Free Bear the Burn (Fire Bears Book 2) by T. S. Joyce Page A

news crews, but she had been on the verge of something big. Her insides had been burning, and her blood had hummed just under her skin with the need to do…something. And Dade had known just how to put her at ease.
    He wasn’t the rude, confounding man she’d thought he was. Sure, he was a dangerous sort of creature. Nothing screamed that more than his scars, the inhuman, lithe grace in his gait, and the steely, humorless looks he could give in an instant. And she was pretty sure he would’ve made good on his oath and ripped someone’s limb off outside of the hospital earlier, but with her, he was gentle and accommodating.
    He was a powerhouse, practically reeking of dominance, but he was aiming that bubble of protection he could provide right at her. It made it really hard to resent the feral side of her protector. She wanted to know everything about him. His dodging questions about his scars and missions only made her want to be closer to him. She had a natural curiosity and desire to dig deeper into what made Dade tick. And whatever that said about her, she didn’t care.
    There was something base between them. Some chemical connection on a cellular level that made her want to touch him and be near him. Maybe it was science or some instinctive compatibility of their basic natures. Perhaps it was that he was part animal, and she understood him better than most people she’d met—she didn’t know. All she knew was when she was around him, he made her want to be braver and better. He made her stomach do curious flip-flops, and for the first time in a long time, the thought of a future with a man made her pulse race with excitement over the unknown.
    “Are you sure you’re okay with me crashing at your place?” she asked in a much smaller voice than she’d intended. Waves of random shyness did that to her. Apparently, the grizzly sleeping inside of her didn’t do much for bolstering her confidence around intimidating, sexpot shifters like Dade Leland Keller.
    “Of course I’m sure. I don’t think I could handle you staying in town without the protection of the Breck Crew right now. I’d be there watching over your house from the uncomfortable seat in my truck and putting us both at risk by allowing us to be separated from our people.”
    Our people. That was insane to think about. She had people, and she didn’t even know them yet. A sense of excitement and terror unfurled in her stomach, and she clenched her hands against the urge to panic, or squeal or both. “When will I meet the rest of the Breck Crew?”
    “Tomorrow if you want. Ma has already sent me about thirty text messages asking about you. I think she’d given up on me ever finding a mate.”
    “Mate,” she whispered, testing out the word on her tongue. Simultaneously, it sent a trill of intimidation and elation through her, leaving her breathless.
    “Sorry. I know humans don’t talk like that. Sometimes I forget that you’re new to this because you seem to be handling it so well. We don’t have to talk about that stuff until you’re ready.”
    She drew up straight at the realization she was kind of handling this like a champion. The animal lover in her was just as accepting of her new inner furry rider as it was scared for her future. She’d been on a roller coaster of emotions with all of this, but a small, quiet part of her felt right at home with her new animal side. “What does being your mate mean?”
    Dade huffed a laugh and rubbed his hands over his platinum blond hair, spiking it up everywhere. It seemed to be a nervous habit of his, one that made this big tough guy even more endearing to her. “I don’t really know. I was planning on calling my half-brother about it tonight after you fell asleep.”
    “What do you feel?”
    Dade screwed up his face and shook his head. “If I tell you, you’ll run for the hills and never look back.”
    Quinn held back a squeak in her throat at how cute he was. “Well, now you have to tell