Free Papa Bear (Finding Fatherhood Book 1) by Kit Tunstall, Kit Fawkes Page B

no answers for those questions, and she tried to dismiss them from her mind. It was a beautiful night, and she didn’t want to allow her dark doubts and uncertainty to tarnish it. “Are we leaving right now?”
    He shook his head, looking startled by the idea. “No, not unless you want to?”
    She shook her head. “I’m not inclined to move at the moment, since we have this lovely bed at our disposal, and a sleeping baby. We should take advantage of the opportunity.”
    He arched a brow, looking intrigued. “What did you have in mind?”
    She shifted positions, pushing him onto his back and straddling his thighs as she brought her lips to his chest. She brushed them lightly against his skin before lifting her head. “I have all sorts of ideas.” She interspersed each word with a kiss that went lower, until she reached her destination a moment later.
    Her bear-shifter purred with satisfaction, and she grinned as she took him into her mouth. Tomorrow would be soon enough to return to reality, but they should enjoy the night they had and focus solely on each other, except when Angel needed attention. It was a sound plan, and she was fully behind the idea as she engulfed his thick erection with her wet mouth.
    ***
    They had spent longer at the cabin than anticipated, so they didn’t arrive back in San Diego until after dark the next day. Despite his long night without much sleep, Lucas was refreshed and cheerful when he pulled into his driveway. He was optimistic about the future, and he was certain his mate was with him finally and forever. The bear inside him was also content, purring softly at the thought of Libby belonging to them.
    With them, he quickly corrected himself. He was certain his mate wouldn’t allow chauvinistic tendencies, and she wouldn’t have appreciated being labeled as his without reciprocity. He was whistling as he got out of the car, moving to the passenger door behind the driver side so he could remove the car seat and the sleeping baby inside.
    He never heard the shot, but he felt the bullet as it slammed into his back and knocked him against the car. He couldn’t breathe, and his spine and his chest burned with fire unlike anything he’d ever known. He tried to take a deep breath, and blood bubbled through his lips. Whoever had shot him had known what they were doing. They’d hit a critical area, and he was grievously injured.
    Libby’s screams reached his ears, and he struggled to get to his feet, but collapsed to the cement again. A heavy booted foot kicked him in the shoulder as it moved past, opening the car door and siding inside his vehicle. The engine roared to life a moment later, and Libby pounded on the door on her side, having exited the car, likely to check on him.
    The driver had a gun, and he pointed it at Libby. “Back off,” he shouted at her.
    She ignored his demands, continuing to pound on the glass and pull at the handle. Lucas was certain the man wouldn’t hesitate to kill her, so he summoned as much strength as he could and called her name in a raspy voice. “Libby, back off. He’ll kill you.”
    He could see her shoulders slump, and the signs of defeat made his eyes sting with tears as she stepped back, holding out a hand in a pleading fashion as the thug who’d stolen the car backed down the driveway and peeled out. She rushed to his side, and her fear was evident. She was panicked. “He took our baby.”
    “We’re going to get her back.” It was a risk, but he had to take it. The only way he could heal quickly enough to keep himself from bleeding out was to transform to his bear form. The bullet would pop out, and he would heal in the process of rearranging his molecules. He hoped it was dark enough to hide his actions from the neighbors surrounding him, and he took a deep breath as he steeled himself for the pain. Shifting was normally painless, but when injured, it could be brutal agony.
    He let out a low roar through gritted teeth a moment later as the