the ground. His lips crashed into mine as while I held on to his silky hair. Our tongues danced in and out of each other’s mouths, trailing over our necks and back again until our lip met once more. Wrapping my legs over his hips, I felt my short leather skirt ride up far enough to expose my thongs underneath. I rubbed against his erection, thriving in the sensations it sent to my core.

  “You smell so damn good,” Brennan said again. He squeezed my ass with one hand, while the other pulled on my hair to expose my neck. Hot, moist kisses trailed down my neck as he worked that sexy mouth of his all over the most sensitive spot.

  When his back slammed into the far wall, I unhooked my legs and slid down to standing. My heels hit the ground and I pushed myself away. Breathing heavy and trying to find some sort of control, I held Brennan back at arm’s length.

  “What’s wrong?” he asked.

  Shaking my head, I held him still. “Shh, don’t say anything.” With boldness that came from my wolf, I grabbed the bottom of his tee shirt and yanked it up over his head. He was almost a foot taller than me, but I had my spiked boots on so I could undress him easily. Brennan gave me a crooked smile that melted my insides and made my wolf show herself. I had no doubt my eyes were a glowing bright green now, but I didn’t care. Brennan wanted her and she loved that. Pushing my hand against the bulge, I gently rubbed.

  “Oh my god,” Brennan moaned, eyes closed and jaw twitching. “What are you doing to me?” he asked.

  “I’m taking control,” I whispered. With quick hands, I unhooked his button and pulled down the zipper of his pants. As I slid them down over his toned ass, I let my nose brush gently against his erection. The sheer size of it told my wolf that he was worthy and the female in me couldn’t wait to feel it pulsing inside.

  Brennan gasped and froze for a few seconds as I slid the jeans to the floor. Then he realized what was happening and quickly kicked off his shoes so I could finish. Standing in just his boxer briefs, I stepped back to admire him once again. Shifters were known to be muscular and in shape, but Brennan took that to a whole new level. As a grizzly, his size overshadowed even the most dangerous of my wolves. All grizzlies were large, and Brennan certainly wasn’t an exception. Muscles that glistened in the limited light made him look more like a lumberjack than a businessman.

  He watched me study him with a smirk on his face. “Your turn,” he teased.

  I spun around and grabbed my desk chair. Wheeling it over to him, I grabbed his shoulders and forced him to sit down. He did this willingly, otherwise I never would’ve been able to control him. And then I pressed the bottom of my boot against the chair and pushed him back up against the wall.

  “Stay,” I commanded.

  With a wicked grin, he raised a brow. “Yes ma’am.”

  His hungry eyes devoured me and I didn’t think I’d be able to play this game much longer. Lifting my tank top over my head, I exposed the black lace bra underneath. My kind typically wasn’t very well endowed, but I’d learned long ago which bra helped accentuate everything that I had. My cleavage, real or exaggerated, drew Brennan’s attention. His eyes wandered up and down, following the curves. But then they widened as I unzipped my skirt and let it fall to the ground.

  “Holy shit,” he mumbled. “I mean, wow. You’re beautiful.”

  “Just stay in that chair,” I teased.

  With another quick flick of my hand, I unhooked my bra in the front and pulled it away from my skin. Only the black thongs and high-heeled leather boots remained. I’d always had a part of me that wanted to be as bold as my dancers, but I’d never had the courage to do that in front of someone.

  Until now. Until Brennan had walked into my life.

  There was something about the bear that brought out even the most primal instincts. Watching his reaction to me only heated up my insides more. His briefs stretched against his growing erection and the moisture between my legs pooled at the thought of him inside. Stepping forward, I moved close enough that he could rest his large hands against my hips. He squeezed them a couple of times, a growling noise coming from deep within his chest.

  “Still think this can’t happen?” I teased.

  Brennan leaned forward and kissed my stomach. “This better happen.”

  Pushing him away again, I stepped back and removed my thongs. Nakedness had never been an issue for me, I was a shifter after all. But seduction was an art that I’d been studying for as long as I’d been working in the clubs. And I imagined that I could always find a way to improve my techniques. Although when I looked at Brennan and watched him remove his briefs, I felt confident that I’d done the job I needed to.

  “Get over here,” he said.

  I shook my head and put my hands on my hips. “I’m in control, grizzly.”

  His skin trembled with the threat, promise, and the desire to be dominated. I’d sensed that in him the first day we’d met. And while Brennan wasn’t at the bottom of his clan, his human side kept his bear so suppressed it m
ade him smell submissive.

  And my wolf devoured it.

  She wanted to take him now. Show him who was in control and make him beg for more. She wanted a mate that could match her strength but allow her to rule. She wanted Brennan and his grizzly wanted her.

  In two steps, I found myself straddling the chair and allowing Brennan to take my breasts into his mouth. His lips moved feverishly over my hardened nipple while I rubbed against his cock. Solid and magnificent, I felt the first waves of orgasm before he even tasted any other part of me.

  “I need you,” he begged. “I need to be inside of you now.”

  A few drops of liquid moistened the tip of his shaft and I used that as a lubricant to rub back and forth over my folds. He continued to work his magic on my breasts and I continued to let my clit rub back and forth over him. His fingers dug deep into my cheeks as he pushed my hips against him even harder. Sliding up and down, feeling the smooth skin of his impressive length glide between my sex, sent me over the edge. Waves of warmth and tingling sensations pulsed outward down to my toes. I cried out and Brennan bit down on my breast. Not hard enough to break skin, but just perfect enough to enhance the orgasm. I loved being bit during sex, but had shared that with only a few others. Brennan seemed to know exactly what I wanted.

  Not a submissive bear anymore.

  With me straddling his hips, Brennan stood from the chair and carried me over to the desk. He set me down, kissed my lips, and then spun me around so fast my hair flung around into my face. From behind, he grabbed my hands and spread them out in front of us. Pulling back on my hips, he then used his knees to spread my thighs further apart. While I liked to be in control, this side of Brennan turned me on like no one else ever had.

  He grabbed my hair, exposing my neck again, and bent over me. His warm, muscular body pressed against mine as his other hand reached around and rubbed between my legs. “I’m in charge now,” he growled. Then he nipped my ear.

  I barely got my agreement out before I felt him enter. He pushed into me, slowly at first, filling me up and forcing me to call out his name. His fingers moved furiously against my already sensitive clit, while he thrust in and out of me. My stomach slammed against the desk, each hit making me enjoy the moment even more. Brennan growled, and nipped, and treated me to another orgasm the moment before I felt him harden inside. With a moan, he released, thrusting deeper with each pulse. The warmth felt good. It had been a long time since I let someone do that, and I just knew that we would be doing this again.

  When the last wave left both of us, Brennan fell on top of me. My hands were still spread throughout the now ruined stack of papers on my desk. The left side of my face pressed against something uncomfortable, but I didn’t care at this moment. My core still tingled with the release needed after building up this attraction for more than a month. Brennan’s sweaty chest rubbed against my back, making me feel safe and satiated all at once.

  “That was…” I breathed.

  “Fucking awesome,” Brennan finished and we both laughed. He trailed his fingers up and down over my hips, giving me shivers before he decided to finally pull out. I lay still, unable to make my legs obey me yet. But Brennan didn’t have a problem moving as he reached over me and grabbed a few tissues from the box on my desk. I didn’t move as he slowly, and methodically cleaned me up. He saved my folds for last, lapping up the liquid trickling down my legs before reaching the most sensitive area.

  I smiled while he took care of me. No one had ever been that attentive before and my wolf was quick to remind me that it was a mate’s job to take care of each other. Snuggling, talking, or cleaning up after sex was one of the ways we shared that bond as humans.

  When Brennan finished, he slapped my ass and helped me stand up. “All right, dominant female. You’re all set.” He kissed my neck and pulled me back against him again.

  I melted in his arms, my knees weakening with each touch of his lips. A sudden wave of fear washed over me at how much he truly affected me. No one was supposed to have this kind of control except for my alpha. But since my pack alpha was my uncle, I was never going to have an alpha mate. Or was I?

  I turned so that I could press my naked body up against Brennan’s one more time. Kissing his lips, I let the touching continue until the knock on the door made us focus on something other than ourselves.

  Moaning against Brennan’s chest I asked, “What?”

  “Umm…” Simone was hesitant. “Carla’s causing a scene again and I think you better come out here.” A moment of silence passed before she added, “Now.”

  I sighed and stepped away from Brennan. Taking one last look at his gorgeous body, I was very tempted to push him right back into the chair again.

  “Stop looking at me like that,” he growled. “I can’t leave here with you looking at me like that.”

  “Like what?” I teased.

  “Like I’m the most delicious prey you’ve ever seen.”

  “Oh, you’re so much more than prey to me, Mr. Callaghan.” I bent over to grab my clothes and heard Brennan groaned while he watched.

  “You are fucking amazing,” he said.

  My heart did something weird and I bit back the tears. I didn’t know where they came from or why I’d had such a strong reaction to his words, but I didn’t have time to think about it since I’d just heard the shatter of glass coming from the club.

  Brennan heard it too and helped hold my clothes while I put my bra and panties back on. “Can I help out there?”

  Another round of emotions tore me up from the inside. Pushing them back down, I shook my head and slipped into my skirt and top. “No. It will probably only make things worse.”

  “Okay. Well, should I stay?”

  Yes. “No, no. I have a feeling this is going to be another one of Carla’s drama nights that won’t end until we close.” I reached up and kissed him gently. “But thank you for offering. There’s a back door at the end of the hallway if you want to get out unnoticed.”

  I felt him watch me as I sauntered back to the club. I hoped he didn’t take the back door comment the wrong way, but knowing how many wolves and coyotes were in the club tonight, meant too many eyes prying into our business. And a bear with a wolf? That would surely get them talking.

  I didn’t look back as I closed the door. I could still smell him on me and that made my core flutter with a small aftershock. Damn it if Brennan Callaghan hadn’t just changed my life forever.

  And damn Carla for ending it all too soon.

  I decided to spend the night in my newly-purchased and completely empty cabin instead of going back to Brandt’s house. He and Emma had welcomed Bo and me to share the space any time we needed. It was large enough that we each had our own suite, but I didn’t want either of them smelling Scarlett’s wolf on me and giving me a hard time. The entire drive home, I wondered how this could possibly end well. There was no doubt our animals had chosen each other, mated with each other. But would Brandt and Peter, Scarlett’s uncle, allow this to happen?

  Could a bear shifter actually mate with a wolf shifter? Was that even possible?

  My dreams haunted me that night so when my phone buzzed with a text from Brandt in the early morning, it took a while for my brain to catch up. It was a simple message: Need you here now! Brandt was definitely a man of few words, but this still worried me.

  When I pulled into the driveway of the house that had been in our family for generations, a surge of sadness and anxiety crushed into my chest. It had only been a couple of months since my dad was killed and Brandt had fought for clan alpha. And while he and Emma hadn’t changed much, I still felt like that part of my life was over. This wasn’t my home anymore and both me and my bear hadn’t quite settled with that yet.

  Turning off the ignition, I hopped out of my truck and adjusted my jacket. Even though it was a Saturday, I still liked to dress for any type of business meeting. And I assumed this is why Brandt had called me over. When I noticed Bo’s convertible and Derr
ick’s Jeep sitting on the far side of the driveway, I knew this definitely had something to do with clan business. The town car parked in front to the stairs leading up to the deck and entrance doors had me perplexed though. Was this something bigger than the clan? Was there something going on with our family businesses that I didn’t know about? Our clan had many connections with local and state government officials…and they were often the only ones who would have someone drive them out to our property.

  As I made my way up the stairs, the front door opened and Emma walked out with a watering can. She didn’t see me at first, a surprise considering how hyperaware she’d been since becoming pregnant. Her protective instincts surged, making her grizzly one that I certainly didn’t want to mess with. She wore yoga pants and a baggy tee shirt, which didn’t reveal the small bump already growing in her belly. Her hair was pulled up into a messy knot, showing me that she didn’t feel the need to dress up for our unexpected guest.

  “Hey Brennan,” she said with a smile when the wood stairs creaked below my weight. “You look snazzy.”

  “Snazzy?” I laughed and gave her a quick hug. She smelled like a momma bear.

  “Don’t make fun of my sayings,” she teased. Nodding her head toward the door, she added, “You better get in there. Everyone’s upstairs in the office.”

  “Do you know what’s going on?” I asked.

  “Not yet.” She started picking through her basil pot. “Brandt was too worried this morning to speak to me about it. Plus, our visitor was the one who broke the news, so I didn’t get any alone time with him yet.”

  “Sounds bad,” I mumbled. “Do you think I can just go back to bed?”

  Emma laughed and rubbed her belly. “You can’t if I can’t.”

  “Fine,” I said with a sigh.

  She patted me on the shoulder and held open the front door. “Whatever it is, you brothers will be able to handle it. I have no doubt in that.”