Free Grayslake: More than Mated: Waking the Bear (Kindle Worlds Novella) by Ruby Shae

Chapter One
     
    Audrey Harris walked into the small dive bar on the edge of town, and took a deep breath. Old school rock music, powered by a colorful jukebox in the corner, blared out of the speakers, and easily drowned out the lively voices of the patrons. There were maybe fifty people in the place, mostly men, and the building already looked like it had reached its maximum capacity.
    The swish of the door caused a few people to look her way, but her insignificant arrival didn’t garner more than a few curious glances, and she forced one foot in front of the other until she made it to the bar. Only one other person sat at the “L” shaped counter, and the other dozen vacant seats were at odds with the rest of the room.
    Audrey took a seat on the short side of the “L,” and smiled when the bartender approached.
    “Evening,” he said. “What can I get you?”
    He was tall and muscular, with dark brown hair and brown eyes, and he wore a smile a mile wide, but she wasn’t fooled by his friendly persona. She had no doubts that the man handled all of the disputes in his bar, and anyone who attempted to cross him instantly regretted it.
    Normally, she stayed away from alcohol—she couldn’t stand the taste of it, and losing full control of her senses had never appealed—but tonight wasn’t about being normal, and she needed a little bit of liquid courage.
    Hell, she deserved it.
    “I’ll have a Long Island Iced Tea.”
    He studied her for a second, as if somehow knowing she’d never ordered the drink before, and then he nodded once and started crafting the concoction.
    “You got it.”
    Audrey shook off the bartender’s censure and looked around the room.
    A pool table sat in the back of the rectangular shaped building, close to the jukebox, and several round, hi-top tables lined the walls and randomly filled in the rest of the floor. Though there were several stools to accompany each table, most were shoved as far as possible under the wood, and nearly everyone stood.
    Oh snap!
    The bartender wasn’t the only muscular hottie in the place. The room was a sea of broad shoulders, flat eight-pack abs, and firm, grab-worthy asses. She’d definitely hit the jackpot when she’d decided to stop in Grayslake, Georgia.
    Not that she’d come looking for a man. In reality, she was through with men, but after nearly two weeks of relentless self-doubt, she desperately needed an ego boost. Even if it was for only one night. Hell, she didn’t even need a whole night. A couple of hours would do the trick.
    “Here you go, honey,” the bartender said, placing her drink on a cocktail napkin. “That will be seven even.”
    “Thank you,” she said. She pulled a ten-dollar bill out of the front pocket of her jeans, and handed it to him. “Keep the change.”
    She rarely carried cash, but she’d spent the afternoon preparing for the evening, and a visit to the ATM had been one of the things on her list. Being new in town, she’d doubted any place would let her rack up a tab, and she didn’t want the added responsibility of remembering to settle one, anyway.
    Other things on her list had included a long drive to the closest mall for a cell-phone case that would hold her identification and a credit card, just in case, and a cute top to go with her favorite pair of snug, ass-hugging jeans.
    The ones her ex hated.
    They had been the first thing to land in her suitcase when she’d decided to start packing, and though the move had seemed childish and petty, the deed had made her feel good at a time when everything else didn’t.
    Overnight, she’d gone from a strong, confident woman who’d had it all, to an ugly duckling worth nothing now that she didn’t have a man. Her best friend, Kaylee, was the only one who’d remained by her side, but the massive change of opinion in not only herself, but in everyone else around her, had been the catalyst for her escape.
    She refused to live the rest of her life as a victim.
    The