Lucky Bear - Wild Bear 01 by Ruby Shae Read Free Book Online

leave town soon, she might have to. Seeing him prove just how lucky he was with a different woman every night would kill her.
    No, it was best to end things now.
    Finn emerged fifteen minutes later and they rode to her house in silence. He parked the truck, but before he could get out, she stopped him.
    “I’m not really that hungry,” she said. “Do you mind if we skip lunch?”
    “You need to eat more than a donut,” he said, “and we still need to talk.”
    “We can talk now, and I can eat later.”
    He narrowed his eyes and stared at her, and once again she felt as if he could see into her soul. It wasn’t the first time she’d felt so transparent to him, and she desperately wanted to run into her apartment and hide.
    “Okay,” he said slowly. “I met with a realtor yesterday and she showed me some beautiful photos. I’d like to take you there today and see if you like anything enough to do a walk through. There’s also a house for sale on the border of the nature preserve I’d like to view. It’s not on the market yet, so there are no photos, but I think we should take a look. That one is time sensitive, but if we want it, it’s ours.”
    She knew he was too good to be true, and a band tightened around her heart. Every word, every touch, every promise had been a charade. He only wanted money. Anger and pain bubbled up and swirled together. For a moment she didn’t know if she would scream or burst into tears. She might not beautiful, or mate material, but she wasn’t stupid either.
    Anger forced her next words.
    “Let me guess,” she spat the words, “you need the money for a down payment and you’ll pay me back later.” She made air quotes with her fingers to emphasize the words.
    “No,” he said sternly, “I have plenty of money, Belle, I don’t need yours.”
    “Right,” she said sarcastically, “and you’re going to use all this money to buy a house in Liberty?”
    “Yes.”
    “No one stays in Liberty,” she said as the anger started to wean into sadness.
    She’d been duped again.
    “I’m staying in Liberty,” he said. “I’m not your ex, Belle, but the fact that you don’t know that yet tells me we’re moving too fast. I think we should take a little break and slow down a bit.”
    There it was…the kiss-off.
    “Okay,” she agreed.
    “I’ll see you tonight,” he said, effectively ending the conversation.
    “Bye.”
    She opened the car door and slid out into the bright sun, ignoring the stares of two of her neighbors. They were bear shifters and they glanced from her to Finn and smiled knowingly. He’d already started working his charms, and she crossed her arms over her chest and ran to her apartment.
    Once she was safe inside the dwelling, she raced to the bathroom, stripped off all of her clothes and stepped into the shower. There, under the warm spray, she let the tears fall and allowed her bear to roar in anguish.
    She cried until no more tears remained. An hour later, the exited the tub and dried off with prune looking fingers. She mentally rebuilt the wall around her heart, and steeled herself for seeing Finn again. The first step was realizing he wasn’t Finn, he was Lucky, and she had no place in her life for a man with a reputation like his.
    She set her clock and slid into bed. She had to be at work in six hours, and she needed the rest. With any luck, by the time she woke up, she’d believe the lies she told herself.
     
    ***
     
    Finn watched Belle disappear into her apartment and slammed his fist on the steering wheel. Two women had been watching their exchange with interest, and he growled when they smiled in his direction. They took the hint and turned away, pretending to ignore him.
    Good. He had no use for anyone other than Belle.
    The fact that she’d compared him to her ex had been a serious blow to his ego. His bear had roared at the insult, and anger had swamped him, followed swiftly by heartache. Even though they’d only been together a