Lucky Lion (Shifter Mail Order Bride Holiday Romance) (Holiday Mail Order Mates Book 2) Read Online Free Page A

you.”
    “Any friend of Aaron’s is a friend of mine.” Jack shook her hand. “I haven’t seen you around. Are you a teetotaler or not from Maple Creek?”
    “Not from here. I’m from Burton, Illinois.”
    Jack made a face. “Illinois, yuck. You’re a long way from home. Let me guess, you heard about my amazing Shirley Temples and had to come?”
    Emma giggled and shook her head. “Nope. We’re on a date.”
    Jack shook his head ruefully. “Dammit, Aaron. You just let me make a fool of myself. Alright, I’ll leave you kids alone.”
    He walked to the other end of the bar and pretended to be very into wiping the bar down. “See, I’m all the way over here now. I can’t even hear a thing you guys are saying.”
    Aaron took a peanut from the bowl on the bar and threw it at Jack. “Go clean the backroom. If anyone comes in, I’ll yell for you.”
    “Alright, alright. Don’t let him steal any beer while I’m gone.” Jack winked at Emma.
    “Is he a shifter too?” Emma asked after Jack had left.
    Aaron nodded. “Bull shifter. This is his bar.”
    “Of course. It’s a nice place.”
    Aaron looked around. It was a local hangout to him, but Jack’s bar was very nice. It was all rich mahogany and shiny brass. The booths were big and comfy and there were two that could fit eight people.
    “It is. I love it here.”
    “So you’re an after-work drunk, then?” Emma joked.
    Aaron laughed. “You work in an Irish center. I thought you’d like coming to a bar.”
    Emma threw her head back. “I hear that all the time! It is so offensive. That is why I have a job. Ireland has a rich culture that is more than having a few pints.”
    “And leprechauns,” Aaron said. “Never forget the leprechauns and pots of gold.”
    “You should come to the Center. I think you could learn a lot.”
    “Sounds good. I’ll drive down next weekend.”
    “I don’t usually work on weekends, but I think I can arrange to give you a private tour,” Emma said slyly.
    “I would very much like that,” Aaron said. This was his moment. He could read her body language. She wanted him to kiss her. He leaned forward to kiss Emma and there was a noise behind them.
    Jack cleared his throat. “Uh, I think I need to go back here for a bit longer.”
    His face was bright red as he turned and went back to the storage room. Aaron laughed and leaned forward a little more until his lips connected with Emma’s. Her lips were soft and she tasted like cherries.
    The kiss was great. As they locked lips, Aaron’s lion pushed forward again. His animal didn’t have to worry. Aaron got it. He and Emma had a connection. This could be it. He might have found his mate.
     

Four
    Emma heard footsteps approaching and quickly minimized her browser window. She shuffled the papers on her desk and tried to hide the real estate book. Cindy and Patty came into the office laughing. When they saw her surprised face and hands spread across her desk, they stopped laughing.
    “What are you hiding?” Patty asked.
    “You are the worst at hiding things, seriously, Emma,” Cindy said.
    “I’m not hiding anything,” Emma said. Her voice was high-pitched even to her own ears. She sounded like she had inhaled a whole tank of helium.
    “Uh-huh,” Cindy said. She came around the desk and pulled Emma’s hands away from the books. “What’s this?”
    “Nothing,” Emma said, trying to snatch the book back. “Give it back.”
    “Real estate?” Cindy handed the book to Patty. “You’re still looking for places to buy? I thought you decided to wait until you could save an entire down payment.”
    “This is a book of houses in Maple Creek, Indiana,” Patty said accusingly. “You can’t leave us already. You said you were going to take it slow.”
    Emma sighed. “I’m just looking. Nothing is definite.”
    Cindy and Patty sat down in the chairs across from her desk. They looked through the magazine taking extra time on the pictures she had