Dark Side Of The Moon (BBW Paranormal Were-Bear Shifter Sci-Fi Romance) by Catherine Vale

“To love someone.
To have someone love you. And you fight to get what you want. Just like me.”
    She
tensed against his arms, then realized those arms had slackened quite a bit and
if she’d wanted to, she could have stood up, moved away from him. Could have ,
but didn’t want to, and she couldn’t really say why. He’d said what she’d been
thinking, and it bothered her that he’d echoed her thoughts. It bothered her
because he was right. He’d hit a nerve or something, jarred something loose in
her mind. To be loved...
    “I
hate this; the way you do this.”
    “I
have done nothing but talk. Do you hate my words too?”
    She
sighed. “I don’t hate your words, or you. I don’t know how I feel.”
    “You
felt something...in the wreckage of the ship. When we came together.” There was
more than a smile in his voice; there was the sound of a very confident man.
    “That
was...” She clenched her fist against his chest. “Damn it. That wasn’t love or
anything close to it. That was...”
    “Passion
born from the heat of battle.”
    “Yes.
Fine. Passion...whatever. But I didn’t feel anything...else.” That was a lie;
she’d felt more with Taso than she thought possible. But, to tell him that? No
way. His ego was big enough already.
    “It
was just physical, that’s all. Leftover adrenaline from fighting.” That was as
close to telling him anything as she was going to get. “I don’t love you.”
    “I
would think not, after only a few days, but I believe it will happen.”
    “How
are you so damn sure of yourself?”
    “Because
in all of your words of protest you’ve never said there was someone you left
behind, someone that you loved.” He touched her hair again, less diffidently,
with more confidence. “Is there someone you love? That loves you? Someone that
I would return you to, if I took you back?”
    “That’s
none of your business.” Her voice had taken on an edge she didn’t like. “It’s
private.”
    Abruptly,
he pushed her off his lap, slamming her down on the bench next to him. His
hands were on her shoulders; his face close to hers. The suddenness caught her
off guard and she was too stunned to move.
    “There
is no one left behind. You fight with men who want to ask you out. You want to
be tough, but underneath all of your toughness, you want one of them to love
you.”
    He
was smiling and that made her blood rise up, hot and wild. She reached up then,
blindly, trying to push him away or hit him, but mostly to wipe that smug look
from his face.
    “You
don’t know anything about me or what I left behind...not a damned thing.”
    She
was breathing hard, and so was he. But he was also laughing, and that made her
mad. Swinging wildly, she slapped his face, her hand cracking against his
cheek. He grunted, but the smile stayed on his face.
    “You
don’t know anything...anything at all.” She was damned if she was going to cry
in front of him again. She pounded her fist against his chest, tried to hit him
again. But he reached up, and grabbed her wrists, easily restraining her. It
infuriated her, and she struggled against his grip until her strength gave out.
Tugging weakly in his grip, she stared up at him. He didn’t let go, seemed to
be waiting for her to come to some decision.
    “Fine.
You want me to admit there was no one? There was no one.” Admitting that seemed
harder than anything she’d done so far on this bizarre trip. “There was no one.
Ever.” The fight went out of her, at least the fight against Taso’s words.
    He
let go of her, and she fell back against the wall. He was still smiling at her,
but it wasn’t the cocky, know-it-all smile he’d been wearing, but something
that seemed almost gentle. It changed the sharp contours of his face, softening
them. It was an unexpected change, and it caught her off guard.
    Taso
sat back on the bench, looking across the small space. The only thing behind
him was the window, with all that empty, black space outside. He