Tristian: BBW Paranormal Shape Shifter Romance (Blackbeary Creek Book 2) Page 4

  Something about Tristian was different.

  More.

  No, don’t think about him.

  God, what had possessed her to sign up for Speed Dating?

  Even though she’d filled out the application weeks ago, it was too soon. Tristian was branded on her brain, and none of the men in the room came close to measuring up.

  Unfortunately, though they were lacking, it still hurt when they came to the same consensus about her. There were twenty men in the room, and when the organizer told them all to find a starting seat, every single one of them passed her table without a second glance, and one of them ducked out, pretending to be a no-show, even though he’d only have to sit with her for less than five minutes.

  Fuck this!

  Tears threatened to well up, but she forced them back as she grabbed the handle of her purse, and looked up into the apologetic eyes of the event organizer.

  “Excuse me, Miss Morrison?”

  “Yes?”

  “In order to start, we must have an even number of men and women, and there’s been a no-show. I’m sorry, but because you’re the only one without a partner, you’ll have to leave,” the man said.

  “No,” Tristian barked, gaining the attention of everyone in the room. She didn’t miss the way the women openly gawked at his perfect body, or how the men instantly hated him because he was better looking than all of them. “I’ll be her partner.”

  Tristian! Tristian is here!

  He was here, rescuing her again—whether he knew it or not—and she wanted to jump into his arms and never leave. Instead, she kept her seat and tried to act nonchalant.

  “Tristian,” she whispered, nearly breathless.

  Damn it!

  The desperate need in her voice was definitely not casual. When their eyes met, she knew he understood exactly what she was thinking about.

  “Wonderful, sir,” the man said. “If you’ll follow me back to the desk, we’ll get you signed in and then we can begin.”

  “Great,” Tristian smiled, placing a bag on the chair across from her.

  He followed the man to the front of the room, and she nearly died from the heavenly smell coming out of the bag. Her stomach released a soft growl, and horror struck as she looked around to see if anyone else heard. Luckily, all eyes were on the gorgeous man at the front of the room, and no one was paying any attention to her.

  If they dated, that’s how it always would be. Everyone would always be looking at Tristian.

  What do you care? He’d be going home with you!

  And she’d get to fall asleep in his arms every night, and wake to his sexy-as-sin body every morning. Not to mention the in between, when he would caress and stroke her body, resulting in the best orgasms of her life.

  Shit!

  Her pussy throbbed, and she pressed her legs together in an effort to ease the growing need to take him in the kitchen and let him fuck her against the fridge.

  OMG… What the hell is wrong with me?

  She downed the small glass of ice water she’d brought from the welcome table, and tried to focus.

  Tristian seemed genuinely interested in her, and she loved getting attention from the hottest guy in the room, but that’s all it could ever be. They were too different, and she knew that if she let herself love him, once it ended—and it would end—no other man would ever measure up, and she’d be alone for the rest of her life.

  She had to let him go…again.

  When Tristian returned, he placed the bag on the floor, and her mouth watered as another whiff of the blissful smell skated over her. The man in charge started talking at the front of the room, and she leaned forward so Tristian could hear her whispers.

  “What are you doing here? And what is in that bag? Oh, my god, it smells amazing.”

  “Cinnamon rolls,” he laughed, ignoring her first question. “Do you want one?”

  Why would she want to eat now? Oh right, because fat girls were always stuffing their faces.

  Damn him!

  Maybe letting him go would be easier than she thought.

  “No, of course not.” She snapped, leaning back in her seat. “Tristian, you can’t be here.”

  He leaned forward and whispered vehemently.

  “The hell I can’t. Why’d you run out on me, sweetheart?”

  Ding! Ding! Ding!

  She was literally saved by the bell, except that Tristian wouldn’t budge. He growled at the man who tried to take his seat, and as he scurried to the next table, the man’s relief was evident. Not because he was afraid of Tristian, even though everyone gave him a wide berth, but because he didn’t have to sit with the fat girl.

  This night sucked rocks.

  “You’re supposed to move to the next table,” she said, when the timer started again.

  “Why?” he asked.

  “So you can meet someone new. You get three minutes with each person. If you like them, jot down their number on this card,” she tapped the card on the table in front of her. “If they like you, too, then you’ll get an email tomorrow with their name and contact information so you can set up a date.”

  “I don’t want to date anyone but you.”

  “Tristian, I—”

  The bell rang again, cutting her off.

  “You want me to move around the room?” he asked, standing. “Fine, but this isn’t over, sweetheart. Not by a longshot.”

  Even though she met someone new every three minutes, the next hour crawled by at a snail’s pace. She cared even less about the men sitting across from her than she did before Tristian walked in, and wondering whether or not he made a connection with one of the beautiful women in the room consumed her.

  Finally, Tristian moved into the seat two tables away, and she knew the last bell was about to ring. When the chime filled the room, everyone busied themselves by filling out their cards, and she bolted.

  Scarlett grabbed her purse, blank card, and pencil, and quickly strode to the front of the room. She dropped her card into the ballot-like box, and exited the building. She didn’t even reach the parking lot before she heard Tristian’s strong voice fill the air.

  “Take one more step, and I’ll throw you over my shoulder and carry you back to my place.”

  Yes, please!

  She was tempted to test him more than she wanted to admit, but then she’d never have the strength to let him go, so she stopped walking and faced him.

  “Oh, sure, now you stop,” he said, teasing. “I was looking forward to chasing you.”

  For sex…because she’d pretended to be something she wasn’t.

  She had to tell him the truth.

  “I’m sorry, but I don’t want to be chased,” she said. “Last week was amazing, but it was a fluke. It wasn’t me. I hardly ever go to clubs, but when I do, I don’t kiss strangers and have sex with them in public places. I’m not wild, or even remotely interesting, and I’m sorry, but I only date nice men—”

  “Like the men in there?” he accused, throwing his thumb back toward the restaurant. “Or your date that night? Because I’m pretty sure he left with someone else, and they fucked in the parking lot.”

  He was right, that loser was a bad example.

  “The point is,” she pressed on, “I’m not what you need—”

  “You’re exactly what I need.”

  God, she wished that were true.

  “Tristian,” she sighed. “I’m a librarian. I love books, and reading, and staying home on the weekends. I like watching movies in my living room, and ordering in to avoid crowds. I’m boring and lonely, and even though it sounds pathetic, I’m never going to change. What we did, it’s not me—”

  “It’s not me either,” he interrupted. “I know it’s hard to believe, but I don’t date, and I don’t sleep around. You’re different, which is why that night happened, but it doesn’t have to happen again. Come over tomorrow, and spend the day with me.”

  She opened her mouth to protest, but he pressed on.

  “No sex, I swear,” he said, holding up his palms to placate her. “Just dinner and a movie. You pick the movie, and we can order in. You can also meet my sister—she lives next door—who is a lot like you. She’s a writer, loves books, and works mostly from home. She’s ma—she has a boyfriend—but she doesn’t have any friends outside of our family. It sounds like you two will have something in common.”

  His proposal sounded too good to be true.

  “Your sister lives next door?”

  “Yep, with my best friend, Ethan. He’s the one who walked in on us the other night, and he’s also the manager of the club.”

  “Oh, god…” Heat singed her cheeks when she remembered what position Ethan found them in.

  “He won’t say a word about it,” he reassured her. “Ever.”

  “Right,” she rolled her eyes. “You can’t know that.”

  “Actually, I can,” he said. “We’ve been friends since birth, and I trust him more than anyone I know. If I say to keep quiet, then he keeps quiet.”

  She wanted what Tristian offered her, but fear kept her from saying so.

  “Come on, sweetheart,” he said, tucking a loose lock of hair behind her ear. “Give us a chance.”

  “I can’t come tomorrow,” she said. “The library is open late, and it’s my turn to close, but…I can come on Wednesday.”

  “Wednesday works,” he eagerly agreed.

  She reluctantly nodded, and pulled out her cell so they could exchange information.

  Chapter Four

  Scarlett tried to focus on the movie, but she couldn’t concentrate. She gave Tristian a sideways glance, and one side of her face rose, forming a secret half-smile.

  True to his word, they’d spent most of the day together, and except for the casual touch of his hand on the small of her back, he hadn’t initiated anything physical. Usually, that would mean rejection, and elicit feeling like a fat, ugly freak, but not with Tristian. The man was patient, sincere, and seriously sexy. It didn’t matter what they were doing…she’d felt loved, accepted and protected all day.

  Not only that, but he’d saved her again.

  Earlier, as she’d waited for him in the lobby of her apartment building, Candi and Amber opened their door and began to voice their disappointment in the fact that she’d ruined the date they’d set up.

  “Oh look,” Amber sneered. “It’s Miss Goody-Two-Shoes.”

  “We did you a favor,” Candi chimed in. “Not a lot of guys will fuck a fattie, but he was willing, and you were lame. Why did you go out with him if you didn’t plan on spreading your legs?”

  “Yeah, you made us look like idiots, and now one of the hottest guys around won’t even talk to us. Thanks a lot, loser.”

  “You guys are crazy,” Scarlett fired back. “You know I don’t sleep around, and the only reason I went out with him is because you both said he was perfect for me, however, we had absolutely nothing in common. If he won’t talk to you, that’s your fault, not mine.”

  “Whatever,” Amber said. “Unless you lose some weight, and start living up to your name’s potential, you’re going to be alone for the rest of your life.”

  “Yeah, you’ll be one of those old ladies that has like a hundred cats, and when you die, no one will find you until months later, but it will be too late because the cats will have eaten away all of your flesh.”

  Gross!

  “That’s disgusting,” Scarlett said, “but I’ll take my chances.”

  “I don’t think you’ll have to worry about that.”

  Tristian’s voice washed over her like a healing balm, but the looks on Candi and Amber’s faces were priceless. He’d literally left them speechless, something she’d never witnessed before.

  “Are you ready to go, sweetheart?” Tristian asked.

  “Yeah,” she said, smiling up at him.

  He’d placed his hand on the small of her back, and guided her out of the building, but not before she’d called out a friendly sing-song goodbye over her shoulder.

  Seeing them dumbstruck had been the best feeling ever.

  Tristian didn’t say another word until they were safe in the cabin of his SUV.

  “Please tell me those two aren’t friends of yours.”

  “Not even close,” she said, still smiling.

  “What did they mean by, ‘Start living up to your name’s potential?’”

  “My last name is Morrison. They think Scarlett Morrison sounds like a stripper name, and that I should be skinny and promiscuous to do the name justice.”

  “You’re kidding, right?” he asked, deadpan.

  “If only,” she laughed.

  His blatant dislike of the party twins made her happier than it should have, and soon he was laughing, too, and the women and their ugliness were forgotten.

  Tristian lived on the less populated side of the creek, and the ride to his house was filled with comfortable conversation. After a few minutes, he turned onto a long, tree-lined driveway, and at the end of the driveway, the trees parted to reveal a clearing. In the center of the large, open space, a grand two-story home stood in the center of four, smaller, more modest homes.

  Four tall, muscular men stood in front of the house, and behind them, a curvy woman sat on the stairs leading up to the front door.

  “Of course,” Tristian sighed. “Don’t be alarmed, but everyone wants to meet you.”

  “Who are those people?” she asked.

  “My cl— family and friends,” he said. “They all live on the property.”

  “Oh,” she said, suddenly feeling subconscious.

  If his friends were coming out to meet her, then it was probably to scrutinize so they could make fun of her later. She picked a piece of lint off her capris, and quickly studied her outfit.

  Shit!

  Why hadn’t she dressed better?

  Tristian parked the car, and turned off the engine.

  “Hey,” he said, placing his finger under her chin, and gently coaxing her to look at him. “No one is going to hurt you. Trust me. They’re here because they know how much you mean to me, and they want to know you. That’s all.”

  “But you just met me,” she said, her voice shaky.

  “Doesn’t matter,” he shrugged. “I know what I want, and they trust my judgement.”

  “Okay,” she nodded.

  “Good,” he said, opening his door. “Wait for me.”

  She did, but his men didn’t.

  A man with jet black hair, and a huge smile opened her door and offered his hand.

  “Hiya, Red,” he said, helping her out of the car. “I’m Zach, and this grumpy bastard is my cousin, Aiden.”

  “It’s nice to meet you, Scarlett,” Aiden said. He didn’t smile, but she got the impression he never did, and she wasn’t offended.

  “Hi, I’m Graham,” a tall blond said. His violet eyes were hidden behind a trendy pair of glasses, and she had a feeling he was supposed to be the nerd of the group.

  Not possible!

  Every single one of them looked like sex-on-a-stick, but she didn’t feel anything beyond friendship for any of them. It was honestly a little weird. Tristian was the only one out of the group to get her motor running.

  “Hi Scarlett,” the last man said, sticking out his hand. “I’m Ethan, and this is my…girlfriend, Tegan.”

  Her face flamed, but she grabbed Ethan’s hand and shook it.

  Tristian hadn’t been lying. If she didn’t know any better, she’d never believe this was the same man who had walked in on them.

  “Hi Scarlett,” Tegan said. “I also have the title of Tristian’s sister.”

  Unlike the men, Tegan was curvy and beautiful, and she had the same brown hair and eyes as Tristian.

  “It’s nice to meet you,” Scarlett said. “Tristian said you’re a writer?”

  “Yes, I do a lot of freelance, mostly for magazines.”

  “I’d love to hear more about your work,” Scarlett said.

  “We have some time now, if you’d like to go before dinner,” Tristian said.

  “That would be great.”

  “Come on,” Tegan said. “I love sharing my work with others.”

  She’d followed Tegan into her and Ethan’s home, and the two spent a couple of hours in the other woman’s office. Tristian had been right, they had tons in common, and they chatted like old friends.

  She’d forgotten how much fun having a good friend could be, and the only thing that pulled her away was Tristian. Not because he was jealous, but because he’d heard her stomach rumbling, and forced her to look over the Chinese food menu so he could order.

  While they’d waited, he’d given her a tour of his home, and she’d been in awe.

  One master bedroom, a master bath, five decent sized bedrooms, and another bathroom filled the upstairs. The first floor housed the kitchen, dining room, his office, a formal living room, a family room, and another guest bathroom.

  The place reminded her of a small, homey castle, and it was wonderful.

  Dinner had arrived just in time, and the comfortable conversation continued throughout the meal.

  Tristian was smart, resourceful, and caring, and his men respected him in a way she’d never seen before. Though they were technically only friends, or by his definition, family, describing them as his men seemed appropriate. They were all strong, dominant males, but their devotion to him was undeniable.

  Much like her growing fondness for him.

  Hell, there was no use in lying to herself. She knew the truth. She’d been attracted to Tristian from the moment he’d joined her in the booth at the club, and now that she’d had a chance to get to know the man on the inside, she was falling hard and fast.

  The credits to the movie rolled, pulling her out of her thoughts, and she smiled at Tristian. He’d let her pick the movie, a chick-flick she’d seen before, and she loved the fact that he really seemed to like it.

  “I have to say,” he said, smiling back. “That was way better than I thought it would be.”

  “Good,” she laughed. “Next time you can pick.”

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