A Wife For The Bear: BBW Paranormal Shape Shifter Romance (Bear Brides Book 3) Read Online Free Page A

killed by
some evil syndicate which kidnapped and sold their own kind into
slavery and prostitution. Humans trafficking in humans.
    The world was full of
predators. They were highly dangerous, brutal and cruel. And they
didn't even have fangs and claws.
    “Yes. I'd love some
tea,” Brad said, breaking into her thoughts.
    He returned her smile and
followed her into her bare little kitchen. When she handed him her
near empty biscuit tin, he opened it and carefully arranged the few
biscuits nicely on a plate without comment.
    When the tea was ready, he
carried the two steaming mugs to the dining table and pulled out a
chair for her.
    Lisha smiled. He treated her
like a princess, and behaved as though they were dining in a fine,
fancy restaurant instead of sipping weak tea and eating stale
biscuits in her cold, bare kitchen.
    They drank their tea in
companionable silence for a while. Brad leaned back and glanced
around. Lisha was sure he noticed the glaring lack of ornaments and
photographs in her apartment. Her apartment was just a roof over her
head. It wasn't a home and there weren't any personal touches
anywhere to be seen. But Brad was a perfect gentleman and a most
polite guest. He didn't pass any comment that might make her feel
uncomfortable or self-conscious. Instead, he chatted amiably about
the new restaurants and shops that had just opened in town, and spoke
a little about his landscaping work. Gradually, she began to relax
and told him more about her work in the library. She had just moved
to Moonstone Creek about three months ago and the library was hiring
at that time. Her colleagues were great, and she was getting to know
some of the regular library users. “I used to be a web
designer,” she told him. “I was thinking maybe I could
do some freelance work.”
    “That's a great idea,”
Brad encouraged. “You could design our website!”
    “I'd love to.”
    He held out his hand. “Then
we have a deal.”
    Laughing, she let him shake
her hand even though she still thought he was joking.
    Brad began to talk about his
family and clan, and she saw his eyes light up with pride and love.
    “I'd do anything for
Cole, and my cousins, Dalton and Tony,” Brad declared. “We're
the last surviving Jameson bears. My whole family was slaughtered by
a rival bear clan when I was ten. I would have died if not for them.
They saved me, protected me, looked out for me. Cole and Dalton
founded the landscaping business and the Nightfire clan here in
Moonstone Creek. They built a life, a future for us,” Brad
smiled with obvious pride and affection. He turned to her and his
smile wavered a little. “What about you, Lisha?
Any...family?”
    Lisha took a big gulp of tea
and looked down. “No. No family.”
    He nodded and respected her
silence. He didn't probe, but she saw the concern and worry in his
eyes.
    “You live here, alone?”
he asked at last.
    “Yes.”
    “But—there's
almost no one here. This neighborhood...is like a ghost town!”
He gestured wildly. “Why don't you...”
    “It suits me,”
she cut him off coolly.
    Brad took a moment to compose
the question in his head. She knew what he was thinking. He was
wondering about the state of her finances and mental health.
    Brad opened his mouth and
shut it. He leaned forward slowly, and his large hand closed over
hers.
    “Lisha,” he said
gently. “Are you...in some kind of trouble?”
    When she jerked and looked
away, he carried on, “You came to Moonstone Creek to get away
from something, or someone.”
    Lisha gulped and tried to
pull her hand away but Brad held it firmly. “I'm right, aren't
I?” he said.

CHAPTER FOUR

    Brad continued watching Lisha
intently. The woman was hiding something. But he didn't want to
push her. Sadness and pain were etched all over her sweet, beautiful
face, and it was all he could do not to grab her face in both hands
and kiss all that sorrow away.
    Lisha bit her lip and refused
to meet his eyes. Her throat kept moving as