Bunny Bear - Wild Bear 02 Read Online Free Page A

her.
     
    ***
     
    Three hours later, Michelle walked into the Wild Bear five minutes before the start of her shift. In the storage room, she put her purse and keys into her locker and tied her apron around her waist.
    It’s now or never.
    She took a deep breath and walked into the area behind the bar. It was Friday night, their busiest night of the week, and both Isabelle and Jared were manning the counter. The two usually split the bar in half when they were both behind it, and tonight Jared was covering the waitress’ end.
    “Hey Jared,” she said, grabbing her tray.
    Jared glanced in her direction and swept his dark, ominous eyes over her form. The orbs looked nearly black, especially in the darkened room, and they seemed at odds with his brown hair. The t-shirt he wore stretched across his muscular form, and the edges of unseen tattoos peeked out from under his sleeves.
    The shifter was quiet, but he rarely relaxed, and before Gabe hired Lucky, Jared had been involved in numerous brawls and arrests. She didn’t know why he’d never been fired, but she suspected it involved the men’s mutual respect for each other.
    “Looking good, Michelle,” Jared said.
    He didn’t smile, but she wasn’t offended. Jared could never be mistaken for happy.
    “Thank you,” she said.
    A short blond, with long, straight hair, jumped off a barstool, leaving her drink behind, and weaved her way through the crowd and out the door. Jared removed her drink and wiped the counter as if nothing was out of the ordinary, but she’d seen the way he’d watched the woman retreat.
    Michelle wanted to ask, but she didn’t. Aside from being tense all the time, as if expecting the worst, and ready to fight at a moment’s notice, Jared didn’t share his feelings. He was the most private person she knew. If he wanted her to know something, he’d tell her.
    “See you soon,” she said, hurrying out to the main part of the bar.
    She and Tanya also split up their work space, and after she visited four tables in her section, she went back to the bar and gave the beverage orders to Jared. As she waited for him to mix the drinks, she saw Gabe enter the room from the hallway leading to his office.
    As usual, the sight of him sent her body into overdrive and she felt as if someone had suddenly turned up the heat in the room. He’d always been a favorite with the ladies and tonight was no different. They blatantly ogled him, and a few brave souls approached him, voicing their opinions on his beauty, or clumsily asking him out. He’d always handled the attention with class, but the need to run into his arms and stake her claim consumed her.
    She wasn’t a shifter, she couldn’t mark or claim him, but she still wanted everyone to know who he belonged to. His eyes met hers, as if reading her mind, and she looked back toward Jared. He wasn’t hers, and he never would be.
    “Hey, hot stuff,” said a man on the stool next to her.
    “Hey,” she replied.
    “Want to take a ride on the Jimbo express?”
    He cupped his cock through his jeans, and she barely kept in a giggle.
    “No, I’m sorry,” she said, sweetly. “I have a boyfriend and he doesn’t like to share.”
    “I can see why,” he said, perusing her with his eyes. “If you ever find yourself single again, keep me in mind.”
    “You got it,” she said, lifting her tray off the counter.
    As if!
    “Thanks Jared.”
    She delivered the drinks, and collected payment from each table one at a time. The men flirted more than usual, and she’d been right about the tips. The money rolled in and only one loser had the nerve to grab her ass.
    She stepped away from the offending hand and opened her mouth to reprimand the young guy attached to it when Gabe appeared behind her.
    “Touch her again and you’re out of here,” Gabe said, his voice hard.
    “Who says?” asked the guy with the wandering hands.
    “I do,” Gabe growled.
    The guy opened his mouth to respond, but his friend