“No, but it’s fine. The more the merrier. Although,” he lowered his voice, “I’m surprised you decided to come.”
She shrugged. “What can I say, I’m addicted to that stupid lion shifter.”
He put his arm around her and gave her a quick, rough squeeze. “He’s a fool, Rosie.”
“Maybe. Hey, is it really okay that Derek and I go in here? Bria told me a little bit about Bud’s this morning. It’s technically a shifters-only bar, right?”
“Yes, but sometimes humans go in with shifter friends. You’ll be fine.”
Ahead of them, Sam smiled up at Derek. “You should maybe take my hand, Derek. This is a shifters-only bar, but humans are allowed in if they’re with a shifter.”
“Sure.” Derek took her hand and the scent of Sam’s excitement and need washed over him. God, he hoped Derek wasn’t about to get some squirrel shifter sex tonight. The last thing he needed was two of his employees having sex.
But it’s okay for you to have sex with Bria?
Had. I had sex with her. Before she worked for me.
“Jace?” Rosalie nudged him with her elbow before whispering, “Derek’s the one that Sam has a crush on, isn’t it?”
He nodded, and Rosalie said, “I’m a little surprised. I thought Sam didn’t care much for humans.”
He was saved from answering by the loud swell of voices as Rhonda opened the door to Bud’s.
The bouncer was standing near the door and he sniffed at them as they walked past. His forehead wrinkled but before he could say anything, Lincoln was standing next to them.
“Rosie-girl! You made it!” He put his arm around her shoulders and pulled her against his side. “Stick with me, sweetheart. Humans aren’t always welcome in here. Isn’t that right, Judd?”
The bear shifter just shrugged. “It ain’t a problem.”
Lincoln stroked Rosalie’s arm and Jace could immediately smell her desire. He blocked it out and scanned the bar as they followed Sam, Rhonda and Derek to a table. Like he suspected, the bar was busy, but he had no problem spotting Bria. She was sitting in a booth against the far wall and his tiger snarled angrily. The wolf shifter had reached across the table and was holding her hand.
It was a little alarming how quickly his tiger was losing his shit. He sat at the table next to Rosalie and tried to soothe his tiger, groaning inwardly when Rhonda said, “Hey, Bria’s here!”
She leaned across the table and shouted, “Bria! Hi!”
He glanced up just in time to see Bria snatching her hand away from the wolf shifter’s. She said something to him, and he studied their table before nodding. She slid out of the booth and walked to their table.
“Hey, Bria,” Rhonda said. “Why don’t you and your friend join us for drinks?”
“Oh, um….”
“Rhonda,” Sam said, “they’re on a date. Isn’t that right, Bria?”
Bria gave him a quick look. “Well, I mean, sort of…”
“Either you are, or you aren’t,” Rhonda said with a laugh.
Bria peeked at him again. “We are.”
“Well have fun, tiny tiger,” Lincoln drawled. He still had his arm around Rosalie’s shoulders and Jace hated how happy and flushed she looked. He loved his best friend, but Rosalie deserved better. Lincoln would never be the man she wanted him to be.
“Thanks,” Bria said. “I’ll see you guys on Monday.”
She left and Jace smiled at the rabbit shifter who bounced up to the table. “Hey, handsome. I’m Tori and I’m your waitress for tonight. You guys need anything,” she traced one finger down his biceps, “just holler and I’ll hop on over. What would you like to drink?”
“Just a beer,” Jace said.
“You bet, hon.”
“Holy crap!” Derek’s mouth had dropped open and he was staring at the bar. “What the hell kind of shifter is that?”
They all turned and stared at the bar. Jace studied the giant shifter standing behind the bar. He was massive, the glass of beer in his hand looked more like a shot glass, and he had short blonde hair and broad features that practically screamed ‘I like to fight’. His arms were covered in tattoos and he somehow looked both bored and pissed off simultaneously.
“That’s Hudson,” Tori said. “He’s, like, a polar bear shifter and so grumpy. But he’s, like, a really good bartender so Porter won’t fire him.”
“Wow,” Sam said. “Why is he working here? Polar bears hate being around crowds.”
Tori just shrugged. “Even a polar bear’s gotta make money, right?” She winked at Lincoln. “Hey, Lincoln. You’re looking good tonight.”
Lincoln dropped his arm from Rosie’s shoulders.” Hey, sweet bunny buns. How’s my favourite server?”
“Can’t complain,” she said. “You want your usual?”
“Yeah.” His gaze drifted over the rabbit shifter’s small but perky tits and Jace could almost see Rosie’s good mood deflating.
As Tori took everyone else’s order, Jace stole another quick glance at Bria. The wolf shifter was holding her hand again. His tiger roared and tried to surge forward. Sweating, he pushed it back and tore his gaze from Bria and her date.
Fuck, he was in trouble.
* * *
Rosalie studied herself in the bathroom mirror. Her cheeks were too red, and it was obvious that she was close to tears.
Get it together, Rosie!
She was surprised that Lincoln had paid so much attention to her when she’d first arrived. Surprised but also flattered and a little turned on and stupidly happy. The first ten minutes, she had even let herself fall into a little fantasy that she and Lincoln were dating. He’d made it easy to slip into fantasy, what with his arm around her shoulders and the way he had whispered to her that she looked pretty tonight.
It hadn’t lasted long. There were a lot of shifters at the bar.
A lot of very pretty, female shifters.
Twenty minutes after they’d sat down, Lincoln was gone. Saying he spotted a friend, he’d left their table and hadn’t returned. She’d seen him over the next hour or so, talking and chatting with other male shifters and flirting with every female shifter that drifted into his view. She wasn’t surprised that Lincoln would ignore her and flirt with every woman at the bar. So why did it hurt so much?
It’s because you’re a human. Lincoln isn’t ever going to date you, Rosie. Get it through your head!
“No, it’s because you’re not kinky enough in bed,” she muttered to her reflection. “Change that and you have a chance. You’re too shy and too timid, Rosalie. Be different!”
Yes, be different. Simple. Easy. No problem.
She was suddenly exhausted, and she grabbed her purse from the counter before leaving the bathroom. She didn’t want to watch Lincoln flirt anymore. She opened her purse as she walked down the hallway and started rummaging for her keys. She wanted to go home, get into her pajamas, and curl up on the couch with Mr. Pibbles and not think about –
She ran head first into a solid wall of muscle. There was a loud grunt above her and she staggered back. She stared up at the wolf shifter that Bria was on a date with. “I’m so sorry.”
He sniffed at her before sneering, “Watch where you’re going, human.”
“I’m sorry,” she repeated as she scooted around him.
“You know,” the shifter grabbed her arm and she squeaked in alarm when he turned her to face him, “Bud’s bar is a shifters only bar.”
“Th-that’s not true,” she said. “My friends said humans could come in here.”
“Your friends gave you bad advice.” The man took a step closer. “You should leave before something bad happens to you. Pretty little thing like you – who knows what shifters would use you for.”
Her heart hammering in her chest and her mouth dry, she yanked her arm free and took a stumbling step backward. The man grinned at her and she stared in sudden terror at the fangs protruding from his mouth. She took another step back and ran into a second
unforgiving wall of hard flesh and muscle. Her terror was like a living, breathing thing inside of her as she whipped around and stared at the giant standing behind her. It was the bartender named Hudson, the one that Tori said was a polar bear shifter, and she peered up at him as the wolf shifter behind her made a low growl.
“You okay?” The bartender rumbled. His voice was deep. She could almost feel it vibrating out from his chest like thunder.
“Help me,” she whispered.
He frowned and studied the shifter behind her. She moved closer to Hudson, crowding up against his big body before staring at the wolf shifter.
“Get the fuck out of here,” Hudson said to the shifter.
The shifter glared at him. “What did you say?”
“Leave the bar now.”
“You can’t kick me out, I didn’t do anything.”
“I heard what you said to her,” Hudson replied.
“She’s a fucking human. Who the fuck cares what I said to her?”
“I care. Leave the bar now.”
“She’s the one who should leave. This is a fucking shifters bar.”
“Last chance,” Hudson said.
The shifter snarled. His body was swelling, and dark fur was sprouting on his face. Rosalie moaned and pressed herself against Hudson. She wrapped her arms around his waist and stared disbelievingly at the bear shifter when he laughed.
“You think you can take me on, wolf shifter? I’ll tear you to pieces and eat your guts for my breakfast.”
The shifter growled as his skin rippled.
“Go on,” Hudson said. “Shift. I haven’t been challenged in a very long time and I miss the taste of blood.”
The bear shifter hadn’t moved a muscle, but the wolf shifter suddenly took a step backward. He stared uncertainly at Hudson and then at Rosalie as the fur faded on his face.
“Pity,” Hudson said, “I hate cowards.”
The shifter flushed dully but didn’t say anything.
“Get out,” Hudson said.
The wolf shifter made a soft growl and pushed past them. When he was gone, Rosalie let her breath out and gave Hudson a shaky smile. “Thank you. Thank you so much.”
The bear shifter was looking decidedly uncomfortable. Rosalie realized with embarrassment that she had her arms wrapped around his waist and was clinging to the giant shifter like a praying mantis.
“Oh God, I’m sorry.” She released him and stumbled back.
“I don’t like to be touched.” The shifter’s voice was brusque.
Her face flamed red. “I’m so sorry. I don’t normally grab onto strangers – I’m sorry. I was scared.”
God, she sounded like a complete idiot.
“Go back to your shifter friends,” he said.
“Okay. Um, thank you again.” She studied his face for a moment. He wasn’t exactly handsome, his features were a little too craggy and rough to be considered handsome. But there was something appealing about him. Maybe it was his size. She was over six feet in her heels and there weren’t many men that made her feel small.
She felt small next to him. Small and delicate.
Her gaze drifted to his chest. He was wearing a t-shirt with the words “Bud’s Bar” printed on it. His shirt was too small, the letters distorted by the sheer width of his chest. One massive hand came up. Scratched at his stubble covered throat. His hand was twice the size of hers. If they put their hands together, palm-to-palm, she wasn’t sure her fingers would even go past his palm to his fingers.
Had she ever seen anyone as big as this man? She didn’t think so. She knew Ivan was taller, but the giraffe shifter was also thin and spindly. Like a strong wind would blow him over. The giant standing in front of her would be as unmoving as a boulder.
Her gaze dropped to his flat abdomen. The too-small t-shirt left nothing to the imagination. Every muscle in his abdomen was clearly defined against the white fabric. They looked as hard as granite. She wanted to touch them to see. Instead, she clenched her hand into a fist as she stared at his belt and then -
“Lady, go back to your friends.” His voice was impatient.
She snapped her gaze back to his face. She’d been three seconds away from ogling his crotch like a damn pervert. What the hell was wrong with her?
“Yes, of course. I’m sorry. Thank you.”
Annoyance was written into the lines of his face. He made a ‘go on’ gesture with his hand and she turned and almost ran out of the hallway and back into the bar. She would tell Jace and the others that she had a headache and was going home. As she weaved past shifters, trying to ignore the way they sniffed at her, she realized that the wolf shifter was still sitting with Bria.
She hesitated only a moment before marching over to their booth. The wolf shifter gave her a startled look before his mouth turned into a hard line.
“Bria, I need to talk to you in private,” Rosalie said.
“Sure.” Bria said. “Patrick, can you excuse me just for a minute?”
“We’re on a date,” he said. “Can’t you talk to your little work friend later. It’s kind of rude to just leave.”
Rosalie’s fear of the wolf shifter turned to anger. “Fine, I’ll tell her right here. Bria, this asshole you’re on a date with, threatened me in the hallway outside the bathroom.”
“What?” Bria stared at Patrick. “You threatened her?”
“Of course I didn’t. Why would I do that?”
“Because you don’t like humans,” Rosalie said. “He threatened me and grabbed my arm. Said I should be careful because I was a human and who knew what shifters would do to me in a place like this.”
“You dick,” Bria said.
“She’s lying,” Patrick said. “You’re seriously going to believe this bitch human over me? What fucking kind of shifter are you?”
“Fuck you.” Bria gave him a scornful look and started to slide out of the booth. Before she could stand, Patrick grabbed her forearm and squeezed.
“Don’t you walk away from me. I’ve paid for your drinks and your goddamn dinner and you owe me.”
Rosalie took a step back when Bria’s eyes went from blue to a golden yellow. Her pupils had narrowed into slits and when she grinned at the wolf shifter, Rosalie could see the way her eye-teeth had lengthened into fangs.
“Let go of me, Patrick.”
The wolf shifter bared his own fangs at her as a dark beard grew on his face. “You owe me, you little bitch and I -”
“Take your hand off of her.”
The voice was a low angry growl next to her. Despite the way it was oddly familiar, the sheer rage in it still frightened her badly. Rosalie stumbled away from the sound and straight into the big, broad body of Hudson.
She tore her gaze from Hudson and stared at Jace as he took another step toward the booth. She’d never seen him like this. His eyes were bright green, his pupils dark slits, and his upper body looked bigger, almost distorted somehow.
He was Jace.
But not Jace.
The Jace/not Jace growled, a sound of pure anger that made the hair on the back of her neck to stand and goosebumps break out across her skin. Without a single ounce of shame, she flung her arms around the polar bear shifter’s waist and clung to him again like a frightened kitten.
“I told you to leave.” Hudson’s voice reverberated above her.
The wolf shifter ignored Hudson. He stared unblinkingly at Jace as the tiger shifter stepped closer. “Take your hand off of her. I won’t ask again.”
“And if I don’t?” Patrick said.
Jace bared his fangs at him. “I’ll kill you, wolf shifter.”
Judd joined them. “What’s the fucking problem here?”
“No problem,” Jace said. “This asshole was just leaving.”
The wolf shifter studied him for a moment longer before releasing Bria’s arm. She slid out of the booth and Jace immediately pulled her into his embrace. She didn’t object, letting him slide his arm around her waist in a posse
ssive grip.
“Leave,” Hudson said.
“Yeah, I’m leaving,” Patrick snarled. He slid out of the booth and Rosalie made a low moan of fright when his hot gaze fell on her. “Fucking human bitch.”
He took a step toward her and the heavy arm of the polar bear shifter circled around her. He pulled her up tight against his body, a low growl erupting from his chest.
“Buddy, you are getting on my last fucking nerve,” Judd said. “Get the fuck out now or I swear to God I’ll fucking ban your ass from this place for life.”
The wolf shifter snarled at him and Judd growled, his big body swelling.
“You want to fucking do this?” Judd said. “You think you can beat me?” His body swelled even more, and Patrick gave him an uncertain look before pushing past him.
“Fuck you, and fuck this place.”
He stalked toward the door, Judd following closely behind him.
Feeling a little shaky, Rosalie leaned against Hudson’s hard warmth. She smiled up at him. “Thank you.”
“You’re touching me again,” he said gruffly.
The polar bear made a valid point but even if she did let go, she wasn’t going anywhere. His arm was still around her, his hand holding her against him like she belonged to him.
“Lady, you’re touching me,” he repeated.
She stared down at his big hand cupping her hip for a second before saying, “Um, you’re touching me too.”
His hand tightened almost painfully before he muttered something under his breath and released her. He pulled free of her grip and stepped back so fast, she would have fallen if not for Jace catching her by the upper arm.
“You okay, Rosie?”
“Yes, thank you.” She watched the retreating back of the polar bear shifter before turning around. “Are you okay?”
Jace still had his arm around Bria’s waist but when Rosalie’s gaze lingered on his arm, he dropped it and stepped away from Bria.
“Fine. Sorry, I didn’t mean to frighten you.”
“That’s okay. I just - sometimes I forget that you’re a shifter.” She gave him a faint smile. “Bria, are you all right?”
Bria and the Tiger (The Shifters Series Book 5) Page 8