Bear Naked
Page 10
What would she do if he left?
“No. Don’t feel bad.” He put his hand on hers, his blue eyes going brown for an instant as his Bear peeked out at her. “Don’t feel bad. I should have known why you kept pushing me away.”
“Oh really? Like I go around telling people I have abandonment issues.” Glory rolled her eyes.
He used his chopsticks to pick up a bit of General Tso’s and held it to her lips. “I still should have known.”
“I hate to tell you this, but you aren’t Super Bear.” She laughed. “Hell, even Super Bear didn’t know, okay?”
“Then I want to know. Tell me everything.”
Glory sighed. “Wonderful first date topic. You really know how to show a girl a good time.”
He froze, his expression stricken before it closed off. “You’re right. We should keep things light—”
She covered his lips with her finger. “Damn it. Don’t look like that.” She pouted at him. “How long have we known each other?”
“Close to a year.”
From the wary way he answered she was willing to bet he knew down to the day, but didn’t want to seem like a stalker. Which he totally was. “You said you wanted me to ask you anything, but the truth is you want the same.” He nodded, still wary. “Then do it. Ask. I’ll tell you if you go too far.”
“You mean it?”
“Have I ever said something I didn’t mean?”
“I refuse to answer that on the grounds that I may be incinerated.” He popped a bite of General Tso’s in her mouth when she opened it to reply. “All right. Back and forth?”
She tilted her head. “You mean, I ask you something, then you ask me?”
“One for one, with the caveat that we can say no with no hard feelings.”
She thought about that for a moment, but she couldn’t see a downside. “That’s fair.”
He held out his hand. “It’s a deal, then.” She smiled and took his hand, ready to shake, but instead he tugged her forward and planted a soft kiss on her mouth. “Go ahead, sweetheart. Ask me something.”
She licked her lips, the spice from his dinner mingling with the sweetness of hers. “Um.” Her brain had completely blanked out at the touch of his lips.
He gave her that smug, knowing smile that made her want to beat him with a sledgehammer…or ride him like a pony. She hadn’t decided yet. “What’s wrong? Bear got your tongue?”
The sledgehammer was winning. “What’s it like having to call Alex boss? You know—” she leaned in closer and ran her finger down his arm, “—having to do every little thing he tells you to.”
“Do I want to know what’s going through your head, or should I just assume it’s dirty and try not to picture it?” He shuddered when she wagged her brows. “Ugh. Really?” He grimaced. “I’d rather…” His gaze went dreamy. “Oh. Cyn is your boss. Can I picture—”
She hit him. Hard.
“All righty then.” Ryan rubbed his chest absently, ignoring Glory as she shook the pain out of her hand. His chest was a lot harder than she’d thought. “First off, I don’t call Bunny boss. I call his dad boss, remember? Bunny doesn’t own the business. Besides, odds are good it will be Eric who becomes the owner of Bunsun Exteriors. Bunny wants to run the East Coast operations, but our home base is still in Oregon.” He picked up her sore hand and kissed it.
“But didn’t Alex say they might be moving it here?”
Ryan nodded. “Yeah, but I don’t know if the whole business will, or just the family.”
“I can’t see one going without the other.” She took another bite of food.
“True. Maybe they will move out here, but either way Alex and I will be staying here, where you and Cyn are.” He smiled. “My turn. Tell me about your family.”
“I have two sisters and a brother. Hope disappeared when I was sixteen. Temperance is my older brother—”
“Temperance? Poor bastard. Who names their son that?”
“My asshole dad, who wanted us all named after virtues. Faith is my younger sister. She should be about Heather’s age.”
“Speaking of which, Heather is working out, right? She’s been really happy coming into the shop.”
Glory grinned. “That kid is going to own her own shop someday. She’s really good, Ryan, and she’s scary-smart. I’m glad Cyn offered her a job.”
“Me too, no matter what Eric says. I’ve never seen her so happy before, and she’s coming out of her shell a little more every day.” He kissed her hand again. “Thank you for that.”
She blushed. “I haven’t done anything.”
“You’ve done more than you know.” He picked up his carton and began eating again. “Your turn.”
She bit her lip and asked the one thing that she’d always wondered about. “Why me?”
“Besides the fact that your scent fills my head, your voice sends shivers down my spine and your smile makes the sun shine?”
“I…guess.” Oh, he was good.
Ryan kissed her again. “I like you, more than you know. You’re funny, brave, smart and beautiful and you’re not afraid to fight for your loved ones. You’re not perfect—” for a second she almost felt insulted, “—but I like your quirks just as much as your strengths.”
“Fine.” She bit her lip, unbearably touched. “You get a second date.”
Ryan just smiled and fed her another bite of food.
“Oh, I’ve been meaning to thank you.”
“For what?” Ryan was watching her, his blue eyes blending with the brown of his Bear.
“The presents.”
Ryan’s stillness frightened her, but his question terrified her. “What presents?”
Glory took a deep breath. “Shit. You didn’t leave me champagne and roses this morning, did you?”
“No.” And his blue eyes were now completely brown, fangs peeking out from under his lip. “I didn’t.”
“Then who did?” Because now she was creeped the hell out. Someone had been watching her closely enough to figure out what her favorite things were without her knowing about it.
“No. Don’t feel bad.” He put his hand on hers, his blue eyes going brown for an instant as his Bear peeked out at her. “Don’t feel bad. I should have known why you kept pushing me away.”
“Oh really? Like I go around telling people I have abandonment issues.” Glory rolled her eyes.
He used his chopsticks to pick up a bit of General Tso’s and held it to her lips. “I still should have known.”
“I hate to tell you this, but you aren’t Super Bear.” She laughed. “Hell, even Super Bear didn’t know, okay?”
“Then I want to know. Tell me everything.”
Glory sighed. “Wonderful first date topic. You really know how to show a girl a good time.”
He froze, his expression stricken before it closed off. “You’re right. We should keep things light—”
She covered his lips with her finger. “Damn it. Don’t look like that.” She pouted at him. “How long have we known each other?”
“Close to a year.”
From the wary way he answered she was willing to bet he knew down to the day, but didn’t want to seem like a stalker. Which he totally was. “You said you wanted me to ask you anything, but the truth is you want the same.” He nodded, still wary. “Then do it. Ask. I’ll tell you if you go too far.”
“You mean it?”
“Have I ever said something I didn’t mean?”
“I refuse to answer that on the grounds that I may be incinerated.” He popped a bite of General Tso’s in her mouth when she opened it to reply. “All right. Back and forth?”
She tilted her head. “You mean, I ask you something, then you ask me?”
“One for one, with the caveat that we can say no with no hard feelings.”
She thought about that for a moment, but she couldn’t see a downside. “That’s fair.”
He held out his hand. “It’s a deal, then.” She smiled and took his hand, ready to shake, but instead he tugged her forward and planted a soft kiss on her mouth. “Go ahead, sweetheart. Ask me something.”
She licked her lips, the spice from his dinner mingling with the sweetness of hers. “Um.” Her brain had completely blanked out at the touch of his lips.
He gave her that smug, knowing smile that made her want to beat him with a sledgehammer…or ride him like a pony. She hadn’t decided yet. “What’s wrong? Bear got your tongue?”
The sledgehammer was winning. “What’s it like having to call Alex boss? You know—” she leaned in closer and ran her finger down his arm, “—having to do every little thing he tells you to.”
“Do I want to know what’s going through your head, or should I just assume it’s dirty and try not to picture it?” He shuddered when she wagged her brows. “Ugh. Really?” He grimaced. “I’d rather…” His gaze went dreamy. “Oh. Cyn is your boss. Can I picture—”
She hit him. Hard.
“All righty then.” Ryan rubbed his chest absently, ignoring Glory as she shook the pain out of her hand. His chest was a lot harder than she’d thought. “First off, I don’t call Bunny boss. I call his dad boss, remember? Bunny doesn’t own the business. Besides, odds are good it will be Eric who becomes the owner of Bunsun Exteriors. Bunny wants to run the East Coast operations, but our home base is still in Oregon.” He picked up her sore hand and kissed it.
“But didn’t Alex say they might be moving it here?”
Ryan nodded. “Yeah, but I don’t know if the whole business will, or just the family.”
“I can’t see one going without the other.” She took another bite of food.
“True. Maybe they will move out here, but either way Alex and I will be staying here, where you and Cyn are.” He smiled. “My turn. Tell me about your family.”
“I have two sisters and a brother. Hope disappeared when I was sixteen. Temperance is my older brother—”
“Temperance? Poor bastard. Who names their son that?”
“My asshole dad, who wanted us all named after virtues. Faith is my younger sister. She should be about Heather’s age.”
“Speaking of which, Heather is working out, right? She’s been really happy coming into the shop.”
Glory grinned. “That kid is going to own her own shop someday. She’s really good, Ryan, and she’s scary-smart. I’m glad Cyn offered her a job.”
“Me too, no matter what Eric says. I’ve never seen her so happy before, and she’s coming out of her shell a little more every day.” He kissed her hand again. “Thank you for that.”
She blushed. “I haven’t done anything.”
“You’ve done more than you know.” He picked up his carton and began eating again. “Your turn.”
She bit her lip and asked the one thing that she’d always wondered about. “Why me?”
“Besides the fact that your scent fills my head, your voice sends shivers down my spine and your smile makes the sun shine?”
“I…guess.” Oh, he was good.
Ryan kissed her again. “I like you, more than you know. You’re funny, brave, smart and beautiful and you’re not afraid to fight for your loved ones. You’re not perfect—” for a second she almost felt insulted, “—but I like your quirks just as much as your strengths.”
“Fine.” She bit her lip, unbearably touched. “You get a second date.”
Ryan just smiled and fed her another bite of food.
“Oh, I’ve been meaning to thank you.”
“For what?” Ryan was watching her, his blue eyes blending with the brown of his Bear.
“The presents.”
Ryan’s stillness frightened her, but his question terrified her. “What presents?”
Glory took a deep breath. “Shit. You didn’t leave me champagne and roses this morning, did you?”
“No.” And his blue eyes were now completely brown, fangs peeking out from under his lip. “I didn’t.”
“Then who did?” Because now she was creeped the hell out. Someone had been watching her closely enough to figure out what her favorite things were without her knowing about it.
