Free Bared for Her Bear by Jenika Snow

displeased by Ary’s presence. Oh, there was no doubt the leopard knew Ary could sense her
    emotions, but clearly she didn’t care.
    “May I help you?” One perfectly shaped brown eyebrow lifted in question.
    “Yes, well, I’m actually waiting to meet someone. I don’t think he’s here yet—”
    “Ary.” The sound of her name coming from Charlie right behind her had a shiver working up
    her spine. The hostess wrinkled her nose, but when she looked over her shoulder at Charlie a mega-
    watt smile covered her face.
    “Mr. Wylde. It is so pleasant to see you again. The same table?” Her presence completely
    forgotten by the hostess, something she was accustomed to, February took a step to the side and turned
    to look at Charlie. Good freaking lord did he look good. His distressed jeans hung low on his hips, and
    the t-shirt he wore was form-fitting. She could make out every dip and hollow of his muscular chest,
    and the fact she knew what the bear looked like naked had all sorts of dirty images rushing through her
    mind. He took her hand before she could make a move, and the air turned icy as a blast of the frigid
    coldness rushed by her from the hostess. She glanced over at her, saw the narrowed-eyed look she was
    shooting at Ary, and figured maybe there was a history between the two. That obviously made her
    uncomfortable, but she wouldn’t be intimidated.
    Charlie gave her hand a squeeze and addressed the hostess. “No, Lauren, I’ve already taken a
    table outside. I want a little privacy for my date and me.” Heat rose to her face at the fact he
    considered this a date. A tingle of pleasure shot through Ary at the fact he clearly wasn’t affected by
    the hostess. He didn’t wait for a response, just kept hold of her hand and took her outside. The patio
    was surrounded by a stone wall that offered privacy in an almost intimate manner. There was one
    other couple seated outside, but they were far enough away from the table Charlie led them to that she
    wasn’t worried about being overheard. After they took their seat a young waiter stopped by, and they
    gave him their drink orders. She opened up the menu, but wasn’t hungry. Her stomach felt like it was
    in knots for what she was going to have to tell him.
    “Have you ever been here before?” She glanced up at him. He was scanning the menu, and
    after only a minute of looking at it closed it and set it aside.
    “Not since they had the re-opening.” He nodded, but didn’t respond since the waiter chose that
    moment to set their drinks in front of them.
    “Have you decided on what you’d like to order?” The waiter looked between them. He was a
    cute human male, but she could sense his interest leaning more toward Charlie. That had her smiling,
    which in turn made him look at her quizzically.
    She closed her menu and handed it to the waiter. “I’ll just take a chicken Caesar salad, please.”
    She wasn’t hungry, but she also didn’t want to be rude or seem like she was one of those girls who
    couldn’t eat in front of a guy. If Ary was anything it was not shy to eat around people. Charlie had
    invited her to lunch, and maybe if she forced herself to eat something the tightening dread in her
    stomach would ease. He ordered the biggest burger they had, a double order of fries, and a side salad.
    Ary supposed a man of his height and weight, especially concerning his profession, would need a lot
    of calories. The waiter left, and a moment of silence filled the space between them.
    “Only a salad?” He said and brought his glass of water to his mouth.
    She shrugged. “I’m not all that hungry.” The sound of the couple on the other side of the patio
    seemed a lot louder than it had been only moments before. “So, um.” She started to pick at her napkin,
    and even if he hadn’t been a shifter and able to smell her unease, her twitchy movements would have
    been loud and clear.
    “Hey.” He reached across the table and took her hand in his.