Bear Again (Second Chance Shifters 3) Read Online Free

before her mouth opened.
    “You? What?”
    He reached for the cake in her arms. “Let me help you with that. Butter cream frosting—my favorite.”
    Her eyes narrowed. “You ordered a cake to get me out here?”
    He took it to the counter and placed it near the cutting board. He turned, but Sophia hadn’t crossed over the threshold yet.
    “You can come in, you know. I won’t bite.”
    She huffed, “Not true.”
    “I won’t. Come in.”
    “This won’t work, Liam. You brought me out here under false pretenses. Who called in the order for you? I didn’t recognize the voice, or I never would have driven out here. The guy said he had really screwed up and forgotten his wife’s birthday.” She stood with her hands on her hips.
    “It was the only thing I could think of that might work.” He handed her a glass of wine, but she refused to take it. “Here.” He shoved it forward until her fingers wrapped around the glass. She needed something to take the edge off.
    He watched as she took in the scene. Her cheeks turned a beautiful deep crimson. She knew his intention—he wanted her to know. He didn’t want there to be a single doubt that she was going to be his mate. Tonight, if he was lucky.
    “Sit,” he ordered, pointing to the seat closest to the fire.
    Sophia did as he asked, huffing as she wiggled onto the couch.
    “Who do I need to talk to to get this to stop?” she asked.
    He cocked an eyebrow high on his forehead. “Excuse me?”
    “This.” She waved a hand in front of her. “I see the candles and the roses and the wine.” She took a large gulp. “I know what you’re trying to do.”
    “You do?” He sat next to her, turning his eyes to study the lines of her neck.
    “Yes.”
    “If what you’ve told me is true, then this shouldn’t matter anyway, right? You said there’s no possible way I can change your mind,” he challenged.
    He noticed how her next sip of wine was larger than the last. Her heart was beating faster. He could hear its strength.
    “Don’t try to shift the focus. This is all part of your big seduction. You think you can romance me into your bed. Well, you can’t. You’re forgetting I know you.”
    He moved back on the couch. “I’m afraid I’m not following, Soph.”
    She exhaled through her teeth. “You were Noah’s best friend. Don’t you think I knew about you? You went through women like beer. You don’t exactly have the reputation for being a one-woman kind of guy. If I even remotely thought I’d be with another bear, it wouldn’t be with the biggest player in the clan.”
    Her words were dangerous, sharp, and edged with painful daggers. He clenched his fist next to his side.
    “And the last two years? What do you know about me?” he asked.
    She swallowed. “Nothing. You know I stayed away from all of you. It hurt too much to see anyone in the clan.”
    Liam suddenly forgot his own hurt and wanted to shield her from all the pain she had been through. Of course it would be hard to face what he was asking her. She wasn’t a she-bear. And hell, he had no idea how much Noah had told her about she-alpha duties.
    He shook his head. “I’m not the same person you knew then.”
    Sophia laughed. “I don’t believe that. You gave up women?”
    Why was she making this so damn hard?
    He took her hands, ignoring the way she shook when he held them. “Yes.”
    “W-why would you do that?” She searched his eyes for an answer. “You could have any woman in the next five counties if you wanted.”
    “I don’t want any of those woman.”
    “Why not?” she scoffed.
    “Because of you, Soph.”
    She shook her head. “I don’t understand.”
    This was finally his chance to tell her. To explain the feelings buried under his skin. The way he had hidden his own pain for years. The way he had to listen to his best friend talk about her with a smile on his face. How his heart had cried out for her when she pledged her life to another bear.
    “It’s what I’ve