Read Bridged by Love for Free Online

chest.
    It didn’t surprise him that he’d ended up here. He hadn’t been able to get thoughts of her out of his head. Guilt ate at him. He’d treated her like shit the last time they were together. She deserved an apology and explanation. If he’d been man enough, he would’ve been straight with her then.
    He padded across the gravel road. On the other side, soft grass met the pads of his paws. Halfway across the front yard, the door opened. Riley stepped out, a bottle of beer in hand. An oversize flannel shirt covered her chest and bare thighs. Jealousy surged, knowing she wore another male’s clothes. Shock replaced it with his next breath. It was his shirt, the one he’d had on the last time they were together.
    She whipped her head in his direction. Narrowed eyes zeroed in on him. They widened on a gasp. She set her bottle down and sprinted across the yard. Her loosely buttoned top gave him a tantalizing glimpse of her legs. He sat on his haunches to watch her, but she reached him before he could decide if the swath of black between her thighs was a thong or a bikini.
    “Nic”—she dropped to her knees in front of him—“what happened?”
    He couldn’t answer her in his wolf form. She knew that. She also understood that depending on how much control he gave his other half, he might not even hear her. It never stopped her from approaching shifters. She’d said she could tell who was in charge by looking into their eyes.
    “You’re bleeding.” She brushed back his fur and gently touched the skin around a long gash. “This wasn’t from a fight, was it?”
    He shook his head, the only answer he could give in his limited form.
    She stared into his eyes. Not a hint of fear showed in her expression. She treated his dad and the other dominants with the respect owed them by avoiding eye contact. Never Nic, at least not in private, but the rules were different around the other wolves. Riley had always understood the need for hierarchy among the members. In the pack’s eyes, she was as low as one could be. In his, she was his equal.
    “Shift and tell me why you decided to drag your sorry ass to my house. None of these cuts need my attention.”
    Not happening. Through his wolf’s eyes, he felt nothing physical toward her. Only his memories reminded him of what it was like to love her. If he shifted? One whiff of her sweet fragrance, and he’d want to devour her.
    On a huff, she pushed to her feet. She planted her hands on her flaring hips. “Fine, be stubborn. I’m in no mood. Go home and lick your own wounds.”
    She spun and walked toward her house. He waited a moment, then followed. The smart thing to do was leave. He couldn’t, not until he apologized. Maybe if he set things straight with her, he could finally let her go. Goodness knew, nothing else had worked.
    At the porch, she glanced over her shoulder. “What the hell do you want? Did you come back to see if you could make me cry again? If so, don’t bother. It isn’t happening.”
    He inwardly flinched at the memory from four years ago. She hadn’t whimpered or bawled. She’d stood with her head held high while he’d flung lies and hurtful words at her, but tears had leaked from her eyes and dripped off her jaw. Each one had left a scar on his soul.
    He lay down and dropped his head on his paws.
    “Goddamn you, Nic.” The words came out as little more than a whisper, but he heard them.
    She snatched her beer from where she’d left it, flung the door open and left it that way. He accepted her unspoken offer and trailed behind her. Without looking to see if he followed, she made her way to a basket of folded laundry near the hallway. She pulled a pair of sweats from it and tossed them over her shoulder.
    “They belong to Alex. I do his laundry. He cuts my grass.” She offered the explanation without prompting, as if she knew he’d automatically think they belonged to a lover.
    Given a moment to digest her words, he would’ve.
    He tugged