Page 60 of Bear In A Bookstore
“You know, it would be nice if everyone would stop giving me suggestions for what they think I need and let me figure out what I want. I spent a lot of time giving up my freedom, and now I want to do things my way.”
Shit. The words collided with his conscious as they rolled out of his mouth. Is that what he’d been doing with Kora? Had he been trying to steer her to do what he wanted by bombing her with the whole ‘fated mate’ thing?You’re just mad because I’m not doing what you want.He clenched his eyes and swore under his breath. He wasn’t being any more understanding and supportive to Kora than his father was to him. She’d come here to get away from L.A. and take a damn breath after what had happened to her. He’d never intended to push her into doing anything she didn’t want. If she needed to order her groceries from Trader Bill’s or skip out on a social event because she wasn’t up to it, so be it. Who the hell was he to tell her otherwise?
“So, what’s going on with the bookseller? Dax said you were getting hot and heavy.”
He’d screwed it up without even realizing it.
“Nothing, she friend-zoned me and then basically told me to fuck off.”
His bear pouted, and his heart sank.
“Damn. Well, Osprey just had a litter. Eight pups. Come pick one out. There’s nothing like a Labrador to hog your bed, eat all your food, and entice you to spend all your money on trinkets. Kind of like a woman.”
Desi skipped the curb onto the sidewalk and pushed back thoughts of her. She needed space, and he was going to give it to her. Honestly, maybe he was the one who needed space so he could figure out his next move. No way was he giving up without a fight. If she wanted to shut him down because she really, truly didn’t want to be with him, that was one thing. But pushing him away out of fear was a different story. Fear, he could work with.
Her abject rejection, he couldn’t.
No matter what happened between them, he needed to support her in what made her comfortable and happy.
They were almost to Donatelle’s to meet his father when pain shot like a lightning bolt down his spine. Desi nearly tripped from the unexpected agony. His bear burst fully awake with a primal roar, the vibrations shaking his heart and rattling his ribcage.
He doubled over as his bear clawed at his insides. His pulse turned erratic, his eyes rolling in the back of his head.
The pain was rough, aggressive, and furious.
“Des? Shit, man, what’s going on?”
Fox skirted around Desi, nearly running into him, then bent low to look into his face.
“Something. Is. Wrong.”
He ground the words out as the pain reached a level he’d never experienced before. The bear was coming unleashed. The skin on his forearms and along his hairline burned as his body lurched into a shift that he had no control over. The bones began to separate in his spine. His knees popped; elbows crunched.
“Why are you shifting? Desi, why are you shifting?”
Fox slapped him on the shoulder, but Desi couldn’t respond. Straining against the shift, he tried to hold the bear back. He didn’t understand why his animal was enraged, but he’d never experienced fury like this before. His throat stretched, his voice a guttural growl.
“Kora!”
It came at him in a rush, flooding his brain, tunneling in on him. Kora was hurt, in trouble. Crying. Her heart was pounding. He could feel her pulse jumping in time with his own, beating staccato alongside his as if he carried both organs inside his chest. The bear knew. The bear sensed.
“Can’t hold it back.”
“I’ll shift with you.”
“No! Find her. Find Kora.”
Fox grabbed him by the arm and dragged him off the sidewalk. “You’re literally shifting in the middle of town.”
Desi worked his head side-to-side, straining with everything he had to hold back the bear. His fingernails popped, claws digging their way out. Gums bruised as fangs began to descend. With a primal cry, he strained with all his might to hold the bear back.
“Holy shit. This is crazy!”
Fox snapped at the person approaching. “Get out of here.”
Desi peeled his eyes open. Angelo stood a few feet away, his face a mask of awed excitement.
“Dude. That looks like it hurts.”
