Read Liam's Bride: BBW Werebear Romance (Clan Conroy Brides Book 1) for Free Online Page A

same rate."
    Her breath caught. She opened her mouth to thank him, but he shook his head, forestalling her. "Don’t thank me yet. I want something more."
    Liam’s voice caressed the word more. She suppressed a shiver. He didn’t say anything for several moments, watching her face. Meredith’s eyes narrowed with impatience. "Yes?"
    "I know you have an M.Ed."
    What she had was an M.Ed’s worth of student loan debt the government considered her too poor to pay. She could always move to a bigger city and get a teaching job, but she didn't want to leave her teenagers. They were her students, even if the classroom wasn’t a recognized one.
    "I’d like you to co-teach a class with me. Arrange the curriculum."
    "What?" Meredith stared at him, beyond surprised. They'd gone from her possibly facilitating some informal instruction in sustainable gardening, to teaching an actual class.
    "That's possible, of course," she began. "But I have to work-"
    He waved a hand. "I'd pay you. I’m not trying to get anything for free." His expression darkened, stare intensifying, seizing her lungs and limbs in momentary stasis. "Women are never free. Especially the ones worth... buying."
    There was something inherently insulting about that statement, but she was having trouble thinking past his focused regard. Meredith forked food into her mouth in an attempt to put some distance between them.
    "It occurred to me that any chef worth his or her salt should know how to grow their own food," he continued softly. "I have a small kitchen garden at my home. I think it best if we meet there to arrange how the lessons will go. And I'd like some... privacy... to see what you know."
    "I prefer to work here," she replied, setting the fork down. "The garden is much more extensive and it's the environment the students will be learning in, after all."
    Liam smiled. It wasn't anywhere near friendly, but it was predatory. "No. My building, my school, my students- my way."
    Meredith's lips pursed. "I'll think about it." She stood, stiffly. She couldn’t take it anymore, her body’s relentless clamoring. Her thighs clenched. "Thank you for the meal."
    Liam rose after her, slowly, drawing up to his full height. He lifted a hand, fingertip outlining the shape of her lips, a feather light touch that shouldn’t have felt erotic, but interrupted her breathing. The brush of his finger seared her face. She took a small step back, a tiny flinch she immediately regretted.
    "You don't have much choice, Meredith. None, in fact."
    "What is it you really want?" she asked. He wasn’t acting like a business owner speaking to a potential employee. Tension arched between them. He stepped forward, his body not quite touching hers.
    "I think you have an idea, Meredith." He paused. "I'm willing to give you time to get used to it."
    Of all the arrogant, vague, tantalizing, unromantic but intriguing... offers. Meredith couldn’t deny her own attraction, the spark between them.
    "You're a Bear. I'm not."
    "I don't care. Besides, my Bear wanted you first. I'm... following along."
    Her eyes narrowed. "Is this where you tell me you're attracted to me in spite of yourself, Mr. Conroy?"
    He laughed. "Houston, right? That man was a moron."
    She crossed her arms over her full chest. "Austen, not Houston, was a woman, and the author ."
    Liam shrugged. "Whatever. Human books." His dark brow rose, eyes glimmering, steady on hers. "Are you going to cooperate, Meredith? Or do we do this dance the difficult way?"
    She inhaled, let her breath out in a rush. "I- we can't. I'm not looking for a relationship right now." Especially not with a Conroy. Especially not with her father coming out of jail soon. Meredith paled, thoughts jarring her back into the reality of her situation with Liam. He could never find out who she was. He would tear the lease up instantly, leaving her teenagers in the lurch. Not to mention the threat to her heart if her emotions followed where her body was