Nate and I had conflicting schedules for most of the week, so it is Friday night by the time we can get together. This time, when I get ready to go out with a friend, it really feels like it, and when I get to the theater before Nate, I’m not the least bit nervous waiting for him to arrive. We watch a comedy, and as the bloopers play at the end, Nate and I laugh easily with each other, as we did through the whole movie.

When the credits begin to roll, I stand up and say, “Thank you for this. I’m really having a good time.”

“Me too, Bella. This is a nice way to unwind after a stressful week.”

“I can imagine.”

“How was your week?” he asks.

“Pretty low-key,” I say as we walk slowly behind the people filing out. “Mixed a few potions, performed a few spells.”

“Me too,” Nate jokes. “At least some days it feels like it.”

“You work for a divorce firm, right?”

“I do. I had a couple of hard cases go to court over the past few days, but for the most part, my job isn’t difficult. I enjoy helping people get back to being happy.”

Divorce doesn’t happen in werebear clans, and I say, “It must be strange for you considering...” I glance at the humans milling around us as we enter the lobby of the theater.

“My job makes me appreciate what I’ve got. Or will have one day.” He holds the door open for me to exit to the parking lot. “You know, I think it’s smart that you want to learn to be friends with a man before letting yourself marry for love. I see a lot of divorces happen because the couple had nothing more than a physical attraction they never bothered to look beyond.”

“Thanks. That’s kind of scary, though. I can see why you feel so lucky.” I think about Cade and the fact he doesn’t have to worry about his forever love the way I do either. One day, his true mate is going to come along, and everything will pretty much click into place. My heart aches when it occurs to me that he’ll ditch the memory of me like worn-out jeans and never give us a second thought. All the more reason I need to let him go.

We’ve reached our cars, and Nate stops to lean against his door. “I’m not quite ready to go home. Feel like a drink and some live music? I hear there’s a great band at the Bear’s Den tonight.”

I glance down at my loose jeans and blouse. Although I’m wearing heels, I’m not exactly dressed to go out, because nothing I have on is very sexy. But then I gaze into Nate’s face. He’s a great guy, but there isn’t any chemistry between us. I have no desire to take him home, and this would be a good test to see if I can enjoy a drink and dancing with a guy just as friends. I say, “Only if you promise to dance with me.”

“I can do that,” he says.

“Sure. I’ll follow you there.”

When Nate and I get to the bar and walk toward it, he says, “We’re early, but this way, we can talk a little before the music starts.”

We enter into a space with natural wood walls and a hardwood floor. High-top tables frame the dance floor except for the side that has the stage. Nate leads us to the bar, where two seats are open, and I slide onto a stool.

The bar is in werebear territory, and humans do not frequent it. So when the buxom, blond bartender’s cheeks redden when she comes over to help us, I’m sure she’s interested in Nate.

I smile and say, “I’d like a lemon drop, please, and my friend here will have...” I look at Nate for his answer. He’s perusing the microbrew menu and doesn’t even glance up when he orders his beer. The waitress frowns at him before walking away.

Once she’s gone, I ask, “What is wrong with you?”

“What?” he blinks at me, completely confused.

I laugh. “Oh boy. I’m beginning to see why you’re single. The bartender is totally into you. Pay attention.”

He blushes as he scans behind the bar to figure out who I’m talking about.

I say, “The blonde.”

“Oh.” He looks at me as something dawns on him. “Oooh. She’s--” He shakes his head and looks down.

“Nate.” I put my hand on his arm to get him to look at me. “What’s wrong?”

“Nothing. I just--I’m not good with women.”

“Are you kidding me?” I lean back and wave my hands up and down my body. “I know I’m not in tight clothes, but I thought it was obvious I’m not a guy, and you haven’t had any trouble talking to me.”

“I’m aware,” Nate says with a scowl. “But I can talk to you because you’re human and my friend.”

“Wow. This is coming from the guy who is pretty wise about human relationships. What gives?”

“I’m a nerd. Okay? In high school, women went for the warrior types. And then I went to law school, where everyone was human, so I didn’t date much.”

“And when you got back home, you went to work for humans. You don’t get much werebear interaction, do you?”

“No.”

“Huh.” I give him a sly grin. “Well, lucky for you, I’m well versed in werebear. And...” I push at his arm. “It just so happens I’m your friend. I can help.”

He gives me a doubtful look. “You really think she’s into me?”

I chuckle. “Definitely.” I catch a glimpse of her and say, “She’s on her way over.” As she gets closer, I lean in and whisper in his ear, “Make eye contact!”

The girl sets our drinks down, and I say, “Thanks.” I glance at Nate, who looks like a deer in the headlights. He needs serious help, so I give it to him. “I’m Bella, and this is Nate.”

The girl smiles. “Bridget.” She looks at Nate. “You’re the one that went to law school, right?”

“I--” Nate’s voice comes out as a squeak, and he clears his throat to try again. “I did.”

Bridget smiles at him. “I think that’s so fascinating.” She lets out a breath of air. “I wanted to go to law school too, but I barely afforded college.”

“Oh,” he says, and both Bridget and I wait for him to say more.

When he doesn’t, I jump in. “Did you and Nate go to school together?”

She nods. “We were in the same class, but I was a band geek.” She looks at Nate, and I want to squeal at how cute she is when she blushes. “You probably didn’t know who I was.”

“I did,” says Nate.

“Hey!” says a guy as he shoves himself in between me and Nate. “Love the reunion and all, but any chance I can get a drink here?”

“Of course, Dirk,” says Bridget. “What’ll it be?”

“Hey, sugar,” says the guy as he leers at her, taking way too long to stare at her chest. “I’ll take whatever you’re offering.”

Nate lets out a low growl, and his bear flashes in his eyes. I tense up, ready to move out of the way in case a fight breaks out. The thing about werebear is you can’t depend on their human side to indicate what their bear is like when they feel as if their mate is threatened. Nate may be a mild-mannered guy, but from the way his chest is rumbling with his growl, I’m afraid his bear isn’t.

Bridget quickly says, “The house draft is on special.”

“I’ll take it,” says the guy. He glances at Nate before he returns his attention to Bridget and drawls out, “And then I’ll have you.”

Nate stands up and pushes his chest against the guy. In an instant, the two men shift, and Dirk’s movements shove me off my stool. I scramble to my feet and hop up to sit on the bar. Bridget tugs me back further and says, “Get back here with me.”

I jump down just as Nate slams his paw into the guy’s chest so hard that it makes him stagger. “Damn,” I say when Nate backhands him. “Nate’s a good fighter.”

“I know,” says Bridget, and I glance at her to find she’s smiling with pride. The way a true mate would.

Without thinking, I yell, “Go Nate!” I say to Bridget, “This is better than hockey any day.”

She chuckles. “You should work here.” We both let out a groan when the bully manages to get a good hit in on Nate.

“I’ve got a job, but this might be my new hangout,” I say as the bar shudders when Nate throws Dirk against it. “This really happens often?”

“Almost every weekend,” Bridget says.

“Yes!” I cry out when Nate kicks out and swipes Dirk off his feet.

Suddenly, a third bear joins in. He’s huge, and within seconds, he manages to slam Nate and the other guy to the floor. Another large bear comes to stand beside the victor, and Bridget says, “It’s all fun and games until the warriors show up.”

I let out a sigh as Nate and his opponent stand up, and as I watch the five men shift back to human form, I climb over the bar again. My jaw drops when I discover one of the warriors is Cade. The other warrior asks, “What’s this about?”

Dirk points at Bridget, who is standing behind me. “Her.” He scoffs. “Waste of time.”

Nate lets out a growl while Cade clenches his fists and begins to shift again as he moves toward Nate and his opponent. But his warrior friend steps in the way and gives Cade a slight shake of his head before he turns back to Nate and the other guy. “You two. Out.” He points toward the door. “Now!”

Nate glances at me and says, “Bella, I’ll call you.”

I don’t get a chance to reply because Cade is suddenly in my space. He’s so angry that his chest -- his gloriously naked, flexing chest -- is heaving before me. It’s hot as hell, and my breath catches in my throat. Before I realize what I’m doing, I reach out and touch him. Something zings through my arm, but then Cade growls and grabs me by the hips to throw me over his shoulder. He stomps out of the bar as I pound on his back. “Put me down!”

His truck is parked askew partially behind the bar, and he drops me to my feet by it. I’m steaming mad and about to yell at him when he slams his mouth against mine, effectively trapping me between a couple thousand pounds of truck and a couple hundred pounds of rock-solid, musk-scented male werebear that’s better than any drug ever created. His kiss bruises my lips, and it’s exactly what I want. It’s what we do, and damn, we do it well. I clutch at the flexing muscles of his naked butt as I try to devour him right back.

My insides are on fire with my desire, and I’m crazed for relief when I thrust my hips toward him. He presses his hard erection against my groin. Hands are everywhere, and when he breaks away from my mouth to work on my neck, I gasp for much-needed air. “Oh god.” This is my Cade. The man who invades my dreams. The man I can’t get enough of. The man--the memory of red-wine-stained jeans and a saccharine giggle pops up in my mind. Desiree. My passion becomes anger as I picture him doing this with her and her extra-ness. Or with any other female he lures into his bed. I pull up some of my power and push him away from me.

He stumbles back. “Bella?”

“Don’t,” I spit out and begin to walk toward the entrance of the bar.

Cade grabs my arm and turns me around to face him. “You are not going back in there.”

“Wanna bet?” Anger and magic are a dangerous cocktail because the power becomes intensified, so when I throw out some magic in an attempt to push him away from me, it turns into something a little more powerful. Cade is lifted off his feet and slams into his truck with a bone-crunching crash. Okay, so maybe it’s a lot more powerful, but I’m too pissed off to care, and I pound my way over to my Jeep. However, I do check to make sure Cade is okay. I watch him get up and shake off his pain as he walks toward the driver’s side of his truck. But this time, I’m the one who leaves him in the dust as I peal out of the parking lot toward home.