Free Romance: Loving The BillionBear: BBW Bear Shifter Romance Standalone (Spicy Shifters Book 3) by Ashley Hunter

and then everything happened really quickly. One moment, Barend was standing there. The next, a large black bear that dropped down on all fours and swung its big head toward her.
    And she freaked out.
    “Oh god, oh god, oh god.” She heard herself saying as she jumped up and sprinted to the door. She thought she heard the bear make a sound, but she didn’t stop to listen.
    Instead, she yanked the massive door open and ran down the driveway to the big gate. She somehow even found herself all the way at the main neighborhood entrance before she pulled out her cell phone and called a cab. Her hands were shaking and she had to dial the number three times before she got it right.
    Had she seen what she thought she saw? Had he really turned into a bear? There’s no way. No. No. No. No. People don’t turn into animals. That’s fiction. It just doesn’t happen. No, it doesn’t.
    But, she had seen it. He turned into a bear right in front of her eyes.
    Yes, he had actually turned into a bear.
    Shapeshifters were real.
    Oh god.
    She had had sex with a shape shifter. She told him she loved him.
    By the time the taxi got her home, she was crying. She had tried to hold back the tears because she hated crying in front of people. But, she hadn’t succeeded, but mercifully, the cab driver didn’t say anything. He just dropped her off and silently took her money. She fumbled with her keys, made it in the door, and threw herself on her bed before the real, choking sobs came.
    She stayed on the bed crying for more than an hour before the tears abated. At first, she was sad…devastated. This man she was falling in love with was a freaking shape shifter…a were bear she guessed.
    But, the longer she cried, the angrier she had become. Ok, so he was a shape shifter. Whatever. She could probably have gotten over that. But, he had lied to her. She was so tired of being lied to. Lucas lied and was cheating. Then, she meets this man who seems pretty perfect and he is lying to her too.
    Why couldn’t a man just be honest with her?
    Why?
    She fell asleep laying on the bed and she never even looked at her cellphone, which had been constantly vibrating in her pocket.
    When she woke up the next morning, she had that hungover feeling that always comes with crying yourself to sleep. Her throat was dry. Her lips were dry. Her eyes were fuzzy. And her head felt really heavy. But, she managed to sit up and fish the phone out of her pocket.
    13 missed calls and 10 texts.
    The missed calls weren’t all from Barend either. 9 of them were. The other four were from Carlie. She didn’t listen to any of the voicemails. She wasn’t ready for that. So, she scrolled through the ten texts:
    Barend: Amelia, please let me know you got home ok.
    Barend: I’m worried about you.
    Barend: I know you don’t want to talk to me, but I just want to know you are safe.
    Carlie: Ames, pick up your phone.
    Carlie: Ames, we need to talk. Really.
    Barend: I love you Amelia. I’m sorry.
    Carlie: I told U he was different. Call me now!
    Carlie: Ames, we’re all worried. U at home?
    Barend: Please talk to me Amelia.
    Carlie: I’m comin over at 9:00.
    Amelia glanced at the time. It was 8:58. Carlie would be there any minute and she really didn’t want to see her friend. It was clear from the messages that Carlie already knew about Barend. Of course she did. And she had chosen not to tell Amelia. No, she wasn’t happy with her friend. Just then, there was a knock at the door.
    Amelia stormed down the hall ready to let her friend have it. She flung open the door.
    “Carlie! I don’t want to talk to you! You could have warned…” She didn’t finish the sentence because it wasn’t Carlie at the door. It was Barend. She stopped mid-sentence.
    “Amelia.”
    “Go away.”
    “Amelia wait.”
    “No! You lied to me. I can’t deal with that. I’ve been lied to way too much.”
    “I…I’m sorry.”
    “Sorry doesn’t cut it Barend. Please leave me alone.” With that,