Geek Bearing Gifts (BBW Paranormal Shape Shifter Romance): A BBW in search of love + A sexy shifter who secretly loved her = Smokin' Roaring Romance (Paranormal Dating Agency Book 2) Read online

  GEEK BEARING GIFTS

  PARANORMAL DATING AGENCY

  USA TODAY BESTSELLING AUTHOR

  MILLY TAIDEN

  This book is a work of fiction. The names, characters, places, and incidents are fictitious or have been used fictitiously, and are not to be construed as real in any way. Any resemblance to persons, living or dead, actual events, locales, or organizations is entirely coincidental.

  Published By

  Latin Goddess Press

  New York, NY 10456

  http://millytaiden.com

  Geek Bearing Gifts

  Copyright © 2014 by Milly Taiden

  Edited by Melinda Fulton

  Cover by Willsin Rowe

  All Rights Are Reserved. No part of this book may be used or reproduced in any manner whatsoever without written permission, except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical articles and reviews.

  Property of Milly Taiden September 2014

  ACCLAIM FOR MILLY TAIDEN

  FOR Twice the Growl

  “There is comedy, idiotic ex's, hot new lovers, and an elderly matchmaker. It was great and I enjoyed it and am even looking forward to the next one!”

  —Theresa Esterline, I Heart Books

  “Milly Taiden gives every woman their dream! To hunks that are solely focused on one woman in every aspect, especially sexual satisfaction. It's a sweet, lusty tale that delivers a hot, erotic story and with characters that you would really like to know up close and personal.”

  —Fran, Twin Sisters Rockin’ Book Review

  “One shifter is good but two is panty changing reading. Forget that just leave them off as you read Twice The Growl.”

  —Barb Hicks, Bad Barb’s Reviews

  —For My Readers

  Thank you for buying, reading, recommending and reviewing my books! I wouldn’t be here without you!

  To my betas, editor and proofers. You ladies are amazing!

  To my wonderfully supportive Street Team (Sexy Biter Book Pimps)... You rock!

  And to Nita...Hope you love the Geek Bear

  PROLOGUE

  “So tell me what you’re looking for,” Mrs. Wilder said. She placed a large tray of cookies, biscuits and coffee on the table in front of Nita Islas. Nita’s hands shook a little and she swiped her sweaty palms on her pants. There was no reason to be nervous, but she couldn’t stop the slight shake of her leg.

  “Well...” She hesitated. How to explain? She’d had such a strange relationship with the opposite sex that there was not much there. What she looked for? More than she’d ever had. Probably ever would, but she’d try anyway.

  “Come on, girl.” Mrs. Wilder, clucked her tongue, motioning with a hand for her to get on with it.

  This wasn’t relationship analysis 101 and if that were the case, they’d need way more than a few hours, and way more than a tray of cookies. A full gallon-sized bottle of vodka would be a good start. It wasn’t that she was emotionally scarred by a previous bad relationship or anything like that. That, at least, would have been a sound explanation for her problem. She was okay getting physically close, but emotions were another thing.

  Mrs. Wilder took a seat across from her with a notepad, tucking her feet under her long eyelet peasant skirt. “I told you I had someone in mind for you, but I called you in to give me more details of what you’re looking for.”

  Pulsing soreness started in the back of her head. Nice. She didn’t need a migraine. All because she wanted to find a man now that her cousin Tally had fallen in love. Nita felt lonely most of the time that she spent with her cousin and the two men Tally shared her life with.

  “It’s not that simple.” It really wasn’t. She’d been shy for so much of her youth that when she finally started to accept the fact that she was never going to be a skinny girl, she’d already reached adulthood. By then she’d decided to hell with romance and just set on a path of learning about embracing her sexuality. That had been all great and good but she hadn’t had any deep meaningful relationships with men other than her best friend in high school. And he didn’t count.

  “Let’s get down to business. What are you looking for? A hookup? Two men? Marriage, babies and picket fence? Are you looking for a man to do some naughty things to you while you’re tied up?”

  “Mrs. Wilder!” She gasped. Damn, she hadn’t expected that. All that internal brooding had made her forget Mrs. Wilder could ask some off-the-wall questions. Tally had told her that Mrs. Wilder was not the usual elderly woman, but geez.

  “I don’t have all day, you know. I need my beauty sleep,” Mrs. Wilder said. With her new flipped bob and perfect makeup on her wrinkleless features, she was hot for whatever her age was. Mrs. Wilder followed up her words with a smile and picked up her coffee. “You strike me as a woman who knows what she wants.”

  Nita thought about that for a moment, panic rising in her chest. She did know what she wanted, usually. The best relationship she’d ever had with the opposite sex hadn’t been sexual. It had been open. Honest. Trusting. Did that make her a freak?

  “I want a man to want me for me.” Hearing the words come out of her mouth made her wince. A troubled knot tightened around her heart, clasping her normal self-assurance in a vice grip. “I wasn’t wanted by boys growing up. Most girls didn’t want to be around the fat girl. When someone did take the time to talk to me, they wanted something, and that something was usually to make fun of me.”

  Except for Ky. He’d never done that. All right, she really needed therapy.

  Mrs. Wilder’s previous smile dropped. The color of her eyes turned a bright blue. Almost icy. Her features tightened and an animalistic noise sounded from her. “Tell me that someone stopped all that.”

  She nodded her head up and down like a bobblehead, worried about Mrs. Wilder getting so upset. “Yes, my mother was very active in my school. I also had some great teachers who were always watching out for me. Even an old friend that encouraged me daily.”

  “Okay.” Mrs. Wilder breathed in deep, her face returning to her human side.

  “So you see, I want a man that will be interested in me as a person. Not just for sex. Not for money, which I don’t have. Not for whatever he might think he can get out of me. I want to be wanted for the woman inside. And I sure as hell want to be wanted sexually too.”

  Mrs. Wilder cocked her head to the side, staring at her with her soulful eyes. “Darling, there are many sides to you. Your beauty, your body, your wit, your abilities at work. What do you want to focus on if anything in particular?”

  She leaned back on the sofa, the seat dipping under her butt. The leather squeaked with the weight of her body. “I want more than sex. Don’t get me wrong, sex is great.”

  Mrs. Wilder snorted, her eyes turned bright with amusement. Her lips twisted in a smirk and a small dimple showed on her right cheek. She appeared even younger when she smiled. “Sex is amazing when done correctly. Especially if he can figure out how to be all alpha and make your legs shake.”

  Oh, damn! She choked on the cookie she’d taken a bite of, chocolate spewing from her lips with each cough. She picked up a napkin and tried to clear her throat. Mrs. Wilder was a freak.

  “Right. Yes, I’m not saying I don’t want hot sex. Hell, I’d love some hot sex. I haven’t had good sex in a long time,” she mumbled, feeling all kinds
of uneasy after saying that to Mrs. Wilder.

  Mrs. Wilder raised her brows high. Her blue eyes went into a dark sapphire color and there was a hint of confusion in them. “I thought you wanted more than sex?”

  Great. Now she wasn’t just confusing herself with all this, poor Mrs. Wilder looked like she was ready to pull her hair out. “I want to be able to connect with someone more than physically. I want to feel the comfort of having that...”

  “That?” Mrs. Wilder asked, her gaze probing.

  How to explain it? “That feeling like you’re meant for each other. That there are no secrets between you. I want a relationship, I don’t want a booty call.”

  “Okay!” Mrs. Wilder exclaimed and then wrote in a leather notebook. “Now we’re getting somewhere. No booty calls for Nita.” She glanced up from the notebook. “I do hope you will want sex once you establish this man is right for you?”

  “Um, yes.”

  She thought back to her last boyfriend, if she could call him that. They’d met up whenever, had dinner or drinks and sex. The memory of their sex made her flinch. Nothing to write home about. Though he’d tried to breach the distance she’d always placed between them, eventually he gave up. That’s how it always happened. She needed to be with someone who brought trust and comfort out in her so she didn’t have her guard up.

  “So why is it so hard for you to find the right man?” Mrs. Wilder tossed the question out of left field.

  Boy, when she hit with a question, she hit hard. “I don’t know.”

  Mrs. Wilder rolled her eyes. For an old lady, she had a very youthful and bitchy personality. She reminded her of her cousin Tally.

  “Yes, you do,” Mrs. Wilder declared, her voice more assertive than that of Nita’s worst high school teacher.

  Talk about bossy. If she weren’t so hopeful that she would match her to a halfway decent guy, she wouldn’t be there talking about sex with a woman as old as her mom. “All right, it’s because I refuse to get too emotionally attached. Plus most of my past boyfriends said I’m kind of distant,” she grumbled, breaking the cookie on her plate into tiny crumbs. “Whatever that means.”

  “It means you need to let shit go and open your heart to love,” Mrs. Wilder said, point blank. “Are you willing to do that? Take a chance on a good guy. If you don’t, you won’t ever find what you’re looking for.”

  Shit. The old woman was right. She knew it too. That smug smile on her lips said it all. Mrs. Wilder had just pointed out Nita’s biggest issue and it was up to her now to fix it.

  “I can do it.” Even if it killed her. She didn’t want to live in the meaningless sex realm any longer. She wanted love. Emotions. She wanted happiness. Ah, what the hell, she wanted marriage and babies too.

  “Then I think my first choice for you is probably the right one.” Mrs. Wilder grinned.

  ONE

  “So tell me again, where you’re going?” Tally asked from her side of the phone line, her voice loud and clear bounced around the interior of the car through the Bluetooth connection.

  Nita glanced at her rearview mirror for the millionth time and sighed. She grimaced, ready to lie to her cousin even though she didn’t want to. She hated lies with a passion. In fact, just the thought of lying to Tally made her stomach burn with discomfort. She knew she was a sucky liar, so she preferred not to do it. Plus, lies always got people in trouble. Every single time.

  It wasn’t that Tally would judge. Not at all. But she already felt like an idiot because she was thinking of going out of her way to go on a date with one of the shifters from Mrs. Wilder’s Paranormal Dating Agency.

  She’d allowed herself to be roped into a multiple day date. Not that she’d ever heard of one of those before. Nor ever done it in her life. The acid in her stomach burned up to her throat. She should have eaten something before her drive, but excitement had made it impossible. Mrs. Wilder had been very particular about keeping details of who her date was concealed. When she finally gave her the details, Nita’d been ready to hit the road for the mountains.

  “I don’t want you to have any preconceived notions going in,” she’d said. “This is something new and you’re both going to have to trust my judgment.”

  Trusting her judgment had strangely been easier than she would’ve expected. Maybe it was her hope for Mrs. Wilder to be right. Her words had told her one thing. Unlike Tally, she’d be getting one date and not two. Which was okay with Nita. She didn’t think she had the patience to deal with two growly Alpha males.

  “I’m just going to have a mini vacation for a few days,” she lied. If all went well, she’d have a few days with a guy that might be the man of her dreams. Or a match made in hell. Whatever the deal, she’d only brought a few days’ worth of clothes so she had an excuse to leave should she need it. Besides, she had a full week of Shark Week and Naked and Afraid on her DVR that she’d yet to watch.

  She winced. She’d have to remember to make sure not to mention that to her date. The last guy she’d gone out with had given her a laundry list of reasons why watching any reality show was going to destroy all her smart brain cells. She’d wanted to tell him that his rant had killed any semblance of sexual spark in her. Other than the amazing drinks the bartender kept bringing her way, the date had been more uncomfortable than a visit to a new GYN.

  She had high hopes for this new guy though. Mrs. Wilder had been so excited to match her up it had given Nita a big ego boost.

  Apparently there were men out there who liked really curvy Latinas with a chocolate addiction and a bit of a sarcasm problem. Who knew?

  “You do not leave your doctor without an assistant. Ever. So this is just...not normal,” Tally replied, her tone sharper than usual with what sounded like worry.

  Nita could imagine her cousin frowning as she spoke on the other end of the line. Tally knew her better than anyone. Nita was happy to have a good time any time, but when it came to her job, she had a strict ‘no fucking up rule’.

  “I need a little break. Sometimes it’s good to take a few days to just eat ice cream, watch bad TV and wear PJs all day.” Nita laughed, hoping Tally would think she was being honest. Though all those things sounded damn good to her. Maybe she would go home and do them all if her date went to shit.

  “Yeah, I guess.” Tally didn’t sound convinced.

  A glance at her GPS told her she had another half hour drive. In the quiet frickin’ lone stretch of road. Nighttime fast approached. She should’ve made it a daytime date. But she’d been so damn excited about going on a date with a shifter, she’d forgotten all about her fear of the dark.

  Thankfully, she always carried around pepper spray in her bag. Not because she liked drama or fights, but because she didn’t want to ever be caught unaware by anyone. She lived in a dangerous city. Anything could happen.

  “Besides, you, Connor and Theron are busy getting to know each other. You don’t need me hanging around like a fourth wheel.”

  Tally gasped. “Nita Islas! How could you even say something like that? You’re not a fourth wheel!”

  Yeah, right. She definitely felt like a fourth wheel whenever they met up at a restaurant or for some drinks. Connor and Theron were all over Tally. She wasn’t jealous of her cousin. Hell, she was so happy she could squeeze the two men to bits. It was the fact she didn’t have anyone in her life worth a smile that made it so difficult. Goddammit! She wanted her own man all over her groping her ass like they were teenagers on a first date.

  “Have you called Mrs. Wilder?” Tally suddenly asked.

  “Um...”

  Tally growled on the other end of the line. “Why won’t you do it already? I really think it could be helpful for you.”

  Again, she wasn’t keeping things from Tally. She loved Tally more than most of her family, other than her parents and her grandma Kate. It’s just that with her past relationship having turned into something out of the Twilight Zone, Nita didn’t want to talk about anything without knowing where it was go
ing first.

  “I’m going to trust her to find me a man. I promise.” She was going to hell in a limo at this point. Where were the antacid pills when she needed them? Lying to her best friend was bad. But Tally loved her. That made things that much worse.

  “Okay. As long as you try.” Tally said something so softly Nita didn’t make it out. “I’m going to have to go now. We’re about to go out to dinner and a show.”

  That was another thing. How in the hell did Tally end up with the best of both worlds? Hot men who did everything she wanted and amazing sex. Nita had never had it that good. The closest she’d come was the bear best friend in high school. Ky. And even though she hadn’t cared about his features, he’d been a good-looking guy. He’d been so shy she’d had to make sure their friendship never turned weird by telling him how much she liked him. Her extra limb is what Nita’s mom had called him. Wherever she went, he went.

  For her entire sophomore year of high school he’d been her rock. There had been things they didn’t discuss, like guys or girls. He got a bit growly at her mention of him finding a girlfriend. Not that she wanted him to go out there and find anyone who would take too much of his attention. It’s just that Nita had been a big girl since she was born.

  It wasn’t that she ate unhealthy foods, though she had a sweet tooth that would make any baker delighted. She ate normal and exercised regularly with her dad. She was just big. The last thing she expected was for anyone as cute as Ky to ever notice her. She’d had insecurity issues as a kid. Major ones with a side of shyness.

  In order for her to finally accept that she needed to embrace her body because it was the only one she had, she’d ended up going to therapy. It didn’t end there. There was a mass of dieticians with meal and exercise plans. Her mother also took her to various health professionals that worked alongside her to help grow Nita’s self-esteem.