Page 91 of Regally Binding

“Good point. Sorry, Steve.” Bear held his hands in the air, but he wasn’t surrendering. He’d faced worse situations than this. He had her back, and everything he did would be to protect her.She was certain. “Liss and I will sit, won’t we, Princess?” He gently took her hand to convince her to follow his lead.

“Don’t call her that,” Steve screamed. “And don’t hold her hand. She’s not yours.”

Liss froze.

“She’s not yours, Steve,” Bear grunted.

“Are you saying that she wants you? Is that where you’ve been, Liss, hanging out with him while your friends worried about you?” Spittle flew from Steve’s mouth.

“She was safe with me. I’ve protected her and ensured she was happy, which is more than I can say for you,” Bear growled between gritted teeth. “You should have treated her better at the party.”

Steve’s nostrils flared, and he pushed his hands over his ears.

“Bear,” Liss whispered. “Please stop. This isn’t helping.”

Bear held her gaze briefly. His vulnerability was evident from the slight twitch of his eye. She squeezed his hand before letting go and nodding at the chair. “Sit, please,” she whispered.

Bear raised his eyebrow defiantly, even as he sat on a wooden bar stool. Liss edged nearer Steve like he was a baby deer. She eased his hands from his ears. “Steve, I want you to sit too. I’ll get you water. I suspect you’ve had a long night. We’re going to chat.”

Steve sat as she filled a glass with water and handed it to him. “I know I acted weird at the party.”

Bear grumbled, and she shushed him with a glare. He rolled his eyes but remained silent. The scent of chips and pies, the pub staple on Wednesday nights, lingered. A swell of sadness filled Liss at how much she’d miss the place, even as she held Steve’s hands.

“I was like that because I love you. I’ve always loved you.”

Liss chewed the inside of her mouth to mask her shock. She’d thought from what Isla said it was just a crush. “Why didn’t you tell me before?” she whispered.

“I didn’t know how. And when we found out you were a princess, I was petrified I’d lose you. I thought if people saw us as a cute couple, like at the party, you’d see it too.” He squeezed her hands. “And I know you, Liss. I know you wouldn’t want to be a princess. That’s why I did what I did. I had to help you.”

“What do you mean ‘help me’?”

Steve shook his head, refusing to meet her stare.

“Steve, did you make the bomb threats?” Betrayal pierced her soul. “Did you bring a bomb into my pub, my home?”

“No!” He jumped, sending his chair clattering to the floor. Bear shot up too. Although he was behind her, she sensed him as clearly as if he’d brushed kisses to her skin. She pushed her hand down to remind him to sit. The chair scraping across the hardwood floor convinced her that he’d obeyed. He was her feral wolf to contain.

“Please sit, Steve. You’re too tall, and it’s easier to have this conversation if you’re sitting.” She’d used the tactic when dealing with some of the beefiest punters. Even the threatening men didn’t usually want to terrify a woman. Their anger was rarely on her. As Steve sat, she eased out a breath. “When you said you did something, what were you talking about?”

Steve held his head in his hands. “I pushed you down the stairs when you came to the pub.”

Liss covered her mouth. Bear grumbled something.

“But I didn’t mean to.” Steve lifted his head and fixed her with his big blue eyes. “I wanted to tell you how I felt. I found you at the top of the stairs, but I was nervous. I wanted your attention but pressed your shoulder harder than I meant to. You slipped and fell. So I ran.”

“You left me hurt at the bottom of the stairs?” Sadness stung the back of her throat. He should have helped her. Bear helped her.

“I’m sorry. I’m so sorry. I panicked, but then you invited me to the party. That was my chance to help you say no to being a princess.”

He wasn’t a villain, but this wasn’t the act of a true friend. He thought his actions were helping her, but he’d destroyed her trust, possibly forever. “So you didn’t plant the bomb?”

“No. I wouldn’t, I couldn’t. Marianne wanted you to renounce the throne. We chatted at the party, and I told her you didn’t want to be a princess.”

“You’ve been working with Marianne to terrorise me?” she cried, her eyes teary. It was another knife in her back. He was stopping her from making her own decisions and emotionally attacking her in the process.

His speech sped up. “It wasn’t about terrorising you but setting you free.”

Liss’s jaw fell.

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