Free Theirs to Bear: Icy Cap Den #3 (Alaskan Den Men) by Jennifer Hilt Page B

luck with a saloon.”
    She leaned over enough that I caught a glimpse down the gap in the neck of her T-shirt, which revealed creamy breasts nestled in red satin. “I have no idea how to run a bar. But making people feel good about how they look? I can do that.”
    “That’s the problem. It’s not people but paranorms.”
    “I know paranorms. I was married to one, remember? I don’t happen to think we’re all that different.” She grabbed my hand and inspected my fingers. “From the looks of it, you need a manicure. How about a mani-pedi? You can be my first customer. Come on, I’ll give you a freebie.”
    What had Liv just offered me?
    “There’s no way I’m getting a mani-pedi, whatever the hell that is.” I pulled my hand from hers. Her touch still sent a pleasant pulse of energy through me. Not painful, but more like an awakening. I would most surely not be using her salon services. I could only imagine what my cousins would say if they could see me now.
    The good news: they were both away from Icy Cap with their mates. The bad news: I was in charge.
    That left me to keep an eye on Liv.
    But nothing was going to happen to Liv because she was leaving town. Then again, removing her from Icy Cap was proving more difficult than I’d thought. Every objection I raised slid off her.
    “Gary said the succubus vanished after her place burned down,” Liv continued. “She’s probably setting up a new home far away.”
    “Or plotting to destroy Icy Cap like she did fifteen years ago. I’d heard the stories from my cousins who lived here then.”
    But you see what I mean? Liv was a total optimist.
    “I’m eager to get the first coat of paint on. Want to cut in the trim while I get the roller going?” she asked.
    I grabbed her wrist—harder than I intended. She winced. Immediately I let go. “Don’t think I’m fooled for a minute by your ‘nothing scares me’ routine. I know the real you. We both know that Icy Cap is not where you belong.”
    Her dark eyes widened. She was afraid, but she was too stubborn to admit it.
    It was all I could do not to pull her into my arms. The feel of her skin against mine still burned my fingertips. With my enhanced senses, I could hear her heart hammering.
    My blood pounded in my ears, blocking out all the fierce birdsong outside.
    Everyone in Icy Cap was getting some.
    Except me.
    And Liv.
    She pulled her wrist out of my grasp. Her eyes snapped with fire. She squared her shoulders. “This is where I belong now. The only way I’m going back to Toledo is in a body bag.”
    That is exactly what I was afraid of.

2
    Liv
    T ristan doesn’t want me here. Fuck. Not a surprise, but a disappointment. In our freshman year of college, after a few dates with him, I’d broken things off to marry my true love and his best friend. Sounds like a fairy tale?
    Worst decision of my life.
    I was the only one who’d ever know the truth about Ted. Far from being the grieving widow, I thanked god he was dead. I didn’t kill him. He did that all on his own with some barfly, his motorcycle, and a slick road.
    The state police assured me he hadn’t suffered.
    Too bad.
    Everything with Ted was exciting at first. He was a risk taker; I was an Ohio girl loving the adventure of college life in Alaska. But every once in a while, after Ted had a bit too much to drink, he’d get rough. Afterward he’d apologize and promise it’d never happen again. The first few times, I let it pass. The third time, I was afraid. Ted’s drinking became more frequent when we moved from Anchorage to rural Ohio. He could shift all he wanted on our large property, but he wasn’t happy. I was trying to figure out how to escape the marriage when he died.
    I wasn’t the only one free of Ted now. Our young son, Leo, was too.
    Now, years later, I was back in Alaska. Tristan was still has handsome as ever; that story hadn’t changed. But what could’ve been between us was over. Tristan was Ted’s best friend. He’d