#MWTease from my #NaNoWriMo wip The Bear Project

It's that time of the week again. For my mid week tease this week I thought I'd visit my Nano wip. Originally called Claimed by her Bear, this has morphed into a follow up to The Orgasm Project, as my heroine's work colleague back in London is none other than Maria, who readers will have met in The Orgasm Project.

Yep, I didn't see that coming either, until she announced herself, and in her inimitable fashion she will ensure that Cole and Emmi will get their HEA in this book. The current plan is that Maria will get her story in book three, which will be The Mating Project.

Yep, my muse is on a shifter run it seems.

Anyhoo, onto your tease.

This is the start of the story - enjoy...

"If he keeps you waiting, he's not worth waiting for, sugar."

The deep southern drawl wrapped itself around Emmi and the rest of the crowded bar faded into the background. The man, that sinful voice belonged to, caged her in against the counter, one muscular arm either side of her, until she had to inch forward on her stool to avoid contact. The heat of his body seeped into her back through the thin cotton of her summer dress, and puffs of hot air raised gooseflesh on her skin, when he bent his head and inhaled sharply against her neck.

His scent surrounded her. Earthy, virile, intoxicating, he smelled of tobacco and leather, and that indefinable something that had Emmi's body react as though she was a cat on heat.

What the hell is that about?                                     

"Hmm, delicious." A rumble came from the stranger's chest and trembled through every fiber of Emmi's being. By rights she ought to be outraged by this invasion into her personal space, not fight her body's instincts to lean into this man and take what he offered. Sexual tension hung heavy between them, and Emmi raised the glass of Bourbon she'd been nursing for the last half an hour in a white knuckled grip, and drained the whole lot in one go.

Fire burnt her gullet and she barely heard the man whistle through his teeth.

"Steady there, sugar. That there will put hair on your chest." He chuckled softly and Emmi finally found some of her usual spunk.

"Good, then maybe people like you will leave me alone."

Shit, was that breathy squeak coming out of her mouth really her voice?

"Oh, sugar, you don't want me to leave you alone, now, do you? I've been watching you for the last half hour, as have several others in this establishment. It's clear you don't want to be here, so whoever the jerk is that—"

"There is no jerk, okay." Emmi spun round as far as his close proximity would allow, and swallowed hard. The man looming over her had to be at least six foot five of tightly packed muscled bad boy, packaged into tight, faded denim jeans, and a simple white tee that left nothing to the imagination. Several days' worth of stubble graced a jaw so chiseled it looked as though it could cut glass, and his eyes… Liquid chocolate dipped in the rays of the setting sun, they held her captive and Emmi had to remind herself to keep breathing.

Yet, this wasn't a pretty boy—far from it. This man oozed confidence and sex appeal with muscles clearly honed from hours of hard labor rather than time spent at the gym, and right now all his attention was solely focused on her.

He smiled, showing a set of even white teeth in a startling contrast to the deep tan of his skin. The crinkle lines around his eyes were testament to the fact that he smiled often, and there was devilish glint in his eyes now. He reached out and tugged the hairband out of her hair, as though it was his god given right to touch her and then twirled one long finger around a strand, lifted it to his nose and inhaled again.

"He's just what, sugar?"

Again that sinful smile when she drew a shuddering breath into her lungs and yanked her hair out of his grasp.

"Do you mind? And I have a name. Stop calling me sugar. My name is Emmi. I'm not a damn confectionary, stud."

His eyebrows rose and then he laughed. A full, deep, belly laugh that made several of the other patrons of the bar stop what they were doing and look toward them. Emmi wanted the ground to swallow her up. This was the last thing she needed. More attention drawn to herself. The root of all her troubles stopped rubbing herself against her next conquest, and sauntered over to them, her six inch heels click clacking along the dusty wooden floor.

She put a hand on the man's bicep and his amusement fled in an instant.

"Not like you, Cole, to slum it? She looks a right prissy to me. What'cha think ya'all?"

She pushed her tits out and demanded the attention of seemingly every man in the room.

Emmi bristled inside at that comment. She might not flaunt her wares for all to see, like this heavily made up brunette, but she was certainly not prissy. Then again, compared to the woman who'd had wild monkey sex in the toilets causing Emmi to miss her bus, and get stuck in this little hicky town in the middle of nowhere, perhaps Emmi was more conservative.

Before she could say anything in response though, Cole growled low in his throat. It was a sound not unlike that of a wild animal, and the other woman's eyes widened and she took a step back and away from them.

"Take it easy, there, Cole. Just having a bit of fun, that's all."           

"I'd have thought you'd had enough fun for one day." Emmi said. She was damned if she sat here and be found lacking by the town slut. Not that Emmi knew that's what the sorry excuse for a female was, but there had been an exchange of money in the toilets after said wild sex, so it seemed entirely reasonable to assume that Emmi was looking at the resident whore.

Instead of being annoyed, however, the other woman just laughed.

"Oh, it was you hiding in that cubicle, was it? Did you learn something?" She blew a bubble with the chewing gum she'd been diligently chewing the whole time, blew Cole a kiss and sashayed back to her latest victim.

"Oh, the nerve of that woman." Emmi ground the words out through clenched teeth, irritated beyond belief that Cole was once again grinning down on her.

"What's so damn funny? If she wants to strut her stuff, she could at least take herself off to a room somewhere, instead of giving decent folks a heart attack when they're just…" She couldn't quite bring herself to say pee in front of him, so she just clamped her mouth shut and glared at him.

"So, let me get that straight, sugar." His grin deepened when she groaned at the renewed use of that irritating moniker. "You were in the toilets when Dolly serviced her latest client, and you hid?"

Heat crept into Emmi's cheeks under his amused regard, and she crossed her arms to stop herself from wiping that arrogant smirk off his far too handsome face. There should be a law against men that appealing, finding you in such embarrassing circumstances.

"Well, what else was I to do. It didn't seem polite to interrupt them."

(unedited so forgive any mistakes)

Have I got you intrigued?

*chuckles*

These two will end burning the pages, I tell you!

Do check out the others fabulous authors teasing today.