Bear's Match (Bear Heat Book 6) by Natalie Kristen Page A

needed to catch up on her beauty sleep. There was
only so much that makeup could do. She should head on home, ignore
her laptop and phone and just crawl into bed. That sounded like a
plan.
    Finishing the rest of her
drink in one gulp, she put the dollar bills on the bar counter. Ed
wasn't behind the counter. He'd probably gone to the back of the bar
to grab some supplies.
    Nicole was about to pick up
her briefcase when a tall, burly man slid into the stool beside her.
She half turned to him and saw that he was smiling at her.
    But it wasn't a nice smile.
It was smarmy, sleazy and predatory.
    Nicole knew what he was going
to say and she cringed.
    “What's a nice girl
like you doing...”
    “Leaving,” she
said promptly, not waiting for him to finish his cheesy and
predictable pickup line. “Excuse me.”
    “No.” The word
came out in a growl. The man angled his broad body to block her.
“You're not excused. And—you are not leaving.”

CHAPTER
TWO

    Luke Keller strode into the
bar with a pizza box tucked under his arm. It had been a long day
and he was planning to relax in front of the TV with a pizza tonight.
On a whim, he decided to just check out the small bar that he'd
passed many times but never really noticed. The shops and eateries
along the street had loud, flashing signboards to announce their
presence and latest promotions but The Sandpit only had a rusty sign
above its dark-tinted door. It seemed that its intention was to stay
hidden in plain sight.
    “A secret waiting to be
discovered,” Luke murmured, charmed and delighted as he entered
the cozy little bar. He had discovered a new favorite watering hole.
He would bring the guys here tomorrow night. Those Black Bears
would love this place.
    Luke pulled out his phone to
call Dylan. Dylan Hart was his brother-in-law, his boss and his best
friend. It was Dylan who had guided Luke through his Change and
helped him find his footing, his confidence, his sense of self. And
the best thing was that Dylan was now mated to Luke's big sister,
Jade. If only they would hurry up and produce some adorable nieces
and nephews for him to play with.
    Luke was just about to stab
at his phone when he heard raised voices from the corner of the bar.
    A petite brunette was toe to
toe with a big, snarling shifter. Luke scented the man's animal
straight away. And he could see the faint stripes appearing on the
man's neck as he prowled towards the woman. But the woman wasn't
intimidated. She stood her ground and stared up at him with a calm
but determined expression. Her jaw was set and her lips were
slightly parted to bare her teeth. Her pert nose wrinkled and her
large, intelligent eyes sparked with controlled anger.
    Luke recognized that
expression instantly. He had seen this look on his childhood friend
when she was gearing up for a fight. Luke jerked at the sudden
memory and gave himself a quick shake. God, he hadn't seen Nicole
Forrest since...forever. The last time he saw her, they were both
eight years old.
    Luke thought that the gutsy,
hot-headed woman who was fearlessly preparing to take on a burly,
angry shifter looked a lot like his childhood friend. She had the
same bright, brown eyes and chestnut hair, and the obstinate set of
her jaw just looked so familiar.
    Luke's eyes widened when he
saw the woman's hand reach out and inch towards the frothing mug of
beer on the counter.
    She was going to make the guy
wear his own drink.
    Luke swore under his breath.
He knew that if the woman threw the beer in the man's face, she might
get out of the bar in one piece tonight but she would probably be
found in pieces the following night.
    The rumor that these feline
shifters had nine lives and they remembered every grudge and slight
all through their nine lives was half true. They might not have nine
lives, but from Luke's experience, the rest of the rumor was totally
true.
    Luke hurried forward and
called out, “Hi honey! Sorry I'm late!” He went to put
his arm around the