Brave Bear: A Bear Shifter Romance (Werebear Creek Book 7) by Layla Silver

Author:Layla Silver [Silver, Layla]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Published: 2020-11-10T16:00:00+00:00

Chapter 8 - Pru

A giant black island took shape under my pencil, its white granite top a match for the backsplash that climbed the wall behind long open shelving built into the main kitchen wall. Eclectic pendant lighting made from reclaimed glass jars, bottles, and decanters hung from overhead, a clean and visually interesting contrast to the sleek modern appliances. Idly, I sketched in a bohemian blanket like the one I’d had in college draped over a stool at the island. It was a bright pop of color against the minimalist elegance of the rest of the space.

My hand jerked, scratching an ugly line across the design plan. Cursing under my breath, I dropped the pencil as if I’d been burned.

No, I berated myself viciously. You have to stop.

This was at least the third time I’d set up a potential design for Asher’s space only to catch myself subconsciously inserting myself into his imagined life. The first time it had been a deep soaking tub sketched alongside his high-tech rainforest-style shower enclosure. A tub I dreamed of but that he wouldn’t care about in the least … unless I was there to share it with.

But I couldn’t be, could I?

My chest ached, and my eyes burned. I told myself it wasn’t grief, just fatigue.

The lie fell flat, and I dropped my head into my hands. I should never have taken this assignment. I’d been a first-class idiot to think that I could keep my professional distance around Asher. Just like the first time we’d met, he’d breezed right under my defenses and swept me off my feet—literally.

Mortification clashed with arousal as I thought about our “field trip” to the chapel. It was beyond humiliating to have broken down and cried in Asher’s lap. Worse still to have completely taken leave of my senses and let him fuck me against the chapel wall. There was no excuse for such a lapse!

Yes, fine, he was the love of my life and impossibly handsome. And yes, he knew exactly how to touch me, and I’d missed him with every fiber of my being. But I’d promised myself I wouldn’t get close to him again—that I wouldn’t put him at risk.

All I’d done was make a mess of things. I hadn’t been able to explain to Asher why I was upset afterward, and the ride back to his place had been horrible. He didn’t understand why I didn’t have a vehicle he could drop me at or why he couldn’t take me home, and I couldn’t explain. He’d tried to get me to stay, to go up to his apartment, have a drink. Talk about it.

I’d refused, and he’d let me go—he hadn’t had much choice. But I could see the questions in his eyes, and I knew I was on borrowed time now. Whatever assumptions he’d made, they’d be different after that slip-up.

If Asher decided that I wasn’t all right, wasn’t being cared for—and what else could he think after that?—his protective instincts would kick in.

Download

Copyright Disclaimer:
This site does not store any files on its server. We only index and link to content provided by other sites. Please contact the content providers to delete copyright contents if any and email us, we'll remove relevant links or contents immediately.