Crimson by Jessica Coulter Smith Page B

said.
    Holly gave him her address and he felt her gaze on him.
    He slid a hand along his whiskers. “I know. I look fearsome when I have a beard. I meant to shave it this morning, but got too lazy.”
    “It’s not that. No one has been nice to me like this since I moved here. I guess I just wondered what you wanted in return for helping me. No one ever does anything for free, not these days.”
    He wasn’t sure if he should be insulted or not.
    “I don’t want anything in return, Holly. I just didn’t like the idea of you not making it home in one piece.”
    “Why?” she asked. “You don’t even know me.”
    “I watched you tonight,” he admitted. “Not in a stalker kind of way! But…there was just something about you that drew me in. I could tell you were hurting from being on your feet so much, and I knew you were getting upset with some of your tables, but you tried your best to hide it and keep smiling.”
    “Yeahm well, in my business, you don’t get tips if you slap the shit out of someone with grabby hands.”
    “Why don’t you work somewhere else? There has to be better jobs around Ashton Grove.”
    “Not for someone like me,” she muttered.
    Crimson frowned, not understanding what she meant. Someone like her? Was there something wrong with her that he didn’t understand? He’d inhaled her scent when he’d helped her into the truck. She wasn’t a shifter like him. Could she be a witch? But if that was the case, why work at such a low income job when she could force someone to give her a better one? He’d met a few witches in his time and they had been nasty creatures. He heard the wolf pack was friends with one, but she was supposed to be a good witch.
    Crimson pulled up at the curb outside of her apartment complex. “Let me walk you to the door. I wish I had an umbrella so you wouldn’t get wet.”
    “I’m already wet,” she mumbled.
    Startled, he thought for a moment she meant the other kind of wet, but surely he was mistaken. She stared at him, eyes wide as if she couldn’t believe she’d just said that, and he couldn’t help but lean in closer for a sniff. Her aroma was more than a little pleasing and there was a tang to the air as her arousal filled the cab of the truck. So the little human wanted to play with the big, bad bear? He was more than agreeable.
    “Can we forget I just said that?” she asked.
    “I don’t think I can, but I won’t act on it if you don’t want me to.”
    His nose flared as he took in her scent again. The first whiff had made his cock harden and now it throbbed in his jeans. But if she didn’t want to follow through on her body’s reaction to him, then he would hold his beast in check—somehow.
    The look she cast his way was a little puzzled, then her expression cleared. “You’re a shifter!”
    His heart nearly stopped in his chest. “I don’t know what you’re talking about.”
    “Yes, you do.” She poked a finger at him. “You can’t tell me you aren’t a shifter. I saw you scenting the air. My best friend back home was a shifter.”
    So, she was one of the few humans who knew about his kind. That made things easier, and harder, all at the same time. He wouldn’t have to lie to her about what he was, but at the same time, he wouldn’t be able to hide some of his more embarrassing traits.
    “So, what kind of shifter are you?” she asked, her gaze raking over him.
    “Bear,” he muttered.
    “How cool. My friend back home was a fox shifter. I never got to see her shift, but I did see her animal once when I showed up at her house unexpectedly. She was pretty cute. I’m guessing, as a bear, you aren’t cute, but you’re probably pretty awesome. I bet you’re huge!”
    He couldn’t help but smile at her excited chatter. “Yeah, I’m a good sized bear.”
    She looked up at him expectantly. “Do I get to see you shift?”
    “Uh, no. That’s reserved for my brothers and my mate, so unless you’re offering to fill that second