Read an Excerpt
CHAPTER 1
Jamie Ward pulled his Harley up in front of the Lake Worth Public Library and parked in the first space. It was rare for him to have a full weekend off, but he'd managed to get both Saturday and Sunday free.
After spending the day catching up on house chores and shopping, he was now prepared to spend his Sunday the way he wanted.
First up was hitting the place for some new books. He could have gone to one of the three major book retailers but he much preferred atmosphere of the old building and the helpful employees.
Plus the library actually had a better selection. More diverse anyway. Instead of stocking up on only the bestsellers, like the chain stores, here a little bit of everything was available. It was interesting to him that such a small, county-funded business would be able to provide him with anything he wanted.
After he'd moved to Lake Worth from Phoenix, he'd taken his bike around to check out his new neighborhood. He'd spotted the old, worn brick building and had felt the strong urge to go inside.
One visit had turned into two then three, and now he was a regular patron.
Jamie swung his leg off the bike and stood, stretching. Even though it was officially the end of summer, the heat was still stifling at ten in the morning.
As he reached the entrance, a young woman exited the structure with a small boy. It didn't surprise him that she steered the youngster as far away from him as possible.
As a big guy, Jamie's size was enough to make most people apprehensive of him, but add in his numerous tats and piercings, and he literally scared people.
He hadn't been going after that reaction when he'd first started his markings. Well, that wasn't completely honest. His appearance did a lot to help keep criminals in their place. Since he'd accepted his new position at the Shifter Coalition as the leader of the Black Bear Division, he'd used his looks several times to intimidate suspects.
He was proud of his body art. However, he didn't want others to feel uncomfortable. So he hung back, stuffing his hands in his jeans, letting the woman and child pass without trouble. After they'd reached the stairs, he moved into the dark, cool entry.
Arriving so early on a Sunday, he knew he wouldn't have to deal with too many other people. He liked this time of day. He could browse to his heart's content and see what great new finds he could pick up.
Since he knew the entire layout by memory, Jamie first headed to the new release section. He leafed through the shelf, picking up and disregarding one book after another until he settled on the latest thriller from a popular author.
Jamie enjoyed reading the writer's work, even if the middle of his books were rather dull. The beginning and ending of each story always made up for the boring chapters.
Tucking the hardback under his arm, he turned and almost collided into one of the rolling carts.
"Sorry," the woman pushing exclaimed. "I didn't think you were done yet."
Jamie looked up and grinned. And there was the other reason he chose the library instead of the city bookstores.
Most of the staff had gotten used to him and all were friendly enough but the woman in front of him was by far his favorite employee.
She'd welcomed him on his first visit then had shown him around. Jamie always made a habit of stopping by whatever section she was stocking and talking to her for a few minutes.
"Brandy," he said cheerfully. "How are you?"
A smile bloomed across her face. "I'm great. Yesterday was hectic, so there are more books to put back than normal, but it was a fun day. Well worth the extra work now."
Jamie shifted a little closer. Even though Brandy had been kind and open, Jamie always tried to keep his distance. She might not seem intimidated by him but he didn't know for sure. He would have flirted with her on more than one occasion except he was certain he wasn't her type.
A pretty and smart girl, Brandy could do a lot better than the likes of him. Still, he would enjoy her company every chance he got.
Had she moved closer to him, or was it his imagination? Giving himself a minute to gather his composure, he glanced around the small section where they stood. His gaze fell on the poster of children sitting around in a reading circle.
Brandy's project! He wanted to smack himself. "So the reading went well?" Jamie had forgotten that on Saturdays the library had started a children's reading program.
Brandy had been so excited about it and it was all she'd talked about on his last few visits. If he had remembered, he would have stopped by and shown his support.
"Yes! We had fifteen kids show up and all of them ended up checking out at least one book. All the parents enjoyed the break and said they would be back for the next one," she said.
"That's awesome. All your hard work really paid off."
She blushed, which was as cute as anything he had ever seen. "Your suggestions on where to hang the notices around the neighborhood really helped. Over half of the adults told us they had seen the flyers."
"That's good." Jamie was glad his suggestions had worked. Since he constantly watched his surroundings, he'd noticed where children seemed to hang out. "I'm glad."
"It's so important that kids get the chance to visit. Most of the parents in the area can't afford the high prices at the chain stores and now they know they can come here for free."
Brandy was practically bouncing on the balls of her feet with happiness. Jamie's heart swelled. In his world, he saw so much ugliness. Brandy was a breath of fresh air to a hardened man like himself.
"I wish you could have seen how excited everyone was."
Jamie made a mental note to drop by the next reading circle, no matter what. He'd have to stay back to make sure he didn't upset the kids or their parents, but he wanted to see Brandy in her element. "Me too."
"So enough about that. What are you looking for today?"
Jamie held up the book he'd chosen. "I was just browsing. I'm about to head over to the north section. I looked up some books on spirituality and I wanted to see if you had any in stock."
"Oh, cool." Brandy shoved the overflowing cart of books to the side and motioned for him to follow her. "Actually, we have several new titles that I've put out in the last couple of weeks. And I think there is one that you have to read. I finished it in one night. I couldn't put it down."
Jamie followed her through the long rows of bookcases, listening to her speak in quiet but animated tones. It didn't matter who the author was or whether he was interested in the book, he would check it out to keep that brightness in her eyes.
Rounding a corner, Brandy paused to let another patron pass and Jamie didn't miss the onceover the guy gave her. She didn't notice the man's attention. Brandy smiled politely, still talking to Jamie, and he had to work to keep the smirk off his face.
She seemed really little next to Jaime's large frame. His protective instincts always screamed around her, and one reason was her small stature. Compared to his extremely big build, he guessed she was about five foot six or so, but her slenderness made her appear even more delicate.
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 2
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.
(Continues…)
Excerpted from "Bear Claw"
by .
Copyright © 2014 Crissy Smith.
Excerpted by permission of Totally Entwined Group Limited.
All rights reserved. No part of this excerpt may be reproduced or reprinted without permission in writing from the publisher.
Excerpts are provided by Dial-A-Book Inc. solely for the personal use of visitors to this web site.
