“I'd do anything for Cole, and my cousins, Dalton and Tony,” Brad declared. “We're the last surviving Jameson bears. My whole family was slaughtered by a rival bear clan when I was ten. I would have died if not for them. They saved me, protected me, looked out for me. Cole and Dalton founded the landscaping business and the Nightfire clan here in Moonstone Creek. They built a life, a future for us,” Brad smiled with obvious pride and affection. He turned to her and his smile wavered a little. “What about you, Lisha? Any...family?”
Lisha took a big gulp of tea and looked down. “No. No family.”
He nodded and respected her silence. He didn't probe, but she saw the concern and worry in his eyes.
“You live here, alone?” he asked at last.
“Yes.”
“But—there's almost no one here. This neighborhood...is like a ghost town!” He gestured wildly. “Why don't you...”
“It suits me,” she cut him off coolly.
Brad took a moment to compose the question in his head. She knew what he was thinking. He was wondering about the state of her finances and mental health.
Brad opened his mouth and shut it. He leaned forward slowly, and his large hand closed over hers.
“Lisha,” he said gently. “Are you...in some kind of trouble?”
When she jerked and looked away, he carried on, “You came to Moonstone Creek to get away from something, or someone.”
Lisha gulped and tried to pull her hand away but Brad held it firmly. “I'm right, aren't I?” he said.
CHAPTER FOUR
Brad continued watching Lisha intently. The woman was hiding something. But he didn't want to push her. Sadness and pain were etched all over her sweet, beautiful face, and it was all he could do not to grab her face in both hands and kiss all that sorrow away.
Lisha bit her lip and refused to meet his eyes. Her throat kept moving as she swallowed repeatedly. Her expression was pained and conflicted. There was something she wasn't telling him, but Brad couldn't see her as a liar. It was obvious she was courageous, fair-minded and quick to action. She had fought the robber off bravely and didn't hesitate to do the right thing. When she saw that he was injured, she had stepped right up and wrenched the knife out of his flesh. She didn't hesitate, flinch or run away.
Brad couldn't see her as a manipulative, dishonest woman hiding a dastardly secret. But she was hiding something. Something that put her in danger.
He couldn't let anything happen to her. He had to know the danger that was coming, so they could face it together.
“Lisha, your secret is safe with me. You—are safe with me. You don't have to run and hide any more. You are no longer alone.” He took a deep, long breath and said with absolute conviction and commitment, “You have me.”
She bent her head lower at his words and another strand of hair came loose from her tight bun. Brad studied her quietly. She was petite, at most five foot three, but she had a full, curvy figure. She tried to hide that luscious body under frumpy clothes and wore no makeup. She pulled her hair into a severe bun to make herself look at least ten years older, and it kind of worked. At first glance, anyone would have thought that she was a dowdy thirty-something woman.
But up close, it was clear that she was way younger.
“How old are you, Lisha?”
She started but answered, “Twenty-two.”
Brad nodded and continued staring at her. There was a faint blush spreading across her smooth, olive complexion and her chocolate brown eyes were soulful and so full of hidden emotions and secrets. The pain in her expression when she told him she had no family alerted him to the fact that her loss was recent. Her pain was raw and stark, and it cut him to the bone.
She had just lost everything that was dear to her.
Gingerly, reverently, Brad touched the shirt he was wearing. She had kept her father's clothes. He was wearing a treasure, a cherished, precious memory.
“Your father...” he began, taking both her clammy hands in his and looked deep into her eyes. Intuitively, instinctively, he knew what those large dark eyes had seen.
Lisha had seen her father die, and she had seen the face of his murderer.
“You testified, didn't you? Tell me you put the monster away,” he said through clenched teeth.
She bit her lip, and he could see the conflict in her eyes. Should she trust him? Finally, she nodded once. “Yes. He's been put away, but...” She swallowed hard and her expression became grim. “He's just one. There are more monsters out there.”
Brad took a deep breath and forced the words out, “The murderer...he's a shifter?” He closed his eyes briefly, dreading the answer. If the murderer was a shifter, she would probably hate shifters all her life. She would never allow herself to be mated to one…
Brad started, and jerked back. Who she mated with was none of his business.
But the thought of her mating with another male sent a sharp jolt of jealousy and pain stabbing through his heart. He withdrew his hand before he clawed deep gouges into the wood of her dining table.
Lisha looked up and answered his question with a laugh, but it was a harsh sound. “Shifters have been nothing but kind to me. A werewolf family gave me shelter once.” Her eyes flashed. “No, Brad. The monsters who killed my father are human.”
“Monsters?” Brad murmured. Plural. There were more, and they hadn't been put away.
Lisha nodded. “Mack Kross, the man who shot my dad, claimed he acted alone. But I don't think so. I think...it's a syndicate.”
“Drug syndicate?” Brad asked, his voice low.
“They're not trafficking drugs.” Her face twisted.
“Not drugs, then...”
“Humans.”
Brad inhaled sharply and a muscle worked in his jaw.
“My dad was the lead prosecutor. I don't know if they're proceeding with the prosecution, or if...” Her voice trailed off. Shaking her head hard, she looked up and continued, “I testified at Mack Kross's trial. I saw him shoot my dad, right in front of our house. If he's the hitman for a powerful syndicate, they might send someone after me.” She shrugged. “I don't know, but I can't sit and wait to be murdered.”
She looked up at Brad with blazing eyes. “I will live,” she said fiercely. “I won't let them win!”
“No.” Brad leaned forward. “They won't win. They will never win. You're not alone in your fight, Lisha. And you don't have to hide. You've done nothing wrong.”
She shook her head. “I may be right, but they have the might. I'm just one...”
“No. You have me, and my clan.”
“Your clan?”
“Yes. The Nightfire clan. You are safe with us. Trust me, Lisha.”
CHAPTER FIVE
Lisha kept her eyes on the ruggedly handsome man in front of her. He was a big bear shifter, but she wasn't scared of him. He had saved her from a worthless, spineless mugger, and he had been nothing but respectful and kind to her. And he was way sweet. He really did want to take care of her and he had offered her the protection of his clan.
Her hand seemed to move of its own volition and she reached out and touched Brad's strong, sturdy arm tentatively. There was just something about him that was utterly compelling, and strangely comforting. She could see the goodness in his eyes, in his heart and it steadied her. She just needed to touch him, to feel his solid body and know that he was real.
Brad didn't pull away. He kept his gaze on her and watched her intently as she moved her hand over his wrist, his forearm, his biceps and shoulder. She kept touching him, marveling at how wonderful and...familiar his body felt. Lisha worried her lower lip and frowned. Familiar? Why would she find him familiar at all? She'd never met him before this night.
Yet...he felt so right. Everything about him soothed her, steadied her, strengthened her. It was almost as if just by being near him, the broken shell of her had become whole again. He had asked her to trust him, and oddly enough, she
did.
Lisha gasped and blushed furiously when she realized that she had her hand on his bare chest, over his heart.
“Oh. I'm sorry. I...” Startled and embarrassed, Lisha attempted to draw back.
Brad held her hand in place over his heart and pulled her to him.
“Don't be,” he murmured. “Tell me, what do you feel?” Brad pressed her hand firmly against his heart.
“I...I feel your heart,” she stuttered. Her eyelids fluttered as he leaned closer towards her.
She felt his lips brush against her temple. “And what does my heart tell you?” Brad whispered.
Her breath hitched and she blinked rapidly, trying to order her thoughts which were going every which way. “I don't know...”
“Feel, Lisha. Trust your feelings, your instincts, your...” He stopped, his brows furrowing.
She knew what he had been about to say. Your animal.
Brad inhaled deeply, and she knew that he was trying to decipher her scent. Was she human or shifter? Lisha didn't quite know herself. If her animal never emerged, she was technically, for all intents and purposes, human. But at this time, she had no way of knowing if she had a beast prowling beneath her human skin.
“Lisha,” Brad began slowly. “Your scent is human. But earlier on, when you were fighting the robber, with your fear and adrenalin spiking, I thought I detected another scent from you. A...feline scent. Do you have shifter blood in you, Lisha? Do you know if one of your parents, or even your grandparents, or great-grandparents, was a shifter?”
Lisha gulped and looked away. Would she, could she, tell him everything?
Now was the moment of truth. Just how much did she trust Brad?
She put her hand over her heart and listened to her instincts. Her instincts had saved her life. She had sensed the danger approaching her house and had ducked behind a tree instead of running towards her father. She read her father's wishes in his final smile. He wanted his only daughter to survive. No, more than survive. He wanted her to live.
Lisha lifted her eyes to Brad. She saw the love, honesty and trust in his clear, brown eyes.
Honesty. Trust. Love.
She wanted all these back in her life.
Lisha sucked in a deep breath and took the leap. She would tell him everything.
“My dad was a tiger shifter. My mom was fully human. Most weretigers are solitary creatures. They don't have a pack or clan, but they have families. My paternal grandparents have passed away, and I've never met my maternal grandparents. And...I don't know if I'm a shifter or not. If I'm to shift, my animal will emerge any time between my eighteenth and twenty-fourth birthday. If I make it to twenty-five without shifting, then it's pretty safe to say that I'll live my life as a human.”
“A weretiger,” Brad breathed in awe and admiration.
Lisha blushed and lowered her eyes. “I may not...”
“It doesn't matter if you can shift or not. You are your father's daughter. And your father was a fighter, a brave, great man. You have his spirit. I saw you fight off your assailant. And you saved me.” Brad quirked a lopsided smile. “You pulled out the silver blade from my body without even batting an eyelid. I must confess, I felt a bit faint myself at the grisly sight, but you...wow. You just went in and got the knife out. No fuss, no sweat.”
Lisha laughed and punched his arm. “You're making fun of me,” she accused.
He shook his head, the laughter fading from his eyes. He looked at her solemnly and said, “I speak the truth. There will always be honesty between us, Lisha.”
“Brad...”
“Do you trust me?” he asked.
She nodded wordlessly.
“Do you feel safe with me?”
“Yes.” She found her voice and answered, “I do. I...I don't even know you, and yet, I feel like I've known you all my life. How…?”
Brad leaned in, silencing the rest of her words with a soft, tender kiss.
CHAPTER SIX
Lisha didn't pull away. His lips were gentle, soft and teasing. When he swept his tongue across her lower lip, she moaned and parted her lips for him. Brad deepened the kiss, tasting her thoroughly, and groaning when the tip of her tongue touched his.
He released her slowly, and she blinked up dazedly at him. She could feel his heart pounding in time to hers, and see the scorching desire in his eyes. He wanted her, but he wouldn't force her. He was restraining himself, reigning his beast in. She glanced down and saw the blood oozing from his fists. His claws were gouging into his palms and his eyes flashed feral for an instant, but still he wouldn't give in to his animal lust and take her.
Brad was a good man. She knew it, in her gut, in her heart, in her soul.
She liked him, a lot. Liked him, and wanted him.
Lisha didn't resist when Brad folded her into his arms and held her. She nuzzled his neck, inhaling his unique, masculine scent. It felt so good, to feel safe and loved again. It brought back a sense of home, and a crushing sense of loss.
Without realizing it, tears spilled from her eyes and slid silently down her cheeks. Lisha sobbed quietly at first, missing her father, her family home, her old, happy life. As Brad held her, she gave in to her grief and pain and just cried openly and noisily. She didn't hold back. She simply let all her pent up, buried emotions gush from her, crying hard and long.
Brad held her and smoothed his hand down her hair and back while she cried. He didn't say anything. He just let her cry in his arms, rocking her gently until her sobs subsided. She hadn't cried in such a long time. She hadn't allowed herself to cry. She was too busy running, hiding and hurting.
Wiping the last of her tears away, she sniffed and looked up at Brad's solemn face. She realized that she was sitting in his lap, and he was sitting on the floor against the wall. How they ended up in this position she would never know. But it felt good.
She rested her head on his broad shoulder and winced. “I'm so useless,” she muttered. “I don't know why I...”
“Crying isn't a sign of weakness, Lisha.”
She shook her head. “I shouldn't have broken down like that. It's not...”
“Everyone breaks down. Everyone falls down. The important thing is not to break, not to remain down. That's what my cousins told me when I wouldn't stop crying after I realized that I would never see my family again, that they were all dead,” Brad said quietly. “The pain will never fully go away. Anyone who tells you that it will, is either lying or doesn't have a damn clue what he's talking about.”
Lisha gave him a small smile to acknowledge the truth of his words. She cupped his handsome face in both hands and gazed long into his eyes, eyes that had witnessed death and destruction up close yet retained a spark of humor and hope.
His words echoed in her mind. The important thing is not to break, not to remain down. Those weren't just empty, standard words of encouragement.
Brad had experienced the pain of losing loved ones and having his whole world ravaged and reduced to ashes. He had lost much, just like her. Lisha leaned forward and rested her forehead against his.
Two people who had lost everything had somehow found each other in this small shifter town she had ever only heard in passing until now. Would they be passing each other too, like ghostly ships in the night? Maybe she would have to relocate again. Who knew when death and danger would catch up with her? Then Brad too would be gone from her life.
Lisha pressed her lips against his to muffle a sudden sob.
She wanted so much to feel safe again, to trust again, to love again. She wanted a solid, real life, not a fleeting, illusory existence.
“Brad,” she whispered. “Will you...love me?”
She felt him tense as he inhaled sharply.
“Just for tonight,” she added very quietly, keeping the sadness out of her voice. She couldn't possibly ask him to love her forever, but perhaps he would be charitable enough to warm her bed and her heart just for one night.
The stark loneliness and desolation in Lisha's dark eyes shredded his soul. Brad scooped her up in his arms and kissed her eyelids, tasting her hot, salty tears.
Brad took her mouth in a deep, passionate kiss as her arms wound around his neck, clinging tightly to him. Her body language spoke volumes.
She had asked him to love her. But she was afraid he'd say no.
She wanted him to stay even though she knew he would go.
Brad growled and hugged her tightly to him. She wouldn't allow herself to harbor any hope or expectation. She just wanted to be loved and held for one night.
Brad would hold her, and give her all the love and pleasure she needed tonight.
He would love her, and not just for one night.
Tonight was just the beginning.
His bear rumbled as he breathed in their mingled breaths and tasted the sweet, distinctive scent of her. His protective, possessive instincts surged to the fore. His bear pressed up against his skin, wanting to feel her warmth, her softness, every inch of her feminine, curvy body. Brad rubbed down her arms and gripped her waist in a gesture that was both tender and possessive.
He had finally found her.
Here, among the shadows, among the ruins of her life, he had found his mate.
She was his, but he didn't want to scare her. She was vulnerable, but she wasn't weak. He would be gentle with her, but he wouldn't treat her with kid gloves.
Tonight, he would make her forget all her pain and fear. He would fill her with all the pleasure and love he could give her. Brad swore that she would never be hurt and alone again.
“Lisha,” he said softly. “Will you let me love you, always?”
She looked up and searched his face, her brow creasing. She half winced, half smiled. She wanted to believe him but didn't dare to. Instead, she said, “I will take what you can give me.”
“I will give you everything, Lisha,” he growled.
A Wife For The Bear: BBW Paranormal Shape Shifter Romance (Bear Brides Book 3) Page 3