Bare Instincts: A BBW Paranormal Bear Shifter Romance Read Online Free Page A

drunk, the smart thing would have been to ask Wade to chauffeur him for the night. “You should have thought of that before you got stinking drunk.”
    “Stinking drunk?” his voice escalated. “I’ve only had a few drinks. I’m good.”
    He swung his leg over the seat. The man was too huge for her to pull off. “You’re in no shape to be on your bike.”
    Tasha didn’t want to come off as a buzzkill, but the man could hurt not only himself but someone else. ‘Friends don’t let friends drive drunk’ flashed in her mind.
    “What kind of bike is this?” she asked. Her goal was to distract him enough to get the key away from him.
    “Only the best hog on the road.” He stuck the key in the ignition, making her goal harder. “It’s a Softtail Deluxe. You like it?”
    “It’s a beautiful bike. Would be a shame to wreck it.” She ran her hand over the engine casing and quickly yanked the key from the ignition.
    “Hey,” Burke shouted.
    That was kind of fun in a sick sort of way. She strode back to her car, believing he’d follow. The next thing she heard was a loud crash and a lot of cursing. She whipped around. Oh, shit, Burke was on the ground with the bike on top of him. “Oh, my God.”
    She raced to help. If she turned into her bear form, she might be able to lift the bike, but she hadn’t shifted in forever. She looked around for someone strong, but before she’d taken more than a couple of steps toward the bar entrance, Burke slid out from underneath the bike.
    He dusted himself off and righted his Softail Deluxe. “I’m good, but maybe I should take you up on that ride.”
    That made her chuckle, partly from the relief of not having to locate someone to help. “Sure, biker boy.”
    Burke appeared to have sobered up a bit after that. The fall must have shaken some sense into him. She showed him to her car, but this time she didn’t wrap her arm around his waist. Every time she touched him, her body reacted too much.
    Burke was quiet on the way to her house. She understood why he didn’t want to distress his parents by showing up in his condition, but they’d have to assume he hadn’t been in the best of shape if he didn’t come home until the wee hours of the morning.
    Ugh. That meant she’d have to drive him the four miles back to town for his bike once she pumped him full of sobering coffee, but that scenario was better than having her neighbors see a man come out of her house early in the morning.
    “What will you tell your mom? That you’re staying with Wade?” She definitely didn’t need him to mention that he’d stayed at her place, especially since Mr. Devereaux was her father’s Beta.
    “No can do. Wade’s at his parents’ house. My folks would find out.”
    Well, shit. She didn’t need people to think they’d hooked up. His reputation wouldn’t be good for hers. She read stories to little kids and worked in the library, but she didn’t have much choice at this point.
    Thank goodness, it was dark by the time she pulled into her driveway. The most difficult part was getting him inside and onto the sofa. He kept saying he was fine, but he most definitely was not.
    “I’ll make us some coffee.” She could use some, too. The start of a headache was brewing.
    She’d just measured out the grounds when he ambled into the kitchen. “I want to thank you for being so nice.” His words sounded a bit clearer.
    “You’re welcome.” Now, please, sit down so I don’t have to see your handsome face and incredibly strong body.
    Burke leaned against the counter. “You have pretty eyes.”
    He so didn’t say that. Then again, he was drunk. “Burke, how about going into the living room? I’ll bring the coffee out when it’s ready.”
    He moved close and her heart skipped a beat. From the way his lips had parted and his eyes were half closed, he looked like he was about to kiss her. That wasn’t good. She should be pointing to the living room and demanding he move away, but