Free Bear Meets Girl by Shelly Laurenston Page A

everyone calls you. The Tank.”
    The grizzly looked surprised. “I have a nickname?”
    “You have a cool nickname,” Blayne corrected, her annoyance from mere seconds ago completely gone. “The coolest!”
    “It fits,” Novikov noted, which got him everyone’s attention. “What?”
    “Was that a compliment?” MacRyrie asked.
    With an eye roll and a sigh, “If it must be to make you feel better.”
    Again Crush started to laugh, but the sound—and happiness—died in his throat as she— she! —suddenly appeared in front of Crush. Grinning.
    Why was she here? Why? And why could he not shake this feline? Was this how antelopes felt when a cat ran them down? And why was she here ruining what should be one of the greatest nights of his goddamn life?
    That was it. That was it ! Never again would he ever have another Jell-O shot. In fact, no more liquor. Ever. Because clearly Crush would never be allowed to live down that one goddamn night—and he blamed the goddamn Jell-O shots!
    Letting out a breath, Crush snarled, “ You. ”
    “Baby!” she cried out just before she attacked him, wrapping her arms around his waist. “Oh, baby, I’ve missed you!”
    “I am not your baby.” He tried to pull her arms off him. “Away, female!”
    “Aren’t you glad to see me?”
    “No.”
    Still wrapped around him like a spider monkey, the feline rested her chin on his chest and asked the small group, “Have you guys met the new man in my life?”
    Blayne’s eyes grew wide, her smile huge, and Crush immediately knew he had to stop this.
    “I am not the new ... would you get off!”
    “He’s shy,” the female felt the need to explain.
    “I am not shy. You’re insane.” He finally pried her arms off his body and pushed her back. “Now stop harassing ...” Crush studied her, his heart dropping. “Why ... why are you dressed like that?”
    She had on a Carnivore jersey, shoulder pads under that, hockey pants, socks, and shin pads.
    “Why do you think I’m dressed like this?”
    “Because hell has come to earth?”
    She laughed and Novikov said, “You’re such a fan, figured you’d know Bare Knuckles Ma—”
    “No!” And the grizzly and the hybrid male snarled a little at his outburst, both pulling their females back from the hysterical polar. “No, no, no, no!”
    The feline’s grin was wide and happy. “Come on, baby, don’t be like that.”
    “No! You cannot be Bare Knuckles Malone. You cannot be. You ”—and he pointed at her with an accusing finger—“cannot be the daughter of the greatest player ever. And you cannot be the most feared enforcer in the league right now. You? No! ”
    “I’m sensing I should be insulted by that tone.” The feline grinned. “But I’m not! Because I have such a giving and loving nature and you are just so cute. We will have such adorable cubs. And since I’m never home, my little girl”—she raised her hand barely to her waist to illustrate her child’s height—“can raise them.”
    “I am not cute and I’m not having kids with you!”
    “You guys, you guys.” Blayne slipped between the pair. “There’s no reason to be angry.”
    “I’m not angry.” Flinging her arms out and turning in a circle like a little girl, the feline exclaimed, “ I’m in love! ”
    “That’s it.” Crush stepped away. “I’m leaving.”
    “You can’t run from our love!”
    Crush had almost reached the elevators when Blayne leaped in front of him. “Don’t go, Crush.”
    “I can’t stay. The game’s about to start, I need to get to my seat ... I can’t stay.” He reached around Blayne, punching the elevator button. When he leaned back, he realized that the wolfdog was staring up at him. And the more she stared, the sadder she looked.
    “What? What’s wrong?”
    Then she looked mad. He assumed she was mad at him, but when she grabbed his hand and walked back over to the others, it was the feline who received Blayne’s wrath.
    “Why are you being