Between the Bear's Sheets (Wylde Brothers 2)

Mina pursed her lips, and before Talia lost control again and the police were called, she was being ushered out of there by Ford.

He muttered a few choice swear words to Mina, and the next thing that Talia was aware of was the cool night air washing over her face. She spotted Luke in the front seat of her car, his eyes closed and his throat working.

It was going to take time for him to heal, but she would be there for him, because there was no way in hell she’d let him be consumed by the pain a woman like Mina could inflict.

Ford leaned in close, and Talia braced herself against the side of the building. This position brought back a lot of very good memories, and Talia let the negative and toxic emotions that came from Mina fade into the distance.

“There isn’t a female who can compare to you.”

Talia’s eyes fluttered, but she forced them to stay open.

He ran his hand down the side of her body, and her breathing hitched from the intimate contact. “Your gorgeous red hair reminds me of liquid fire.” He leaned in until his nose brushed the underside of her jaw and inhaled deeply. “And every time I look at you, all I want to do is drop to my knees and worship you.” He leaned back and stared into her eyes. “And the color of your eyes reminds me of cut aquamarine, and I can’t help but get lost in them.”

Talia’s knees threatened to give out. Never had anyone said such things to her, but it wasn’t just the things he said, but how he said them. Talia didn’t give a shit what Mina said, didn’t even bat a lash at them. She had wanted to hit her for far too long, and the throbbing in her fist made it all real.

Ford wrapped his arms around her, brought her flush with his body, and kissed her until she swore her heart was going to beat right out of her chest. “If you’ll have me, I plan on showing you every single day that what you have is exactly what I want.”

And just like that, Mina was no longer an issue, her self-image issues were the last thing on her mind, and all she could think about was always having this big, bad bear next to her.

Whatever it was about Ford Wylde that made her feel so at ease, Talia never wanted to let it go.

Epilogue

One year later

“Luke, stop it.” Talia smacked her brother’s hand away but grinned in the process.

Talia rubbed her palm over her swollen belly, and little Amelia kicked wildly. Luke immediately had his hand on her belly again. He looked in awe, and she couldn’t help but feel her chest warm at the sight.

The past year had been hard for him, but he was coming around and not immersing himself in his work so much. Even though things had gone badly with Mina, Luke honestly loved her despite the fact that he had known deep down what kind of person she really was.

Even after Luke called off the wedding and had spoken to everyone on the reason why he couldn’t marry a woman who would betray him, their whole family had been shunned by the Sheldon’s, since they blamed their daughter’s failed relationship and wedding on Luke.

In the end, none of that mattered, because Luke was strong and determined not to let her ruin his life like she did Ford’s. Now, here they were, twelve months later, and Talia was married to Ford. The little girl kicking inside her had been a pleasant surprise shortly after they were married.

“Have you talked to Mom and Dad yet?” His smile widened when the baby kicked again right under his hand. With only a few more weeks to go before she delivered, Talia couldn’t wait to have the baby. Her aching back and swollen ankles would be grateful as well.

“Yeah. They will come out the week after next, unless I have the baby before then.” She turned so she faced Luke.

Since the disaster with Mina, she hadn’t really sat down and talked with him about it all, mainly because Luke had always been standoffish about it. The time never seemed right, and he had immersed himself in work so that he was cut off from everyone who loved him. Although there had been plenty of opportunities, Talia hadn’t wanted to talk about something that was obviously still raw inside him. “Do you—”

He shook his head, cutting her off. “No, I don’t want to talk about Mina, or the almost wedding, or anything else that will take away from this moment I’m having with my soon-to-be niece.” He glanced up at her, and she saw his genuine smile. “Okay?”

Talia nodded. “Okay, Luke.” If he didn’t want to talk about it or how he felt, then that was okay.