Chance Fur Hire (Bears Fur Hire 6) Read Online Free PDF Page A

but that was impossible. She’d been careful.
    Slowly, she detached from his body and paid the bartender, then with two shots tipping dangerously in her trembling grasp, she followed him through the crowd to a table where Dalton and Kate were sitting. Kate was on Dalton’s lap, and he was whispering something into her ear, but it was the look on Kate’s face that stopped Emily in her tracks. Whatever he was saying to her, she adored it. Adored him.
    “What’s wrong?” Chance asked.
    What was wrong? She was wavering, and everything she knew didn’t make sense anymore. Not here where she could see these monsters in person. Kate was human, and Emily had deemed her a traitor before she’d even traveled to Galena. But as Dalton rubbed the swell of her belly affectionately and kissed Kate gently, none of what Uncle Victor and Dad said felt true anymore. Dalton hadn’t just procreated. He was building a family.
    She felt sick. “I can’t do this.”
    “Do what?” Chance asked in a dead voice.
    “It’s not how I thought it would be.” She was panting now, panicking. She couldn’t breathe, couldn’t move. All of the oxygen had been sucked out of the room, and now Chance was doing something to make the air around him feel impossibly heavy.
    Turning, he put one of the shots and the orange juice in front of Dalton and Kate, then rounded on her. His eyes held quiet reserve with an edge of danger as he took a menacing step toward her.
    “Well then, take the shot, and we’ll both go to hell together.”
    He knew. Fuck. He knew .
    Chance took the tiny glass from her fingertips and tilted his head back, exposing his muscular neck as he tossed back the amber liquid. And with fire in his eyes, he set the empty glass on a passing waitress’s tray, gestured for two more, and then cupped Emily’s neck. With one last angry glare, he leaned forward and pressed his lips to hers.
    She was shocked to stillness at how warm and soft his lips were. And with a gasp, she closed her eyes and opened slightly for him. He stepped closer, pulling her waist to him as he trickled whiskey into her mouth. Holy hell, this was sexy. She sipped it until his tongue chased hers into her mouth and brushed against hers once, twice. He pulled away suddenly and took the other shot from her hand, then downed it and walked away to the jukebox, leaving her to stumble forward a step. He’d left her legs numb. And as the warmth of the shot trickled down her throat, she tried desperately to remember if any kiss had ever felt like that before.
    None had measured up. Not a single one.
    Maybe this was part of it. Maybe shifters were master manipulators. Masters of seduction who excelled at getting women to fall at their feet so they could procreate. She clung to that fleeting thought, but it didn’t stay long. Even when Chance wasn’t around, she warmed at the thought of him in ways she hadn’t for anyone else. He knew he was being hunted, knew it in his marrow, but he was still here against his instincts. The anger in his eyes said he knew he was being tricked, but he’d still kissed her.
    She wanted to retch. Wanted to leave this place and never come back. She couldn’t keep going like this and keep herself intact. She was losing herself inch by inch to the monster leaning over the jukebox right now.
    She was letting everyone down. Letting Dad down and Uncle Victor. She was letting herself down. And worst of all, she was letting Chance down. Worst of all? She couldn’t do this.
    She bolted for the exit, but a strong hand wrapped around her upper arm and pulled her around. He’d made it all the way across the room too fast. He wasn’t being careful. Chance’s smile was slow and feral, stretching the sharp angles of his jaw and making him look like an avenging angel. He pulled a couple of shot glasses off a tray a waitress offered and told her to, “Put these on my tab.” Then he handed Emily another shot and lifted his in a silent cheers.
    She