A Change To Bear (A BBW Shifter Romance) (Last of the Shapeshifters) by A.E. Grace Page B

she really had been in a tight spot, and that she had felt scared. It had robbed her of some confidence.
    “I’ve come all the way out here,” she said, walking toward Liam. “On a whim, and now I feel a little like I don’t know what I’m doing.”
    “Don’t feel sorry for yourself,” he said. “You won’t make that mistake again.”
    “You’re right.” She calmed herself. “I won’t.”
    “You’ll be fine nine times out of ten, but tonight could have been that one time out of ten, right?” She sensed a little warmth creep back into his voice.
    “I’m glad you were there.”
    “Yeah, so am I.”
    “It’s like, past one in the morning. What were you doing there?”
    “Shortcut back to Lucky Phuc,” he said. Even though he didn’t emote it, she knew he was grinning on the inside. After a pause, he clarified. “But I also was after a drink.”
    “Yeah? Get up to much today?”
    “Sort of. You?”
    “Yeah,” Terry said. “It was actually a pretty great day. I went down to the lake, had breakfast at this gorgeous restaurant that overlooked it. Got the French bread, too.”
    “Was it still hot?”
    “The bread? Yeah.”
    “That’s the only way to have it.”
    Their chatter waned, but Terry didn’t feel award just walking with Liam without talking. They arrived at their guest house, took the steps slowly, and then it was goodbye time, and, perfectly aware of the hour, Terry still felt it was too early to call it a night.
    “Did you get that drink?” Terry asked.
    Liam looked at her for a moment. She didn’t know if it was the alcohol, the time, or the circumstances, but she wanted him. It was an urge, but also more. She knew she wanted him in the physical sense. That was unsurprising; he was exactly the kind of guy she found hot. But she also wanted more of his presence. It felt nice to be with him, even if he seemed a mile away in thought, or locked up tightly in a suit of armor. She’d be content to simply sit in silence on her balcony with him and while the night away.
    “No.”
    “Want to come in?” she asked, leaning against her door. “We could sit on the balcony. I bought this banana whiskey thing today.”
    “I do,” Liam said. It caught her off-guard. She had been expecting a rejection. He turned to go into his room.
    “But you’re not going to.”
    “No.” Terry felt her heart sink. She wondered if he had a girlfriend. She just realized that she didn’t know. She hadn’t even found a way to ask him. Poor form, she thought.
    He looked over his shoulder at her. “Did you leave the city today?”
    “No.”
    “I’ll take you to do Tam Coq tomorrow. It’s a river that you paddle a small boat down.” He put his hands out flat. “All along the water this bright green grass grows. It’s greener than any picture in your guidebook. We’ll rent our own boat, too. No tour guide. I know it, anyway.”
    Terry looked at him for a moment. She wasn’t entirely sure if he was serious. “Yeah, that sounds nice,” she said.
    “Okay.” The enthusiasm in his voice burned out like a tea light candle reaching the end of its molten reservoir. There was definitely something bothering him, and she was guessing that he might have commitments elsewhere. She figured it was now or never. She had to know. “Do you have a girlfriend or wife that would mind you doing that with me?”
    Liam blinked. “No.”
    “Good. So, what time?”
    “Ten. We’ll have a late breakfast, do the river for a few hours, and then drive back up to Hanoi before sunset.”
    “Drive back up?”
    “Yeah. We’ll rent a moped.”
    “You’ve got a license?”
    “No,” Liam said with a short laugh. “You don’t need one. But I’m good at driving.”
    “You better be!” She couldn’t help herself from beaming. “See you tomorrow.” She opened her door and went inside her room, her eyes busy adjusting to the bright celling light.
    Closing the door behind her, she leaned against the door, a little too