Bear Security: BBW Paranormal Shape Shifter Romance by Ruby Shae Read Free Book Online Page A

love, and his contempt rattled her.
    “I—”
    She opened her mouth to say…something, but closed it when she saw the beautiful woman sitting on his couch. Long brown hair fell perfectly around her tall, thin frame and Rebecca could feel all of her old insecurities trying to resurface. Not only had he replaced her, but he’d found someone her exact opposite, proving she’d been right to run. A man like him needed a trophy on his arm, not a participation ribbon.
    Her eyes stung, but she blinked rapidly and remembered the reason for her visit.
    “I’m sorry. I didn’t know you had company. Can we talk in private?” she asked.
    “Anything you have to say to me, you can say in front of her,” he stated sternly.
    No way!
    She couldn’t do it. She wouldn’t grovel in front of his new mate. 
    “This was a mistake, please excuse me,” she turned toward the door.
    “That isn’t necessary,” the woman said. “I was just leaving. Isn’t that right, brother ?”
    Rebecca turned back to see Logan glaring at his sister. She ignored him, stuck out her hand, and introduced herself.
    “Hi Rebecca, I’m Layla. It’s nice to finally meet you.”
    “It’s nice to meet you, too,” Rebecca said quietly, shaking her hand by rote.
    “Do you know the coffee shop on fifth and vine? Java Corner ?” the woman asked.
    “I know where it is, yes.”
    “Good,” she said, walking toward the door. “If he won’t help you, come and find me there tomorrow and I will.”
    “Thank you, Layla,” she whispered in awe.
    Layla’s offer to help had stunned her. Though they’d never met, the siblings were best friends. She’d expected a cold shoulder not an olive branch.
    “You’re very welcome,” she said cheerfully, but her expression changed when she faced her brother. “I’ll see you soon, Logan,” she growled, and then she disappeared out the front door.
    “She seems nice,” Rebecca said, facing him again.
    “She is,” he agreed.
    Now that only the two of them remained, she felt as if all the air had been sucked out of the room. Her pulsed raced and she had to remind herself to breathe. Six months had done nothing to diminish her desire for him, and she desperately wanted to feel his lips on hers one more time.
    Though still not friendly, his voice lacked some of its original hostility, and his icy stare had softened a fraction.
    “What are you doing here, Rebecca?”
    She hated it when he used her full name, but she knew she’d have to get used to it. As much as she wanted him back, she’d lost the right to be by his side when she’d run. Some of her lust abated when she remembered why she’d come, and reality sank in again.
    “I saw something I wasn’t supposed to see, and now some cats are trying to kill me.”
     
    ***
     
    “I’m guessing you don’t mean housecats.”
    “No, shifters. Panthers.”
    Shit!
    Logan Price kept his face expressionless, but the need to hunt down those that had threatened his mate rode him hard. He would seek vengeance, but first he needed more information.
    “Okay, we’d better sit down.”
    Logan held out his hand to offer her a seat, and Becca sat on the couch. He propped himself on the arm of a recliner diagonal from her with his cell-phone ready.
    It didn’t matter how much time had passed, or how much pain he’d endured from her dismissal, she would always be his.
    When he’d opened the door earlier, she’d been the last person he’d expected to see standing on the other side. She’d left him six months ago after he’d told her about his ability to shift into a bear. When she didn’t return, he’d licked his wounds and tried to move on.
    Layla had chastised him repeatedly for letting her go without a fight, but his pride always won in the end. Every time he got the urge to chase her, he’d hit the gym instead. He’d gotten so big the clan leader, his alpha, had questioned him about steroid use and his ability to continue as Lead Enforcer for the clan. The