Page 6 of Claimed By Her Bear

The guys cheered, raising their frosted beer mugs to her. Hector had disappeared some time ago. The last time she’d seen him, he was hugged up with some female out on the dance floor. The other members of the crew were chilling around the table, watching the sports show on the closest television.

After flagging the waitress down and placing their order, she stood and scanned the crowd. If Hector could find company, she could, too. There was no point in just sitting at the table. The music the DJ was playing was catchy. She tapped her foot to the rhythm of the beat. Her gaze landed on a familiar couple. Saffron and Dasha were sitting at the bar.

“I’ll be back,” she said, patting Warren on the shoulder. There was no time like the present to go chat with the women who had hired her company.

ChapterThree

“Thanks again for coming with me,” Pola shouted over the music. It had taken much persuasion to get Dasha to come with them. Saffron hadn’t minded coming out with her. It was almost like the good old times except her brooding sister was in attendance. The moment she’d seen Saffron’s dress, she’d put her clothes on and agreed to come with them.

Pola knew it was the bear in her sister.

Bears could be quite possessive of their mates. She wouldn’t want anyone, male or female, sniffing around her mate. Even though Saffron carried Dasha’s mark, it wasn’t enough.

“I’ll be your wing woman tonight.” Saffron laughed.

She leaned against Pola while they stood at the bar. The Dirty Habit was packed tonight, and the atmosphere was electric. Pola and Saffron used to come a couple times a month to hang out. Their food was out of this world, and the drinks were top-notch. None of that watered-down stuff that some bars served, trying to cut back on expenses.

“Well, I’m glad Dasha drove. I don’t have to worry about a ride. If I don’t find someone to go home with tonight, then there will be lots of drinking and praying I get drunk.” Pola snickered. It was hard for a shifter to get inebriated. Their metabolism burned through alcohol at record speeds, so it was actually quite rare to see a shifter shitfaced drunk. She may feel extremely nice, but fall-out-on-her-face drunk would be hard to achieve.

“Of course. We haven’t got to celebrate the new job properly. Isn’t that right, babe?” Saffron snagged Dasha’s hand and brought her closer to her.

Pola could admit she was slightly jealous of the two. She wanted what they had.

Dasha erased any space that had been between the two of them. Dasha wrapped her mate in her arms and pressed a kiss to the top of her head.

“We haven’t. I’m proud of you, sis. The alpha and beta are lucky to have you running their office,” Dasha said.

Pola’s heart stuttered at her sister’s sentiments. It meant a lot to her. Dasha was a woman of few words, and if she said she was proud of her, then she meant it.

“Thanks.” Pola couldn’t keep the grin off her face. She reached up and tucked her thick hair behind her ear. She waved down the bartender.

He jogged over to them and took their orders.

“I got this,” Dasha said, whipping out her credit card. She slid it across the counter to pay for their drinks. “You are not paying tonight.”

“I’m not going to argue with that.” Pola laughed, holding up her hands. She inhaled, scenting a wonderful hint of a floral aroma. She frowned, not sure where it was coming from. The bar held the smells of cigarettes, food, and a fine undertone of sweat and body odors.

Saffron peeked around Pola and grinned. She moved around her toward someone. Pola turned around and found Saffron hugging a beautiful brown-skinned woman with dark hair. Pola was frozen in place as she watched her laugh and smile at Pola. She was dressed in jeans, flip-flops, and a white cami that highlighted her ample bosom.

Pola breathed in again, and the scent coming from her was familiar.

“Shekita, you remember my mate, Dasha.” Saffron pulled the newcomer over with her.

The woman’s smile was mesmerizing. She waved quickly at Dasha who jerked her head in a nod to her. The breath in Pola’s chest escaped her. Her bear stood to attention, watching the brown-skinned goddess. She had a glow to her that spotlit her beauty. Pola wanted to get to know her.

Intimately.

“And this is my best friend, Pola Prime. Pola, this is Shekita Harper. She’s the one who designed and made my office desk,” Saffron said.

Pola extended her hand to the small woman. She inhaled her wonderful scent again, sending her bear into a frenzy. It was the same scent she had picked up on back in Saffron’s office. It was alluring and dominated the air around her. Shekita slid her hand into Pola’s, taking it in a light handshake.

“You do amazing work,” Pola said, finally able to get her tongue unstuck from the roof of her mouth.

Shekita moved between Pola and Saffron, leaning against the bar.

“Thanks. I wanted to do something special for Saffron, and she gave me full creative reign to design her office. I’m working on her shelving units now. They should be done soon.” Shekita’s gaze dropped down to Pola’s lips for a moment. She turned back to Saffron.

They fell into a conversation, speaking about the ice cream shop and the progress.

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