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

woman's shoulder and smoothly eased her hand away
from the seething mug of beer. To make the act more convincing, he
gave her a quick kiss on her head. “I miss my little wife. I
had a long day at the office today,” he improvised quickly.
    The woman glared at him and
blinked. “Hmph,” was all she said. It was convincing
enough. She did look like a miffed spouse who wasn't placated with
an apology and a kiss.
    Luke turned and gave the
tiger shifter a cursory, quizzical glance. Luke was a few inches
taller than the man. He wasn't as muscular as the thuggish tiger but
he was broad and lean. “Hi, are you a friend of my wife?”
Luke asked. Luke smiled easily at the man, but he let his beast
ripple just below the surface of his skin.
    The tiger shifter growled as
he scented Luke's beast. Cursing and snarling, he snatched up his
beer and stalked to the other end of the bar.
    Slipping his arm around the
woman's waist, he steered her towards the door and said cheerfully as
he held up his pizza box, “Let's get home, honey. I got us a
pizza for supper!”
    The woman glared at him and
muttered, “Okay mister. But you're still sleeping on the couch
tonight.”

CHAPTER
THREE

    Nicole gripped the handle of
her briefcase and walked stiffly to the door with the handsome
stranger. With his arm around her waist, he tucked her securely to
his side and pressed his lips to her temple.
    “Smile,” he
whispered. “And breathe.”
    She did. Breathe, not smile.
    This guy was smooth, suave
and confident, and he was definitely quick-thinking and humorous.
And...there was something oddly familiar about him.
    It almost felt as though this
towering, blond hunk, who looked like a movie star with his rugged
good looks and winsome smile, was...an old friend.
    Nicole gave her head a subtle
shake.
    She was getting carried away.
This handsome young man was just a kind stranger who had very
skilfully and tactfully extricated her from the clutches of a
sleazebag. Well, she would have extricated herself, but with
considerably less tact and more mess.
    “Um, thank you,”
she croaked.
    He smiled down at her.
    That smile.
    The way his eyes crinkled.
    And that cute dimple on his
left cheek.
    Nicole stared into his bright
blue eyes and gasped.
    “You...are you…?”
she began. “It can't be...”
    His smile broadened.
    They had crossed the road and
were standing in front of a darkened shop window. Nicole blinked and
turned her head slightly. She caught sight of a teddy bear sitting
on a shelf in the store.
    “Boo,” she said
softly.
    The man drew in a sharp
breath and stared at her.
    “You had a teddy bear
named Boo,” she said slowly, looking up at him.
    His handsome face split in a
grin. It was the same boyish, impish grin.
    “No. It is you!
It is you, isn't it? Luke Keller!”
    “Nicole Forrest. It's
nice to see you too,” he deadpanned.
    She put her palms flat on
his chest and shoved him but it was like pushing against a wall.
“Luke! God, how long has it been? I can't believe it really
is you! How are you? Gosh, look at you!” You've become
such a hunk!
    “Yep.” Luke
chuckled. “I thought I recognized you. I recognized that look
on your face back there.”
    “What look?”
    “The take-no-prisoners
look.”
    She laughed and shoved him
again. It was just an excuse to put her hands on him. She liked the
feel of her palms on his solid, broad chest.
    “How have you been,
Luke?” She grinned and looked him up and down. “Wow!
You have grown, my friend, like really grown. You're so...tall now.” And so handsome and sex y, so much so that I
can't seem to keep my hands off you.
    Nicole curled her
fingers to stop herself from trailing them down his hard biceps.
Instead, she gave him a quick punch on the arm.
    “You've grown
up, Nicole Forrest. You're no longer that gangly, scrappy tomboy,
but you're still a spitfire.” He grinned back and his blue
eyes moved from her face to her body.
    He swallowed and when he
snapped his gaze