Alec (BBW Secret Baby Bear Shifter Romance) (Secret Baby Bears Book 1) by Becca Fanning Page A

she could run to that she couldn’t be followed. Maybe she should just throw herself into the water and end it all on her own terms.  

    “I have a proposal for you,” Leo said.

    Annie turned slightly back towards him, unwilling to put her back entirely to the forest but suspecting she should be looking at Leo for this conversation. Leo walked around until he was closer to her.

    “Captain, I don’t think—” the brunette started before Leo cut him off with a lazy flick of his wrist.

    “Didn’t ask you to,” he said, quirking an eyebrow at Annie. “So? Interested?”

    Like she had any choice. “Go for it.”

    “We help you with your soldier problem. Hell, we’ll get you off planet. For the right price.”

    And there it was. Annie felt something cold start to move through her veins.  

    “What price might that be?” she asked as calmly as she could.

    Leo’s grin widened as his eyes traced down her neck and over her torso. He nodded at her chest.

    “Those real?” he asked

    Annie bristled. “Ex cuse me?”

    Leo smirked at her. “The diamonds, sugar. I’m assuming yes if you got the dress from Strathmore but I thought I’d ask anyways.”

    Annie straightened her shoulders as heat slowly filled her face. She ran fingers along the tiny crystals.  

    “He said they were,” she answered. “I don’t know if he was lying, though.”

    Leo shrugged. “Good enough for me. Alright, let’s get this onto the Breakwater .”

    Leo gave Annie a wary look before glancing at Custer, who was still smiling like this was exactly what he had wanted to happen today. He turned and walked up the ramp into the ship behind him.

    “Hyde, Dom, we need your help to load fast,” he called before walking over to one of the crates and loading it onto a flatbed next to the stack of cargo. He and Custer grabbed another box as Leo took a step closer to Annie.  

    He smiled at her and put his hands up in a placating gesture when she tensed. “Got anywhere in particular you’re needing to be?”

    “Why are you helping me?” Annie asked in lieu of answering his question. “And don’t say the diamonds. I’m asking why you’re actually helping me.”

    “You don’t believe I’m motivated solely by greed?” Leo said. “I’m touched that you think I’m such a good person.”

    “It has nothing to do with being a good person,” Annie snapped. “There are soldiers from one of the most feared private militaries to ever exist who are going to burst out of the forest at any minute now because the man who put the galaxy’s balls in a vise is trying to find me. If I were you, I’d need a hell lot more than a couple rocks to convince me to get involved.”

    Leo’s smile faded as he ran his eyes searchingly over her face. “You think I’m going to sell you back to Strathmore.”

    “I’d have to be an idiot to not consider the possibility,” Annie told him. “I’m a lot of things. That’s not one.”

    “So why haven’t you made a break for it yet?” he asked, tilting his head.

    “Because you’re only probably going to hand me giftwrapped over to Strathmore whereas the jackasses in the forest definitely will. The hand’s shit, but it’s still more in my favor with you.”

    “Captain, they’re getting closer,” Rick called as two men ran down the ramp to help move the cargo. One had a shockingly blue eyepatch and the other, while no less muscular than his crewmates, looked to be several inches shorter than Annie. Both glared suspiciously at Annie as they approached and she wasn’t surprised to see they also had gold eyes. Rick leaned over and muttered something to them. They looked at each other, then went to work.

    “Alright, you need to get inside now if you’re getting inside at all,” Leo said to Annie. “I can’t focus on fighting these chucklefucks and protect you at the same time.”

    “Wait, you’re fighting them?” Annie said in disbelief. “I thought the plan was to try