Page 94 of Bria and the Tiger

Chapter Twelve

“Why don’t you sit and relax while I check us in.”

“Sure.” Bria smiled at Jace and wandered over to the seating area in the lobby. She studied the art on the wall as Jace spoke to the front desk clerk. Considering that Langden was a small town with less than five thousand people, the hotel was actually pretty nice. It had seven floors with a pool and a small gym on the main floor. She glanced at Jace before staring into the fireplace.

The two-hour ride to the hotel was pleasant enough. Jace spent most of it telling her about his family. She told him they didn’t sound that much crazier than hers. He laughed and told her to wait until she met his Aunt Frieda in person. After that, they spoke about favourite tv shows, restaurants they enjoyed in the city – all very pleasant, safe things. Things that friends talked about.

“Jace.”

The low purr and the scent of lion made Bria’s hackles rise. Her tiger growled, and she soothed it absently. She turned around to see a large blonde-haired woman drape herself around Jace and hug him tightly.

He patted her back awkwardly before stepping away. “Hello, Marilyn. It’s good to see you again.”

“It’s so good to see you.” The lion shifter’s voice was pure sex. “You look so good.”

“Thanks.” Jace took another step back. “You look, uh, very well.”

“What floor are you on?” Marilyn asked. “I’m on the third. Maybe we could have dinner tonight and a nightcap?”

Bria ignored her tiger’s jealous hiss. The lion shifter was stunning. She was almost six feet tall with long blonde hair to her waist and bright green eyes. Her body was all smooth skin and sleek curves and Bria ran a hand over her own non-existent hips a bit self-consciously.

She took a deep breath. She was here for a reason and it was showtime. She joined them and smiled at Jace. “Honey? Did you get the room key?”

Jace immediately put his arm around her waist and drew her into his embrace. “Almost. I’d like you to meet an old friend. Bria, this is Marilyn. Marilyn, this is my girlfriend Bria.”

Marilyn’s pupils narrowed to slits for a brief moment before she blinked and they returned to normal. “Girlfriend? I heard you’ve been single since you and Tabitha split up.”

“You heard wrong.”

Marilyn sniffed at Bria. “You’re small for a tiger. Do you have a genetic deformity?”

“Marilyn,” Jace scowled at her, “that’s really rude.”

“It’s fine.” Bria smiled at Marilyn as the front desk clerk handed two keycards to Jace. “It was nice to meet you, Marilyn.”

She turned to Jace. “Let’s go to the room. I think we should have a,” she trailed her fingers over his flat abdomen and gave him a sexy smile, “nap before dinner. Don’t you?”

“Yes,” Jace said.

Bria turned back to Marilyn. “Jace and I love napping. We nap a lot.”

Before the lion shifter could reply, Bria tugged Jace toward the elevator. “Bye, Marilyn. We’ll see you at the party tomorrow.”

She pushed the elevator button. The doors opened, and she pulled Jace into it and dropped her bag on the floor. “What floor?”

“Five.”

She pushed the button and the doors slid shut. Jace was staring at her and she started to giggle. “The napping part was too much, wasn’t it? I knew it was too much, but I couldn’t resist.”

He laughed and shook his head. “No, it was funny. Thanks for your help.”

She curtsied dramatically. “Anytime. I might be tiny but I’m excellent at scaring away overzealous lion shifters.”

“You really are,” he said so solemnly that she giggled again.

The doors opened, and he grabbed both bags. They walked to the room and he opened the door and ushered her inside. She studied the bed before smiling at him. “This is nice.”

“They only had rooms with one bed still available,” he said. He flushed and dropped the bags on a padded bench next to the dresser before crossing the room to the miniscule loveseat tucked into the corner. “I can, uh, sleep on this.”

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