Jade Crew: Captive Bear (A BBW Paranormal Shape Shifter Romance) (Ridgeback Bears Book 4) by Amelia Jade

the savannah. Thankfully he stopped well short of her personal space, leaving a bubble of at least ten to fifteen feet between them.
    She wasn’t sure what to say to him now that he was actually present in the flesh. It had been one thing to tell him via a message over the phone that she didn’t want to see him anymore.
    “Can we talk?”
    Kierra nodded, not trusting her voice.
    He looked at her for a moment. “Maybe, outside of the hallway?” he suggested.
    “Right,” she said blinking rapidly as her wits returned in a flash. “My office is just down the hallway,” she told him, turning to head back the way she had come.
    “Thank you for not just brushing me off,” he said as she closed the door behind them.
    She gestured to a chair in front of her desk and then moved around behind it to seat herself, while looking at him and waiting for Darren to make the first move. He looked around awkwardly, but then began to speak.
    “Listen, I just want to know what I did wrong. I could have sworn there was a bit of something between us last night. I don’t think I was the only one to feel it. So then today, when I got your message, it just seemed... off. Like you didn’t completely believe it. I came down here to find out the real reason. I’m not here to beg you to reconsider. I just want the honest answer.”
    “Darren,” she began, then stopped, gathering her words before starting again. “You know I’m running for mayor, right?”
    He nodded. That wasn’t groundbreaking news because they had talked about it the night before.
    “Well, the campaign I’m running on, the way I’ve built a following... I’ve never been a fan of shifters before you see. As a result, a lot of the support I’ve acquired over the years aren’t huge fans either.”
    “That’s your reason?” he said, interrupting her before she could finish explaining.
    “Why didn’t you tell me you were a member of the Jade Crew?” she asked, the question coming out in a rush.
    Darren looked at her. “You didn’t ask, and I didn’t figure it made a difference,” he replied in a clipped tone. “Does it matter what crew I’m from? Does it make a difference?” Anger tinged his voice as he continued to speak, becoming more irate with her.
    “I have to think of the way it would look for my campaign. If my constituents found out I went on a date with a Jade Crew shifter, I would lose all sorts of support. You aren’t exactly known for being a peaceful and easygoing crew you know!” she shot back.
    He shook his head. “You didn’t judge me before you knew what crew I was with. You agreed to dinner before that, based solely on what you felt with me, not because of who I am. But now that there’s a label attached, all of a sudden I’m nothing but trash?”
    “You aren’t trash!” she protested.
    “Tell Hannah that. She was there when I walked in, looking at me like I was absolute garbage. I’ve never even met the girl before! Clearly somebody must have made her think that about me.” His tone left no doubt on who he thought must have done that.
    “Darren, you’re a nice guy, and there was a spark,” she said awkwardly, trying to end the conversation. “But I really need to think of my campaign first. I’ve put a lot of time and effort into that.”
    He rolled his eyes and stood. “Don’t. Just don’t, okay? Save your pre-fabricated political bullshit for someone who cares. I liked you, the real you. Not,” he gestured at her, “this. Whatever it is.”
    “Wait, Darren!” she called as he left the room, but he didn’t turn back. “Fuck!” she exclaimed, slamming herself back into the chair. That was not the ending she had wanted to her afternoon. She felt so stupid too. Listening to her tell him the reasons for canceling made her realize how terrible they sounded. Kierra didn’t blame Darren one bit for being frustrated with her. She sounded so petty and uncaring.
    Angrily she threw herself out of the chair and headed