Page 108 of Bria and the Tiger

“Promises, promises, Mr. Shepherd,” she purred.

His eyes widened, and he grinned at her. “You may just be the perfect woman.”

“You’re just figuring that out now?” She relaxed on her back before rubbing her foot across the bulge in his jeans. “Why don’t you show me how naughty you can be?”

His purring filled the room and she moaned happily when he dropped down onto her and cupped her breast. “Whatever you want, little tiger.”

* * *

“Rosalie, will you tell me what’s wrong?” Bria touched the pretty human’s arm.

It was Monday and she was a little surprised that Rosalie was even sitting with her in the kitchen for lunch. She had avoided not just Bria all morning, but everyone else as well.

“There’s nothing wrong.” Rosalie poked at the sandwich, sitting half-eaten in front of her.

“There is, honey. I can smell how sad you are.”

“Of course you can,” she sighed. “Can’t I just be sad for no particular reason?”

“Yes, but I think there’s a reason. Did something happen on your date with Lincoln? You never told me how it -”

“It wasn’t a date.” Rosalie wrapped up her sandwich and tossed it in the trash. “I was wrong. It was just a friends thing.”

“I’m sorry.”

She shrugged. “Not your fault, I’m an idiot.”

“You aren’t. I thought it was a date too.”

“Well, it wasn’t. He ran into that rabbit waitress from Bud’s and sat with her during the movie, and then went to Trinity’s with her after the movie.”

“He what? You had to sit by yourself at the movie he invited you to?” Bria could have cheerfully punched Lincoln in his stupid face.

“The theatre was full and there weren’t three seats together.”

“Still, to make you sit by yourself when -”

“I didn’t sit by myself. I, uh, sat with Hudson.”

“Hudson? Hudson? Polar bear shifter Hudson from Bud’s?”

Rosalie brushed the bread crumbs off the table. “Yeah. He was at the movies too. We, uh, we keep running into each other at the most random places. Anyway, I sat with him and then he gave me a ride home when Lincoln decided to go out to the club.”

“Hudson gave you a ride home?”

“What?”

Bria shrugged. “Well, I don’t know the guy at all, but he seems kind of… not nice. Plus, if he’s a typical polar bear shifter, he doesn’t want to be around other shifters or humans if he doesn’t have to be.”

“He’s nice,” Rosalie said defensively. “Well, maybe not nice, but he’s not like mean or anything. We’re friends.”

“Seriously?”

“Kind of. I think. He said we could maybe go to the movies together sometimes.”

“Does he want to be more than friends?”

Rosalie laughed bitterly. “God, no. He made that perfectly clear. Friends only. Story of my life, you know?”

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