Read Online The Witness and the Bear: (Werebear Shifter Romance) by T. S. Joyce - Free Book Online Page B
Authors: T. S. Joyce
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and tucked her against his chest.
His smoldering eyes on the trail, he leaned into her ear as she wrapped her arms around his neck and murmured, “I’m going to take you home and feed you, then I’m going to bathe you and bed you again. I want my scent all over you.” He trailed kisses down her neck and she giggled as he hit the ticklish spot near her nape.
“What’s this?” he asked, brushing lips over her scar. Lifting her hair, his eyes went wide and he nearly dropped her. “What is that?” he asked again, setting her upright.
Nothing in her wanted to explain where she’d got it. That night haunted her enough without her revisiting it. “It’s just a scar.”
Riker pulled his arms behind his back and took the formal stance he’d had when she’d met him the first time. Walking quietly beside her, they entered the clearing where a row of cabins sat. As others waved and greeted him, he nodded and offered polite smiles, but his look was a million miles away.
He was mad, or perhaps disappointed, she didn’t know. She’d been hurt when he’d shut her down and now she was doing the same. That kind of hurt was something she’d never wish on him.
“I had a sister,” she said, testing the words to see if she could tell the story without breaking down.
Properly, he held a hand out and helped her up the steps to his house. “What happened to her?”
A grasshopper waited on the door frame and she brushed it away as Riker turned the knob. “She died the night I got the scar. She’d been dating a man who turned out to be the death of her. Her type had always been bad boys, but Lance Boyd was another beast altogeth er. We never guessed how deep in he was until he double crossed his boss, Amos Stone. Stone’s revenge was to make Lance watch his loved ones die. He came for Marian on a Sunday, just in time for our family dinner. We were all collateral damage.”
“How’d you get away?”
She swallowed to steady the tremble in her voice. “One of the neighbors called the cops when they heard us screaming. Stone and most of his men were already gone, but he left one to torture us. He marked our necks first. Said it was his calling card.” Her voice faltered as visions of Marian assaulted her mind. She’d gone badly. Painfully. Gripping her hair, she sank into the sofa and heaved a sigh. “Marian and Lance died, but I held on long enough. When I came to, I was ruined. I used to be so...” She shook her head, searching for the right word. “Hopeful. About life and my future. Marian and I had all these plans to get married and have children around the same age so they could grow up together.” Her huff of laughter was harsh and she drew her knees up to her chin to shield herself from the battering memories.
Riker paced behind the couch, but at her emotionless chuckle, he knelt in front of her, placed his warm hands on her knees and it worked. She settled.
“Fate had other plans for me. I was angry with the world. With Lance and his poisonous affection. At Mari an for falling for that life. At myself for not seeing it sooner. At Stone. Oh, I was maddest at him. I testified. They were going to finish the job anyway, so I swore to Marian’s headstone I’d take every one of those murderous motherfuckers down with me. Didn’t think I’d ever make it to trial but Jeremy kept his promise and saw me safely there. After the next attempt on my life, three months later, I was accepted into witness protection. Stone’s reach was just as long from his prison cell. He still has enough allies on the outside to see me dead. Some cop is feeding him intel now on where my safe houses are. Jeremy and I barely escaped the last one. My other security, Jimmy, passed away in the gunfight.” She lifted her tear filled eyes and whispered, “I killed a man.”
Riker’s thumb made rhythmic circles against her leg, and his eyes looked as tortured as she felt. She was right in this, to have waited for the right person to
His smoldering eyes on the trail, he leaned into her ear as she wrapped her arms around his neck and murmured, “I’m going to take you home and feed you, then I’m going to bathe you and bed you again. I want my scent all over you.” He trailed kisses down her neck and she giggled as he hit the ticklish spot near her nape.
“What’s this?” he asked, brushing lips over her scar. Lifting her hair, his eyes went wide and he nearly dropped her. “What is that?” he asked again, setting her upright.
Nothing in her wanted to explain where she’d got it. That night haunted her enough without her revisiting it. “It’s just a scar.”
Riker pulled his arms behind his back and took the formal stance he’d had when she’d met him the first time. Walking quietly beside her, they entered the clearing where a row of cabins sat. As others waved and greeted him, he nodded and offered polite smiles, but his look was a million miles away.
He was mad, or perhaps disappointed, she didn’t know. She’d been hurt when he’d shut her down and now she was doing the same. That kind of hurt was something she’d never wish on him.
“I had a sister,” she said, testing the words to see if she could tell the story without breaking down.
Properly, he held a hand out and helped her up the steps to his house. “What happened to her?”
A grasshopper waited on the door frame and she brushed it away as Riker turned the knob. “She died the night I got the scar. She’d been dating a man who turned out to be the death of her. Her type had always been bad boys, but Lance Boyd was another beast altogeth er. We never guessed how deep in he was until he double crossed his boss, Amos Stone. Stone’s revenge was to make Lance watch his loved ones die. He came for Marian on a Sunday, just in time for our family dinner. We were all collateral damage.”
“How’d you get away?”
She swallowed to steady the tremble in her voice. “One of the neighbors called the cops when they heard us screaming. Stone and most of his men were already gone, but he left one to torture us. He marked our necks first. Said it was his calling card.” Her voice faltered as visions of Marian assaulted her mind. She’d gone badly. Painfully. Gripping her hair, she sank into the sofa and heaved a sigh. “Marian and Lance died, but I held on long enough. When I came to, I was ruined. I used to be so...” She shook her head, searching for the right word. “Hopeful. About life and my future. Marian and I had all these plans to get married and have children around the same age so they could grow up together.” Her huff of laughter was harsh and she drew her knees up to her chin to shield herself from the battering memories.
Riker paced behind the couch, but at her emotionless chuckle, he knelt in front of her, placed his warm hands on her knees and it worked. She settled.
“Fate had other plans for me. I was angry with the world. With Lance and his poisonous affection. At Mari an for falling for that life. At myself for not seeing it sooner. At Stone. Oh, I was maddest at him. I testified. They were going to finish the job anyway, so I swore to Marian’s headstone I’d take every one of those murderous motherfuckers down with me. Didn’t think I’d ever make it to trial but Jeremy kept his promise and saw me safely there. After the next attempt on my life, three months later, I was accepted into witness protection. Stone’s reach was just as long from his prison cell. He still has enough allies on the outside to see me dead. Some cop is feeding him intel now on where my safe houses are. Jeremy and I barely escaped the last one. My other security, Jimmy, passed away in the gunfight.” She lifted her tear filled eyes and whispered, “I killed a man.”
Riker’s thumb made rhythmic circles against her leg, and his eyes looked as tortured as she felt. She was right in this, to have waited for the right person to
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