Free ROMANCE: BAD BOY ROMANCE: Basketball Daddy (BWWM Alpha Male Billionaire Pregnancy Romance) (African American Unexpected Pregnant Contemporary Romance) by Ava Walsh Page A
Authors: Ava Walsh
water boiled.
"What happened?" she repeated, wetting a cloth and dabbing at the wound bleeding most heavily, one on his shoulder.
"It was a bear," he said. "Not a shifter. Just a regular old bear. Damn grizzly thought I was encroaching on its territory. But I'm fine. I'm fine. There is nothing to worry about. There is nothing to worry about at all."
Chapter Seven
He lied to her. As Mary cleaned the bite wounds on the back of his neck, her stomach dropped. Bile rose in her throat. Her hands shook, but she kept cleaning the wound. She recognized the bite as coming from a Wolf. She had seen enough of them, from when her brothers' roughhousing got too heated, or when they got into fights with other young Wolves.
He was attacked by Wolves from my community . Why wouldn't he tell her? Had he come across them as they were looking for her? Or had they come to him, knowing she was here? Had they scented him in the forest and attacked, trying to kill him for the sole reason he was a Bear?
"Was it my father?" The words escaped unbidden.
Andre startled, jerking away from her hands. "What?"
"The Wolf that made these marks, was it my father?" Why did tears have to come into her eyes now ? She blinked rapidly, pouring a little hydrogen peroxide into the bite. White foam instantly bubbled and Andre flinched. Because of the stinging or her words? "Please just tell me."
"Yes. Him and your brothers."
"They attacked you because of me."
Andre shook his head, his long hair falling out of his bun. "Not because of you, Mary. If they knew you were here, some would have come to get to you while the rest drew me away."
Would they have? Mary bit her lip. Yes, they would have. Peter, only a year younger than she was, had always been very protective of her. Before he got married, he often took some time during his day to help her with things that needed to be done in the house such as changing light bulbs, checking the fire alarms. He was also the one who convinced her father to let her start driving. If he knew she was here, he'd come with a shotgun to get her back. And her father would, too, if he thought she was being held prisoner by a Bear.
"So you're going to have to leave, then," she said, taping some gauze over the bite. "You can't stay here if my community knows you're here. They'll kill you."
Andre did not respond, and Mary shuddered at the implications his silence held. She knelt at his feet, grasping his hands. His black eyes stared at the wall behind her.
"Andre, you are going to leave, aren't you? You're not going to stay here. My father hates Bears. He'll try to kill you!"
His eyes finally flickered to hers, but his face was expressionless. "If he tries, I'll kill him first."
His words punched her in the gut and left her gasping for air. She hadn't considered this–that if her father came, if he faced Andre, that one would kill the other. That Andre would kill her father. In an instant every happy memory with her father flashed through her mind: the way she used to sit on his knee when she was a child, him reading to her, teaching her how to feed the chickens and gather the eggs, being gathered around the fire and listening to his stories.
How could she stay and watch one or the other die?
"But you could leave," she whispered, her voice trembling. "You could run away and not be put in that situation."
"I can't."
"Why?" Her voice rose until she was shouting. "Why not? What is so important that it's worth dying over?"
One of his massive hands stroked her hair from her face. She leaned into his warmth despite herself. "Eve."
She jerked.
"Isadore."
Mary pulled away from him. She knew an Eve in the community, but Isadore? It was a woman's name, but not one she recognized. Her stomach flip-flopped. He had other women? Were they tucked away in cabins around here, too? Is that where he disappeared to? "Who are they?"
"Isadore was my wife. Eve was my daughter."
Was ? Mary pressed her hand to her mouth.
"They were both
"What happened?" she repeated, wetting a cloth and dabbing at the wound bleeding most heavily, one on his shoulder.
"It was a bear," he said. "Not a shifter. Just a regular old bear. Damn grizzly thought I was encroaching on its territory. But I'm fine. I'm fine. There is nothing to worry about. There is nothing to worry about at all."
Chapter Seven
He lied to her. As Mary cleaned the bite wounds on the back of his neck, her stomach dropped. Bile rose in her throat. Her hands shook, but she kept cleaning the wound. She recognized the bite as coming from a Wolf. She had seen enough of them, from when her brothers' roughhousing got too heated, or when they got into fights with other young Wolves.
He was attacked by Wolves from my community . Why wouldn't he tell her? Had he come across them as they were looking for her? Or had they come to him, knowing she was here? Had they scented him in the forest and attacked, trying to kill him for the sole reason he was a Bear?
"Was it my father?" The words escaped unbidden.
Andre startled, jerking away from her hands. "What?"
"The Wolf that made these marks, was it my father?" Why did tears have to come into her eyes now ? She blinked rapidly, pouring a little hydrogen peroxide into the bite. White foam instantly bubbled and Andre flinched. Because of the stinging or her words? "Please just tell me."
"Yes. Him and your brothers."
"They attacked you because of me."
Andre shook his head, his long hair falling out of his bun. "Not because of you, Mary. If they knew you were here, some would have come to get to you while the rest drew me away."
Would they have? Mary bit her lip. Yes, they would have. Peter, only a year younger than she was, had always been very protective of her. Before he got married, he often took some time during his day to help her with things that needed to be done in the house such as changing light bulbs, checking the fire alarms. He was also the one who convinced her father to let her start driving. If he knew she was here, he'd come with a shotgun to get her back. And her father would, too, if he thought she was being held prisoner by a Bear.
"So you're going to have to leave, then," she said, taping some gauze over the bite. "You can't stay here if my community knows you're here. They'll kill you."
Andre did not respond, and Mary shuddered at the implications his silence held. She knelt at his feet, grasping his hands. His black eyes stared at the wall behind her.
"Andre, you are going to leave, aren't you? You're not going to stay here. My father hates Bears. He'll try to kill you!"
His eyes finally flickered to hers, but his face was expressionless. "If he tries, I'll kill him first."
His words punched her in the gut and left her gasping for air. She hadn't considered this–that if her father came, if he faced Andre, that one would kill the other. That Andre would kill her father. In an instant every happy memory with her father flashed through her mind: the way she used to sit on his knee when she was a child, him reading to her, teaching her how to feed the chickens and gather the eggs, being gathered around the fire and listening to his stories.
How could she stay and watch one or the other die?
"But you could leave," she whispered, her voice trembling. "You could run away and not be put in that situation."
"I can't."
"Why?" Her voice rose until she was shouting. "Why not? What is so important that it's worth dying over?"
One of his massive hands stroked her hair from her face. She leaned into his warmth despite herself. "Eve."
She jerked.
"Isadore."
Mary pulled away from him. She knew an Eve in the community, but Isadore? It was a woman's name, but not one she recognized. Her stomach flip-flopped. He had other women? Were they tucked away in cabins around here, too? Is that where he disappeared to? "Who are they?"
"Isadore was my wife. Eve was my daughter."
Was ? Mary pressed her hand to her mouth.
"They were both
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