Free Silent Bear: Paranormal Holiday Shape Shifter Romance (North Pole Book 2) by Ruby Shae Page A

me a sugar cookie, handsome?”
    The temperature in the room seemed to rise ten degrees when she looked directly at him and her cheeks heated from her erotic thoughts. She’d only been this close to him one other time, and she mentally chastised herself for remembering their shared kiss from almost a year ago.
    She should’ve kept her mouth shut and walked away from him when she had the chance, but she seemed to enjoy torturing herself.
    “I’d love to, Sugar ,” Mark said, and chuckled.
    He was making fun of her, and though she smiled on the outside, inside her heart ached. She should have known he would laugh at her again.
    Before their shared kiss, Mark had been friendly, complimentary and attentive. He seemed to share her attraction and when she confessed her feelings one night in a dimly lit bar hallway, he confirmed his desire with a heated kiss.
    The next day, she found out he’d been drunk and didn’t remember anything from the night before. She didn’t have the confidence to confess again, certain he’d only shared her feelings because of the alcohol, and he’d been distant and borderline condescending ever since.
    He didn’t flirt without laughing and when he saw her talking to another man, he quickly pointed out her flaws, causing the men to drift away.
    Hope that he would return to normal, and realize they were mates, had been the only thing she’d held onto over the past year.
    As Christmas approached again, her spirit felt broken and defeated. Deep down, she realized it might be time to move on.
     
    ***
     
    Mark Halverson led Tracey out of the enforcer’s lodge and across the street to her favorite cookie shop. In fairness, all the cookie shops in Santa’s Village were delicious, but Tracey preferred this one over the rest because of the bubble gum pink sprinkles. The shop used pink, her favorite color, instead of red for all of their baked Christmas treats.
    When they walked inside the shop, a group of their mutual friends waved at the two of them. The group occupied a round table in the window and their laughter could be heard across the room.
    “A candy cane cookie and a peppermint hot cocoa?” he asked.
    “Yeah,” she said and pulled some cash out of her pocket. “Here, this should cover it.”
    “No, I’ll take care of it,” he said and turned away from her to look in the case. “You go ahead and sit down. I’ll bring it over.”
    She slowly lowered her hand and shoved her money back in her pocket.
    “Okay…thanks.”
    She walked away and he placed their order. He hated the fact that she hesitated before she let him buy her anything. It hadn’t always been that way for them, and he missed the days before the kiss when she radiated confidence, and the smiles she gave him lit up her whole face.
    While he waited, Tracey and their friends were absorbed in a conversation and he took the opportunity to watch her with abandon.
    The group consisted of fox and wolf shifters, and humans. Even for a fox, Tracey was thin and tiny compared to everyone else. Her breasts were small and pert, and his dick started to harden when he thought about her tiny waist and her long, lean legs. While most men preferred big breasts, he wasn’t one of them. She didn’t have to wear a bra, and on the few occasions she didn’t, he’d grown instantly hard at the thought of all that bare skin under her top. She made him lose all control and her tiny frame was perfect for him.
    She was one of the few shifters who colored her hair, and she didn’t dye it traditional colors like brown, red or black. Hot pink highlights mixed in with her platinum blond, and the bright color matched her always manicured hot pink nails. The only make-up she wore was hot pink lipstick, but sometimes she added pink body glitter.
    After their kiss, he’d found some of the glitter on the inside of his jacket. He’d kept it there for months until it was clear her feelings had changed.
    He approached the table and pulled a chair