Bear Mates (California Bears #2) Read Free Page A

just ditch me, I’m doing a live show tomorrow...”
    Thrash didn’t even bother to respond, and he made no attempt to try and convince Kayla any further.
    “If you walk out that door, don’t you ever think of coming back!” Kayla shouted half-hoping that her empty threat would stop the powerful Thrash in his tracks.
    But it didn’t, and Kayla silently studied his back as he took off out the door.

Chapter Six
    K ayla had been signed up as a musical guest on the Late Night with Timmy Talon show. She hated T.V. gigs, because as a curvy girl, she couldn’t stand how the camera always added an extra few pounds. She sat in front of a brightly lit vanity mirror while her make-up was being applied. Leif hovered in the background.
    “Babe, I can tell something’s obviously wrong. Who gives a shit about that Thrash guy? He’s just cramping our style, am I right ?” Leif crowed over Kayla’s shoulder and tucked a loose strand of hair behind her ear.
    “I’m here to protect you. As long as you got me around, you’ve got nothing to be afraid of...”
    Not so surprisingly, that offered Kayla little comfort. She missed having Thrash’s scowl-y face around. And she loved the way that they were always at each other’s throats.
    Leif could see that even though Kayla stood right in front of him, she was completely gone.
    “Babe?” he called low and dark. “Babe? The host called you to the stage...”
    Kayla snapped out of her day dreaming and regarded herself one more time in the mirror. For the first time, since—well, ever . She had been struck with stage fright. Without Thrash standing sullenly nearby, Kayla worried that some one out there might actually hurt her.
    “Uh—yeah. Sorry. I don’t know what came over me. Just jitters... I guess,” she uttered, heading towards the stage.
    “Good luck out there, babe. Break a leg...” Leif grinned with narrowing yellow eyes.
    Kayla stepped into the spotlight in front of the studio audience. She started singing, feeling her heart thud hard in her chest.
    Creak!
    Kayla tilted her head at the sound of a creaking noise above her. It’s all in your head, you’re just anxious—that’s all. She repeated to herself to calm her nerves.
    SNAP!
    The spotlight above her dangled from a few tiny threads and then came hurling down towards her. The audience gasped and Kayla’s skin blanched ghost white.
    A deafening roar came from the side of the stage when something scooped her up out of harm’s way. The heavy spotlight smashed hard on the stage with a heavy thud. Crushed glass littered the ground.
    Kayla’s heart beat so fast she thought it would explode. Her eyes were shut tight, and she finally found the courage to peek up at her mysterious savior.
    Kayla’s eyes widened with unbridled glee. “Thrash?” she asked with total disbelief. She just knew her knight-in-shining-werebear would never disappoint her. Thrash’s amber-red eyes gazed at her curvy frame with ravenous wanting.
    He looked down at the tattered rope attached to the spotlight. “These are teeth marks, someone chewed right through it,” Thrash grunted.
    “ Chewed? ” Kayla wondered aloud.
    Thrash didn’t answer instead he snarled, scowling at the right side of the stage. A wolf skulked in the shadows before running off. Soon after, Leif came scrambling to see if Kayla was alright.
    “Holy hell!” Leif darkly exclaimed. “Babe, you okay? That’s it. You’re staying with me tonight.”
    Leif pulled her away from Thrash’s grasp, but Kayla stopped suddenly in her tracks.
    “Leif, I think I better stay with Thrash tonight—just to play it safe,” Kayla expressed feeling like a part of her was betraying Leif.
    Thrash tried hard to prevent a sly grin from stretching across his cheek. But grinned anyway. Leif drew back and had the look of a pissed off lover.
    “If that’s what you want,” Leif grumbled lowly. “Don’t let me stand in your way...”

Chapter Seven
    “Y up, this was a bad idea. A