The BBW and the Beast: A Shifter Retelling of Beauty and the Beast (A BBW Shifter Fairy Tale Retelling Book 1) by Sylvia Frost Page B
Authors: Sylvia Frost
been officially released in stores yet. Are you interning at Zachary Prell?”
“Nice guess, but no.” His second eyebrow joined his first, and his gaze dipped to survey her waist, lingering where the camp T-shirt rode up to reveal her tanned, but very much present and convex stomach. It was the one feature Cynthia was self-conscious about, but his pupils dilated as he took in her naked skin.
Cynthia tucked her shirt into her jean shorts to keep it from rising up again. “What are you doing in the woods?”
He smiled, showing a line of white teeth. They didn’t look like veneers. If anything, his canines seemed just a tad too sharp. The back of her knees went stiff.
“I live nearby.” He pointed casually in a direction that Cynthia would’ve sworn was the way back to camp. As he turned, a sunbeam caught on his dark eyes, revealing the hidden blue color beneath them.
He caught her staring, but kept smiling in that way that should have been gentle. “I heard yelling,” he continued, “so I thought I’d investigate.” He looked her up and down once again, and this time, his eyes did linger on her chest. For a while.
Cynthia crossed her arms, although the barrier of her limbs felt flimsy. “How do you live nearby and not know about Camp Kikanoo?”
“We keep to the farmhouse.”
“The farmhouse?” Oh no. “You live in the farmhouse?”
“Yes.” He took a step closer, his footsteps eerily quiet even in the underbrush. “I commute between here and New York for my… well, I suppose you could call it an internship.”
Oh no. Oh no. Oh no.
All the warmth drained out of Cynthia’s cheeks, but she didn’t run. The best thing she could do for Bel right now would be to stall this guy so he didn’t go home. Assuming Bel had made it to the greenhouse and wasn’t dead in a ditch somewhere.
His blue eyes narrowed. “What’s wrong?”
“Nothing,” Cynthia said too quickly.
As the man neatly dodged a tree root, Cynthia felt for the first time that maybe arrows weren’t such a ridiculous idea. Not when he moved like that . Like a predator.
She tripped backward, and her shirt scraped against the rough bark of the tree.
The man stopped, clearly satisfied with their positions. A breeze filled with the last lingering warmth of day rifled through her hair and then his, sending a whiff of his scent toward her. Herbal aftershave, the tang of fresh leather, and something else. Something darker. Something she wanted more of.
He was more than some jock posturing at being a man. If it weren’t crazy, Cynthia would’ve said he was more than a man all together. She remembered Bel’s stupid classic movies, the ones about the werebeast emperors of Rome invading Egypt and capturing Cleopatra. Or maybe it was the other way around.
Sweat pooled between her breasts, and her nipples stiffened against the soft fabric of her designer bra. Damn it.
“Your boyfriend lets you wander out in the woods by yourself?” he asked abruptly.
“I don’t have a boyfriend,” Cynthia answered, too off-balance to lie. “If I did, I certainly wouldn’t let him decide where I get to wander.”
“Good.” He cocked his head, staring at her as if she were an alien species he couldn’t wait to examine.
“Is that good because you’re glad I’m single, or good because I don’t let guys walk all over me?”
He didn’t reply. Instead, he slowly, so slowly she had more than enough time to get away, stepped onto a nearby root and put his hands on either side of the trunk, caging her in.
Her heart thrummed fast and loud like a helicopter’s blades, but she didn’t try to slip under his arm and escape. If I move, he’ll think I’m scared of him. I’m not.
His sensual mouth parted, his tongue slipping out to moisten his lips.
Cynthia tilted her head, lips pursed. Kiss me, I dare you.
He leaned in and dropped to his knees.
“What are you doing?” she asked, blushing as she heard how disappointed she
“Nice guess, but no.” His second eyebrow joined his first, and his gaze dipped to survey her waist, lingering where the camp T-shirt rode up to reveal her tanned, but very much present and convex stomach. It was the one feature Cynthia was self-conscious about, but his pupils dilated as he took in her naked skin.
Cynthia tucked her shirt into her jean shorts to keep it from rising up again. “What are you doing in the woods?”
He smiled, showing a line of white teeth. They didn’t look like veneers. If anything, his canines seemed just a tad too sharp. The back of her knees went stiff.
“I live nearby.” He pointed casually in a direction that Cynthia would’ve sworn was the way back to camp. As he turned, a sunbeam caught on his dark eyes, revealing the hidden blue color beneath them.
He caught her staring, but kept smiling in that way that should have been gentle. “I heard yelling,” he continued, “so I thought I’d investigate.” He looked her up and down once again, and this time, his eyes did linger on her chest. For a while.
Cynthia crossed her arms, although the barrier of her limbs felt flimsy. “How do you live nearby and not know about Camp Kikanoo?”
“We keep to the farmhouse.”
“The farmhouse?” Oh no. “You live in the farmhouse?”
“Yes.” He took a step closer, his footsteps eerily quiet even in the underbrush. “I commute between here and New York for my… well, I suppose you could call it an internship.”
Oh no. Oh no. Oh no.
All the warmth drained out of Cynthia’s cheeks, but she didn’t run. The best thing she could do for Bel right now would be to stall this guy so he didn’t go home. Assuming Bel had made it to the greenhouse and wasn’t dead in a ditch somewhere.
His blue eyes narrowed. “What’s wrong?”
“Nothing,” Cynthia said too quickly.
As the man neatly dodged a tree root, Cynthia felt for the first time that maybe arrows weren’t such a ridiculous idea. Not when he moved like that . Like a predator.
She tripped backward, and her shirt scraped against the rough bark of the tree.
The man stopped, clearly satisfied with their positions. A breeze filled with the last lingering warmth of day rifled through her hair and then his, sending a whiff of his scent toward her. Herbal aftershave, the tang of fresh leather, and something else. Something darker. Something she wanted more of.
He was more than some jock posturing at being a man. If it weren’t crazy, Cynthia would’ve said he was more than a man all together. She remembered Bel’s stupid classic movies, the ones about the werebeast emperors of Rome invading Egypt and capturing Cleopatra. Or maybe it was the other way around.
Sweat pooled between her breasts, and her nipples stiffened against the soft fabric of her designer bra. Damn it.
“Your boyfriend lets you wander out in the woods by yourself?” he asked abruptly.
“I don’t have a boyfriend,” Cynthia answered, too off-balance to lie. “If I did, I certainly wouldn’t let him decide where I get to wander.”
“Good.” He cocked his head, staring at her as if she were an alien species he couldn’t wait to examine.
“Is that good because you’re glad I’m single, or good because I don’t let guys walk all over me?”
He didn’t reply. Instead, he slowly, so slowly she had more than enough time to get away, stepped onto a nearby root and put his hands on either side of the trunk, caging her in.
Her heart thrummed fast and loud like a helicopter’s blades, but she didn’t try to slip under his arm and escape. If I move, he’ll think I’m scared of him. I’m not.
His sensual mouth parted, his tongue slipping out to moisten his lips.
Cynthia tilted her head, lips pursed. Kiss me, I dare you.
He leaned in and dropped to his knees.
“What are you doing?” she asked, blushing as she heard how disappointed she