A Burn to Bear
Fire Bear Shifters, Book 3
By Sloane Meyers
This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, and incidents are the products of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously. Similarities to actual people or events are entirely coincidental.
Copyright © 2015 by Sloane Meyers. All rights reserved.
Table of Contents
Chapter One
Chapter Two
Chapter Three
Chapter Four
Chapter Five
Chapter Six
Chapter Seven
Chapter Eight
Chapter Nine
Chapter Ten
Chapter Eleven
Chapter Twelve
Chapter Thirteen
More Books by Sloane Meyers
Thank You For Reading!
About the Author
Chapter One
Luke Griffin shoved a bite of blackberry pie into his mouth and moaned in approval.
“These pies are better than sex,” he said, savoring the way the tart flavor of the berries mixed with the sweet, flaky crust.
Trevor Hayes raised an eyebrow in Luke’s direction. “Dude, when’s the last time you got laid? I won’t argue with you that these pies taste better than pretty much any dessert I’ve ever tried before. But I can’t agree with you that eating pie is more amazing than sex.”
Luke shrugged. “At least the pies don’t break your heart. They just sit there, all warm and gooey, waiting patiently for you to gobble them up.”
Luke shoved another big bite of pie into his mouth and moaned again, louder this time. From behind the large front counter, Riley Hughes looked up from the dough she was mixing and glared at Luke.
“Hey, buddy. I’m glad you like my pies, but can you keep down the orgasmic moans. This is a family friendly restaurant.”
Luke shrugged apologetically at Riley and quieted down, although he didn’t really see why it mattered what noises he made, since he and Trevor were the only customers in the restaurant at the moment. He didn’t want to upset Riley, though, since she was his best friend Hunter’s lifemate. Riley had opened the doors to her pie shop, The Sweet Crust, just last week—and she spent most of her time worrying about whether business was going okay for the bakery. Everyone in Luke’s clan, the Burning Claws Smokejumpers, kept telling Riley to relax and give the bakery a little time to establish itself and build a reputation. Riley, of course, refused to listen to them. She overanalyzed every customer and sale.
Luke and Trevor fell silent as the bell above the door rang, and a tall, slender woman entered the shop, letting in a refreshing blast of cool October air. The woman had her dark brown hair pulled into a sensible bun, and she wore a navy v-neck sweater over a pair of blue jeans. Tan leather loafers graced her feet. Her outfit had obviously been chosen for comfort, not fashion—but she did wear a pair of chic-looking black framed glasses. They made her appear smart and sophisticated, despite her toned-down outfit. Her blue-gray eyes darted around the room nervously, resting briefly on Luke’s face. Luke gave her a friendly smile, and she averted her eyes quickly. She seemed embarrassed to have been caught looking at him, and hurried quickly to the front counter.
“Hello?” she called out. “Is anyone there?”
Riley appeared from behind a refrigerated shelving unit near the front counter.
“Hi,” Riley said with a bright smile. “How can I help you?”
“Hi, I’m River Bennett. We spoke on the phone and I placed a special order for some pies.”
“Oh! River! So nice to meet you. I have your pies in the back refrigerator. Let me go grab them. Do you want a cup of coffee or anything while you wait?”
River shook her head no. “No, thanks. I’m fine.”
A few minutes later, Riley reappeared holding a stack of five large pie boxes, which she set on the counter. “Okay, I’ve got two apple, one blackberry, one key lime, and one coconut cream. Is that right?”
“That’s right,” River said, pulling out her credit card and handing it to Riley.
Luke watched as Riley chatted with River while she rang up the purchase. River had the kind of understated beauty that Luke appreciated, and, for the first time in a long time, Luke felt his bear stirring within him with desire. He hadn’t answered Trevor’s question about how long it had been since he got laid, but the answer was years. Luke’s heart had been broken by a woman named Sara, whom he’d thought was his lifemate. He’d given Sara several good years of his life, only to have her throw the time in his face and run off with another man. Luke hadn’t wanted to risk loving another woman after that, and so he’d embraced the bachelor lifestyle. He didn’t need a woman in his life, complicating things and making him vulnerable to heartache. So he threw himself into his work, determined to be the best firefighter he could be. And he was a damn good firefighter, jumping fearlessly out of planes to parachute directly into the most remote wildfires.
But, as he watched River, he found himself forgetting his “no women” vow. He felt drawn to her. Her sweet smile lit up the room, and tugged at a part of his heart that he’d thought had been shut down for good. Luke watched as River struggled to balance the five boxes of pies on her arms, and he made a split-second decision. He stood up abruptly and walked to the front counter, leaving Trevor behind without an explanation.
“Let me help you with those,” Luke said, reaching out to take three of the boxes from River. Luke headed for the front door, and easily opened it with one arm while balancing the pie boxes on the other. River gave him a grateful smile as she walked through the front door. She looked even more beautiful up close.
“Thanks. It would be awful if I dropped one of these and someone at my book club tonight had to go without pie,” she said, a hint of laughter on her voice.
“Book club, eh? I’m not much of a reader, but I would definitely read a book if it meant I got to enjoy one of Riley’s pies. Where are you parked?”
“Across the street. The red Jeep,” River said, pointing in the direction of the vehicle. “And it’s a shame you only want to read for pie. There are lots of really amazing books out there that are their own reward. No pie necessary.”
Luke shrugged. “I guess school turned me off to reading. I never liked any of the books that my English teachers assigned.”
“That doesn’t mean you don’t like reading,” River countered. “It just means that you haven’t found the right books yet.”
“You seem like quite the book lover,” Luke said.
“Well, I’m a librarian, so that’s no surprise,” River said. “I run the adult literacy program at the Red Valley City Library. I also lead a few book clubs. Tonight’s club is a romance novel reading group. You’re welcome to join. It’s not very macho, but there will be pie,” River said with a smirk.
“Tempting, but I think I’ll pass,” Luke said. He let River add the two boxes of pie she had been holding to the pile on his arms while she fished for her keys and unlocked the Jeep. He’d intended to ask her out to dinner with hopes that she would be swayed by his chivalrous pie-carrying gesture, but he suddenly felt self-conscious. He had just confessed that he didn’t like reading, but River obviously adored books. Besides, as lovely as River was, Luke’s palms were getting sweaty at the thought of inviting another woman into his life. His ex had seemed beautiful and fun, too, until she broke his heart into pieces. How could he know that River wouldn’t do the same thing? Luke would just carry her pies for her, call it his good deed for the day, and leave it at that.
River opened the back door of the Jeep and started loading the pies carefully onto the backsea
t.
“So, Mr. Too-cool-for-books, do you have a name?”
“Oh, yeah. Sorry. I’m Luke.”
“I’m River, although you probably already heard me say that back in the pie shop,” River said.
Luke nodded. “It’s a pretty name. A little hippy, though, don’t you think?”
River frowned and Luke winced. It’s a good thing he had already decided not to ask River out on a date, because he was doing a piss-poor job of impressing her.
“I guess it might sound a little hippy,” River said. “My parents just like the symbolism of water. How it’s life-giving and all that.”
“Sorry, I didn’t mean to be offensive. It really is a beautiful name,” Luke said, silently berating himself for putting his foot in his mouth once again.
“No worries,” River said, grabbing the last pie box and placing it carefully on the backseat before shutting the door. She wiped imaginary sweat from her forehead before looking up at Luke with a grin. “Thanks again for your help, Luke. The ladies of the Hot Romance Reads Book Club will be very appreciative of your assistance with their pies.”
“My pleasure,” Luke said. River paused for a beat, as if waiting for him to say something else. When he didn’t, she climbed into the driver’s seat and then drove off with a little wave. His bear growled within him, protesting the fact that he hadn’t managed to at least get her phone number. But Luke shrugged off the feeling and walked back into the shop to finish off his pie. He had insulted her name and profession in the span of five minutes. Better to stop before he made things worse.
Trevor looked up as Luke walked back into the restaurant. “Well, well, well. Looks like someone found himself something a little sweeter than pie, now, didn’t he?”
“Shut up, Trevor,” Luke said, sitting down and stuffing a huge forkful of pie into his mouth.
Unfazed, Trevor leaned back in his chair and crossed his arms. “So, did you get her number?”
Luke barely looked up as he chewed his pie and shook his head no.
“What? Why the hell not? She was a hottie,” Trevor said.
Luke swallowed his pie and looked out the front window to the spot where River’s Jeep had been moments before.
“She’s way out of my league,” he said with a shrug, then shoved another bite of pie into his mouth.
* * *
River sighed as she pulled up to the Red Valley library and killed the engine on her Jeep. She’d really thought for a moment that the handsome man who’d carried her pies for her had looked at her with interest, but then he’d let her go without trying to find out anything more than her name. She pulled down the sun visor and looked at herself in the vanity mirror, then sighed again.
Maybe she should lose the glasses. Or wear her hair down more often. Or something. She couldn’t really complain about a gorgeous guy like Luke not taking an interest in her when she put zero effort into her appearance. River had never cared that much about her looks, but it had been a long time since she’d seen any romantic action outside of the books she read for her book club. A little lip gloss now and then couldn’t hurt. River dug in her purse, determined to find something with some color to smear on her lips. The closest thing she could find in the cavernous bag was an ancient tube of chap stick. She smeared it on her lips and eyed her reflection again. She looked the same as before, except now she had little white flecks of chap stick on her lips.
“So sexy,” she said to herself in a disgusted tone, and then snapped the sun visor back up. She needed to get the pies inside and set up before the meeting started, instead of sitting here bemoaning her mediocre appearance and wasting time.
River climbed out of the Jeep and grabbed two of the pies, then started heading for the library entrance. She’d worked at the library for three years now, and, most of the time, she loved the job. She didn’t meet many available men running this gig, but she’d made a lot of good friends. And she got to be around books constantly, which made her happy. River frowned when she remembered that Luke had said he didn’t like books. Obviously, he didn’t make a good match for her. He was probably one of those gorgeous guys who was an asshole and only went after girls to have a little fun before tossing them to the curb. She didn’t have time to waste on men like that.
River held her head high as she walked into the library. She greeted the few women who had arrived early for the book club, and then went back out to get the remaining pies. By the time she had entered the library for the second time, she had thoroughly convinced herself that Luke was a boring, uneducated man who only had his good looks going for him. He was nothing like the hero of the romance novel the book club was going to discuss tonight. River wanted the whole package—looks, brains, and a sweet heart—and she would hold out until she found a man with all of those things. Luke definitely did not make the cut, and River resolved to put him out of her mind.
Chapter Two
River’s decision to forget about Luke lasted exactly fourteen days. Two weeks after the romance novel book club, River was hosting a fantasy fiction book club. The pies from The Sweet Crust had been a resounding success at the romance book club, so River decided to order another round for the fantasy fiction gathering. River believed in sticking with a good thing once you found it, and The Sweet Crust pies were definitely a good thing. Besides, River liked the gal that ran the pie shop. Riley seemed like a genuinely nice person.
When River walked through the front door of the pie shop, she found herself staring directly at Luke, who was eating pie with the same friend as before. Luke’s face lit up at the sight of River, and his smile almost melted the wall she’d built around her heart. Almost.
Reminding herself that Luke was an asshole who hated books, River tossed her long, sleek hair over her shoulder and strode up to the counter without giving him a second look. Why was he sitting here during the middle of a weekday again, anyway? Didn’t he work?
River avoided looking in Luke’s direction as she picked up her pies and made small talk with Riley. But she couldn’t ignore him when he walked right up next to her and offered to help carry her pies again.
“Thanks, but I think I can handle it,” River said, precariously balancing the five pie boxes in a wobbly stack between her arms.
“Don’t be ridiculous,” Luke said, grabbing the top three boxes from her. “You’re going to drop some of these pies, and your book club members will never forgive you.”
River huffed. “Fine. If you insist.” She strode past Luke and stubbornly opened the front door herself before he could get to it. She almost dropped one of the pies in her rush, and she heard Luke let out a huff of his own as they left the restaurant.
She ignored his exasperation and marched to her Jeep without any small talk. She fumbled with the keys while holding her two pies, finally opening the door and placing the pies on the backseat. She wordlessly took the other pies from Luke, while he looked at her with an expression somewhere between amusement and concern.
“Did I do something wrong?” he asked.
“No,” River said flatly, refusing to meet his eyes as she rearranged the pies on the backseat. She knew she was acting borderline ridiculous right now, but she couldn’t seem to stop herself. She should have graciously let him carry the pies and then been on her way. Instead, she had made things awkward and weird.
Luke waited patiently as River moved the pies around. Finally, she had to admit that the boxes were sufficiently secure and she was stalling for time. She took a deep breath and turned around, standing to her full height, looking at Luke. She felt her heart do a flip flop as she took in his tanned face with its strong, sculpted jaw line. His deep brown eyes matched the dark brown of his thick, tousled hair. For a moment, she forgot about everything except the rugged, handsome face right in front of her.
Luke reached around River and closed the Jeep door, leaving his hand resting on the back door. He reached to place his other arm on the front door, so that River was caught leaning against the vehicle be
tween his long, muscular arms. He must spend all of his spare time working out, because she had never seen biceps quite as large as his. They pushed against the confines of his fitted, long-sleeved t-shirt, and River fantasized for a moment about what it would feel like to have those strong arms wrapped firmly around her. It had been so long since she’d been held by a man. She craved the warm, secure feeling of being enveloped in a sturdy hug.
She tried to shake off the thought and still her pounding heart. He hates books, she told herself weakly. You’re all wrong for each other. But she couldn’t stop the tingling pleasure spreading through her limbs at the proximity of his body to her body. He smelled like a mixture of pine and sugar, and she breathed in deeply, enjoying the sweet, outdoorsy scent.
Luke looked deep into her eyes, his gaze searching and anxious. “Last time I carried your pies, you were bubbly and talkative. This time, you’ve barely looked at me. What did I do wrong?”
River blinked, trying to come up with an answer that sounded reasonable. “I’m just having a bad day,” she said, looking down at her shoes as she told the little white lie.
Luke put his index finger under her chin and tipped her face back up to look at him. “Let me make it better,” he said. He made a deep, sexy sound that almost sounded like a growl. River felt the breath leaving her body as a wave of electric heat ran from where Luke’s finger touched her chin and spread through her body. Her stomach clenched up in tight anticipation, and she could feel moisture building between her legs. There was no denying that this beast of a man turned her on. One tiny touch from him, and her body had responded with a desperate plea for more. But that just proved her theory, didn’t it? He was probably an asshole, used to getting what he wanted from women. If she gave in to the feelings of passion running through her body right now, wouldn’t she be turning herself into just one more notch in his belt?
A Burn To Bear (Fire Bear Shifters Book 3) Page 1