River Bear (BBW Paranormal Shapeshifter Romance) (Blue Bear Rescue) Read Free

Now, her humanity practically screamed at him from across the truck. Fragile. Breakable. And he’d be damned if he was the one to break her.
    A soft gurgling sound came from across the bench seat. Jake glanced over, and Delilah smiled wryly. “Sorry,” she said, her hand on her stomach.
    “You hungry?” he asked.
    “Apparently the red-eye flights don’t serve meals anymore. I haven’t eaten since yesterday.”
    “Well, shit, woman.” He made a quick right, backtracking the way they’d come. “We can’t have you starving on the job.”
    He stopped at the first drive-through he spotted and ordered a breakfast meal to go. “I’ll drop you at your motel. You can eat and shower and then I’ll come pick you up, and we can get started,” he said.
    He lingered at the window, tapping his fingers in impatience. Every time Delilah’s stomach growled, he did too. The cashier seemed like a nice enough girl and Jake’s manners wouldn’t let him fuss at her, but his bear’s patience was waning. Over getting her some breakfast? He definitely needed to rein it in. He couldn’t fall for her. Not if it meant her death.
    By the time he pulled away from the window with the bag of food, Delilah was staring at him with brows raised.
    “What?”
    “How much do you think I eat, exactly?” she asked.
    “Oh, this first bag is for me. That one’s for you,” he said.
    She peeked inside the one he’d gestured at for her. “There’s enough food in here to feed me for a week,” she said.
    He shot her a look, trying to ignore the thrill it gave him to think of her spending that many days with him. “Don’t you plan to be here that long?”
    Her gaze hardened. “Hopefully not,” she muttered and then stared out the window.
    He frowned. Had he said or done something to offend her?
    She didn’t speak again for the rest of the ride and by the time he pulled up in front of her motel, he knew he’d done something wrong. Just as well. Maybe if she were pissed at him, he’d be forced to keep his distance. Nash’s stupid vision couldn’t happen if she hated him, right?
    He walked her to the door and handed her the breakfast bag. “Call me when you’re ready to go,” he said.
    She nodded, her mouth set in a hard line. “Will do,” she said and turned for the door.
    He waited while she inserted her key card and stepped inside. She caught the door just before it closed, her lip caught between her teeth. Jake stared at the shape of her mouth.
    “You know, your low opinion of humans is a little hypocritical, don’t you think?”
    He blinked at that. “What?”
    “You called me out here to dig into who has a problem with you all being shifters, and here you are doing the same with humans. I know it’s not my business, but I’m just saying. Pot. Kettle.”
    Jake cocked his head. “Woman, I have absolutely no idea what you’re talking about. I don’t have anything against humans.”
    She glowered at him. “You don’t have to lie about it. I heard what you said to Xavier about me. I’m human. That’s clearly a problem for you. Not to mention how much you despite my wavy hair and pale skin… I’m sorry if I’m not your type.”
    Jake closed his eyes and shook his head. This was not going how he’d planned. “I don’t dislike you for being human,” he said.
    “That’s not what you said before.” She eyed him stonily.
    Tough as nails, this one. He ran a hand through his hair, frustrated. At Xavier. At her. At himself for going about this all wrong. “It’s not dislike,” he insisted. “It’s the opposite. You being human… it just means you’re more my type.”
    “Oh.” She un-scrunched her nose, and her expression went slack.
    Jake sighed. He was pretty damn sure he’d made a mistake telling her that. He didn’t actually know if it was true yet. But he couldn’t take it back now. In fact, maybe if he just got her into bed once to get her out of his system, his animal would let it go. Move on. Forget