Bear in a Billion: EXPOSED (#1) Read Online Free

hello.”
    Ethan turned to walk away, camera swinging at his side.
    “Wait,” Haley gasped. “Will I see you again?”
    Stupid. Why did she have to sound so stupid? Haley immediately thought. Needy. Like a little girl.
    “Sure,” Ethan said. “I’m usually on the beach. I’m shooting video of the protest. Come down whenever.”
    “See you around, then,” Haley said with a smile.
     
    **********************

    Dumb bear. Stupid bear. She was clearly into you. Why didn’t you ask her out? Because, you’ve got enough going on right now.
    And he did have enough going on. Ethan’s life was complicated at the moment, and he preferred to get through the next stretch without layering in more complexity. Of course, he hadn’t counted on bumping into Haley on the path of life. She was curvy, cute, and courageous as all hell, making his bear’s heart throb for her. Just the way she had looked at him at Wiley’s stirred his soul. He knew he needed to check up on her, and when he saw her there, dutifully filling ketchup bottles as she watched the shifter interview, he was more convinced than ever he had found the one. But the timing, the timing was terrible. Not only had the protest just started, but the shifter thing was fresh in the news. And the way she watched the interview, like somebody determined to get to the truth, maybe it just wasn’t the smartest time for him to act on those feelings. Still, the reality was that, bad timing or not, he couldn’t risk losing her if she was the one. Ethan returned to the protest. The motley group of environmentalists and concerned citizens were gathered to voice their concern about a proposed natural gas import facility. Basically, an oil company wanted to build a giant pipeline out to a platform at sea so that tankers could deliver their natural gas to the California energy markets. That was the business side. The problem was that it came at a pretty significant environmental cost, and Ethan wasn’t keen on the idea. He’d been surfing in the area for years and didn’t want an accident to ruin that forever.
    “Hey, Ethan,” one of the protestors said, handing him a sign.
    “Howdy, bro,” another one chimed in.
    “Let’s kick their capitalist butts,” a third woman said. And Ethan fell into line, waving his ‘California Is Not For Sale’ placard. A few hours on the protest line would do him good, he thought. It would give him time to think. It would give his bear time to consider how to balance the competing demands in his life and make Haley his.

    **********************

    Haley finished her shift with a smile on her face. The Shack, as it was known, was mostly a daytime place, so she was out of there by six PM. Wiley appeared pleased with her performance, and after tipping out the kitchen crew, she was allowed to retain the remaining gratuities. Not too shabby. When added to her wages, she’d do just fine. And then there was Ethan. Glorious Ethan. She got the feeling that he might even like her. Stupid maybe, but some guys, even guys that looked like him, sometimes went for the curvier ladies.
    Haley had long ago made a conscious decision to be proud of her extra pounds. It wasn’t like she was some kind of glutton. She ate healthily. She exercised. But some girls were just naturally bigger, and she was one of those girls. Her curves, however, didn’t need to be a source of embarrassment. They could be a source of pride and power, too. Still, in her weaker moments, she’d be lying if she didn’t admit that she was occasionally insecure about her weight. Something her ex-boyfriend seemed to instinctively know. He’d harp on her size whenever she was at her lowest, and that had made her feel terrible. Like she wasn’t worth the dirt he walked on. Oh, what did she see ever see in him? Why did she ever trust him with her heart? Now that it was finally over, she was glad to be rid of that filthy, cheating liar.
    Tonight, however, wasn’t about insecurity. It was