Freeing the Beast: Taming the Beast, Book 1 Read Online Free PDF Page B

out of my league, Mom. I’m not gorgeous like you. I’m not built like you.”
    “Oh baby.” She cradled Becca’s face. “You’re more beautiful than you can imagine, and there’s not one thing wrong with your body.”
    “Except that I’m built like Dad or one of his truckers.”
    “Nonsense. You resemble that beautiful redhead on Mad Men .”
    Becca chuckled weakly. “I wish.”
    “Stop talking like that. You’re smart, kind, successful and so many other wonderful things, I don’t have enough days to name all of them. If he doesn’t notice you, then he’s a fool.” She paused. “Did he notice you?”
    He’d smiled at her ass and seemed riveted by her cleavage. He’d said he liked the color of her hair. “I don’t know. Maybe.”
    “How? What happened? What did he say?”
    Becca chewed her lip then waved her hands. “He was just being nice. It’s in his genetic makeup. He comes from the God of love, sweetness, charm and all that other shit.”
    “Becca.”
    “Sorry. All that other crap?”
    Rowena hung her head.
    “Mom, I don’t think I want to be in love. Ever.”
    “What? Why not?” She held Becca’s hand between hers. “Why would you think such a thing?”
    Becca pulled in her shoulders.
    “Come on, tell me, baby.”
    “I can’t.”
    “Why?”
    “I don’t want to hurt you.”
    Rowena straightened. Confusion, concern, disbelief and finally acceptance…mingled with sorrow…raced across her lovely features. “You don’t like guys?”
    She barked a laugh.
    Her mother dropped Becca’s hand and frowned. Something she rarely did.
    “Sorry,” Becca mumbled. “Yeah, I still like guys. A lot. Maybe too much.”
    “Then what’s the problem?”
    The obvious. Although Becca had never brought up the subject before, she thought it hung over their household, muting everyone’s happiness. No different from the last hours spent with a loved one, trying to be happy when you knew you’d never see them again.
    Becca murmured, “What are you going to do when Dad’s gone?”
    He hadn’t a millionth of the time her mom had.
    The color drained from Rowena’s face. She focused on her food, pushing it from one side of the crystal plate to the other.
    “I’m sorry.” Becca rested her hand on her mom’s. “I don’t mean to hurt you. I can’t help but worry.”
    “I know.” Rowena cleared her throat and blinked away tears. “When the time comes, which won’t be for decades, I’ll be fine. I’ll have all the wonderful memories we’ve made. I’ll have you.”
    Uh-uh. That didn’t cut it. Becca would never be a substitute for her dad. And there was no telling how long she’d be around. She might be immortal like her mom, limited to decades like her dad, or somewhere in between. No one freaking knew. “Damn, love sucks.”
    Rowena laughed and cried. Swiping at her tears, she growled, “It’s worth it. Every lousy, cruddy, crappy, shitty minute no matter how unhappy it makes you.”
    “Since when have you started quoting Dolly Parton songs?”
    They both laughed.
    Winding down, Rowena sagged in her chair. “You really want a spell to help your guy out?”
    “He’s not my guy, and it’s the only thing I can think of. Even if I reverse the treatments like he suggested none of them would work. He’s not a were so moonlight therapy’s out. I doubt he’d want to go through what we do with the vampires. And the demons…uh-uh, he definitely wouldn’t like that.”
    “He can’t simply pretend to be a bad boy?”
    “I already suggested it. He said every time he tries, he starts to feel guilty and goes back to being nice. The poor babes—his words, not mine—get so confused, they don’t know what to expect and eventually take off.”
    “He wants a mortal?”
    “He didn’t specify. My guess is mortal, immortal, anyone in between.”
    “Like you.”
    “I didn’t say that.”
    “But you’re certain you don’t want him.”
    Becca lied through her teeth. “Not at