Bear's Baby (Bear Heat Book 4) by Natalie Kristen Page B

up with the mother of all
hangovers and demanded a burger and a cup of strong, black coffee.
    His bear was an aggressive,
impatient, unpredictable beast. His bear acted on pure instinct and
want, and what his bear wanted, his bear got. Maybe he shouldn't let
his beast have its way all the time. But lashing that big, bad bear
down was hard work. And to be honest, he liked having his bear close
to the surface. It made his senses sharper, keener and kept his
predatory skills and instincts honed. It also made him more
impulsive and reckless, but well, some of the bad guys deserved more
than what his bear dished out to them. The clan owned the Black
Bears Group, a reputable, highly efficient security firm. The Black
Bears worked closely with many law enforcement agencies in the city,
and they'd helped hunt and capture some of the more violent,
dangerous criminals that had eluded the city police for years. His
bear had been perfectly happy to rough those sick fucks up a bit in
the interrogation room. His fist-happy, bear-driven interrogation
methods had always yielded results and had gotten them crucial
information, information that had helped save lives and prevent more
deaths and tragedy.
    Baxter was fully aware of his
reputation as a relentless, ruthless investigator and interrogator.
Some said he was out of control, but what did he care about what
people said anyway?
    He was what he was, and he
would do what he had to do. He was one of the best trackers and
investigators in the clan, and if his bear wanted in on the action,
he wasn't going to deny his bear a bit of fun.
    Baxter paused at the entrance
of the diner, his brow furrowing. Was that why their alpha had
ultimately chosen Dylan over him as Luke's mentor? Baxter's frown
deepened as he recalled Ethan's words: Luke has to learn to control his bear. Not unleash it.
    “Pfff!”
Baxter huffed and rolled his eyes as he pushed into the small diner.
Ethan was right, of course. But—where's the fun in that?
Unleashing your bear was fun. Controlling it, not so much.
    Baxter went straight up to
the counter and hopped onto a corner stool. He had ditched his
jacket and bow tie, and his sleeves were rolled up. The white shirt
still felt too stiff and constricting, but this was as comfortable as
he could get for now.
    “Hey, Nancy,”
he greeted the waitress. “New hairdo. Nice.”
    “Thanks.” Nancy
patted her bouffant. “You're looking spiffy yourself. Don't
see you in a shirt much.”
    “Yeah. Just attended a
wedding.”
    Nancy gave him in
incredulous look. “There's usually lots to eat and drink at a
wedding. Why are you here? Didn't they feed you?”
    “Oh they did.”
Baxter laughed. “I ate half the buffet spread all by myself.
But—that was like hours ago. I'm hungry now. My bear wants
his burger, so...”
    Nancy shook her head. “You
spoil your bear.” But she came back briskly and poured him a
big cup of coffee. “Here, you look like you need this.”
    “I do. Thanks, Nance.”
He took a big gulp and sighed.
    “Your burger will be
with you in a few minutes.”
    She refilled his cup before
moving off to clear the plates at an empty table. Baxter took
another mouthful of bitter, black coffee and looked around the diner.
He ate at this diner at least three times a week. Dino Diner had
the best and biggest burgers and the strongest coffee in the
universe. The diner was open twenty-four hours, and there was always
a steady stream of customers at all hours of the day and night.
    He glanced at his watch. It
was almost midnight. The wedding party had ended a few minutes
before eleven. Some of the cubs were yawning and a few were already
snoozing on their parents' shoulders. Their alpha's mate, Cora, was
pregnant, and Ethan wanted to get her home early so she could have
enough rest. But Cora had insisted on staying till the end. It was,
after all, her best friend's wedding. It had been a great party,
even though it hadn't gone on till the wee hours of the