Page 49 of Bria and the Tiger

* * *

“Hi, Bria.”

Ava walked into the office and Bria smiled at her.

“Hi, Ava. How are you?”

“I’m good. Bishop and I have a two o’clock meeting with Jace.”

“Great. Have a seat.” Bria stood and moved around the desk. “Can I get you a cup of coffee or glass of water?”

“Water, please.”

“Sure. Where’s sweet Lila today?”

“She’s with my mom for a few hours,” Ava said.

“Jace is running about ten minutes behind but he is on his way.”

“That’s fine,” Ava said as Rosalie walked into reception. “Bishop texted me and he’s still five minutes away.” She smiled at Rosalie. “Hi there.”

“Rosalie, this is my friend Ava. Ava, this is Jace’s assistant Rosalie.”

“Nice to meet you,” Rosalie said. “Bria, I’m just running out to the post office. Be back in about half an hour.”

Rosalie left, and Bria smiled at Ava. “I’ll grab your water. Be right back.”

When she returned with the water, Ava was standing near the desk and, Bria groaned inwardly, Lincoln was standing next to her. She hurried forward and handed Ava the glass of water.

“It’s nice to meet you, Ava Lewis.” Lincoln’s voice was a husky purr.

“It’s nice to meet you as well,” Ava said.

“So,” Lincoln’s gaze drifted to Ava’s bare left hand before back to her face, “what’s a pretty little human like you doing in our office?”

Ava gave him an amused look. “Buying a house. Isn’t that why people usually come to your office?”

Bria choked down her laughter as Lincoln’s cheeks went red. “I’ve already got the perfect condo in mind for you. Two bedrooms, one bath, in the heart of downtown. Close to the hottest nightclubs and best restaurants in the city.”

The door opened, and Bishop strode into reception. Bria waved at the giant grizzly, but he ignored her. His lip was curling, and he was sniffing the air. No doubt he could smell Lincoln’s arousal just like she could. Deciding the lion shifter could use a lesson in manners, Bria kept her mouth shut as Bishop moved silently behind him.

Lincoln reached out and tugged on a lock of Ava’s red hair. “What do you say? I could set up an appointment for you to look at it. It’s perfect for a single girl looking for a little fun. Maybe we could have dinner afterward and -”

The deep growl made the lion shifter freeze. He sniffed the air before turning. Bishop loomed over him, his face red and his hands in fists. “Touch my mate again, lion shifter, and your head will hang on the wall of my home.”

Lincoln held his hands up and took a step to the right. Bria could practically see the steam rising from Bishop’s ears as he wrapped one beefy arm around Ava’s waist. He drew the curvy redhead into his embrace and glared at Lincoln.

Lincoln cleared his throat. Bria couldn’t smell any fear coming off the lion shifter. She couldn’t decide if Lincoln was incredibly brave or incredibly stupid as he grinned at Bishop. “My apologies. I didn’t know she was your mate.”

“She carries my scent,” Bishop growled at him.

“True. She does have a rather thick scent of grizzly on her.” He lifted his left hand and pointed to his ring finger. “But when a lady hasn’t got a ring, she’s not truly mated, is she?”

Bishop snarled, and his beard thickened. “She belongs to me.”

“Honey, stop.” Ava patted Bishop’s chest. “He’s just trying to get you riled up now.”

Lincoln grinned. “Maybe just a little. It was nice to meet you, Ava.”

---