Bear Again (Second Chance Shifters 3) Read Online Free Page A

been trying to tell you. Forget those other women. Forget the me you think you know. I want you. I want you as my mate.”
    “I don’t know what to say.”
    “I’ve known, Soph. You were meant to be mine.”
    “When did you know?” Her eyes glistened in the firelight.
    This was the part he didn’t want her to know, but there was no point in hiding the truth. It was their truth now.
    “When Noah died. The day of his accident. It was the same day I became alpha.”
    She blinked back tears and he instinctively traced one teardrop with the pad of his thumb. He felt his bear stir within. Her skin was soft, and he could smell how sweet she was. Like warm vanilla and cinnamon.
    “Did you ever wonder why I was with a new woman every night?”
    She shook her head. “No. It wasn’t my place to say anything.”
    He didn’t want to move his hand. He kept brushing the side of her cheek, lightly stroking the trail from the tear.
    “I couldn’t have you, Soph.”
    “What?” She pulled her shoulders back, breaking their contact. “What are you saying?”
    “You know exactly what I’m saying.” His chest tightened.
    The first time he laid eyes on Sophia Withers, he had fallen in love with her. But so had his best friend. Noah was the alpha, and Liam had his reasons for not challenging him.
    So, he tried to forget her. Tried to forget that his best friend was going to spend his life with the woman Liam loved. None of the women he fucked made the memory easier. He would wake up the next morning with someone new in his bed—half the time he didn’t know her name. The only thing he knew was that she wasn’t Sophia.
    Sophia was with Noah. It had ripped at his heart. Done things to his soul he didn’t know were possible. He didn’t want another mate if he couldn’t have her. So he fucked his way through the night, trying to forget the sound of her laugh, and how she looked at his best friend. But the fun and the women didn’t feed his soul. He starved without her.
    And then the day came when Noah died.
    “This can’t be happening.” She reached for the wine glass and chugged the rest. “You’re not serious.”
    “Dead serious. I’ve been in love with you, Soph, since the day I met you.”
    “You can’t say that.”
    “It’s the truth,” he pressed.
    “B-but you never said anything. You never asked me out.”
    The first time he saw her, he was walking out of the Shamrock bar. She was on her way out of the movie theater across the street. Noah was supposed to meet him for a drink, but he was late. Liam walked out of the bar for some air when he saw the reason Noah hadn’t joined him. Sophia.
    “It’s too soon,” she whispered.
    “Too soon to be happy again? Too soon to stop being lonely? Too soon to be kissed?”
    He didn’t give her a chance to answer. His mouth descended on hers, dragging her lips under his. Years of want unleashed themselves as he kissed her with hungry desire. He tasted the sweetness of her tongue, and nipped at her lush lips, eliciting a moan from her throat. His hands twisted in her hair, pressing his mouth harder on hers. He lashed against her tongue, drinking her in. Their breaths turned to rapid pants as he drew her under his body. He had wanted her for so long. For so many years, he had dreamed about holding Sophia in his arms—caressing her skin, licking her, kissing her until she begged him for breath.
    He groaned, feeling his bear waking up to her. Wanting her, needing to possess his mate.
    “Too much. Too much.” She shoved against his chest and created space between them.
    Her breasts bobbed up and down with heavy breaths.
    She stood from the couch. He waited for her to say something, but she ran out of the living room and slammed the door behind her. He listened as she started her car and peeled out of the driveway.
    He wanted to follow her, but he knew he had finally gotten to her. And for now, that was enough. He smiled and leaned back on the couch.

9
    Sophia
    T he