Bear Claw (2 page)

She was about two years younger than his thirty-seven. Brandy usually wore her long, straight hair either pulled back away from her face or twisted on top of her head.

He always had to fight the impulse to yank her barrette out and mess up her hairstyles. So far he’d managed to stop himself in time but he craved to run his fingers through her blonde tresses to see if the strands were as silky as they seemed.

Mentally laughing to himself, he pulled his attention back to the woman next to him. They’d almost reached the section where religion, spirituality and self-help books were housed.

Letting her lead the way gave Jamie the chance to check out her butt. A pair of light jeans cupped her ass then flared out at the pant legs. They were much the same as all of the others she wore, and Jamie quite enjoyed the view of her bending over and shelving books.

She had to move onto the tip of her toes to reach the book. Jamie knew he should offer to get it but her top inching up her back as she stretched kept him mesmerized. The small peek of pale, flawless skin made his mouth water.

Licking his lips, he had to jerk his gaze away from her. The last thing he wanted was to get hard in the middle of the public library. Brandy settled back on her feet and handed him a paperback. He turned it over and read the back blurb. He hadn’t read anything from the author but had to admit to the book intrigued him.

Since Brandy was watching him closely, he smiled and nodded to her. “This is great. I’ll take it.”

“You’ll like it,” she assured him. Her watch beeped and she frowned. “Damn, I have to fill in at the desk.”

Pleased that she didn’t seem to want to leave him any more than he wanted her to go, he offered her a smile. “I have some more searching to do but I’ll see you before I leave.”

“Okay.” She squeezed his upper arm.

Even through the thin cotton material, he could feel the heat from her hand. He barely managed to stop himself from touching her back and not letting go.

Instead, he waved and watched her walk away. His cock was fully hard now, and he needed to get his books and be on his way.

Brandy knew that she shouldn’t have touched Jamie, but she hadn’t been able to resist any longer. He’d been coming to the library for almost a year now, and each time he visited, she was more and more attracted to him.

Certain Jamie would never view her the same way, Brandy had to keep her desires buried. Pretending and dreaming was all she could hope for. Besides, it was her business to live in a fantasy world anyway.

She patted Betty’s back, telling the older lady that she could go on break, and took a seat in front of the computer. While the other three employees all enjoyed working the desk, Brandy found it to be the least fun.

Shelving books and talking to the people who came in was always a much better way to spend her day. If she hadn’t been working the desk during one of the others’ breaks the first time Jamie had come in, she might have missed him.

Instead, she had watched as he’d strolled through the front doors and right in her direction. New to town, he’d been riding around and had found the library. They had talked about what authors he liked and what genres interested him. Cam, one of her co-workers, had come back to man the desk and she had been able to show Jamie around—admiring him the entire time.

It wasn’t professional. However, a crush never hurt anyone. And she’d had to admit to herself during their first introduction that Jamie was all of her fantasies rolled into one man.

However, he seemed not to notice her attention, just like everyone else. Brandy knew she wasn’t an outright beauty such as Cam, or even Betty in her younger days. She had resigned herself that she would never be able to grab the attention of a man like Jamie.

Jamie had bad boy written all over him but it was his bright smile and sweet personality that moved him from pure desire to more. She’d gotten to know him pretty well and everything she’d learned made her dream of him more.

Shaking off her thoughts, she picked up a stack of newly returned paperbacks and started to log them into the computer.

She knew that Jamie would never see her the same way. If she were reading a romance, of course he would figure out that he couldn’t live without her any longer then sweep her off her feet. Sadly, real life was nothing like the pages of her favorite novel.

Or one that she wrote herself.

How surprised would he be if he ever learned that she wrote the hot, erotic romance series that he read? The first time he’d added one of her books to his check-out stack, she had been shocked.

She’d even wondered if he’d somehow figured out her pen name.

He must have mistaken her pause for something else, because he’d blushed and cleared his throat. “Don’t tell anyone,” he’d whispered.

She’d promised to keep his secret, wishing she could have shared her own.

No one other than her cousin and editor knew that she was the author of that hot, ridiculous, romantic detective series.

And that was the way she wanted it to stay. By hiding behind a false name, she could create her own world in which her daydreams were able to come true.

The newest installment had been released and she wondered if Jamie was aware of it. The books were kept in the over-eighteen curtained area. She was sure Jamie hadn’t made it back there yet.

Would he even recognize himself in the main character? Sure, she had changed some of his description and the name, but Drake Knight was every bit Jamie.

Writing some of the sex scenes had made Jamie’s visits even more interesting. There were times that he would say or do something she’d just written, so it was hard for her to keep fiction apart from reality.

Only the night before, she’d written a scene that had been so damn hot and sexy she’d brought herself off in the shower after she’d finished writing it, pictures of Jamie flashing in her mind every step of the way. She was getting hot remembering it. And she so didn’t need to be turned on at work.

So stop thinking about him.

Resolved to do just that, she returned to work. Losing herself in the familiar rhythm of her job duties, she let her mind wander.

A hand waved in front of her face. Jerking back, she dropped the hardback that she’d been scanning. The book landed on the desk with a heavy thud, drawing the attention of patrons close by.

Brandy blushed and fumbled to pick up the book. Jamie’s soft chuckle reached her and she shuddered. God, he was so attractive.

She added the volume to her finished pile then held out her hand for the titles he’d chosen.

Smirking, he handed them over. “I didn’t mean to startle you.”

“Ass,” she mumbled, smiling up at him.

He shrugged and nodded. “Not the worst thing I’ve ever been called.”

“I don’t even want to know,” she teased. She would actually love to know more about him. But that had to be tucked away in the make-believe part of their relationship.

“Probably not,” he agreed. “If you ever meet my two best friends, don’t believe a word they say.”

Brandy looked up quickly. What did that mean? Jamie must have realized what he’d said, because he immediately dropped his chin and shrugged. “You know, if they ever come here with me.”

“Sure.” She laughed but knew it fell flat. There was no way she would never meet any of Jamie’s friends. They weren’t a couple. Hell, they weren’t even friends. She was merely someone whom he saw every few weeks to pick up his reading material. He probably never thought about her.

With that depressing thought, she started scanning his books to the card he’d placed on top. Two spiritual titles, one at her suggestion, the new thriller that had been released, a history book about Lake Worth and one more. And yes, he had found her latest release.

It took all her willpower to keep from looking at him while she finished up. She placed her paperback at the bottom of the pile as he’d done then handed the stack back to him. “You know the rules. And I don’t think that I have to tell you to bring them back on time?”

“You know I’ll be early,” he said with a nod.

“I’ll see you then,” she told him.

His gaze met hers. For an instant, she thought she saw heat there. She blinked. Any signs of his attraction were gone, and she knew it was wishful thinking.

“See you soon.” Jamie patted the counter before spinning around and walking away.

Brandy continued to stare after him, even after the glass doors closed. Faintly, she heard the rev of his bike.

She’d had many dreams about riding behind him with her arms wrapped around his waist, pressing up close and securely to him. She would need to get started on the next chapter once she got home tonight.

Would Jamie be opposed to outdoor sex? Drake sure the hell wasn’t going to be after she finished with him. Giggling, she turned back to the books she needed to finish logging in.

Chapter Two

The bar wasn’t crowded. Sitting at a corner table with Cody and Zak insured they would have privacy no matter what. Jamie was the biggest out of the three men. However, Cody and Zak had their own threatening attributes.

The three of them had first become friends working for the Phoenix Police Department prior to the shifters of the world announcing their presence.

After Jamie had gotten himself in trouble with the Church for Humanity and had had to be rescued along with a wolf shifter, the three friends had started on a new track of life.

The wolf shifters had been battling the same madman as Jamie, but none of the shifters had been aware of one another. Now, thanks to the Coalition, information was shared and two branches of the Church were now destroyed. Jamie knew the wolf council was currently fighting against a third division in Texas and wished them the best.

Not only did the shifters have to deal with the religious nuts, but also in the last few months, more powerful enemies were becoming vocal.

Lately, the new threat to the shifters came from some very vocal senators and representatives of the United States. The concern about other shifters in different countries was that if the US was able to register shifters, the others would follow.

Jamie had no intention of going along with any registration. He wouldn’t even give anyone the private details of his shifting abilities. His species was one of the longest surviving in all of existence. He believed their secrecy was an advantage to remaining strong in numbers.

Of course, he could be wrong. It wasn’t as if he had family or a mentor to ask. Bear shifters were not known to group together like others. While shifter wolves, birds and felines banded together for safety, Jamie had never had that option.

Jamie had been on his own since he’d reached adulthood. His father had left not long after Jamie was born, and his mother had believed that mature offspring should make their own way in life.

The old traditions were still followed by bear shifters. His upbringing was much different than any other shifter species he’d met.

But Jamie didn’t mind. Sure, he got lonely, and seeing how strong the bond was with other species, he found himself envious, but all in all he was a pretty happy guy.

He had a great job and wonderful friends. His two best friends were currently arguing about the merits of Cody moving into his girlfriend Aubrey’s house, or Cody and Aubrey finding a new place.

Jamie just listened, amused by their bantering and candidness.

“It’s hers,” Cody argued. “I want something that belongs to both of us.”

“You want a place where you know she didn’t fuck Adrian,” Zak countered.

Cody scowled, and Jamie lifted his beer to hide his grin.

“What does Aubrey say?” Jamie asked.

He admired Cody’s girlfriend. She was also a falcon shifter like Cody. During their first meet, he had wanted to make sure that she was the right woman for his friend.

Aubrey had proved to be Cody’s match in every way, a perfect woman for his buddy. Jamie envied him that.

“She says she’ll move if that’s what I really want, although she thinks it’s stupid. She likes her house and it’s paid for,” Cody confided.

“You’re not going anywhere,” Jamie told him.

Cody shook his head while Zak snorted. There was no doubt in Jamie’s mind that Cody would give up his quest to get Aubrey to move out of her house.

Cody and Aubrey had a long history together. Long before Cody had joined the military, they’d been together in their younger days. He’d left Aubrey, breaking her heart, and his own.

After they’d met again a few years later, it was due to Cody’s work at the Coalition.

Aubrey’s Cast leader had been killed and Cody had been put in charge of the investigation. Added to the fact that Aubrey’s ex was the new Cast leader and Cody’s number one suspect, a lot of drama had followed them at the time.

Luckily, it had all worked out personally and professionally. Cody’s division, the Birds of Prey, had solved the case.

Now Aubrey was in business with her best friend as a private investigator and had joined Cody’s flock, leaving her Cast and ex behind.

“He’s right, man,” Zak said without sympathy. “You’re so whipped it doesn’t matter what Aubrey does ’cause you’ll give in.”

Jamie hadn’t meant it like that and he knew Zak truly didn’t believe his own words. But it was fun giving their committed friend some shit. Zak was as single as Jamie was, although while Jamie secretly craved a partner, it was common knowledge Zak did not intend to settle down.

“So is Aubrey meeting us?” Jamie asked, changing the subject as Cody tried to hit Zak for his comment.

Cody straightened in his chair, glaring at Zak. “Yeah, she wanted to pick your brain about her latest case.”

Jamie nodded. Since he’d become good friends with Aubrey, she often asked his opinion. He liked that she trusted his instincts.

“Did you catch the governor’s press conference?” Zak asked them.

“Yeah, what a pile of shit,” Cody said.

“I missed it,” Jamie said. He’d actually been busy letting a sexy, sweet librarian tempt him during the conference. “But I caught the highlights on the evening news.”