Bearfoot and Pregnant: BBW Paranormal Shape Shifter Romance (Paranormal Dating Agency Book 10) Read online

  BEARFOOT AND PREGNANT

  PARANORMAL DATING AGENCY

  NEW YORK TIMES and USA TODAY BESTSELLING AUTHOR

  MILLY TAIDEN

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  http://eepurl.com/pt9q1

  Cassandra Grimaldi’s boss has lost her mind. Too bad. She really liked the fiery matchmaker. But when Gerri offers to prove aliens are real and multiple orgasms exist, Cassie can’t help but be curious. Who would say no to orgasms and aliens? Not this curvy girl!

  What’s a bear to do when his mate leaves him after he’s mated her? Talen Arctos goes to Earth to claim sassy and curvy Cassie. Now if only he could figure out how to convince her to return to his planet with him without offending her…again.

  With a brother wreaking havoc in his clan and his pregnant mate thinking she’s a one-night stand, Talen has his work cut out for him. Good thing this bear isn’t letting his woman go. Even if he has to learn what groveling means.

  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

  Winter Springs Florida, 32708

  http://millytaiden.com

  Bearfoot and Pregnant

  Copyright © 2016 by Milly Taiden

  Cover by Willsin Rowe

  Edited by: Tina Winograd

  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

  February 2016

  Contents

  BEARFOOT AND PREGNANT

  ONE

  TWO

  THREE

  FOUR

  FIVE

  SIX

  SEVEN

  EIGHT

  NINE

  TEN

  ELEVEN

  TWELVE

  THIRTEEN

  FOURTEEN

  FIFTEEN

  SIXTEEN

  SEVENTEEN

  EIGHTEEN

  NINETEEN

  TWENTY

  TWENTY-ONE

  TWENTY-TWO

  TWENTY-THREE

  TWENTY-FOUR

  TWENTY-FIVE

  TWENTY-SIX

  TWENTY-SEVEN

  TWENTY-EIGHT

  TWENTY- NINE

  THIRTY

  THIRTY-ONE

  EPILOGUE

  About the Author

  —For Tina

  Thank You will never be enough!

  ONE

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  http://eepurl.com/pt9q1

  Cassandra Grimaldi, aka Cassie to her friends, glanced at Gerri with a raised brow. The Latina wasn’t known for listening to nonsense. “Another planet, you say?”

  She had been working with Gerri for exactly one month. She organized the hell out of Gerri’s office space and apartment. Gerri loved to travel and it was clear she hadn’t been keeping up to date with her files, mail, or fan letters. Who knew a matchmaker got so much fan mail. It was a wonder she had utilities.

  Always blunt, Gerri told Cassie she would be the perfect fit to be her assistant. “I have a great sense for these things,” Gerri had said. With the holidays having just passed, Cassie knew things were probably going to get hectic with Gerri, who got more mail than the president.

  It had all been going so well. Gerri had given Cassie free rein of moving things and making the office tidy and orderly. Cassie wasn’t the most detail oriented person, considering her ex-boyfriend, also her ex-boss, had not only stolen from her, but cheated on her.

  Now, Gerri looked her straight in the eye and said they were going to another planet. Yeah. Another planet. As in, not in this solar system and probably not even in this reality. Dammit! She’d been so sure Gerri had her shit together. She didn’t bother hiding her disbelief as Gerri spoke.

  “I matched Bella with Alyx. He’s the king of Nova Aurora,” Gerri sipped her tea. Outside, the snow fell in fluffy white flakes that made Cassie feel like a kid again. “Now they want me to meet the babies.”

  Alien shifter royalty. Right.

  “And you want me to go with you?” Cassie asked. She wondered how long before she could find a new job once they sent Gerri to the nut house.

  “Yes. I can see you really think I’ve lost my mind and I just got myself a one-way ticket to Crazyland.”

  She nodded unapologetically. Cassie didn’t hold back, ever. She knew Gerri saw it in her face, so why bother trying. “You are a really nice lady, but for you to think there are aliens and you can travel to their planet worries me. Mainly because, well, I like you. Now I have to find another job,” she admitted with a sigh.

  Gerri burst into laughter. “It is so refreshing to have someone with your candor around.”

  “Right. I’m a riot.” She refilled Gerri’s tea automatically. When she’d been a kid, she loved having tea parties with her stuffed animals along with her dad. He’d been amazing about doing girly things with her when her mother passed. Those were the good memories. The ones she liked to think about.

  In some cases, he’d forgotten she had feelings, but she guessed that was the male side that wanted his fat little girl to fit in with the popular kids in school. Kids that belonged to his employees and other big shots. Him being a top executive at a financial services company meant he had an image to uphold in public. One Cassie didn’t fit into to this day.

  “How about you humor me. I know you’re a skeptic but what if I’m right?” Gerri’s grin widened and a dimple showed. The older woman was truly stunning and Cassie was sure she was getting male attention even more now with her fun personality. “What if you are holding yourself back from learning about another culture? Another life form.”

  Fuck. Why had she told Gerri she was a huge fan of the Discovery Channel and watching anything with aliens and animals? She had a massive fascination for aliens, space, and things unexplained. Except for ghosts. She totally believed in that and wanted to keep those away.

  “Gerri…”

  Gerri sat up, placing the once-again empty tea cup on the saucer with a little clink. “Come on, Cassie. Another world. It could be just what you need.”

  Cassie bit her lip, unsure what to do. On one hand, she wanted to know if Gerri really was crazy. She did seem very intelligent. On the other hand, if it was just a hoax, she’d feel like an idiot for even humoring Gerri.

  “I have to think about this,” she finally replied. Her brain told her she shouldn’t even bother, but Gerri appeared so lucid. It was the damn curious side of her wanting to dispel the notion there was a possibility it was real.

  “Take the weekend. I’m heading out Monday evening. We can discuss it again in the morning when you come in.”

  She nodded. She had dinner with her family, a weekly affair that always ended up grating on her nerves. This week though, she looked forward to spending time with her cousin Ivan and his sister Ivy. Maybe she could run this by them. See what they thought. They were as close to siblings as she got and probably the only members of the family who didn’t judge her size.

&nbs
p; TWO

  Talen Arctos let his anger loose with a massive roar. A roar so loud the other men sitting around his cabin headquarters turned to glance at him with open shock.

  Though Talen was not the most social bear clan leader, he got the job done. His clan built giant cabins without wasting the resources on their planet. Most of the cabins were built in unusual locations and used caves and other areas available as extensions to their build.

  “What do you mean Paxten isn’t coming with me?” He ground the words out, curling his hands into fists and wanting to smash it on the table so hard, he’d probably break the antique into smithereens.

  His right-hand security officer, Dylan Sroden, grimaced. “I’m sorry, Tal, but Paxten was pissed that you said he wasn’t allowed to spend time with both Lashelle and Marla.”

  Tal clenched his teeth so hard he swore he was going to break his jaw. His brother tested his patience every single day of his life since his parents had died. As clan leader, Tal had no time to give in to Paxten’s petty mood swings.

  “You realize this is all my mother’s fault,” he spat while trying not to be angry at his deceased parents. His mother had given Paxten everything he ever wanted and treated him like a baby well into his adulthood.

  “Don’t be so angry,” Gable, a younger bear who was friends with Paxten said. “He’s a bit frustrated.”

  Talen stared down the other bear until he glanced away. There was no excuse for Paxten’s attitude and actions lately. He’d pushed his limits and was giving the clan a bad name.

  “You think his wanting to lead two females on and getting their hopes up is mere frustration I should tolerate?” He growled at Gable.

  Now Tal needed Paxten to step up and make his own mark in their family business. The business wasn’t a necessity since their clan owned the western forest down to the majestic falls of Aurora. The vast forest land was perfect for living and with a giant river to feed from and farm, they needed for nothing.

  But Tal’s father had liked to work. He’d liked to do things with his hands and when he created their secondary family home out of a cave and combined it with a cabin to create a new type of living quarters, the rest of the clan had loved it.

  Word got around. Everyone wanted them to build for them. From the dragos to the tigers to the jaguars. Hell, the group had even gotten requests to visit Galaxa, one of the neighboring planets, and build for them. The king of the alien warriors wanted new hunting lodges and Tal had been talking to him about doing business.

  “I’m sorry.” Gable stepped back, his long hair covering most of his face as he put his head down, not meeting Talen’s gaze.

  “It is the fact everyone has made excuses for him since he was a child that has made him into the mess he is today.”

  “You’re right,” Gable nodded, his voice low, and though apologetic, sounding annoyed. “I just think maybe you could let him decide who he wants to mate between the two females without interfering.”

  “I wouldn’t have interfered if their parents didn’t come to me demanding Paxten stop what he’s doing.” Tal’s bear roared inside. “We are not like the weak human males who go back and forth between females to decide which one they like most. We allow our animal to choose and then we mate. Simple.”

  Anger lit and diffused in Gable’s eyes. “I understand.” He turned to go. “I’ll see if I can talk some sense into him.”

  Tal watched him go. He didn’t like the way Paxten and his friend wanted to do things their way without any repercussions. That’s not how the Arctos clan worked and it never would as long as Talen was in charge.

  “Paxten is acting like a kid instead of a grown man.” The bear inside Talen wanted to come out and destroy something. Anything. He’d been edgy for months. Between his brother and Tal’s refusal to mate, the animal was pissed, horny, and ready to break down a few trees.

  “I’m sorry,” Dylan sighed, lifting and dropping his large shoulders. His arms flexed in the sleeveless shirts they liked to work in. The western forest was always cool. Leaves fell and grew constantly, giving the place a look that resembled fall and spring on Earth. Tal had seen enough videos of Earth to hurt his heart. The way they destroyed the forests and didn’t put trees back when they took them down. It was shameful.

  “I wanted him to come along and visit with Alyx so we could show the king that Paxten is growing into his position as my second-in-command,” Talen growled. He marched to the giant wall of glass that immediately opened to let him out onto the edge of the cliff where his office cabins were located. Dylan’s footsteps followed.

  “Go. Go see Alyx. Meet the future queen of Aurora and her brothers. Also, Alyx’s queen, Bella, is really nice. You’ll like her.”

  “I don’t care for these kinds of events, Dylan.” He turned to face his friend. Frustration filled Dylan’s gaze. “I know you want me to be more outgoing but that’s why I sent you to the wedding. This was going to be my first time meeting the queen and the babies, and I was counting on Paxten to help make this smoother. To show Alyx we are stable up here.”

  Dylan frowned. “I still don’t get where he is getting that you don’t have the clan under control.”

  “Someone’s been complaining to him. Alyx didn’t say who, but he stated he wanted to see me there to speak and make sure we are all on the same page about our responsibility to our people.”

  Like Tal could ever ignore his people. His clan was his family. His father had engrained that in him from birth. The Arctos Clan was his life. They’d always been there for each other since birth.

  “I’ll look for Paxten and send him to Alyx’s castle,” Dylan said. A determined look was in his pale hazel eyes that Tal had come to know he could count on. Dylan did his job as his friend and security chief, and he took it seriously.

  Back when they’d been kids, Dylan had always been the one to get Tal out of his grumpy moods. He was truly Talen’s best friend. When his parents died just a few short years ago, he found only Dylan understood Tal’s need to ensure the clan stayed strong and tight.

  Tal slipped beat up fingers through his short brown hair. He’d been carving wood earlier. Though he could have done it with his claws and saved some time, he’d chosen to use the tools of his ancestors. The same ones his father used to create some of the furniture in the house depicting images of the forest and the bears of generations past.

  “I don’t even know if I should go at this point,” he muttered. Anger flared brighter inside him. He was sick and tired of Paxten’s spoiled brat attitude. His brother was not getting his way with Tal and he needed to realize that sooner rather than later.

  “You have to. Since your parents died two years ago, you’ve been a recluse. Alyx has been good about letting you report via communicator but I’m sure he wants you to go and talk to him. Show his wife and babies the respect pretty much everyone else on the planet already has.” Dylan slapped a hand on Tal’s shoulder. “You used to be friends. Alyx has never done you wrong.”

  “You’re right,” he admitted ruefully. Alyx had given his clan time to grieve for their leaders and Tal the space to get his shit together. He had to go and meet Bella as well as the babies.

  “Hey, maybe while you’re there, you can find someone to spend some time with,” Dylan’s lips broke into a wide, knowing grin. “I know you have a lot on your plate right now with Paxten, but why not look for feminine company?”

  “Because females demand time. Time I don’t have right now. Once I decide what to do about my brother, then I can think of settling down.” His bear grumbled inside. He already wanted a mate. He’d been trying to get Talen to find him a woman for some time now.

  “You know, I heard Gerri Wilder, the matchmaker will be at the welcome event for the future queen and her brothers,” Dylan said. A curious look of interest had taken over his face. “Why not talk to her. See if she could do you the favor of finding the woman meant to be with you?”

  He frowned. “I haven’t met her before. Sh
e knew my parents, but this is not the time. Not yet.”

  “Your fortieth birthday will be on the same day of the event,” Dylan shrugged. “That’s usually the time our inner animals demand a mate, Tal. Aren’t you getting the urge yet?”

  He snapped a glare at his friend. “Of course, I am. But I control him.”

  As if the bear knew he’d been talking about him, the animal pulled at his control, making him tense his body so his muscles wouldn’t contort and the shift take over.

  THREE

  Cassie glanced at her dad’s winter retreat’s pristine lawn. His wife, Victoria, hired the best landscapers in town and had them design the ultimate garden. It was so colorful and well put together Cassie couldn’t deny its beauty.

  Unlike where their main home was in the snow and freezing temperatures, this part of the country was warm. The heat levels were high and her tank top had already started to attach to her back on her walk from the driveway to the house.

  “Are you here for dinner, Ms. Cassandra?” Julio, the driver, greeted her with a warm smile. She pasted a smile over her frown and nodded.

  “Hi, Julio. I am. It’s Friday night. That means dinner. Are Ivan and Ivy here yet?” Though her father and his wife lived in the same town as Cassie, up north, this week’s dinner was at their beach house, a short three hour flight south. With her dad’s money came a private jet. One he had sent to bring her and any other family members to whatever house he was currently staying at with Victoria.

  “They have already arrived. They went down to the beach but should be back by dinnertime.” He frowned as if reading the strain on her face. “Do you need me to carry your bag inside?”

  She glanced down at her Louis Vuitton overnight bag and scrunched her nose. “We go through this every week, Julio. I can carry an overnight bag and if it has wheels, I can drag anything.” She laughed. “I’m not Victoria. I don’t need everyone to carry a single sheet of paper for me.”