Free Scottish Werebear: A Second Chance: A BBW Bear Shifter Paranormal Romance (Scottish Werebears Book 6) by Lorelei Moone

her eyes. How she regretted not telling him sooner. The more time she spent in his presence, or even thinking about him, the more she had started to wonder if perhaps they
could
give things a go again. It didn't make any sense, but now that everything hung in the balance, she knew exactly what she wanted. She wanted him back.
    James sighed and looked around. "Walk with me," he said.
    Charlie nodded and followed his lead. They walked across the small green patch around the Marble Arch in silence, crossed the road and entered Hyde Park.
    "We have a proposal for you," James finally said.
    We?
So this was all business now? "Yeah?"
    "You saw that protest on TV yesterday. We need to improve our image, so those
people
don't get the upper hand, you understand?"
    Charlie didn't answer. This was exactly what she would have suggested, if only she'd had the chance to come clean about her work first.
    "There was another protest yesterday outside Westminster," James added. "Knowing how they operate, they will escalate as soon as they've got the numbers they need. We'll all be targeted. We've been fighting these people for years, so we know they're capable of violence."
    Charlie balled her fists in her pockets. This was bad. When Charlie had seen their leader's speech, she'd compared them to nationalists. And although nationalists did at times inspire hate crimes, they mainly sought a political solution to their problems: stricter immigration laws; closing the borders.
    But this wasn't an immigration issue. Shifters already lived among them, and they seemed to be native to this place. How do you resolve a conflict with a native minority? The only examples history could offer painted a bleak picture.
    "You think they want to instigate a genocide? Why would people even go along with that?" Charlie stammered. The thought seemed so preposterous when spoken out loud; she wasn't sure she wanted to believe it. And yet...
    "You tell me. What's the logical next step?" James asked.
    If people were scared enough... Anything was possible.
    Charlie felt her chest tighten, which made her lose her balance slightly. She grabbed for James' arm to steady herself. "Oh my God," she whispered.
    The second she touched him, she felt it again. The jolt of energy. The butterflies. The overwhelming urge to forget herself and get him back. This wasn't helpful.
Focus, woman!
    She let go and made a beeline for the nearest bench, where she sat down and rested her head in her hands. This was too much.
    Tears were once again flowing freely.
    This was ridiculous. She hadn't cried in years and now, in the span of three days, this was the third time!
    James sat down beside her. She hadn't looked up and thus she hadn't seen him, but somehow she felt his presence right next to her. It made her cry even harder. She should have told him from the start. Instead, she ruined their second chance from the start.
    It's okay... Please don't cry!
    Charlie looked up and found James looking at her. His eyes seemed more intense than usual, as though they were glowing slightly. Had he just said that out loud? Had she just imagined it?
    Please. I can't stand to see you cry.
    There it was again! It wasn't like her to have such an active imagination.
    How come I can hear you?
Charlie thought.
    The voice didn't respond. Instead, James took her hand in both of his. He was so warm; his touch sent shivers down her spine.
    "I didn't mean to lie to you," Charlie said while looking down at her hand in between his. They were huge. Strong, and yet infinitely gentle.
    How small she felt next to him. This was quite a feat; ever since she'd started to fill out a bit in college, she'd never had much cause to feel small or even vulnerable.
    "I know," James said. "I know that you wanted to tell me."
    How did he know?
    I can feel it,
the voice in her head said.
    This whole thing, it was so unreal. Was she actually out here with him? Or would she wake up any moment now and find that it was all just a