Page 35 of The Bear's Chosen Mate
“You know what?Those packages can sit on the damn porch and get rained on.Animals can come and sniff them and bite them and piss on them for all I care.I will no longer jump when you ask.BecauseJameswould never expect me to do something like that.If he wouldn’t expect me to, then it’s probably not on thehave to dolist.”
A tremble started inside.A sense that she had just offered fate a challenge, and even though there was no way her parents could possibly know what she’d shouted, a shiver ran up her spine.
The fire alarm wailed.
Kaylee gasped in horror and reached for the faucet.Only, when she turned it on to try and put out the fire, the spray nozzle was pointed in the wrong direction and water hit her square in the face.
Suddenly, she was soaking wet.
She twisted the spray in the proper direction.Abandoning the nozzle in the sink, she climbed on a chair and reached up to open the fire alarm and remove the battery to stop it from breaking her eardrums.
Kaylee got the fire in the sink extinguished, then stood there, water dripping off the end of her nose as her ears rang, laughter bubbling up from deep inside.
Okay.That had been an exercise in how not to throw a hissy fit.
She washed the smoke smell out of her hair, packed a bag and threw it in the back of the truck.Then she headed across town to the Diamond Tavern, the bar that James owned with his brothers.
They’d opened for business about a year before taking on extra duties with the family gem business, and now it was one of the happening places in town.Bears did love to party, and so did the rest of the humans and shifters in the north.
The local wolves, the Orion pack, owned their own place to howl on the north edge of town.Sirius Trouble tended to draw an even wilder crew than Diamond saw most nights.
James had said he wanted something between a casual place to kick back and a destination for food and entertainment.With most of the clientele being shifters, everything was big, bright, and easy to replace.
Just because the Diamond had a less volatile caliber of guests than the Sirius, it didn’t mean fights weren’t an everyday occurrence.
Amber was already at the back bar, sitting with a woman whose silvery white hair was partially hidden under a black beanie.
Kaylee slid onto the bench seat next to her friend, accepting the hug she was offered gratefully.“I thought we’d have a few minutes alone,” she whispered.
The beautiful woman across from them held out her hand.“Sorry about that.I got here early and didn’t think sitting in the parking lot was a good idea.With my luck, someone would think I was casing the joint.”The shifter winked then introduced herself.“I’m Lara.And remember, I have really good hearing.If you guys need to talk privately, I’ll go to the washroom.”
Kaylee eyed her, wondering what Lara was talking about.
One sniff later and the hackles rose on her inner cat—well, not literally, but still the truth was crystal clear.Lara was a wolf.While most shifters had better senses than the average human, wolf hearing was legendary.
Kaylee dipped her head.“Thanks for the warning, but it’s okay.I’ve had quite a week, but Amber and I can get caught up later.I’m looking forward to getting to know you.”
“Me too.You guys…” Lara looked down into her glass and swirled her ice for a moment.“I don’t have a lot of girlfriends to chat with.This is kind of special.”
Under the table, Amber laid her hand on Kaylee’s leg and gave it a tight squeeze.
Kaylee glanced down to find a small piece of folded paper in her hand.Awkwardly, Kaylee waited until Amber and Lara were discussing appetizer options so she could glance stealthily at the message.
It was a series of three short sentences.
Youngest in family.
Sister Alpha of Orion wolf pack.
Security department, Midnight Inc.
Which was pretty much what Kaylee had figured out on her own.
Lara not only worked there, but was part of the family who owned Midnight Inc., Borealis Gems’s biggest competitor.
“You ladies decide what you want?”The question came from the waiter who stood beside their table.He wore a flirtatious grin as he openly admired them.At least until his gaze landed on Lara.
His eyes widened.
