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Isla treet it lasered off” She grabbed her handbag, turned on her heel and marched out Out of his house and out of his life

Chapter One

Six months later

Isla woke up in a sweat That bloody dreaoodness’ sake? Oh, she liked her shifter stories—who didn’t? There was nothing nicer that a hot bloke with a body like a Greek god who in the blink of an eye changed from said bloke to a—well in her case it see Most tih For soh it see she wasn’t herself That soht, as if she’d had some sort of out of body experience

Which of course was daft She was no shifter Her mum was from Auchtermuchty in Scotland and her dad an out and out cockney, who he said was related to Pearly Kings and Queens Not that she believed that bit Her granddad had been a coaledly a bit weird A lady who Isla reh drops and told the ons

Maybe that was it? She was subconsciously re those stories Wasn’t one about a bear as lonely and wanted a mate? And found a human instead?

Wouldn’t that be good? Isla sniggered and rolled her eyes

“Too much cheese”

Was that really a growl she heard, or the bin lorry doing its usual gear-crunching reverse around the corner? She poked her head between the curtains The lane outside the house was e for his usual early

Nothing except the trees across the lane waving as if soh them

“For us, I’ over you”

Isla shivered Where had that stupid thought come from? She headed for the shower and remembered her vow

Today is the day

“Bare Alley, third on left” Isla muttered to herself as she parked her car in the ot out and locked up “Stupid name for a street” Okay it was probably steeped in the deep dark annals of tiue, but it still didn’t seeies, Lady Godiva, and a picture she’d seen in an art gallery of a bear with a naked lady Both looked happy It one? Her joie de vivre? Her love of life and all things ridiculous?

Down the toilet

It was galling to admit that those bloody months with Julian had eroded them As he’d tried to mold her into his … his what? Not a sub for sure, his slave in a most unpleasant way perhaps? She understood that now He was, to put no finer point on it, a charlatan Isla could hit herself for being so taken in But the , persuasive, slimy toad And Isla realized she had been ripe for someone to love At university, all her mates had paired off, and nerdy Isla Carades and ai esoteric

Instead she’d fallen into his lap and life, forgotten esoteric, spent a miserable few ed in her love of cakes Which added several inches to her already ample hips as of course at first, she couldn’tthe to her like an insecure child who didn’t want to leave itsto buy new trousers was a result of that happiness so be it

Being you own boss was great up to a point But when you were so successful you had to ask amachine to her phone so you could have a day off as well as your normal Monday and Tuesday, it wasn’t on Not really

Oh, she enjoyed Is

la’s Bakes, was happy to do bespoke celebration cakes for whoever wanted one, and enjoyed the success she’d achieved However, it had taken off so well, she needed help Help she hadn’t so far discovered Her one employee was perfect, but oh how one or twohours not the ten- and twelve-hour days she see in more and more

She yearned for time to breath and relax and think Not just about work About her other current dilemma as well