Bear Again (Second Chance Shifters 3) by Meredith Clarke, Ally Summers Page A

didn’t know where they came from. There was a flood of emotions sweeping through her.
    Liam’s gaze softened. “Soph, I would never leave you.”
    She felt the heaviness in her shoulders. She didn’t think she could hold herself up any longer. Releasing the words had released a truth she didn’t know she was carrying around. It was an enormous burden that she had unloaded on Liam.
    “You don’t know that. You can’t promise me that,” she protested.
    “This is why you keep pushing me away. You’re afraid I’ll leave you.” His chest rumbled. “I swear that won’t happen.”
    “It can happen. It happened to Noah. He’s dead. The bear who swore he was my mate for life is dead. So don’t tell me to fall in love with you. Don’t tell me to give you my heart. Don’t make promises we both know you can’t keep.”
    Liam’s eyes grew darker. They did that when he was upset. “What happened to Noah was tragic. But his accident was an extreme circumstance. That’s not going to happen to me.”
    “It was a car accident, Liam. He wasn’t abducted by aliens. You could drive home tonight and get plowed over.”
    “It shouldn’t have happened. And most bears could have recovered. He would have recovered if he hadn’t been hit a second time. The chances of that happening to me are next to impossible.”
    She balled her hands into fists and beat at his chest. “But it could happen. You could leave me just like him.” She pound harder against the solid mass of muscle with futile thumps.
    “Shh. Shh.” He pulled her into his arms. “I won’t leave you. Let me love you, Sophia. Let me make you happy.”
    She felt the warmth of his skin through his shirt. She closed her eyes, letting his strength fold around her. It felt safe. It felt as if nothing could penetrate Liam’s hold on her. All he wanted was to give her a life just like this. A life with a powerful bond, shielding her from the world. A life with a hot, sexy man completely devoted to her.
    He rocked her back and forth, stroking her hair.
    “I won’t leave you. I swear,” he whispered.
    Sophia curled up into his lap and let him rock her into a deep sleep. She didn’t know Liam Grayson could fall asleep and not try to get her naked. He didn’t so much as pull the sweater off her shoulder. He could be a gentleman, and more.
    She awakened before sunrise with a smile on her lips. She saw a side of Liam she didn’t know existed. It was the part she had searched for. Compassion and friendship. Tenderness and concern. He listened. He held her.
    She pressed against his chest, trying to sit upright.
    She felt the quiver in her chest. Her pulse rushed with adrenaline and something she hadn’t felt in two years.
    He opened his eyes and grinned. “Good morning, beautiful.”
    Holy hell. She had to stop herself from stammering.
    Suddenly everything was different.

16

Liam
    H e woke up with her in his arms. She stared at him and scooted back, tossing the cocoon of blankets off her shoulders.
    “I should get going.”
    “Hey, wait.” He tried to pull her back on top of him. He liked her there. He groaned, thinking what it would be like to have her naked like that. “Don’t go.”
    “I have to get the ovens on.” She tucked her hair behind her ear. She jumped off the tailgate.
    “Want some help?” he offered.
    The answer was always the same. She always told him to get lost. She would threaten to call the Bear Lake police, or cite him for trespassing.
    “Yeah. That would be nice. I’ll make some coffee for you.” She turned for the door and left him blinking in disbelief.
    He didn’t know when it had happened, but some time last night, things had changed with Sophia. Maybe it was talking about Noah. Maybe it was finally talking about the accident. He didn’t know, and he didn’t care. She was letting down the walls.
    He jumped off the truck and followed her inside. He rubbed his eyes and watched her move around the kitchen.
    “I think I’ll