Free Nic by Jordan Summers Page A

Bernie said. “If it was such a fun night, and you certainly smell like it was, then why are you so grumpy?”
    “I’m not grumpy,” Nic snapped.
    Bernie watched him closely. “You got into a fight. Found an easy lay. Sounds like a Were’s idea of a perfect night.”
    “She wasn’t easy,” Nic said. She hadn’t been with a man in a while. He was sure of that. Just the thought of her lying with another guy made Nic’s head ache and claws flex.
    Bernie scratched his chin. “You said she was a bar girl. If she was at Sticks, that makes her a Were groupie.”
    “I might have met her at the bar, but she was not a regular. Lucien didn’t recognize her and she had no idea what I was,” Nic ground out.
    He didn’t like that Bernie thought the woman was easy or that she was a groupie. She wasn’t. Despite what they’d done in the parking lot, she was an innocent. Far too sweet for her own good.
    “She didn’t belong there. And she damn sure doesn’t belong with me.” Nic scrubbed a hand through his hair.
    Bernie took another sip of his coffee. “I never said she did. It’s interesting that you brought it up, though.”
    “Our beasts don’t know everything,” Nic growled. “They can be wrong.”
    “I’ve never known them to be, but I suppose anything is possible. We’re proof of that.” Bernie hid his smile behind his coffee cup.
    “I need to get back to work,” Nic snarled in frustration.
    “Can I come back in now? I have your pastry.” Josh poked his head in the door.
    “Yes,” Bernie said. “I’ve learned everything I needed to know.”
    Nic scowled at him.
    “Jenna has a question.” Josh set the pastry on the workbench.
    “What does she want to know?” Bernie asked.
    “I’ll let her ask you herself,” Josh said.
    Nic didn’t look up when Jenna Dane walked into the garage. His mind was too focused on the woman from last night. He’d been unable to think of anything else. Was she still sleeping? Or was she awake, regretting what they’d done?
    Part of him did. While a larger half would do it again in a heartbeat.
    Even though the night hadn’t gone as planned, Nic didn’t want her to regret their time together. He scratched his jaw. His fingers encountered stubble. He needed a shave. He needed a shower, but he couldn’t stand the thought of losing her scent. He heard muttering.
    “What?” he asked. It was then that Nic noticed Jenna standing next to him, talking. How long had she been there?
    Somehow she’d squeezed her pregnant body between the truck and the tray of tools beside it. Her strawberry- blonde curls fell loosely down her back. She was smiling and stroking her stomach while she waited for his response.
    “I’m sorry, what did you want?” Nic asked.
    Jenna’s grin widened. “I asked when you thought the truck would be ready.”
    “Uh.” He reached for a tool and knocked the whole tray onto the ground. Nic flushed. “Might be a while.”
    Jenna’s light green eyes twinkled. “Looks like it,” she said. “Don’t worry about it. We can use the SUV.”
    “I can probably have it up and running by the end of the day,” Nic said.
    Jenna touched his arm. “No rush.”
    There was a time when her touch brought him nothing but pain. Now Nic didn’t feel anything, and he had his one-night stand to thank for that. Too bad he didn’t know her name and had no way of reaching her.
     
    * * * * *
     
    Jenna waddled out of the garage.
    “Never thought I’d see the day you’d—”
    Bernie hit Josh before he could finish the sentence.
    Josh’s brow furrowed and he looked at him. “What?”
    Bernie shook his head in warning. He didn’t want anything to spoil this moment. This was the first time Jenna had come into the garage and not left Nic tied up in knots.
    He watched his friend slip back under the truck, totally unaware of what just occurred. Happiness filled him. It was about time the young wolf stopped obsessing over the Alpha’s mate.
    Bernie didn’t know