Bear Naked Truth (Southern Shifters Book 7) by Eliza Gayle Read Free Book Online Page B

so.
    Grizzlies tended to keep to the western half of the United States, leaving black bears to control the bear population in this region.
    The woman seemed like no slouch either. Signing a contract with the Blackwoods took some serious guts or a heaping helping of crazy. Maybe both.
    Tired and in desperate need of sleep, Bhric trudged up the stairs and into his apartment suite. What he needed even more was privacy. Niki had disappeared through the kitchen, but that didn't mean she wasn't lingering somewhere nearby.
    Talk about a woman who didn't know when to quit. Keeping a secret from someone with her skills took a herculean effort.
    He reached into his back pocket and tugged his cell phone out and clicked on the number at the top of his contacts. It was answered on the first ring.
    "We've got a problem," he said.
    He didn't love keeping secrets from his crew. But he'd agreed it was the best for everyone if no one knew what was going on with Simon and the Blackwood Pack. It was easier to let everyone think they'd abducted him and that he and Rafe were working on a plan to get him back without starting a clan war.
    "Yes, she's here and that's usually problematic enough. Of course nothing is ever easy and this is no exception. Calder seems to have taken a liking to her. Nope. Even worse. He's acting like a shifter who has just found his mate."
    Bhric almost laughed when there was no response at the other end of the line. Except nothing about this situation was funny. Lately, it was simply one shit storm after another.
    "I told him she was off limits but I only have so much control over him. He's a good guy, though. But if she's his mate we don't have a chance in hell he'll let us go through with our plan. We might have to start coming up with other options."
    What that would be he had no idea. Well, he did. But it would get ugly.
    "I don't know. But you need to think fast. I get the feeling this situation is going to explode real soon." With that, he clicked to end the call and put his phone on silent. He was done with interruptions for the night.
    Bhric sat on his black leather sofa and put his feet up on the coffee table. As much as he loved this place, it was beginning to feel a little lonely, despite their added numbers with mates and now a new cub under his roof.
    Maybe he just needed some sleep. And a woman under him. That thought made him squirm. It had been months since he'd gotten laid. Not for the lack of women trying. The bar was filled with plenty of eager females every night of the week. But none of them were her...
    It had only taken him seconds to realize her importance and about the same amount of time to realize it wasn't going to happen. She didn't belong in the neutral zone.
    He shook his head. Nope. She had a life in a small human city hours away and that's where she needed to stay.
    For now.

8
    J essa peeled herself out of her small SUV and headed toward the front door of her cabin. Fatigue had set in on the drive up the mountain and she no longer wanted to deal with any of this anymore.
    "Let me go in first and check it out. I'll let you know when it's safe to come in."
    She didn't argue, she simply handed over her keys and hung back. The cool night air soothed some of the pent up emotions that had been raging through her from almost the first moment she'd walked into the Dark Moon.
    Everything about the place annoyed her now. So much for an escape from the Blackwoods. She'd gone from one prison to another.
    Calder popped his head out of the door. "All clear," he said with a smile on his face.
    To her surprise, even dog-tired, her body reacted to that smile. Warmth suffused her and she couldn't resist smiling back. She had no defense for a look like that. Beyond the beautiful face and the hard muscles lies a good heart.
    Her instincts weren't always the greatest but this one she couldn't deny. She could fall for him and fall hard. There was a good chance it would end in her heart getting shattered. Not a