Brash Bear: BBW Bear Shifter Paranormal Romance (BRIDES fur BEARS Book 3) Read Online Free PDF Page B

was the shy, reserved woman he saw at
his brother's wedding last night. Under that demure, quiet demeanor
was a hot-blooded, passionate woman. And damn, he seemed to know
just how to push her buttons.
    Beneath her anger he saw her
roiling, simmering desire and hunger. She was angry and aroused, and
she was leaning ever so slightly towards, not away from him.
    She wanted to touch him. Her
hands were trembling at her sides and she had to clench them into
fists to stop herself from pressing against his chest.
    He was right about her. She
built a tough, cool outer shell around herself, but her center was
molten fire. There was passion and fire in her eyes and her hot,
little body was quivering with both rage and lust.
    “Bella...” he
growled.
    She took a shuddering breath
and closed her eyes for a moment. “You got the job,” she
whispered at last and stepped away.
    Joshua reached for her but
she twisted away with a wince. “What?”
    “I'd like Beck's
Builders to do up my house,” she said in a clearer, stronger
voice. “I'd be grateful if you could quote me a good price for
the job. I can't afford...”
    “We'll give you our
best price,” Nick said, looking from Joshua to her. His blue
eyes narrowed as he studied them both intently and suspiciously. But
Nick was careful not to let his suspicion and unhappiness show.
Replacing his frown with a pleasant smile, Nick ushered Bella to the
dining table and said, “Let's sit down and discuss the details.
I'll go through exactly what we'll do and you can let me know your
budget...”
    Bella nodded and released the
breath she had been holding. “Yes. Thank you. Let's do
that.”
    Joshua watched them sit down
at the dining table with a pen and some paper. Nick began to talk
and gesture animatedly as he explained the work that needed to be
done to her house. He couldn't see Bella's expression but her back
was ramrod straight. She murmured and nodded once or twice.
    Grinding his teeth, Joshua
tried to concentrate on repairing the lock on her front door. But
his eyes kept darting to her. He found himself staring at the
tendrils of auburn hair that clung to her nape. She had her red
curls piled high on her head and she was wearing a flowing cotton
dress that molded to her generous, womanly figure.
    Joshua glared at Nick. The
guy seemed to be enjoying himself in her company, chatting, joking
and laughing with her. Joshua watched him like a hawk, but Nick's
eyes never wandered lower. He kept his gaze on Bella's face and
didn't feast his eyes on her delectable bosom. Good for him. Joshua
would hate to go bear on Nick and gouge out his eyes.
    Nick stood up and shook
Bella's hand just as Damien came bounding out from the back of the
house. “All done,” Damien announced. “You can
sleep like a baby tonight, Bella. I guarantee that no one will be
able to break your locks.”
    Joshua checked his own work
and nodded in satisfaction. Yep, these locks were solid.
    “But of course, someone
could still smash her windows unless we put grills on them,”
Damien deadpanned.
    Joshua saw both Damien and
Nick watching his reaction closely. Damien was testing him. The sly
bugger had said that just to provoke him.
    Joshua turned to Bella and
asked professionally, “Do you want to install grills over your
windows, Bella?”
    She shook her head. “I
don't think that will be necessary.”
    Damien raised a brow at
Joshua as he twirled the hammer expertly like a baton. “Well,
she's the boss. We always respect the client's wishes, don't we,
Josh?” he taunted.
    Joshua didn't answer.
Instead, he slammed the lid of his toolbox shut and walked out.

CHAPTER
FOURTEEN

    Bella finished brushing her
teeth and flicked off the toilet light. She stood at the foot of her
bed and glanced up at the ceiling. The water stain was getting
bigger, and bits of plaster and old paint littered the floor.
    She planted her hands on her
hips and huffed. Joshua had told her, no, ordered her not to sleep
in her bedroom.