An Alpha's Storm (Water Bear Shifters 1) Read Online Free PDF

with Aubrey.
    “I’m in,” he said. “Let’s get out of here.”

Chapter Four
     
    Tacos on the beach turned into hours of lying in the sand and talking. Brett heard all the warning bells going off in his mind as he felt himself becoming more and more attracted to Aubrey, but he couldn’t tear himself away. It’s just one night of fun, he told himself. We’re not even doing anything physical. We’re just having a good time, hanging out as friends.
    But when the sun started rising behind them, Brett had to admit that he was smitten. He hadn’t spent an entire night hanging out and talking with a girl since his high school days. And when Aubrey jokingly made a comment about how romantic a sunrise on the beach would be, if only either of them wanted a romance, Brett couldn’t hold back any longer. He leaned over across the cool sand, and put his lips on Aubrey’s. She looked surprised, but she didn’t pull away. When he pulled back slowly, searching her eyes with his own in the gray-pink light of dawn, she raised an eyebrow at him.
    “Or, maybe, one of us does want a romance,” she said.
    Brett felt his heart tighten in his chest. She was choosing her words carefully, not saying anything that might give away how she herself felt about him, or about the kiss they had just shared. He found himself backtracking, trying to downplay the moment. “Don’t feel like you need to read anything into it,” he said. “The dawn was just too perfect to let it slip by without a kiss. After all, just look at that beautiful view.”
    Brett gestured toward the ocean, and Aubrey smiled as she followed his pointed finger.
    “It is a beautiful view,” she agreed. “Although, I’m not sure I’ll ever be able to look at the ocean in quite the same way, after almost drowning in it.”
    Brett glanced at her. “Don’t let one bad experience ruin the water for you. The ocean is powerful, but if you respect it, odds are you’ll be fine. What are the chances of you being in that situation again, anyway? You had some bad luck. It’s unlikely to happen again.”
    “That’s true,” Aubrey said, although she didn’t sound completely convinced. She stood up and wiped the sand off of her jeans. “I should get going. My friend is probably going to be sneaking home soon, looking for breakfast and wanting to give me a complete rundown of how her night went.”
    Brett stood as well. He wanted to beg Aubrey to stay, or to at least tell him that she had enjoyed their kiss. But she seemed determined to gloss over the moment, and he sensed it was better not to push it. They had shared a fun night, and a sweet kiss—and he was facing the morning light without having to deal with any regrets about sleeping with a girl without caring about her. What more could he asked for, really? After discovering his girlfriend cheating on him, the night could have gone much worse. He should be thankful for the time he’d spent with Aubrey and not try to make something of it when she was giving him clear signals that she was ready to leave.
    He reached his hand out to shake hers. “Well, I’ll let you go, then. Thanks for a lovely time, and hopefully I’ll see you around again.”
    Aubrey pushed aside his hand and leaned in to give him a hug instead. “Thank you ,” she said. “For a great time, and for saving my life so I have the opportunity to enjoy nights like these.”
    Then she kissed him on the cheek and walked away. Brett stood, watching her leave and wondering how the heck he was supposed to interpret her actions. Several minutes after she had disappeared from view, he finally shrugged and turned to make the long walk back to his car. She must have felt the chemistry between them, too. But she was obviously unwilling to explore their connection any further. Brett pushed aside the rumblings of his bear within him, and focused on getting back to his vehicle. Exhaustion was catching up with him, and he wanted to get home and collapse into