A Burn To Bear (Fire Bear Shifters Book 3) Read Free

pounding heart. He hates books , she told herself weakly. You’re all wrong for each other . But she couldn’t stop the tingling pleasure spreading through her limbs at the proximity of his body to her body. He smelled like a mixture of pine and sugar, and she breathed in deeply, enjoying the sweet, outdoorsy scent.
    Luke looked deep into her eyes, his gaze searching and anxious. “Last time I carried your pies, you were bubbly and talkative. This time, you’ve barely looked at me. What did I do wrong?”
    River blinked, trying to come up with an answer that sounded reasonable. “I’m just having a bad day,” she said, looking down at her shoes as she told the little white lie.
    Luke put his index finger under her chin and tipped her face back up to look at him. “Let me make it better,” he said. He made a deep, sexy sound that almost sounded like a growl. River felt the breath leaving her body as a wave of electric heat ran from where Luke’s finger touched her chin and spread through her body. Her stomach clenched up in tight anticipation, and she could feel moisture building between her legs. There was no denying that this beast of a man turned her on. One tiny touch from him, and her body had responded with a desperate plea for more. But that just proved her theory, didn’t it? He was probably an asshole, used to getting what he wanted from women. If she gave in to the feelings of passion running through her body right now, wouldn’t she be turning herself into just one more notch in his belt?
    River tried desperately to slow her racing heart, but the proximity of Luke’s face to hers made it hard to think clearly. It had been so long since she’d had some fun. Maybe she should loosen up with her strict, self-imposed rules about dating and just spend a night with Luke. They could both scratch an itch, and then go their separate ways. People did it all the time. Why shouldn’t River join in on the fun?
    “Let me make it better,” Luke repeated, dipping his lips to meet hers in a soft, brief kiss. River felt the heat in her body intensify to a nearly unbearable level. This was crazy. She couldn’t remember the last time a man had affected her like this. She tried to talk some sense into herself, but her swirling thoughts made that a difficult task.
    She turned her face away from Luke’s. “I have to go to my book club,” she said, but it sounded more like a question than a statement.
    “What time is it over?”
    “Late, usually. Like after ten p.m.”
    “Meet me at Red Valley Pub for a beer. I’ll wait.”
    “But, you hate reading. We’re totally incompatible,” River said, making one last, feeble attempt to stop herself from giving in to Luke’s charms.
    Luke chuckled. “I don’t hate reading. I just haven’t found the right kind of book yet, remember?”
    River bit her lip, unable to think of a good comeback.
    “Look,” Luke said, “Just give me a chance. Have at least one drink with me before you decide we’re totally incompatible. If nothing else, you’ll get a free drink out of it. I promise, if you have an awful time, you never have to see me again after that. I won’t even pester you to help carry your pies next time.”
    River laughed, in spite of herself. “Okay, fine. One drink. I’ll see you at the pub at ten.”
    Luke grinned, then gave River a wink before turning to head back to the pie shop.
    “Don’t be late,” he called out over his shoulder.
    River bit her lip, this time to keep from smiling. This was probably a big mistake, but she’d deal with the regrets later. She needed a little distraction from the mediocrity of everyday life, and Luke looked like just the kind of gorgeous distraction she needed.
    River climbed into the driver’s seat of her Jeep and started heading to the library. She already knew that she wouldn’t be able to concentrate on the discussion at the book club tonight. She’d already started counting down the minutes until ten.
     
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