Free A Lion Shame (Bear Creek Grizzlies Book 3) by Layla Nash, Callista Ball Page A

her voice as she realized, maybe, just what a dangerous situation she was in. When she clambered off his chest and started looking for an escape route, he tried to distract her. Words didn't work, and the mountain lion took over.
    The lion wanted her. Knew she was theirs. Insisted that he protect her and comfort her when she woke up from the faint, and the worry that clutched at his heart when it took so long for her to open her eyes still threw him off. Tate didn't like the wildness in her eyes as she searched the room, so he kissed her.
    He only meant for it to be a quick, chaste kiss. Something to disrupt the swirl of chaos that chattered from her trembling lips. But the moment he tasted her, felt the warm pressure of her lips and the soft slide of her tongue, he was lost. The kiss deepened until the universe realigned and everything and nothing made sense at the same time. He thought he'd loved Monique, and maybe he had. But that was a drop of rain compared to the ocean of love, of cherishing and desire and tenderness, that he felt holding Sarah Jane in his arms. He felt... complete. For the first time in his life.
    And that pissed him off. She wasn't the mate he wanted. The universe was fucking with his life again, and taking things away just when he thought he'd resigned himself to surviving another year. Sarah Jane felt more like a burden than a mate. She wasn't worldly or traveled or sophisticated. She was nothing like Monique, nothing like Paris or the memories he loved the most. She wasn't what he wanted. And he didn't care how much the mountain lion part of him wanted her. He could bury those feelings and continue on without a mate. She was human and there wasn't a reason for her to ever know about shifters or being his mate. It would be better for everyone if she just moved along as soon as they got the car things resolved.
    He couldn't breathe when he finally released her, and Sarah Jane's eyes remained half-closed. Her hand rested against his chest, and the warmth of her touch seared him even through the sweater. The lion started purring, wanting to curl up with her somewhere in the sun — somewhere more comfortable than the floor — regardless of how Tate felt about her.
    She trembled, looking up at him suddenly with a hint of panic still lurking in her gaze. "Tell me this will be okay. That Dakota and I will be fine."
    "You'll be fine." He held her face, thumbs stroking her cheeks, and debated how much to tell her about the guy she'd been seeing. She didn't need to know how nasty he actually was, from what she'd described. The guy hadn't been a prize, and if Tate ever met him, Tate would tear him apart for daring to hit her, but if the ex blamed her for losing the shipment, there was very real danger if Sarah Jane remained anywhere near the car. But he didn't want to scare her. "You and Dakota will be fine."
    He didn't know if she believed him, but it was the best he could do for the time being. Tate shoved to his feet and helped her up, careful to keep a hand at her waist as Sarah Jane wobbled, and by the time he got her to the kitchen table to sit, Rosie walked in from putting the baby down for a nap.
    She glanced between them, maybe able to sense the new connection, but if she did, Rosie hid it well. Rosie retrieved some sodas from the fridge and a plate of cookies as well before sitting next to Sarah Jane. "Okay. Now that we know mostly what we're dealing with, we need to figure out what to do next. Tate, any ideas?"
    He had ideas, definitely, but none of them would make Sarah Jane feel any better. He pulled out the chair next to her and sat, rubbing the back of his neck as he tried to sort out which of his old friends he could call for help. Asking for help from the feds was a possibility, though that raised the chance that Sarah Jane would be required to testify and might end up in the Witness Relocation Program, which meant he'd never see her again. That option didn't really appeal to him, particularly