Bear Hearted: BBW Paranormal Shifter Romance Read Online Free PDF Page B

frame, watching her. “Alexa, please tell me what’s wrong. You’ve been acting strange ever since you got back from your girls getaway.”
    She finished brushing and looked at him through the mirror. “This whole situation is stressful. I’ve had to get a massage at least once a week since you were in the hospital. I mean, when someone tells you your boyfriend is dying…”
    He went to her side and touched her shoulder. “I get it. That’s past us now.”
    She snorted. “You’re in a trial. That’s not a promise you will get better.”
    Prickles of heat flitted across his body. “I feel better though. That should be enough.”
    She rolled her eyes. “I have to get ready—”
    Flames billowed inside of him. He moved, blocking her from the shower, needing her to stop running away from their problems. “Talk to me. I know something is up.”
    She held her hands in front of her as if he was going to attack her. He would never hurt her. He only wanted to understand what was going through her head. Tears welled in her eyes. “I need to go. We can talk later okay?”
    Her wobbly voice struck him inside, drenching his heat with ice. He tried to steady his breath. “Okay.”
    He left the bathroom and headed into the guest bathroom. He grabbed the glass he’d left there the other night and filled it with water. He almost lost it in there. He’d never felt that angry before. What had come over him? The incision under his bandage itched as if a thousand fire ants were crawling under his skin. He lifted his shirt over his head and picked at the edge of the tape, slowing pulling it away from his body. The air against his chest was like a salve over the wound.
    His skin ran cold when he looked in the mirror at his chest. The itching sensation had evaporated yet his body was nothing like he imagined. Where there should have been an ugly, raw cut, there was only his unblemished shaved chest. He blinked a few times, not understanding. He had been sore after the surgery. Hadn’t he? It seemed impossible that he’d be free of evidence of the surgery. He smoothed his fingers over his chest, feeling for anything. Instead he looked and felt like he did before the first incident. He should have been over the moon that his body was healed. The idea that he would have healed that quickly was preposterous. Something had either gone wrong or he’d been duped into believing he had surgery at all.
     

Chapter Six
     
    Toby waited until Alexa left the house before calling Estrella. His mind worked on overdrive and his body broke out in that prickly heat again. Something was off and he had a terrible feeling that it wasn’t his heart. The office number rang several times before connecting to an automated message. When the voice mail option came on, Toby clicked it. After the beep he was rendered speechless. He wasn’t sure who was going to listen to the message and Estrella had asked him to keep everything secret. If he never had the surgery then he had nothing to keep a secret about. He tripped over his words and left a vague message about Dr. Martinez calling him back as soon as possible.
    He didn’t have to wait long to hear back. An unknown number called him back within minutes.
    “Hello?” Toby answered.
    “Toby?” Estrella asked. “Is everything okay?”
    He ran his sweaty fingers through his hair. “Not really, Doc. I went to change my bandage and there’s nothing there.”
    There was a shuffling sound on the other end, followed by a door closing. “What do you mean there’s nothing there?” she said in a low voice.
    He placed a hand on his chest as if she could see him doing it. “No wound. No dried blood. Nothing. How is that possible?”
    Estrella sighed. “Toby, you’re fine. We used a scar reducing medication after the surgery. It’s been proved to be quite effective.”
    Toby stopped pacing and looked down at his chest. Scar-reducing? He didn’t even see a hint of anything .
    “Also,” she started,