Page 33 of Having the Bear's Baby

Emma decided to take the lead, weaving her slender fingers between his own.

“Let’s sit down for a minute. Do you want something to drink? Maybe it’ll take the edge off.”

Emma led him into the living area just off the porch, where the crystal vision of the lake was still viewable. Liam sat on a loveseat, his glossy eyes having faded for a moment.

Emma touched his chin. “How about it?” she asked.

Liam blinked languidly. “Hmm?”

“That drink,” she said, licking her lips with amusement. “Something smokey, perhaps?”

Liam’s face fell onto his hands, groaning.

“Yes, yes, sure. I’m sorry, Emma, my mind is spinning like a fucking merry-go-round.”

Emma snorted at the metaphor, which brought Liam’s attention back to Earth. He was grinning wildly, that innocent little boy mixed with the brawny alpha that took her to bed like no one in the world ever had.

It was a look that made something glowing and pure bloom at the center of her chest.

She shook her head with her thumb and forefinger still pressed into his chin, then wrinkled her nose at him.

“Well, there’s nothing like the devil’s drink to slow it down a bit.”

“True,” Liam replied, still smirking.

Emma had to stand before she completely lost herself in him. She was nervous, excited, intrigued, and terrified. Is that what all of it was supposed to feel like?

Was this mixture of delight and heart-wrenching turmoil the very essence of falling in love? Could she be falling for a shifter?

She derailed her own thoughts by popping open a fresh bottle of whiskey at the bar next to the window. She poured them both a neat glass, returning to the subject at hand.

“I know this isn’t an easy thing for you to talk about,” Emma said, picking up each glass and carrying them back to the loveseat. “And I’m no pro on shifter matters, so you will have to correct me. But do you have any idea who you think would do this?”

Emma watched as Liam’s beaming expression faded slightly. The shock of the consideration was gone, and they were arriving at a place of practical and thoughtful brainstorming.

She handed him the drink, their fingers briefly brushing. An electrical current moved through Emma’s bones, watching the spark light in the blue embers of Liam’s eyes. He had made love to her many times already, but that didn’t matter. Everything else outside of the sex itself was foreplay, leading to the next and inevitable moment of cosmic collision.

She settled next to him on the loveseat, casting away carnal thoughts for the time being, tucking her legs and feet under her and facing him.

Liam stared off again, his eyes unfixed away from her. But he didn’t look as lost as he did on the porch.

“I have some ideas. There are always strange and differing dynamics in any shifter clan. Especially when it comes to the alpha.”

Emma sipped her drink, the smoky scent and flavor a cerebral smack to the senses. It quickly settled in her belly as Liam went on.

“I trust pretty much everyone rather intimately. When you’re in a clan as a shifter, loyalty is paramount. It’s stupid most of the time to consider betraying your alpha unless you have a foolproof plan in place.”

Emma continued to nod, perching her elbow on the back of the couch. She was utterly fascinated and enthralled by his world. It felt like a fairy tale that had come to life but with far more intriguing details.

Liam gazed at her, a sweet smile teasing his lips. Emma squeezed her thighs together instinctively before grinning herself.

“What?”

“This all must be so strange to you,” Liam said, lifting his drink to his mouth. “Clans, bears, betrayal, secret notes, oh my.”

Emma snorted again, and once more, there was that boyish grin. She wanted to be the catalyst for that for the rest of her life.

“Well, it’s certainly new,” Emma said, her cheeks growing hot with a blush. “But it’s exciting to learn about. Even with all of this disruption that’s occurring.”

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