Bare Instincts: A BBW Paranormal Bear Shifter Romance Read Online Free Page B

the bear inside her wanted him to kiss her.
    Odd sensations curled deep in her belly. Damn, but it felt like lust to her. For Burke Devereaux, though? He was the last man on earth she should consider kissing. He’d kiss—she’d swoon—and then he’d laugh and walk away.
    He twirled a lock of her hair in his finger. “I’d forgotten all that Hidden Hills has to offer.”
    His masculine scent, while mixed with more than a hint of Jack Daniels, was doing something to her. She wasn’t looking for a romantic interlude, but if she were, it wouldn’t be with him. He’d just stated he never spent the night with a woman, which implied he didn’t intend to ever get involved. While she wasn’t looking for a mate, Burke was the type of man capable of breaking her heart.
    “We do have a nice town,” she said.
    “I wasn’t talking about the town.” He leaned in closer, and she gripped the counter behind her for support.
    “Okay.” What else was she supposed to say?
    His arm wrapped around her waist, and he drew her near. “You have the most perfect tits. They’re so large and luscious, I want to make love to them.”
    As if he’d dumped a bucket of ice water on her, she pushed him away. “Burke. I’m not like your other women. You’re welcome to sleep off your drunk here. On the couch. But that is all.” Jesus. She wished men didn’t look at her and only see big boobs.
    He grinned. “Ooh. Playing hard to get, I see.”
    She palmed his chest. “I’m not playing hard to get. You’re drunk.”
    “On you.”
    She rolled her eyes. “Be good, Burke.” She wanted to appeal to his upbringing, but the right words didn’t come to her. She wouldn’t stoop so low as to ask what his parents would say about his behavior right now.
    “I want to be good to you and show you what it can be like. Don’t you feel it?”
    He was crossing into dangerous territory. “Feel what?”
    “We have chemistry.”
    She bet he said that to all the women. Thank God, he hadn’t said that he got a rush whenever he was near her, or that his body heated the moment he saw her. That might mean they were destined for each other.
    The coffee finished perking. “Hold that thought.” She had to derail his line of thinking. She poured him a cup then located the bottle of aspirin. She handed him a couple of pills along with a glass of water. “I’ve got your chemistry right here. Take these.”
    “You’re good, I’ll hand you that.”
    She wasn’t trying to be good. She was trying to keep her distance from Burke Devereaux.

Chapter Four

    B urke didn’t know what had come over him hitting on Tasha. They were friends and he wanted to remain that way. He’d be the first to admit that she’d been kind when he’d needed someone. The problem was that her tits were amazing, and her curves did something to his insides. He still didn’t know why talking about them had pissed her off, though. The other women he’d dated didn’t seem to mind. Perhaps it was because Tasha’s were real, whereas the others had fake tits.
    He downed the aspirin then sipped the coffee. While it didn’t taste as good as the Jack, it did hit the spot. “Thanks.”
    “I’ll get you a pillow and a blanket.”
    He set down his cup on the counter. “Wait. I’m sorry. We got off to a bad start.”
    “Start? Burke, please. It’s me, Tasha. You seduction routine won’t work. I’m not interested.”
    As she walked away, he had no comeback. That was a first. Tasha intrigued him. They had this undeniable pull that existed between them, and he’d been fighting the concept of Tasha being his mate for as long as he could remember. He’d never asked his father for details about how this mate thing really worked, so he had no idea if they both fell madly in love or if only one of the partners felt the pull. It could be that this animal attraction was purely a sexual one.
    To be honest, Burke had always assumed he’d end up with a human. They supposedly were the