A Baby for the Bear (Wylde Brothers 1)

It was too early for the tech to be able to tell from the bone structure and internal organs whether the baby would be an ocelot or bear shifter, but she hoped he took what she said in stride. It was going to be hard telling him, but it had to be done.

“Yeah, that sounds good. When and where would you like to meet?”

He rattled off a small café that specialized in soups and sandwiches, and after he told her what time to meet him, in just a few short hours, they hung up. Well, this was really going to happen, so she might as well put on her big girl panties, grow a pair of balls, and get it over with.

Two hours later and Ary was pulling into an empty parking spot at J&A’s. The little café was relatively quiet, something she was thankful for. Turning off the car and just sitting there for a moment to get her bearings, she listened to the sound of the engine cooling. The click, click, click filled the interior with the rhythmic noise.

There was no sign of Charlie’s Harley, and aside from a large truck and a few cars, the place was pretty barren. Climbing out of the car, she made her way inside.

The hostess who stood behind her little podium glanced up and gave her a thorough onceover. The scent of the hostess being a leopard shifter permeated the air the closer she got, as well as the fact that she was displeased by Ary’s presence. Oh, there was no doubt the leopard knew Ary could sense her emotions, but clearly she didn’t care.

“May I help you?” One perfectly shaped brown eyebrow lifted in question.

“Yes, well, I’m actually waiting to meet someone. I don’t think he’s here yet—”

“Ary.” The sound of her name coming from Charlie right behind her had a shiver working up her spine.

The hostess wrinkled her nose, but when she looked over Ary’s shoulder at Charlie, a mega-watt smile covered her face. “Mr. Wylde. It is so pleasant to see you again. The same table?” Her presence completely forgotten by the hostess, something she was accustomed to, February took a step to the side and turned to look at Charlie. Good freaking Lord did he look good.

His distressed jeans hung low on his hips, and the T-shirt he wore was form-fitting. She could make out every dip and hollow of his muscular chest, and the fact that she knew what the bear looked like naked had all sorts of dirty images rushing through her mind.

He took her hand before she could make a move, and the air turned icy as a blast of the frigid coldness rushed at her from the hostess. She glanced over at her, and saw the narrowed-eyed look she was shooting at Ary. That obviously made her uncomfortable, but she wouldn’t be intimidated.

Charlie gave her hand a squeeze and addressed the hostess. “No, Lauren, I’ve already taken a table outside. I want a little privacy for my date and me.” Heat rose to her face at the fact that he considered this a date. A tingle of pleasure shot through Ary that he clearly wasn’t affected by the hostess.

He didn’t wait for a response, just kept hold of her hand and took her outside. The patio was surrounded by a stone wall that offered privacy in an almost intimate manner.

There was one other couple seated outside, but they were far enough away from the table Charlie led them to that she wasn’t worried about being overheard. After they took their seat, a young waiter stopped by, and they gave him their drink orders. She opened up the menu but wasn’t hungry. Her stomach felt like it was in knots for what she was going to have to tell him.

“Have you ever been here before?” he asked her.

She glanced up at him. He was scanning the menu and after only a minute of looking at it closed it and set it aside. “Not since they had the reopening,” she replied.

He nodded but didn’t respond, since the waiter chose that moment to set their drinks in front of them.

“Have you decided on what you’d like to order?” The waiter looked between them. He was a cute human male, but she could sense his interest leaning more toward Charlie. That had her smiling, which in turn made him look at her quizzically.

She closed her menu and handed it to the waiter. “I’ll just take a chicken Caesar salad, please.” She wasn’t hungry, but she also didn’t want to be rude or seem like she was one of those girls who couldn’t eat in front of a guy. If Ary was anything, it was not shy to eat around people.

Charlie invited her to lunch, and maybe if she forced herself to eat something, the tightening dread in her stomach would ease.