Page 79 of Bria and the Tiger

There was an awkward silence. Jace rubbed at the scruff on his jaw. “I guess I’ll see you tomorrow at the office.”

“Yes.”

“Right. Okay, bye.”

“Bye.”

He turned to go, and her tiger whined like a housecat. “Jace, wait.”

“What’s wrong?” He studied her closely.

“Nothing. I just – is your back really healed?”

He shrugged. “Mostly. My chest is completely healed – that salve you gave me is amazing – but I couldn’t put the salve on my back so it’s taking longer to heal.”

She bit her lip. “Um, your house is on my way home. Do you want me to stop and put some salve on your back?”

“I thought you had a thing.”

She smiled a little. “Sorry, I didn’t. I just – Rosalie obviously didn’t want us to see what books she was buying.”

“Seriously?” Jace gave her a surprised look. “Why not?”

“I don’t know, but it’s why I lied. She wanted us to leave.”

“Oh. Well then, yes, I’d like it if you stopped by.” He backed away quickly, as if afraid she would change her mind. “I’ll see you in about fifteen minutes then?”

“Yeah, okay.” She climbed into her car and gave Jace a brief wave before starting the car and driving toward the exit.

Her tiger was purring and trilling excitedly. What the hell was she doing? Going to Jace’s house was a very bad idea, but one she couldn’t resist.

* * *

Rosalie peeked around the corner of the bookshelf. Jace and Bria were paying at the register and she loosened her grip on her books. God, if they had seen what she was buying…

She took a deep breath. They didn’t see them – it was fine. They were leaving the bookstore and she heaved another sigh of relief. It was stupid to feel so self-conscious, she decided as she hurried toward the cashier. Even if they had seen her books, what was the big deal? She was an adult woman buying books about sex. She studied the books in her arms. There was nothing to be embarrassed about or –

“Crap!” She ran head-first into a warm, hard and oddly-familiar wall of flesh. The books flew from her arms and landed on the floor as she staggered back. She stared up at the rough features of Hudson. The polar bear shifter scowled at her and she gave him a nervous smile.

“I’m sorry.”

He grunted in reply and she watched in slow-motion horror as he bent and reached for her books.

“No, don’t - ”

It was too late. Hudson had picked up both books and was studying the covers. The one in his ham-sized right hand was bright blue. The woman on the front cover had the striking beauty of a supermodel. A lion, it’s mouth open in a roar, was sitting next to her. In yellow font, the title, “A Human’s Guide to Sex with a Lion Shifter” was scrawled across the top of the book.

The book in his left hand was black with white lettering. Hudson studied the photo of the handcuffs embossed on the cover and she wanted to die when he read the title in his low voice. “So You Want to be Kinky. Fifty-Two Ways to Spice up Your Sex Life.”

“They’re, um, a gag gift for a friend.” Her cheeks were so hot, she was waiting for them to simply catch on fire.

“Right,” he said.

“I’m sorry for smashing into you again.” She gave him a weak smile.

“You do that a lot. Maybe you should watch where you’re going.”

“Uh, yes, I will, um, start doing that.” Oh God, she needed to leave, but he was still holding her books. “Can I have the books back now?”

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