Laid Bear Read Online Free

stop. He moved back toward her side of the duplex and stopped again. She was sure he could hear her heart pounding all the way outside.  
    “Please go away,” she whispered. Almost as if he’d heard her, he moved back to his truck and drove away.  
    Bethany let out a sigh of relief. But there was something else…regret. She liked Max. Sure, he was hot as hell, but there was something else. He was a nice guy and seemed to genuinely like her.
    But what she saw last night…
    Did she really see it? The idea of Max being some kind of freaky shapeshifter was ridiculous, but she’d seen the bear with her own eyes. He was huge and brown and hairy. And he’d morphed into her gorgeous neighbor in a matter of an eyeblink.
    Maybe that was it! Maybe she’d blinked and Max had chased off the bear and she just thought she saw him shrinking down in size, the bristly fur evaporating and turning into bronzed skin. Recalling Max’s naked form warmed her, making her squirm a little.  
    And now that the image was in her head, it was impossible to unsee. Max standing outside the gate, shimmering in the moonlight. Every muscle on his body highlighted by the moon. His long legs were lean and oh-so-lickable. But her mind’s eye kept traveling to that place between his legs, the place where glory lay.  
    Slapping herself lightly, Bethany told herself to snap out of it. Clearly a cold shower was in order. Maybe it would even clear her head a little so she could think things through.
    Twenty minutes later, she padded into the kitchen, cuddled in a fuzzy robe, and started the coffee maker before cleaning up the broken glass in the sink. She was whistling a tune and felt quite content because she’d realized in the shower that she’d obviously sleepwalked during the night and had dreamed the shapeshifting episode. It was the only thing that made the slightest bit of sense.
    Satisfied with what her waking brain convinced her was true, she set to work making a hearty breakfast of bacon and eggs, her favorite. Just as she was sliding the over-easy eggs onto a plate, her phone chirped. Char-Char , the display read.
    “Hey, Char! What’s up?” Her energy surprised her, making her wonder if she was overcompensating.
    “I just wanted to confirm you’re coming tonight,” her friend said.
    Shit, the party . Her good cheer was dampened by the thought of being the only person without a date at this thing, but Char didn’t ask for much from her so it was the least she could do. “Um, sure. Want me to come over early to help?”
    “Nah, it’s handled.” Charlotte paused. “B, you sound weird. Everything okay?”
    Char always knew when something was going on in Bethany’s life. That’s what best friends were for. “Yeah, just had a weird dream last night that kinda freaked me out. I’m cool now. See you around six, right?”
    Bethany could tell Charlotte wanted to press the issue but she restrained herself. “Yup. Be there or be on my shit list forever!”

S he knew it was silly, but Bethany was relieved that Max didn’t come back for the rest of the day. She felt kind of like the wife who has a dream her husband is cheating on her, then gets mad at him for it. It wasn’t Max’s fault she had an extremely fertile imagination but she wasn’t sure she really wanted to see him right now. Besides, she was a master of avoidance.
    She still felt emotionally exhausted so tonight’s party was just what the doctor ordered. She’d have one drink too many, sing ‘Copacabana’ on Char’s karaoke machine until everyone begged her to stop, and try to put last night’s sleepwalking episode out of her head.  
    Even though Charlotte had told her not to bother, Bethany made a point of heading over to her house early. Char and Jacob had just moved into a sweet little starter home across town, and they were having a ball hosting parties for their various friends. Bethany had been invited to all of them, but at a couple of parties for Jacob’s