A Burn To Bear (Fire Bear Shifters Book 3) by Sloane Meyers Read Free Book Online Page A

out.
    Luke had already climbed back into the SUV. His face was blurred and distorted by the rain running down the windows of both of their vehicles, but River could still see the smile he flashed at her when she gave him a quick thumbs up. Her stomach filled with butterflies, and her automatic reaction was to tell herself not to think of him in a sexual way because it was too soon. But she caught herself, and gave herself a pep talk out loud as she put the Jeep in drive.
    “Enough with the stupid rules, River,” she told herself. “Just have fun, and give Luke a chance. If he wants to kiss you, then let him give you a damn kiss.”
    River’s cheeks turned warm at the thought of Luke’s lips on her lips. She couldn’t bring herself to say it out loud, but she knew that she wanted more than just his lips. She wanted his arms around her, his skin against her skin, and his body in her body. She had always denied herself any kind of physical relationship with a guy until after several dates, but she had never felt so strongly attracted to anyone before. Some kind of primal force drew her to Luke. She wanted him, and she could tell that he wanted her, too.
    She hadn’t given up on her desire for a relationship and romance. She still wanted more than just a quick fling. But her rollercoaster of emotions since she’d met Luke had made her realize that all of her dating rules didn’t account for the possibility of love at first sight. And River was quickly realizing that she had loved Luke since the moment she met him. She should have listened to her initial gut reaction about Luke. It sounded crazy, but she knew somewhere deep down that they were meant to be together. From the way he acted around her, she was willing to bet that Luke felt the same way.
    And she had a feeling that she was about to find out exactly how he felt.

Chapter Six
    The rain kept coming as River pulled into her apartment complex. She parked in a spot with an open spot right next to her, so that Luke could pull in beside her. She hopped out of her vehicle, not caring that she was getting a fresh dose of rainwater as she did. She was already soaked through, so what difference did it make? Luke got out of his vehicle as well, squinting his eyes against the downpour.
    “I think we should still wait to move the bookshelf,” he said. “The rain is still coming down so fast that it will get soaked even on the short walk to the building.”
    River nodded. “I agree. Do you want to come up and hang out for a bit, and see if it stops? I have pie,” she teased.
    “One of Riley’s pies?” Luke asked. River nodded, and Luke grinned. “Well, I would be an idiot to pass up a Sweet Crust pie, now wouldn’t I? Lead the way.”
    River grinned back at Luke. She knew they both had a sneaking suspicion that pie was not going to be the highlight of the evening. River quickly opened the passenger door to grab the pie from inside the Jeep. Then she took off at a brisk walk toward her apartment building, with Luke close behind her. They raced up the stairs to her third floor apartment, drenched but laughing. River fumbled with her keys for a moment, and finally got the door open. She stepped inside, thankful that entryway had vinyl tile instead of carpet. Water was running down both of their bodies like little streams.
    In the year and a half that River had lived in this particular apartment, she had never had a man over. She felt suddenly self-conscious about the small, plain look of her place. The apartment was a tiny one bedroom of about five hundred square feet. She had a small couch and a folding table for a dining room table. Her television sat on the floor because she had never bothered to buy a TV stand. She always kept the place neat and clean, but she hadn’t decorated that much. Stacks of books were piled in neat rows against the walls. River blushed, realizing that Luke’s gift of a bookshelf had been more appropriate than he realized.
    “Sorry, it’s