Lucky Bear - Wild Bear 01 Read Free Page B

you?”
    “Nothing right now, I’ll wait for Belle,” he said.
    The man nodded and went on to help the next guest. Belle and her partner worked comfortably together, and when there was a lull in the crowd, the man alerted Belle to his presence. She looked in his direction, narrowed her eyes and stomped over to him.
    “This is Jared’s side of the bar tonight,” she snapped.
    “Oh, sorry, do you want me to move to your side?” he asked, standing.
    “No,” she practically yelled, putting her hand out to stop him. “I want you to let Jared serve you.”
    “Okay, but I’m not going anywhere until you’re ready to leave,” he warned.
    “What are you talking about?” she asked, her brow furrowed.
    “I’m staying so I can walk you to your car.”
    “You don’t have to do that,” she said. “I can get Jared or Gabe to walk me.”
    “Yeah, you can,” he agreed, “but you won’t.”
    She ground her teeth together and released a small growl, confirming his assumption. She’d planned on defying him and walking out alone.
    “Fine.”
    She spat the word in his direction and then stalked back to her side of the counter.
    Jared approached him again and he ordered another beer, and then he consoled the man with a hefty tip for getting Belle riled up. His feisty mate had a temper, too.
     
    ***
     
    Nearly a week later, Lucky strolled into Gabe’s office around lunchtime and sat down on the small leather sofa adjacent to his friend’s desk. He took up over half of the little couch, which wasn’t unusual, and though he hated small furniture, he couldn’t help but picture Belle pressed against him on the other half. Only then would it be a piece worth buying.
    “I thought everyone had the next two days off,” he said. “What are you doing here?”
    The Wild Bear was only open Tuesday through Saturday, and as the week wore on, the crowd grew larger. The previous night had been busy, and he appreciated the two days off, but he’d miss seeing Belle. He’d asked her out every night on the way to her car, but she still hadn’t agreed to go on a date with him.
    “Paperwork,” Gabe said. “I had some time to kill, so I figured I might as well get it done.”
    Lucky nodded and tried to figure out how to word his next question.
    “My cousin still won’t go out with you, huh?” Gabe asked, putting his pencil down.
    “No, she won’t,” he said, “but I know she wants to. I know it sounds crazy, but there’s something between us; something wild and powerful, and yet comforting and familiar. She’s the one, and I know we’re meant to be together.”
    “That’s a little bit more than I needed to know, but your feelings aren’t crazy. Fated mates aren’t supposed to be real, but when you’ve found the one person you’re meant to be with, I think our instincts guide us.”
    “Have you found her?” Lucky asked.
    “Unfortunately, yes,” Gabe said.
    Lucky questioned him with a look, and Gabe elaborated.
    “She hates shifters.”
    “Damn, that sucks, man,” he sympathized.
    “Yeah, it does,” Gabe agreed. “It’s definitely proof that fate isn’t involved, though. Even if it doesn’t make any sense, and we’ll never be together, there’s no doubt in my mind she’s meant to be mine. A fated mate would be a cakewalk in comparison.”
    “God, that’s depressing,” Lucky said.
    “Are you sure about Izzy?” Gabe asked. “Really sure? If you break her heart, you’ll not only lose your job, you’ll lose a friend as well.”
    “It will never come to that,” Lucky assured him. “I’m positive about her. Any idea why she won’t go out with me?”
    “I’m pretty sure I know the reason,” Gabe sighed. “A little over ten years ago, a drifter rolled into town on a big motorcycle and took an interest in her. All of the women wanted him, but he concentrated on Izzy. He said all the right things, and promised all the right things, and she fell for him hard and fast. He stayed about a month,