Bear In Mind (A Billionaire Shifter Romance) (Atonement Book 1) Read online

  "These things happen to us all Keri, don't forget that. Remember two years ago, I got fired and lost my car the next week to repossession?" She nodded, having been the one doing the consoling back then, very similar to what Lizzie was doing now. "Well it sucked, but I got back on my feet after a bit and now look at me!"

  Keri smiled at that, for it was true. Her friend was now a section manager at a Fortune 500 company, making a killing, and loving every moment of it. In fact, she had helped Keri get her last job, by telling her about the opening, which she had heard about through her work. She owed Lizzie so much for that because the experience meant she would likely be able to find another job easily, though it would take a bit of time to get her name out there.

  "Okay okay, point taken," she said, smiling over at her friend, "though I definitely need to find a new place pronto, and a new job while I'm at it. Then once I've got those two, I'll start looking for a new man. How does that sound for a roadmap?"

  "Sounds great! You know I'll help however I can. For starters, let's have a drink!" Giggling, the two of them took big gulps of their wine, and then sat back in the couch.

  "So listen, Keri, I was going to break this to you tomorrow, but I may as well do it now, even if you just got that terrible news about the building." Keri looked at her suspiciously, wondering just what it was her friend had in mind.

  "I think you need to get out and meet some guys. Even if it's just to flirt or something. It would do you some good to get out there and just interact with the other half of our species. Nothing formal, no requirements, just a night out," she rushed on as Keri opened her mouth to object.

  "No way! I'm not interested nor am I ready to put myself back out there."

  "Oh please, it's just sex Keri! Trust me, as your friend, you need it. A man for the night is just what this doctor ordered." She mimed writing out her prescription on a pad of paper like a doctor would for drugs.

  "I don't know Liz," she frowned, thinking over the concept. As a curvy girl, Keri had never felt completely in her element flirting with random men. She was confident enough in herself and her looks, knowing she was good looking. Her long auburn hair was one of her best features, but she received the most compliments about her eyes, a flirtatious green that had captured at least a few men before.

  Still, it took a lot of nerves for her to go up to a man and shamelessly flirt. The whole concept of it filled her stomach with butterflies while twisting it into knots at the same time. It was fun when it worked, but it really hurt to be rejected. Being a taller woman with wide hips presented some challenges, but Keri knew she took the time to dress the part. She wondered if after three years of being off the market, could she still turn heads? Lizzie must have picked up on some of that train of thought, because she continued with her plan.

  "Look, here's the plan. Two days from now, the Coffee Corner over on 47th is hosting a simple speed dating event. We go, sit at a table. Every five minutes, a new guy rotates to your table. If you like him enough, the two of you can take off to talk some more. If not, you wait five minutes and he's gone."

  Keri still felt skeptical about the whole thing, but the fact that she wasn't just talking about a bar scene made her feel a little better. This was at least planned, and everyone was there for the same thing. Not having that burden on her shoulders would be nice. If she was honest with herself, she hadn't done much at all to even leave her apartment since Michael had left her.

  "Perhaps you're right Liz. Tuesday you said it was? I'll be there, though I still can't believe I'm actually agreeing to it. It's probably this damn wine speaking for me." They both laughed over that, feeling the effects of the wine now.

  "Promise me something though."

  "Sure, anything at all."

  "The next guy I find myself falling for, if he's a dick and I don't know it, you need to tell me right away. Don't ever let me waste my time on some asshole again. If you can see something from the start, then there's probably something there. Just don't let me be blind to it anymore, okay?"

  "Absolutely Ker!" her friend exclaimed, lifting the glass of wine to toast Keri. She raised her own in reply, feeling oddly relieved despite everything going on in her life. Tuesday was going to come sooner than she thought.

  ***

  Keri took one last look at herself in the mirror before she left. She had opted for subtly sexy, with tight jeans that accentuated her curves, and a looser, flowing shirt that tightened up right across her breasts. It plunged deeply enough to reveal some cleavage, just enough to generate interest, but ensured she didn't come across as desperate or skanky either. Her freshly cut hair was straightened and parted nicely to the side, giving her a bit of that girl-next-door vibe. She gave herself a red lipstick kiss in the mirror and headed down to join Liz in the lobby.

  The ride there was nerve wracking for Keri. She was still extremely emotionally torn up over Michael but recognized the logic that her friend had used. She was going to get back on the horse sooner or later, so why not make it sooner? Nonetheless, she was unsure if she could even find herself able to trust any of the men she might meet tonight. Such thoughts were foremost on her brain the entire way there.

  When their cab pulled up in front of the coffee shop, the two of them got out and paid the driver. Fixing their clothes, they looked at each other and prepared to enter.

  "Liz, will you look at that!" Keri exclaimed in a whisper, eyeing the extremely handsome, tall man in a very fashionable suit who was just opening the door inside. As they looked on, he rolled his shoulders once and then entered. The two girls exchanged a giggle over raised eyebrows.

  "Perhaps this is going to be better than you thought, don't you think Ker?" Liz teased her, seeing the way she had reacted to the tall, strong looking stranger who most likely would be part of their dating event.

  "How does a man like that even come to be at a place like this Liz?" She was curious, he was easily handsome enough to get dates by simply batting his eyes. Why speed dating?

  "Who cares, let's go meet him!" Liz grinned, pulling Keri along behind her as they headed for the door.

  Inside the coffee shop, there was a partition almost immediately, hiding most of the seating area. One sign pointed to the left and read 'Ladies', while the men were directed to go to the right. The two headed down their side, where after they turned right, it opened up into a large room full of tables. Only women, and one man who looked officious, possibly the coordinator, were occupying the room currently.

  "Hello, ladies! Glad you could join us." The man walked over, introducing himself as Titus, the host for the evening.

  "So, these are the rules. You will each pick a table somewhere in the room. Each table is numbered one through forty. Each man will be given a random ticket with a table number on it. They will go sit at that table for five minutes. Once the buzzer rings, they will move up one number, and so on. If at any point you wish to leave, feel free. Any questions?"

  " Great!" He exclaimed as the two of them shook their heads, the concept quite simple and easy to understand. As ladies, all they had to do was sit there. When the start time arrived, the two of them sat at nearby tables and waited to see what would happen.

  ***

  The parade of men who had gone past Keri's table was starting to get depressing. She was resting her chin in the palm of her hand now, tired out over the past hour and a half by uninteresting, weird, and downright creepy men who had done their best to try and seduce her. None of them seemed interested in more than an evening of good times.

  This last one was particularly bad. He was still droning on about his mother, and how amazing she had been to him growing up. That had been the sole conversation topic the entire five minutes, starting immediately after they had exchanged names. When the buzzer finally rang to relieve her of him, she wondered if perhaps she should just get up and leave. She hadn't made up her mind when the next man sat down in front of her.

  "Name, age, occupation and reason for being here," she droned
out as he sat down, not even giving him the opportunity to introduce himself. She stared down at the table waiting for his response.

  "Hello, my name is Derek, I'm thirty-four and I'm an entrepreneurial businessman I suppose you would call it. May I ask your name, and for the privilege to look at your eyes my lady?" The voice was a deep baritone, easy on the ears and brain. The reverberations of his words echoed throughout her body, stirring something within her she hadn't remembered existed.

  She jerked up in surprise as the man in front of her registered upon her senses. His cologne wafted through the air, infusing her nostrils with a sense of hunger. When she met his eyes though, she practically gasped in surprise. The icy-blue orbs stared into her, piercing any walls she tried to build, seeing deep within her soul.

  There was something about him, some sort of magnetic attraction, as if the very air was infused with an aphrodisiac and she inhaled more with every breath. As she continued to stare into his eyes, the silence drew longer, more profound. Something was happening between the two of them, and she had no control over the runaway train that carried her emotions right now.

  "H-Hi," she managed to stumble out, her gaze encompassing the rest of him now. She realized with a start that this was the same man that she and Lizzie had seen entering just before them. She saw now that he had a trimmed beard to accompany his black hair that was pushed off to one side, framing his face wonderfully. He looked like a model from one of her fantasies.

  "Can I have your name beautiful?"

  Hearing him call her beautiful was like music to her ears. Normally it took her some time to believe a man when he said she was good looking, but coming from this man's - No, she corrected herself, coming from Derek's lips it just felt so sincere, so believable. She knew this man would never lie to her.

  Derek

  "I'm Keri," the gorgeous woman across from him practically whispered, as she continued to stare into his eyes. He had been captivated the moment she looked up, becoming lost himself within the depths of her eyes as they both refused to break contact.

  "Well Keri, you're the most beautiful woman I've set eyes upon, I do believe, in my entire life. I just cannot stop staring at you." It was true, there was no falsehood in the words he spoke. Derek found himself falling for this woman that he had barely met. This curvy girl who was so unlike the other women he normally dated.

  His bear was roaring within him, doing its best to override the emotions of his brain. The two sides of him were so rarely in agreement, especially when it came to women. The fact that they now so strongly agreed, that they were fighting together, not against each other, spoke volumes for the effect this woman had upon him.

  "This may sound crazy and abrupt, but do you want to get out of here? I'd much rather go someplace where we can talk for longer than the next -" he paused to look up at the big countdown clock in the middle of the room, "- two or so minutes."

  At first Derek thought he was going to lose her, for she clearly was unsure if she wanted to go with him or not. Normally he would have been eyeing her up for sex, but right now he desperately wanted to talk to this woman, to earn her approval.

  Thoughts flitted through his head about just how he had come to be here. He figured that he would tell her in a few days, after she had had a chance to get to know the real him. Nothing would keep him from coming clean and ensuring that this woman, Keri, knew just about every detail about him.

  Perhaps, he thought, perhaps in time she might get to know every detail. Forcing his bear down, he couldn't help a huge smile from plastering itself on his face when she agreed to go.

  "I know a place not too far. It's got great food and the bartender will make you anything you want, with or without alcohol." He felt it best to include that last line, so she didn't think that he was simply attempting to get her drunk and take advantage of her.

  The two of them walked the few blocks, simply sharing stories of their past. Keri told him about her life situation, being abandoned and jobless. Derek promised to use his connections to help her out, even though she insisted he had to do nothing of the sort. By the time they got to the bar he had suggested, Derek was convinced he was madly in love with Keri, even if they had only just met.

  "Derek, I have to admit, I never thought I'd find a man like you in a speed dating setting," she commented as he sat her down at a private table, set away from the other evening diners.

  "I don't normally go, but my friend told me about it, and I haven't had much luck finding someone lately, so I decided to give it a go." He felt a little wrong telling her that, but none of it was a lie, though it definitely was not the truth either.

  "I'm so incredibly glad I did, otherwise I would not have met you Keri. This truly has been a remarkable evening." He flashed her a smile, and felt it grow when she returned one just as genuine. They ordered drinks and continued talking for some time, about each other, the world, and life in general. Derek had never felt more relaxed with a woman.

  Some time later, they disengaged from the close embrace and got up to leave. Keri was coming back to his place, though she had hinted that it would probably be not for long, ensuring that he didn't get too worked up.

  The cab ride to Derek's place didn't take too long, and he graciously held the door open to his luxurious condo for her. As she swept past him, he caught himself giving her rear an extra long look. She truly was beautiful, and his bear desperately wanted to explore every inch of her. It was calling to him nonstop, the animal instinct a constant pressure trying to take control of his body. Many long years of practice ensured he would never lose control, but it promised to ensure he knew it had been a fight.

  "This place is gorgeous Derek. The view is just unbelievable." It was relieving to him that she obviously had caught on to his wealth, but never asked him a single question about it. In fact, this was the only time she had made any real comment about it. Even at dinner she had insisted she pay her bill at first, but graciously accepted defeat when he simply smiled and said 'no'.

  "I often lose myself looking out over the city and thinking about anything that's bothering me. I'm glad you find it inspiring as well," he commented, coming up next to her. As he did, their arms brushed. Though it wasn't the first time they had touched that evening, tension rushed through him at it. It must be the privacy they had now he thought, if anything was going to happen it would be now.

  Keri clearly felt similarly, for she turned to him now, eyes looking up in to his, questing out, silently asking what he would do next. His bear roared now, even stronger than before, demanding he simply take her then and there. Derek knew if he did, she would let him, but that wasn't the way he wanted things to go.

  Instead, he gently stroked the side of her face with his hand, turning to face her entirely. He cupped her chin, drinking in the look on her face as he felt her smoothness under his fingertips. Lightly he tilted her head to the side, then leaned towards her. She closed her eyes, and just before their lips made contact he closed his.

  The brush of their lips together was electrical, shocking both of them into realizing that this truly was happening. He inhaled sharply as her hand wrapped around his neck, her fingers running through and grabbing on to his hair. She pulled him tighter, their kiss deepening as she did.

  His lips opened, his tongue questing hungrily into her mouth as she let him. Running his hands down her back, he grabbed her waist and pulled gently. She gasped in agreeable surprise as she felt the hard bulge between his legs.

  Assuming that she was interested in pursuing things further, Derek ran his hand up her side, enjoying the feel of her curves beneath him. He cupped her large, full breast through her shirt. Startled, Keri pulled away from him, a look of sadness crossing her face, mixed with some emotions he couldn't quite figure out.

  "What is it Keri? Did I do something wrong?" He obviously had, but wasn't sure what, not after the way things had been going.

  "No, no. Listen, Derek. I told you about my last relationship, and how that end
ed. That was barely two weeks ago, I'm still recovering. I-I like you a lot," she hurried on "but I just can't do this. Not yet. Do you understand?" She looked up at him, eyes pleading for him to understand.

  "Of course I do Keri, I understand perfectly. You don't have to feel bad. Did you want a drink, some water, or just to go home?" He didn't want to let her go yet, because he wasn't sure he would ever see her again if she just left.

  "I need to go home, I think." She obviously wasn't sure of her decision either, but he was determined to respect it, no matter how much his bear was disagreeing with him right now. For once, he was going to do the right thing, instead of taking advantage of the situation. He couldn't believe his own willingness to give up the potential of sex, but this woman drew out the best in him.

  "Okay, let me call you a cab."

  "Thank you, Derek. Before I go though, let me give you my number. I would so like to see you again. If you want to of course." She almost mumbled the last part, giving him a way out if he wanted too, obviously embarrassed by the situation.

  "I have an event I must attend tomorrow Keri. It's out in the open, and kind of a big deal. Perfect for us to enjoy each other's company and get to know each other. Would you be able to make it on such short notice?" He desperately hoped she would, not wanting to spend one more second apart from her than absolutely necessary.

  She thought about it for a moment, then a grin split her face. "I would love to Derek! Just call me in the morning and give me the details, okay?" She gave him a quick peck on the cheek, and practically fled his apartment. For a long time after he stared out the windows of his condo, contemplating everything that had just happened with his evening, one hand absently rubbing the cheek she had kissed.

  For as long as Derek could remember, he had simply used women and left them behind when he became bored of them. He had given no thought to morals, ethics, or even what the other person was feeling.