Chapter 7
Barrett
The next three days passed in much the same way. Nolan went to work while I painted on the back deck. I would get caught up in my work, forgetting the world around me entirely, until he arrived home. Then he’d tell me how amazing that day’s piece was before dropping to his knees to feast on my cock.
While most men would love to have this level of consistency, I was starting to get worried. There were a few reasons for my confusion.
The first was that he’d said he wanted to talk, yet we never did. Both of us had been so exhausted after eating, we barely had enough energy to move my canvas inside before passing out on the couch. We woke up the next morning and he didn't mention a word of it.
The next concern I had was about his self-esteem. I figured that was the only reason he hadn’t let me see him completely. I’d been splayed out bare for the man for days, yet the only glimpse of skin I got was when he walked around shirtless or in shorts.
I wanted to see more of him, dammit.
So while working on today’s painting, I went in a different direction. It was a scene meant to entice him to think outside of the boxes he’d put us in.
The couple in my painting were deep in the throes of lovemaking. It was very obviously two men from their build and facial hair. They also might have happened to look eerily a bit like us, though I did blur a bit of the features to give the piece a dreamlike quality.
I took my time with the work, creating something far more erotic than I expected to. And unlike the other days when I heard Nolan come onto the porch, I didn’t realize he was home until his arms wrapped around me from behind.
“Baby,” he whispered, voice soft and reverent. “This is amazing.”
I turned to look up at him, my cheeks hurting from how wide my smile had become. It faltered a bit when I saw tears brimming in his eyes.
“What’s wrong? Do you hate it? I’m sorry if it’s too forward.”
Nolan placed a finger on my lips, silencing my pleas. “There is nothing wrong with this painting. I’m overcome with a lot of emotion. I didn’t expect this. That doesn’t mean I don't want it.”
I bit my lip, then turned to fully face him. He immediately wrapped his arms around me.
“You want it?”
His eyes sparkled at my question. “I do. But we do need to have that talk. I’m sorry I’ve been avoiding it. It’s not something I thought I’d ever have to do.”
I frowned at his words. He was talking like there was some big secret he had to reveal before we could fuck. That never made a guy feel confident about potential hook ups.
Though hook up didn’t feel like the right term for what we were doing. But it also felt too heavy to suggest it was something more.
Nolan turned us to the house. We left my supplies behind as we made our way to the living room. He sat down, then pulled me to the couch beside him.
He held my hand, his eyes focused on the connection. Whatever it was he wanted to say must have been difficult.
I went through all the possible scenarios I could to see how I’d feel if they were what he wanted to talk about.
He had an STD. Ok, so we’d work through it together.
He was a virgin. Again, together we’d figure out the mechanics to keep us both happy.
He was married. That one would be a problem, though since no one else appeared to have ever been here for an extended stay, this one felt less like a possibility.
When he finally did speak, I felt a sense of relief that I’d finally get some kind of answer. The unknown was far worse than whatever he’d say.
“The people in this town are different,” he began. “We’ve all been here for a very long time. Most of us don’t leave, and those that do tend to come back to stay.”
I smiled encouragingly. “Small towns have a way of doing that for people. Your town wouldn’t be the first.”
“But we also don’t have a lot of people come here either. There’s a reason for that. It’s because they can’t.”
Squeezing his hands, I waited for him to look up at me before I said, “I’m here though. So whatever you think makes this place so bad isn’t the case. I really like it here so far from what I’ve seen.”
Nolan winced. “Sorry about keeping you here. I’m just… unsettled with the thought of you being out without me. I was planning to ask you out on a date later this week. We just had to get through this first.”
“Then let’s get through it. I want that date! Rip the Band-Aid off. Just say what you think I’ll freak out about so I can show you I won’t and then we can make out.”
His booming laugh filled the space around us. I smiled, happy my plan to loosen the tension in his shoulders worked.
“Alright. Band-Aid rip time,” he mumbled. “The truth is, I’m a shifter. A bear shifter, to be specific.”
I scrunched my face. “A bear shifter? Like romance book style shifter? Full moon stuff?”
“No, not full moon. That’s a misconception about wolves. None of us are beholden to the moon for our shifts, though we are all much more powerful and restless during them. It’s not safe for a human.”
Okayyyy.
Maybe this town was full of whackadoodles after all. Nolan clearly believed he was a shifter. That much was clear in how calm and rational he delivered the information.
On the other hand, I was doubting everything that had gone down between us. Why in the world did I end up fooling around with a man who believed himself to be part animal? What were the chances?
“I can tell you don’t believe me,” he said when I didn’t say anything else. “This is better than you being terrified, but it won’t do us any good for you to think I’m crazy.”
My eyes widened. “Can you read minds too?”
“No, we can’t. I knew because your face gave it away. You look ready to bolt out the door.”
“I couldn’t. All my stuff is here. I wouldn’t leave without my work. Plus, I like this place. And I like you. I’m just not sure what to make of this.”
He sighed, his gaze moving to the back porch. I watched him go over whatever thoughts he was battling, then he tilted his head.
“What if I were to show you? Then would you believe?”
“Well, yeah. But I’m not waiting for you to get your magic act together. No sleight of hand or magic glitter shit will make me see a bear where a man should be.”
Nolan shook his head at me. “You’re ridiculous. Come on then. Let’s get this part over with.”
I followed him outside, excitement and confusion warring inside me. Did I want this to be real? Maybe.
A small part of me loved the idea of him being a shifter. It would open up a whole new world of knowledge for me. Plus, there was that nagging feeling about the bear I couldn’t stop painting. My subconscious clearly had a thing for the animal. If the man I wanted to rail me into next week happened to be that particular creature, then this would be a win/win.
But also, it could be terrible. What if I’m going to become a human sacrifice or something? Will they hang me up like humans hang up bear skin rugs?
I blanched at the thought. I would not look good on anyone’s wall.
“Whatever you’re thinking is wrong. I’m not going to hurt you,” Nolan said as we stepped outside. “Have a seat in your chair. I’ll go down to the yard to shift. Even when I’m in my other form, I’ll still know it’s you. There is no danger. You’re safe.”
His need to reassure me eased some of the tension I had. It wasn’t all gone though.
I eased into the chair, then put my hands in my lap as I waited for what was to come. Nolan moved into the yard like he said he would. Then he began taking off his clothes.
At my shocked stare, he shrugged. “Clothes rip when you shift. We’re all used to being naked a good portion of the time. It’s humans who hate nudity.”
My mouth dropped open, ready to defend my species. My species. Really, Barrett?
Ignoring my inner debate, I kept my gaze on his face. No matter how much I wanted to take in the span of delicious muscle and what I knew had to be a monster cock, I didn’t falter.
Once he was naked, he stood to his full height. With his eyes locked on me, he began to shift. I refused to blink since I had no clue how long it would take.
As I watched, fur sprouted across his body and his bones shifted. I could hear a crunching noise, which made me wince. That had to hurt, right?
In a matter of seconds, Nolan was gone and in front of me stood a bear.
A very familiar bear.
He was the one from my paintings. I’d know him anywhere with all the time I’d spent drawing his distinct features.
“It’s you,” I said with wonder.
My feet were drawing me to him before I even had time to panic. I needed to be closer, needed to touch what I’d secretly become obsessed with.
Nolan remained where he was, seated back with his chest tall. When I got closer, I took in his large form. Even seated, he was much taller than me.
“You’re gorgeous.”
I felt a surge of excitement over being this close to such a wild animal. Though, maybe this one wasn’t wild. It was Nolan beneath all that fur still. He was the sheriff of this town, a protector of all. And he provided me with a safe place to stay when he didn’t have to.
That made him a good person in my book. Eh, I mean, a good shifter.
The semantics of this was going to be interesting.
“Can I touch your fur?” I asked after taking a minute to walk around him. His size was magnificent. I pictured myself painting him like this. I’d need a larger canvas to capture all the details. It would take more time too.
Maybe I could work on it when he wasn’t around. It would be creepy to continue painting him now that I knew it was him I’d drawn, right?
Bear Nolan moved slowly until he was lying on his stomach. His head rested atop his paws, which made him look adorable in a way.
I smiled, then leaned over to run my fingers over the top of his head. At the first pass, he growled softly. I froze, unsure if the sound was one of enjoyment or anger. When he lifted his head as if to encourage me to continue, I couldn’t resist.
We spent several minutes outside, the quiet surrounding us as I lost myself in the moment. His fur was softer than I imagined it would be. It had a bit of a wave to it too, much like his real hair did.
After I had my fill, I moved to sit in front of him with my legs crossed. “Hi,” I said shyly. “Thank you for showing me this. What happens now?”
He raised up, shifting back quicker than before. I blinked and then a very naked Nolan stood before me. He reached for his boxers, though the move wasn’t quick enough to hide what was very clearly a rounded section of his cock.
“Is that…” my voice trailed off as I tried to think of the right word to use.
Nolan covered himself, then sat across from me, his pose a mirror to my own. “That was the other part of this you needed to know. Since I’m a shifter, my anatomy is a bit different.”
I laughed. “I’d say so. You’re definitely the hairiest guy I’ve ever kissed.”
We shared a smile at the silly joke, though I could still sense a tightness to his features. It was like he worried about what came next. I wanted to tell him that if him shifting into a bear wasn’t a deal breaker, then whatever he had to tell me likely wouldn’t be the end of everything either.
“As I was trying to explain, shifters are designed for breeding. Our bodies work to ensure our mate becomes pregnant unless there is some kind of medical intervention. Part of that guarantee is a knot.”
I froze as the word swept over me. Knot! That’s what I was trying to say earlier.
“You have a knot?”
He nodded. “I do. Do you know how a knot works?”
While I couldn’t give him a full presentation, I was aware enough to understand his concern. His cock was already long and thick. Adding an expanding base would be even more intense.
But wait…
“You just said it’s for breeding. Why would that matter to me? I can’t get pregnant.”
Nolan stared at me without saying a word. His silence was loud.
“I can’t get pregnant, right?” Panic seeped through me tone.
Men didn’t get pregnant. That wasn’t possible. Then again, I also didn’t think people shifting into bears was possible before today.
“Any mated shifters can get pregnant. Gender does not come into play with it. If I were… If we mated, then you could conceive our child. The bond makes it possible, though the fact that you’re human could mean a few surprises for us.”
I wanted to say something about how it wasn’t real or that he had it all wrong. But my eyes rolled back, and my body swayed before I could even form words.