Blind Date With A Bear
CHAPTER ONE
Quinn Blackwood had finally given in and allowed his sister Deb to set him up on a blind date. He’d been reluctant because his sister was making somewhat of a reputation in the shifter world as a true mate matchmaker. He wasn’t sure he was quite ready to take that last and final step. The one that would end his bachelor days forever.
He did admit he was lonely. Starting to feel the weight of the years without someone to share his life. He’d never been in a hurry to find his true mate. Lately though, he’d grown tired of the superficial relationships he had with women. He was tired of the endless nights of nameless faces.
What would it hurt to start looking? It took some shifters years to find their mates, if they ever did. A shit-eating grin split his face. If he had to suffer through dating and banging a lot of beautiful women in the interim, who was he to argue with fate?
Besides, for this first date his sister had set him up with a co-worker. The chances of her being his mate weren’t great. The woman hadn’t been in town long and Deb had made it sound like he’d be doing the woman a favor by going out with her. Quinn got the impression she was a mousy kind of woman who found it hard to connect with men.
He held open the door for a group of women leaving the restaurant and bar, his smile widening when they gave him the once over. He returned the compliment.
Yup, starting out slow on his quest was good. He’d have a little more fun before he donned the mantel of responsibility that came with having a mate. After all, you were only a young bear once.
As he stepped inside, he had to admit his sister had picked a decent place for the date, much better than he would have. He was reluctant to admit his dating skills were a little rusty. Since his usual objective was to find a woman for a long, hard fuck, he frequented biker bars or shifter owned bars. There the women knew the score and why a bear shifter was on the hunt.
Another group of people walked by stirring the air around him and his bear shifted inside. Whoa there, boy. He hadn’t had that reaction in a long time. And never that strong. The scent of a green summer forest wafted toward him and his bear—not to mention his cock—roared to attention. He stopped moving.
Well, damn.
Somewhere inside this restaurant was his mate. He threw back his head and laughed, garnering the attention of the nearby patrons. Fate had played a hell of a trick on him. He’d just decided to sit back and enjoy the hunt, and wham, the hunt was over before it even began.
Had his sister set him up for more than just a blind date? Was this co-worker his mate? If so, he could kick himself in the ass. His sister had been trying to get them together for over a month but their schedules had never seemed to jive. Now that he thought about it, Deb hadn’t tried very hard to set him up with anyone else.
Yep, he needed a swift kick in the ass. He could have had his mate claimed and bedded weeks ago. His father always said things happened when they needed to. Thinking of the nights he could have already had his mate in his arms, and in his bed, he wished this would have happened a little fucking sooner.
He strode straight to the bar where his date should be waiting. If his date wasn’t his mate, he’d have to apologize quickly and go on the hunt. Several women sat at the bar and another walked toward him wearing a slinky red dress. As she brushed past him, flashing a come-and-get-me smile, not to mention a good portion of her boobs, her cloying perfume was all he could smell. Thankfully, she wasn’t his mate.
He let his bear sift through the smells. Perfume, alcohol, food. Finally, the animal zeroed in on the intoxicating scent. It was coming from a busty little brunette sitting at the far end of the bar, half obscured by the shadows.
Thanks to his shifter sight, he could see every little detail of her appearance. She was exactly his type. A curvy girl. Her full, feminine flesh peeked from between the sides of her stiff, buttoned-up shirt, teasing the onlooker. Her hips curved beneath the fabric of her pants, the material falling soft and loose over her rounded bottom. Black pumps, sedate with a low heel, encased her feet. In fact, she looked like a member of the wait staff taking a break. A sex kitten she wasn’t, even though she definitely had the shape for it.
Her hair was thick and shiny, falling in gentle waves to the middle of her back. He loved women with long hair. There was something so feminine, so earthy about it, almost urging him to plant his seed deep inside where she would nourish it. At least that’s what this woman’s appearance said to him.
Which wasn’t the least bit surprising since she was indeed his true mate.
That mouthwatering smell of a green summer forest grew stronger as he approached. His bear rumbled in approval. He thought of a million and one ways he could—and would take her. He’d have to be careful of her. She might be a bigger girl, but she was still human; her body would need time to adjust to being the mate of a shifter, especially a bear shifter. They were the biggest of the shifters—everywhere. Plus, he could sometimes get a little rough in the bedroom. Yeah, he’d have to be careful when he pumped inside her.
Quinn Blackwood had finally given in and allowed his sister Deb to set him up on a blind date. He’d been reluctant because his sister was making somewhat of a reputation in the shifter world as a true mate matchmaker. He wasn’t sure he was quite ready to take that last and final step. The one that would end his bachelor days forever.
He did admit he was lonely. Starting to feel the weight of the years without someone to share his life. He’d never been in a hurry to find his true mate. Lately though, he’d grown tired of the superficial relationships he had with women. He was tired of the endless nights of nameless faces.
What would it hurt to start looking? It took some shifters years to find their mates, if they ever did. A shit-eating grin split his face. If he had to suffer through dating and banging a lot of beautiful women in the interim, who was he to argue with fate?
Besides, for this first date his sister had set him up with a co-worker. The chances of her being his mate weren’t great. The woman hadn’t been in town long and Deb had made it sound like he’d be doing the woman a favor by going out with her. Quinn got the impression she was a mousy kind of woman who found it hard to connect with men.
He held open the door for a group of women leaving the restaurant and bar, his smile widening when they gave him the once over. He returned the compliment.
Yup, starting out slow on his quest was good. He’d have a little more fun before he donned the mantel of responsibility that came with having a mate. After all, you were only a young bear once.
As he stepped inside, he had to admit his sister had picked a decent place for the date, much better than he would have. He was reluctant to admit his dating skills were a little rusty. Since his usual objective was to find a woman for a long, hard fuck, he frequented biker bars or shifter owned bars. There the women knew the score and why a bear shifter was on the hunt.
Another group of people walked by stirring the air around him and his bear shifted inside. Whoa there, boy. He hadn’t had that reaction in a long time. And never that strong. The scent of a green summer forest wafted toward him and his bear—not to mention his cock—roared to attention. He stopped moving.
Well, damn.
Somewhere inside this restaurant was his mate. He threw back his head and laughed, garnering the attention of the nearby patrons. Fate had played a hell of a trick on him. He’d just decided to sit back and enjoy the hunt, and wham, the hunt was over before it even began.
Had his sister set him up for more than just a blind date? Was this co-worker his mate? If so, he could kick himself in the ass. His sister had been trying to get them together for over a month but their schedules had never seemed to jive. Now that he thought about it, Deb hadn’t tried very hard to set him up with anyone else.
Yep, he needed a swift kick in the ass. He could have had his mate claimed and bedded weeks ago. His father always said things happened when they needed to. Thinking of the nights he could have already had his mate in his arms, and in his bed, he wished this would have happened a little fucking sooner.
He strode straight to the bar where his date should be waiting. If his date wasn’t his mate, he’d have to apologize quickly and go on the hunt. Several women sat at the bar and another walked toward him wearing a slinky red dress. As she brushed past him, flashing a come-and-get-me smile, not to mention a good portion of her boobs, her cloying perfume was all he could smell. Thankfully, she wasn’t his mate.
He let his bear sift through the smells. Perfume, alcohol, food. Finally, the animal zeroed in on the intoxicating scent. It was coming from a busty little brunette sitting at the far end of the bar, half obscured by the shadows.
Thanks to his shifter sight, he could see every little detail of her appearance. She was exactly his type. A curvy girl. Her full, feminine flesh peeked from between the sides of her stiff, buttoned-up shirt, teasing the onlooker. Her hips curved beneath the fabric of her pants, the material falling soft and loose over her rounded bottom. Black pumps, sedate with a low heel, encased her feet. In fact, she looked like a member of the wait staff taking a break. A sex kitten she wasn’t, even though she definitely had the shape for it.
Her hair was thick and shiny, falling in gentle waves to the middle of her back. He loved women with long hair. There was something so feminine, so earthy about it, almost urging him to plant his seed deep inside where she would nourish it. At least that’s what this woman’s appearance said to him.
Which wasn’t the least bit surprising since she was indeed his true mate.
That mouthwatering smell of a green summer forest grew stronger as he approached. His bear rumbled in approval. He thought of a million and one ways he could—and would take her. He’d have to be careful of her. She might be a bigger girl, but she was still human; her body would need time to adjust to being the mate of a shifter, especially a bear shifter. They were the biggest of the shifters—everywhere. Plus, he could sometimes get a little rough in the bedroom. Yeah, he’d have to be careful when he pumped inside her.