“Oh crap, did I forget to tell you Friday’s were casual?” Rosalie grabbed a mug from the cupboard and set it next to Bria’s.
“No.” Bria poured coffee into both mugs before setting the pot back. She smoothed down her dress a bit self-consciously as she studied Rosalie’s t-shirt and jeans. “You told me.”
“Oh.” Rosalie added cream to her coffee before pouring some into Bria’s.
It was early Friday morning and there was no one else in the office yet, but Bria still lowered her voice. “I have a date tonight after work.”
“Nice,” Rosalie said. “With who?”
“A wolf shifter from the Shifter’s Love app. We’ve been texting back and forth for a few days now and he hasn’t once misspelled ‘your’ or asked for a nude or sent me a dick pic, so I’m meeting him at Bud’s.”
“What’s Bud’s?” Rosalie asked.
“It’s a shifters-only bar. Well, it’s supposed to be shifters-only, but I know the new owner and he’s fine with humans coming to the bar. He doesn’t advertise it or anything because he knows that a lot of the shifters like that it’s just shifters. But Porter – that’s the owner - is mated to a human.”
“Oh. So, you’re meeting him for dinner and drinks?”
“I am.”
“Well, you look gorgeous and he won’t be able to resist you.”
* * *
Jace stood in the hallway outside of the kitchen with his hands clenched into tight fists. His tiger was growling and snarling, and he tried to calm it as he listened to Bria tell Rosalie what Bud’s Bar was.
She’s ours! His tiger growled. She belongs to us, not some stupid wolf shifter.
Knock it off, you idiot! He snapped at his tiger. She’s not ours and I’m not interested in anything more than sex. Stop it with the ‘she belongs to us’ shit. I’m not in the fucking mood.
“Is there a reason you’re standing in the hallway looking like your head is about to explode?” He was knocked into the wall when Lincoln clapped him on the back. “Oh, sorry, buddy. Sometimes I don’t know my own strength.”
“Shut up, Lincoln,” Jace said.
He followed the lion shifter into the kitchen, nearly running into his back when he stopped abruptly.
“Tiny ti – Bria, you’re looking lovely today.”
“Thanks, Lincoln.”
Jace stepped around Lincoln and forced a smile at Bria and Rosalie. “Morning, ladies.”
“Morning,” Bria said.
Rosalie was staring into her mug of coffee and she visibly twitched when Lincoln dropped his arm around her shoulders. “Hey, Rosie-girl. I like your t-shirt.”
“Thank you,” she said. “I better get to work. Busy day.”
She ducked out from under Lincoln’s arm and hurried out of the kitchen. Lincoln frowned and sniffed the air as he studied Rosalie’s retreating form. When she was gone, he poured himself a coffee.
Jace watched as Bria grabbed her lunch bag from the counter and bent to stuff it into the fridge. God, she looked good. Her dark hair was braided, and her dress matched her eyes in colour. It clung to her firm ass and he glared at Lincoln when he caught the lion shifter staring.
Lincoln shrugged and added sugar to his coffee as he continued to stare at Bria’s ass. She straightened and shut the fridge door. “Well, I should get to reception.”
“Right. Hey, uh, any plans for the weekend?” Jace asked.
“I’m going to Kat’s place on Sunday. How about you?”
“Not too much this weekend. Some work. What about tonight? Plans for tonight?”
Fuck, could he sound any more pathetic?
Bria flushed and picked up her coffee mug from the counter. “I do have plans, yeah. Um, dinner with a friend.”
“Good. Anyone I know?”
His tiger made a low growl of anger at his stupidity. He wanted to argue, but he was sounding like a fucking idiot.
“No,” Bria said. “Uh, no I don’t think so.”
“Right. Okay, well, bye.”
“Bye.” She gave him an uncertain look and left the kitchen.
He ignored his urge to bash his forehead against the wall to see if it knocked some fucking sense into him, and grabbed a mug from the cupboard.
Lincoln was leaning against the counter and staring at him.
“What?” Jace poured a cup of coffee.
“That was a train wreck, dude. Like, I watched that train coming down the tracks and then just…boom.” Lincoln shook his head. “You used to have game with the ladies, what the fuck happened?”
“I don’t know what you’re talking about. I was just making small talk with an employee.”
“Sure. Hey, did Rosalie seem different to you?”
“No.”
Lincoln ran a hand through his shaggy hair. “Really? You don’t think she’s been a bit standoffish or something this week?”
“No.”
“All right. See you in the meeting at ten.”
“What are you doing tonight?”
“If I’m lucky, some hot little shifter who likes taking it up the ass.”
Jace scowled at him. “Seriously, Lincoln?”
“What? You asked, I answered. Why? You wanna do something?”
“I don’t know. I don’t have any plans. I was thinking of maybe going to Bud’s and having dinner and a few drinks.”
“Oh, fuck yes,” Lincoln said. “I’m in.”
“Good. I’ll meet you there after work.”
“Fuckin’ A, my friend. Fuckin’ A.”
Jace grabbed an apple from the fruit bowl and walked to his office. He shut the door and collapsed into the chair behind his desk. He tossed the apple on his desk and stared at his monitor. His tiger was making low growls of happiness, but his stomach was rolling with nausea.
What the fuck was he doing?
Going to Bud’s tonight was absolutely the wrong thing to do. So, why was he doing it? Bria wasn’t his, no matter what his tiger tried to say. Besides, he didn’t want Bria to be his. He didn’t – no, he couldn’t – be in a relationship again. Not after what happened to his brother.
Your brother? What about you? It runs in the family, you know. It’s hereditary and if you think it was just your brother who was the unlucky one, you’re fooling yourself. You remember what it was like when you and Tabitha broke up, don’t you? You remember how it felt. How you felt. How scared your parents got. They were sure you were going to end up like Jonah. They were right to be afraid. Weren’t they?
He stood up, almost knocking his chair over, and strode jerkily to the window. His back was sweating, and he could feel heat rising up his neck. The nausea in his stomach surged upward and he swallowed down bile. It was almost five years since his brother had…he swallowed more bile. Almost five years and he still wanted to throw up whenever he thought about it.
He took a deep breath and leaned his forehead against the window. He wasn’t going to Bud’s tonight because of Bria. He was going to spend time with his friend. Bud’s would be crowded on a Friday night and he probably wouldn’t even see Bria.
* * *
“God, you are the tiniest tiger I’ve ever met.”
Bria forced a smile. Okay, so it was the first time Patrick the wolf shifter had lost points with her. Of course, it was only ten minutes into their date.
“How tall are you?”
“I’m 5’3”.”
“Shit.” Patrick whistled under his breath. “When you shift, are you normal size?”
She frowned at him. “Why does it matter?”
“It doesn’t. I was just curious.” Patrick took a swallow of beer. “It’s busy in here.”
Bria sipped at her wine. “Bud’s has gotten busier the last few months.”
“Yeah, because that new owner is a human loving idiot. He’s a disgrace to wolf shifters. It doesn’t even bother him that humans are stinkin’ the joint up. I guarantee you, poor old Bud is rolling in his grave right now.”
“Bud let humans in here.” Bria could feel her temper rising and she tamped it down with effort.
“He didn’t,” Patrick said. “Trust me. I knew Bud and -”
“Bria?”
Feeling a perverse sense of glee, she stood and hugged Porter. He grunted in surprise but returned her hug. “Hey, I just wanted to stop and say hi.”
“Hi.” She smiled at Patrick. “Patrick, this is Porter, the new owner of the bar and a good friend of mine. Porter, this is Patrick.”
“Nice to meet you.” Porter held out his hand and Patrick stood and shook his hand.
“Uh, good to meet you too. I like what you’ve done with the place.”
“Thanks, it’s getting there. Bria, good to see you again. I’ll send Tori over in five minutes to get your food order, okay?”
“Sounds good. Thanks, Porter.”
Porter kissed her cheek before returning to the bar. Bria sat down and smiled stiffly at Patrick. He gave her a sheepish look.
“So, uh, you know the new owner.”
“I do.”
“Sorry, Bria. I have a tendency to run off at the mouth sometimes. Can we start over?”
Bria studied him silently and he gave her small smile. “Just one more chance?”
“Sure,” she said.
“Great. So, what do you like to do in your spare time?”
* * *
“Jace! Hey, Jace!”
Jace locked his car and turned around. Rhonda, Sam, Derek and Rosalie were walking across the parking lot of Bud’s.
“Hey, what are you guys doing here?”
Sam gave him a surprised look. “Lincoln invited us. He said you wanted to go for some food and drinks. Was he wrong?”
“No,” Jace said. “I’m glad you came.”
He trailed after them as they walked toward the entrance. Rosalie fell into step beside him. “Lincoln didn’t tell you he was inviting us, did he.”
“No, but it’s fine. The more the merrier. Although,” he lowered his voice, “I’m surprised you decided to come.”
She shrugged. “What can I say, I’m addicted to that stupid lion shifter.”
He put his arm around her and gave her a quick, rough squeeze. “He’s a fool, Rosie.”
“Maybe. Hey, is it really okay that Derek and I go in here? Bria told me a little bit about Bud’s this morning. It’s technically a shifters-only bar, right?”
“Yes, but sometimes humans go in with shifter friends. You’ll be fine.”
Ahead of them, Sam smiled up at Derek. “You should maybe take my hand, Derek. This is a shifters-only bar, but humans are allowed in if they’re with a shifter.”
“Sure.” Derek took her hand and the scent of Sam’s excitement and need washed over him. God, he hoped Derek wasn’t about to get some squirrel shifter sex tonight. The last thing he needed was two of his employees having sex.
But it’s okay for you to have sex with Bria?
Had. I had sex with her. Before she worked for me.
“Jace?” Rosalie nudged him with her elbow before whispering, “Derek’s the one that Sam has a crush on, isn’t it?”
He nodded, and Rosalie said, “I’m a little surprised. I thought Sam didn’t care much for humans.”
He was saved from answering by the loud swell of voices as Rhonda opened the door to Bud’s.
The bouncer was standing near the door and he sniffed at them as they walked past. His forehead wrinkled but before he could say anything, Lincoln was standing next to them.
“Rosie-girl! You made it!” He put his arm around her shoulders and pulled her against his side. “Stick with me, sweetheart. Humans aren’t always welcome in here. Isn’t that right, Judd?”
The bear shifter just shrugged. “It ain’t a problem.”
Lincoln stroked Rosalie’s arm and Jace could immediately smell her desire. He blocked it out and scanned the bar as they followed Sam, Rhonda and Derek to a table. Like he suspected, the bar was busy, but he had no problem spotting Bria. She was sitting in a booth against the far wall and his tiger snarled angrily. The wolf shifter had reached across the table and was holding her hand.
It was a little alarming how quickly his tiger was losing his shit. He sat at the table next to Rosalie and tried to soothe his tiger, groaning inwardly when Rhonda said, “Hey, Bria’s here!”
She leaned across the table and shouted, “Bria! Hi!”
He glanced up just in time to see Bria snatching her hand away from the wolf shifter’s. She said something to him, and he studied their table before nodding. She slid out of the booth and walked to their table.
“Hey, Bria,” Rhonda said. “Why don’t you and your friend join us for drinks?”
“Oh, um….”
“Rhonda,” Sam said, “they’re on a date. Isn’t that right, Bria?”
Bria gave him a quick look. “Well, I mean, sort of…”
“Either you are, or you aren’t,” Rhonda said with a laugh.
Bria peeked at him again. “We are.”
“Well have fun, tiny tiger,” Lincoln drawled. He still had his arm around Rosalie’s shoulders and Jace hated how happy and flushed she looked. He loved his best friend, but Rosalie deserved better. Lincoln would never be the man she wanted him to be.
“Thanks,” Bria said. “I’ll see you guys on Monday.”
She left and Jace smiled at the rabbit shifter who bounced up to the table. “Hey, handsome. I’m Tori and I’m your waitress for tonight. You guys need anything,” she traced one finger down his biceps, “just holler and I’ll hop on over. What would you like to drink?”
“Just a beer,” Jace said.
“You bet, hon.”
“Holy crap!” Derek’s mouth had dropped open and he was staring at the bar. “What the hell kind of shifter is that?”
They all turned and stared at the bar. Jace studied the giant shifter standing behind the bar. He was massive, the glass of beer in his hand looked more like a shot glass, and he had short blonde hair and broad features that practically screamed ‘I like to fight’. His arms were covered in tattoos and he somehow looked both bored and pissed off simultaneously.
“That’s Hudson,” Tori said. “He’s, like, a polar bear shifter and so grumpy. But he’s, like, a really good bartender so Porter won’t fire him.”
“Wow,” Sam said. “Why is he working here? Polar bears hate being around crowds.”
Tori just shrugged. “Even a polar bear’s gotta make money, right?” She winked at Lincoln. “Hey, Lincoln. You’re looking good tonight.”
Lincoln dropped his arm from Rosie’s shoulders.” Hey, sweet bunny buns. How’s my favourite server?”
“Can’t complain,” she said. “You want your usual?”
“Yeah.” His gaze drifted over the rabbit shifter’s small but perky tits and Jace could almost see Rosie’s good mood deflating.
As Tori took everyone else’s order, Jace stole another quick glance at Bria. The wolf shifter was holding her hand again. His tiger roared and tried to surge forward. Sweating, he pushed it back and tore his gaze from Bria and her date.
Fuck, he was in trouble.
* * *
Rosalie studied herself in the bathroom mirror. Her cheeks were too red, and it was obvious that she was close to tears.
Get it together, Rosie!
She was surprised that Lincoln had paid so much attention to her when she’d first arrived. Surprised but also flattered and a little turned on and stupidly happy. The first ten minutes, she had even let herself fall into a little fantasy that she and Lincoln were dating. He’d made it easy to slip into fantasy, what with his arm around her shoulders and the way he had whispered to her that she looked pretty tonight.
It hadn’t lasted long. There were a lot of shifters at the bar.
A lot of very pretty, female shifters.
Twenty minutes after they’d sat down, Lincoln was gone. Saying he spotted a friend, he’d left their table and hadn’t returned. She’d seen him over the next hour or so, talking and chatting with other male shifters and flirting with every female shifter that drifted into his view. She wasn’t surprised that Lincoln would ignore her and flirt with every woman at the bar. So why did it hurt so much?
It’s because you’re a human. Lincoln isn’t ever going to date you, Rosie. Get it through your head!
“No, it’s because you’re not kinky enough in bed,” she muttered to her reflection. “Change that and you have a chance. You’re too shy and too timid, Rosalie. Be different!”
Yes, be different. Simple. Easy. No problem.
She was suddenly exhausted, and she grabbed her purse from the counter before leaving the bathroom. She didn’t want to watch Lincoln flirt anymore. She opened her purse as she walked down the hallway and started rummaging for her keys. She wanted to go home, get into her pajamas, and curl up on the couch with Mr. Pibbles and not think about –
She ran head first into a solid wall of muscle. There was a loud grunt above her and she staggered back. She stared up at the wolf shifter that Bria was on a date with. “I’m so sorry.”
He sniffed at her before sneering, “Watch where you’re going, human.”
“I’m sorry,” she repeated as she scooted around him.
“You know,” the shifter grabbed her arm and she squeaked in alarm when he turned her to face him, “Bud’s bar is a shifters only bar.”
“Th-that’s not true,” she said. “My friends said humans could come in here.”
“Your friends gave you bad advice.” The man took a step closer. “You should leave before something bad happens to you. Pretty little thing like you – who knows what shifters would use you for.”
Her heart hammering in her chest and her mouth dry, she yanked her arm free and took a stumbling step backward. The man grinned at her and she stared in sudden terror at the fangs protruding from his mouth. She took another step back and ran into a second unforgiving wall of hard flesh and muscle. Her terror was like a living, breathing thing inside of her as she whipped around and stared at the giant standing behind her. It was the bartender named Hudson, the one that Tori said was a polar bear shifter, and she peered up at him as the wolf shifter behind her made a low growl.
“You okay?” The bartender rumbled. His voice was deep. She could almost feel it vibrating out from his chest like thunder.
“Help me,” she whispered.
He frowned and studied the shifter behind her. She moved closer to Hudson, crowding up against his big body before staring at the wolf shifter.
“Get the fuck out of here,” Hudson said to the shifter.
The shifter glared at him. “What did you say?”
“Leave the bar now.”
“You can’t kick me out, I didn’t do anything.”
“I heard what you said to her,” Hudson replied.
“She’s a fucking human. Who the fuck cares what I said to her?”
“I care. Leave the bar now.”
“She’s the one who should leave. This is a fucking shifters bar.”
“Last chance,” Hudson said.
The shifter snarled. His body was swelling, and dark fur was sprouting on his face. Rosalie moaned and pressed herself against Hudson. She wrapped her arms around his waist and stared disbelievingly at the bear shifter when he laughed.
“You think you can take me on, wolf shifter? I’ll tear you to pieces and eat your guts for my breakfast.”
The shifter growled as his skin rippled.
“Go on,” Hudson said. “Shift. I haven’t been challenged in a very long time and I miss the taste of blood.”
The bear shifter hadn’t moved a muscle, but the wolf shifter suddenly took a step backward. He stared uncertainly at Hudson and then at Rosalie as the fur faded on his face.
“Pity,” Hudson said, “I hate cowards.”
The shifter flushed dully but didn’t say anything.
“Get out,” Hudson said.
The wolf shifter made a soft growl and pushed past them. When he was gone, Rosalie let her breath out and gave Hudson a shaky smile. “Thank you. Thank you so much.”
The bear shifter was looking decidedly uncomfortable. Rosalie realized with embarrassment that she had her arms wrapped around his waist and was clinging to the giant shifter like a praying mantis.
“Oh God, I’m sorry.” She released him and stumbled back.
“I don’t like to be touched.” The shifter’s voice was brusque.
Her face flamed red. “I’m so sorry. I don’t normally grab onto strangers – I’m sorry. I was scared.”
God, she sounded like a complete idiot.
“Go back to your shifter friends,” he said.
“Okay. Um, thank you again.” She studied his face for a moment. He wasn’t exactly handsome, his features were a little too craggy and rough to be considered handsome. But there was something appealing about him. Maybe it was his size. She was over six feet in her heels and there weren’t many men that made her feel small.
She felt small next to him. Small and delicate.
Her gaze drifted to his chest. He was wearing a t-shirt with the words “Bud’s Bar” printed on it. His shirt was too small, the letters distorted by the sheer width of his chest. One massive hand came up. Scratched at his stubble covered throat. His hand was twice the size of hers. If they put their hands together, palm-to-palm, she wasn’t sure her fingers would even go past his palm to his fingers.
Had she ever seen anyone as big as this man? She didn’t think so. She knew Ivan was taller, but the giraffe shifter was also thin and spindly. Like a strong wind would blow him over. The giant standing in front of her would be as unmoving as a boulder.
Her gaze dropped to his flat abdomen. The too-small t-shirt left nothing to the imagination. Every muscle in his abdomen was clearly defined against the white fabric. They looked as hard as granite. She wanted to touch them to see. Instead, she clenched her hand into a fist as she stared at his belt and then -
“Lady, go back to your friends.” His voice was impatient.
She snapped her gaze back to his face. She’d been three seconds away from ogling his crotch like a damn pervert. What the hell was wrong with her?
“Yes, of course. I’m sorry. Thank you.”
Annoyance was written into the lines of his face. He made a ‘go on’ gesture with his hand and she turned and almost ran out of the hallway and back into the bar. She would tell Jace and the others that she had a headache and was going home. As she weaved past shifters, trying to ignore the way they sniffed at her, she realized that the wolf shifter was still sitting with Bria.
She hesitated only a moment before marching over to their booth. The wolf shifter gave her a startled look before his mouth turned into a hard line.
“Bria, I need to talk to you in private,” Rosalie said.
“Sure.” Bria said. “Patrick, can you excuse me just for a minute?”
“We’re on a date,” he said. “Can’t you talk to your little work friend later. It’s kind of rude to just leave.”
Rosalie’s fear of the wolf shifter turned to anger. “Fine, I’ll tell her right here. Bria, this asshole you’re on a date with, threatened me in the hallway outside the bathroom.”
“What?” Bria stared at Patrick. “You threatened her?”
“Of course I didn’t. Why would I do that?”
“Because you don’t like humans,” Rosalie said. “He threatened me and grabbed my arm. Said I should be careful because I was a human and who knew what shifters would do to me in a place like this.”
“You dick,” Bria said.
“She’s lying,” Patrick said. “You’re seriously going to believe this bitch human over me? What fucking kind of shifter are you?”
“Fuck you.” Bria gave him a scornful look and started to slide out of the booth. Before she could stand, Patrick grabbed her forearm and squeezed.
“Don’t you walk away from me. I’ve paid for your drinks and your goddamn dinner and you owe me.”
Rosalie took a step back when Bria’s eyes went from blue to a golden yellow. Her pupils had narrowed into slits and when she grinned at the wolf shifter, Rosalie could see the way her eye-teeth had lengthened into fangs.
“Let go of me, Patrick.”
The wolf shifter bared his own fangs at her as a dark beard grew on his face. “You owe me, you little bitch and I -”
“Take your hand off of her.”
The voice was a low angry growl next to her. Despite the way it was oddly familiar, the sheer rage in it still frightened her badly. Rosalie stumbled away from the sound and straight into the big, broad body of Hudson.
She tore her gaze from Hudson and stared at Jace as he took another step toward the booth. She’d never seen him like this. His eyes were bright green, his pupils dark slits, and his upper body looked bigger, almost distorted somehow.
He was Jace.
But not Jace.
The Jace/not Jace growled, a sound of pure anger that made the hair on the back of her neck to stand and goosebumps break out across her skin. Without a single ounce of shame, she flung her arms around the polar bear shifter’s waist and clung to him again like a frightened kitten.
“I told you to leave.” Hudson’s voice reverberated above her.
The wolf shifter ignored Hudson. He stared unblinkingly at Jace as the tiger shifter stepped closer. “Take your hand off of her. I won’t ask again.”
“And if I don’t?” Patrick said.
Jace bared his fangs at him. “I’ll kill you, wolf shifter.”
Judd joined them. “What’s the fucking problem here?”
“No problem,” Jace said. “This asshole was just leaving.”
The wolf shifter studied him for a moment longer before releasing Bria’s arm. She slid out of the booth and Jace immediately pulled her into his embrace. She didn’t object, letting him slide his arm around her waist in a possessive grip.
“Leave,” Hudson said.
“Yeah, I’m leaving,” Patrick snarled. He slid out of the booth and Rosalie made a low moan of fright when his hot gaze fell on her. “Fucking human bitch.”
He took a step toward her and the heavy arm of the polar bear shifter circled around her. He pulled her up tight against his body, a low growl erupting from his chest.
“Buddy, you are getting on my last fucking nerve,” Judd said. “Get the fuck out now or I swear to God I’ll fucking ban your ass from this place for life.”
The wolf shifter snarled at him and Judd growled, his big body swelling.
“You want to fucking do this?” Judd said. “You think you can beat me?” His body swelled even more, and Patrick gave him an uncertain look before pushing past him.
“Fuck you, and fuck this place.”
He stalked toward the door, Judd following closely behind him.
Feeling a little shaky, Rosalie leaned against Hudson’s hard warmth. She smiled up at him. “Thank you.”
“You’re touching me again,” he said gruffly.
The polar bear made a valid point but even if she did let go, she wasn’t going anywhere. His arm was still around her, his hand holding her against him like she belonged to him.
“Lady, you’re touching me,” he repeated.
She stared down at his big hand cupping her hip for a second before saying, “Um, you’re touching me too.”
His hand tightened almost painfully before he muttered something under his breath and released her. He pulled free of her grip and stepped back so fast, she would have fallen if not for Jace catching her by the upper arm.
“You okay, Rosie?”
“Yes, thank you.” She watched the retreating back of the polar bear shifter before turning around. “Are you okay?”
Jace still had his arm around Bria’s waist but when Rosalie’s gaze lingered on his arm, he dropped it and stepped away from Bria.
“Fine. Sorry, I didn’t mean to frighten you.”
“That’s okay. I just - sometimes I forget that you’re a shifter.” She gave him a faint smile. “Bria, are you all right?”
“Don’t worry about me,” Bria said. She took Rosalie’s hand and squeezed it. “Did that asshole hurt you?”
“No, uh, the bartender helped me in the hallway so, um, I was fine.” Her gaze wandered back to Hudson. He was standing behind the bar and when he saw her staring at him, glared irritably at her before turning away.
“Okay, well, I guess I’m gonna go home and block Patrick’s number from my phone,” Bria said.
“Stay and have a drink with us,” Jace said.
“I don’t want to intrude.”
“You’re not. It’s an office get together. Right, Rosalie?” Jace said.
“It is. C’mon, Bria, it’s still early. Have a drink with us.”
Bria hesitated before nodding. “Okay. Thanks.”
* * *
“You know those two are going to have sex tonight, right?”
Jace studied the way Sam had her body pressed up against Derek’s. Bud’s Bar had a small, almost miniscule, dance floor tucked near the back. Sam and Derek, along with a few other couples, were swaying to the music.
“No, they’re not,” he said.
Derek reached down and squeezed Sam’s ass. The squirrel shifter grinned up at him and Jace groaned when they kissed.
“That is definitely a we’re-having-sex-tonight kiss.” Bria’s voice was laced with amusement.
“Great.” Jace tipped his beer bottle to his mouth and drank the last swallow. It was just him and Bria and Sam and Derek left. Rosalie had only stayed another half hour before saying she had a headache and leaving. He had no doubt that her leaving was more to do with watching Lincoln shove his tongue down a redheaded fox shifter’s throat. Rhonda had left soon after. It was more than awkward, watching Sam and Derek flirt while Bria made small talk. He was relieved when Sam convinced Derek to dance with her.
“Rosalie said there was no rule about coworkers dating,” Bria said. “Was she wrong?”
“No, but it’s a complication that the office doesn’t need. What if they start dating and then break up?”
She shrugged. “Maybe they’ll remember they’re adults and not make it weird at work.”
“Doubtful.”
“If you’re so against coworkers dating, why don’t you have a firm rule against it?”
He had meant to update the employee handbook, he really did. Except now Bria was working for him and…
And you want to date her.
No, I don’t!
“Jace?” Bria touched his forearm.
“I’ll be asking Betty to update the employee handbook in the next month or so.”
“Oh.”
They sat silently for a moment before Jace cleared his throat. “Sorry about earlier. I hope I didn’t scare you like I scared Rosalie.”
“Why would it scare me?”
Fuck, he couldn’t even hold a normal conversation with Bria. Lincoln was right – he was a goddamn train wreck.
“It wouldn’t. Of course, it wouldn’t,” he said. “Sorry.”
“I should be saying thank you. It was nice of you to come over and help out,” Bria said.
“You probably had it under control but I…”
How exactly was he supposed to end that sentence? Just causally say that he knew she had it under control but the minute he saw the wolf shifter grab her arm, his tiger had lost its goddamn mind?
Truthfully, he had no memory of stalking to Bria’s table. His tiger was firmly in control at that point. Jace was certain if the wolf shifter hadn’t released Bria, his tiger would have torn the shifter’s throat out. His tiger was losing it and –
He shouldn’t have touched my mate.
His face paled. Oh shit. This was bad. Really fucking bad. If his tiger was already thinking of Bria as his mate, he was fucked.
She’s not our mate! Knock it off, you moron.
She could be our mate.
His tiger sounded like a sulky kitten.
“Jace? Your eyes are glowing. What’s wrong?” Bria’s soft hand touched his arm again and his tiger roared happily and retreated.
“Nothing,” he said. “Just, uh, my tiger is a little amped up right now. It’s been a while since I’ve shifted.”
A complete lie. He’d spent most of last night in his tiger form.
“Oh, okay. Well, thank you for your help.”
“You’re welcome. You’re gonna block him, right?”
“Yes, and report him to the dating app. Maybe they’ll kick him off Shifter’s Love.”
“You’re using Shifter’s Love to find a date?”
She flushed at his tone. “Yes. So what? Everyone meets their significant other online now.”
“Significant other?”
Bria’s flush grew brighter. “You know what I mean. I want to be in a relationship and I’m not going to find a boyfriend just sitting at home night after night. Besides, this is no different from you using the Heat Me Up app. Heat Me Up is a really stupid name for it, by the way.”
“I didn’t name it.”
“No, but you use it.”
“Who’s being judgmental now?”
She rubbed at her temples. “I’m not being judgmental.”
“You are. Besides, technically you use Heat Me Up as well.”
“I don’t!”
“You do. You got my name from Kat who got my name from Heat Me Up. So, you’ve used the app.”
“Fine, I’ve sort of used the app and I’m being judgmental. But so are you with the Shifters Love thing.”
He wanted to argue but telling Bria that it was jealousy making him act this way didn’t seem like a great idea. “Yeah, okay I am.”
“We just want different things, right?” Bria said. “You want sex without commitment and I want sex with commitment. Neither of us are bad people for wanting what we want. Agreed?”
“Agreed,” he said. “So, are you talking with any other guys?”
She stared at him and it was his turn to flush. “Sorry, that isn’t any of my business.”
“There’s a cougar shifter and a coyote shifter who both have potential,” she said. “What about you? Do you have a cat shifter lined up to help out?”
“Uh, I met with a tiger shifter yesterday.”
Her eyes flared a bright yellow for a split second before returning to blue. “Oh, that’s good. It’s, um, good that you can help her out.”
“I’m not. It wasn’t going to work with my schedule.”
“I thought you said your schedule was flexible.”
“Not this time.”
He was lying again. He could have made it work. The tiger shifter he’d met with yesterday was gorgeous with long red hair and green eyes. She’d had a typical tiger shifter body - tall and athletic looking with toned thighs. Her six pack was clearly visible through her t-shirt.
Unfortunately, he suddenly seemed to only find smaller-than-average tiger shifters with dark hair and blue eyes appealing.
He’d ended the meeting after fifteen minutes.
Don’t forget how you changed your account on Heat Me Up to inactive as soon as you got home last night.
He ignored his inner voice. He had changed it to inactive because he was busy right now. It had nothing to do with Bria.
“I should probably get going. It’s getting late,” Bria said.
“It’s not that late. What are your plans for tomorrow?”
“I don’t really have any. I might stop by my parents’ place for lunch.”
“They live here in the city?”
“They do.”
“That’s nice. Do you have any siblings?” Jace asked.
“Nope, only child. How about you?”
“I had an older brother.”
“Had?” Bria grew still.
“He died five years ago.”
Bria’s hand covered his. He immediately linked their fingers together and she squeezed gently. “I’m very sorry.”
“His name was Jonah. He, uh, he was a really good guy. There was only eighteen months between us, so we were pretty close growing up.”
She squeezed his hand again. “I’m sorry. Was it an accident or…”
“Hey, guys!”
Jace jerked his hand free of Bria’s when he heard Sam’s voice. The squirrel shifter was holding Derek’s hand and her face was flushed. He could smell both hers and Derek’s arousal.
“Derek and I are going to head out. Thanks for buying the drinks tonight, Jace.”
“You’re welcome.”
“Okay, well, bye.” Sam waved at them and pulled Derek toward the door.
They sat in silence for a moment before Bria said, “Jace? Your brother, was it -”
“You’re right, it’s getting late and we should go.” Talking to Bria about his brother was a mistake. He couldn’t get to know her outside of the office.
I want her.
He ignored his tiger’s growl. He wanted Bria too, wanted her so badly he had half a goddamn woodie every time he was around her, but it wasn’t going to work. She had made it perfectly clear she didn’t want him to help her with her heat. Either she would have a boyfriend by then or she’d go back to Heat Me Up and find a shifter on there. She could act like she wouldn’t, but there was no way she could go through a heat alone. Her need to mate during her last heat had been way more intense than he’d ever seen before.
An image of Bria beneath him, her fangs sinking into his shoulder and her claws raking his back while she climaxed around his cock, flooded through him. His orgasm with her had been one of the best ones of his life and that was why he was so desperate to be back between her legs. His tiger might be acting like a love-struck idiot, but he knew exactly what he wanted, and it wasn’t a relationship.
Bria was already standing, and he hated the look of hurt on her face.
“Bria, I’m sorry, I -”
“You have nothing to apologize about. Good night. I’ll see you on Monday.”
“I’ll walk you to your car.”
She hesitated, and he said, “Not a choice.”
“Okay. Thanks.”