Bear Naked
Page 18
“Glory!” Tabby hurled herself into Glory’s arm, nearly knocking his tiny mate onto her ass. “What happened?”
Ryan left the girls to chat, drawing Bunny’s attention. He pulled him into the corner of the shop. “I need you to gather the family.”
Bunny’s eyes glazed over, his Bear peeking out. “Is Tabby in danger?”
Ever since Tabby had gotten pregnant Bunny had been insanely overprotective. But if it got the family out to protect Glory, he’d sacrifice Bunny’s peace of mind in a heartbeat. “I’m praying not.”
That was all it took. Bunny was on his cell phone in an instant, calling in the troops. Knowing how the family reacted to threats, Ryan had no doubt they’d be converging on Halle within a day, even the ones in Oregon.
“Smart move.” Julian peeked out from behind the curtain hiding the employee area. “Your cousins can watch over Glory when you can’t. I mean, you have to sleep some time.”
With any luck, he’d be sleeping in Glory’s bed from now on. He caught Glory’s quick glance before she turned back to her friends. The flush on her cheeks had him wondering what she’d been thinking about. “Who said anything about sleeping?”
“Hey.” Bunny stepped between Julian and Ryan. “Mom and Dad are making arrangements. The family will gather at Ryan’s apartment tomorrow night.”
Since tomorrow was Sunday and they all had it off, it made sense. “Shit. I have to clean.”
“Clean what?” Glory wrapped herself around his arm and he couldn’t have been happier.
“My apartment.”
“Uh. I’m not helping with that.” Bunny held up his hands and backed slowly away. “The last time I did something tried to bite me.”
“It’s not that bad.” A few pizza boxes here and there, some dishes in the sink. Nothing to cause Bunny to shudder in horror. Like his cousin had never left a few glasses lying around.
“Oh, it is.” Julian smirked as he leaned against the doorjamb. “Trust me on that one.”
Ryan glared at Julian. “Since when did you become a domestic goddess?”
“Since my mate will skin me if I don’t pick up after myself.” Now it was Julian’s turn to shudder. “She threatens to withhold video games.”
Ryan blinked. God, the man was weird.
Glory glared up at him. “Your apartment is dirty?” She smacked him in the stomach. “And your family is coming?”
Ryan smiled weakly. He was going to kill Julian and Bunny for getting him into trouble with his mate. “Have I mentioned that you’re cute?”
Glory rolled her eyes. “Girls?”
“I’m in.” Cyn grinned as Julian tugged her close. “I have got to see what frightened Bunny.”
“I’m in too.” Tabby literally bounced in place. “I’ve already cleaned our place so many times the polish is going to come off the granite.”
“You’re nesting, Tabby.” Cyn shrugged. “It’s normal.”
“I’m a Wolf. We don’t nest.” Tabby sniffed in disgust. “We make a den.”
Bunny snarled and tugged Tabby behind him. “You’re not going anywhere near Ryan’s apartment. It might eat the baby.”
Ryan rolled his eyes. “It’s not that bad.”
Bunny stared at him. “It’s a petri dish for a mad scientist.”
“Now I’m definitely going.” Tabby tickled Bunny’s side, the big man squirming away from her until she was able to maneuver herself in front of him. “When do we start?”
“Tonight after work, if you’re willing.” Ryan was beyond grateful. He hated cleaning. “I’ll pay for pizza, beer and baby-appropriate soda.”
Bunny shook his head. “I’m telling you. You’re all going to get eaten.”
Tabby pouted at him. “You’re going to let me go alone?”
“Uh…” Bunny, his expression panicked, backed up a step.
Tabby batted big, brown eyes at her mate. “You’ll come with me, won’t you?”
Ryan bit back a laugh. Bunny never could resist the Puppy Eyes of Death, and Tabby was a master at them.
Bunny glared at Ryan. “If my baby comes out mutated I’m blaming you.”
“It’s not that bad!” Geez. So maybe he should buy a vacuum on the way home. Maybe then they’d get off his case.
“I’ll go get the hazmat suits.” Bunny was grumbling to himself as he left the shop, sending Julian into a fit of laughter.
“Cyn? Do you know where we can get a blonde wig?”
Ryan turned his attention away from Bunny’s antics and toward his mate. “We’re going to do it now?”
Cyn, who was shooing a still-laughing Julian behind the curtain, paused. “What?”
“Since Hope and I are identical twins, Gabe thought if we slapped a blonde wig on me and took a picture we could send it to area hospitals and police stations.”
“So they’d have an idea of what Hope looks like now.” Cyn smiled approvingly. “Good idea. Let me see what I can dig up.”
“Thanks. I don’t want to use one of those brassy Halloween wigs. I want to get as close to my natural color as possible.”
Tabby settled into one of the turquoise chairs. “Do you even remember what that is? Or do you have to grab a mirror and drop your panties?”
“Aw, Tabby. Would you like some coffee?” Glory smiled sweetly at Tabby as the Wolf gagged. “Extra cream, extra sugar?”
Tabby gagged again. “I hate you so much.”
Glory blew Tabby a kiss. “The feeling is mutual.”
Ryan had to smile. She might have lost her biological family, but his mate had made one hell of a new one in her friends. Even if they were crazy as hell.
“Y’all have got to see this.”
Glory followed Cyn into the bathroom. Considering what else they’d found she wouldn’t be surprised to see an alien reading the newspaper. So far she’d found a box with what she thought might be pizza in it. Or a fuzzy new life form. She wasn’t sure. Oh, and the jar of peanut butter that had been sitting in a coat pocket since the dawn of time. The peanut butter was so hard the spoon was permanently cemented into the jar. And did they even make that brand anymore? And why was it in a coat pocket from his high-school days? He had to have packed the coat, moved it to Halle, and then unpacked it, all without removing the jar.
Ryan left the girls to chat, drawing Bunny’s attention. He pulled him into the corner of the shop. “I need you to gather the family.”
Bunny’s eyes glazed over, his Bear peeking out. “Is Tabby in danger?”
Ever since Tabby had gotten pregnant Bunny had been insanely overprotective. But if it got the family out to protect Glory, he’d sacrifice Bunny’s peace of mind in a heartbeat. “I’m praying not.”
That was all it took. Bunny was on his cell phone in an instant, calling in the troops. Knowing how the family reacted to threats, Ryan had no doubt they’d be converging on Halle within a day, even the ones in Oregon.
“Smart move.” Julian peeked out from behind the curtain hiding the employee area. “Your cousins can watch over Glory when you can’t. I mean, you have to sleep some time.”
With any luck, he’d be sleeping in Glory’s bed from now on. He caught Glory’s quick glance before she turned back to her friends. The flush on her cheeks had him wondering what she’d been thinking about. “Who said anything about sleeping?”
“Hey.” Bunny stepped between Julian and Ryan. “Mom and Dad are making arrangements. The family will gather at Ryan’s apartment tomorrow night.”
Since tomorrow was Sunday and they all had it off, it made sense. “Shit. I have to clean.”
“Clean what?” Glory wrapped herself around his arm and he couldn’t have been happier.
“My apartment.”
“Uh. I’m not helping with that.” Bunny held up his hands and backed slowly away. “The last time I did something tried to bite me.”
“It’s not that bad.” A few pizza boxes here and there, some dishes in the sink. Nothing to cause Bunny to shudder in horror. Like his cousin had never left a few glasses lying around.
“Oh, it is.” Julian smirked as he leaned against the doorjamb. “Trust me on that one.”
Ryan glared at Julian. “Since when did you become a domestic goddess?”
“Since my mate will skin me if I don’t pick up after myself.” Now it was Julian’s turn to shudder. “She threatens to withhold video games.”
Ryan blinked. God, the man was weird.
Glory glared up at him. “Your apartment is dirty?” She smacked him in the stomach. “And your family is coming?”
Ryan smiled weakly. He was going to kill Julian and Bunny for getting him into trouble with his mate. “Have I mentioned that you’re cute?”
Glory rolled her eyes. “Girls?”
“I’m in.” Cyn grinned as Julian tugged her close. “I have got to see what frightened Bunny.”
“I’m in too.” Tabby literally bounced in place. “I’ve already cleaned our place so many times the polish is going to come off the granite.”
“You’re nesting, Tabby.” Cyn shrugged. “It’s normal.”
“I’m a Wolf. We don’t nest.” Tabby sniffed in disgust. “We make a den.”
Bunny snarled and tugged Tabby behind him. “You’re not going anywhere near Ryan’s apartment. It might eat the baby.”
Ryan rolled his eyes. “It’s not that bad.”
Bunny stared at him. “It’s a petri dish for a mad scientist.”
“Now I’m definitely going.” Tabby tickled Bunny’s side, the big man squirming away from her until she was able to maneuver herself in front of him. “When do we start?”
“Tonight after work, if you’re willing.” Ryan was beyond grateful. He hated cleaning. “I’ll pay for pizza, beer and baby-appropriate soda.”
Bunny shook his head. “I’m telling you. You’re all going to get eaten.”
Tabby pouted at him. “You’re going to let me go alone?”
“Uh…” Bunny, his expression panicked, backed up a step.
Tabby batted big, brown eyes at her mate. “You’ll come with me, won’t you?”
Ryan bit back a laugh. Bunny never could resist the Puppy Eyes of Death, and Tabby was a master at them.
Bunny glared at Ryan. “If my baby comes out mutated I’m blaming you.”
“It’s not that bad!” Geez. So maybe he should buy a vacuum on the way home. Maybe then they’d get off his case.
“I’ll go get the hazmat suits.” Bunny was grumbling to himself as he left the shop, sending Julian into a fit of laughter.
“Cyn? Do you know where we can get a blonde wig?”
Ryan turned his attention away from Bunny’s antics and toward his mate. “We’re going to do it now?”
Cyn, who was shooing a still-laughing Julian behind the curtain, paused. “What?”
“Since Hope and I are identical twins, Gabe thought if we slapped a blonde wig on me and took a picture we could send it to area hospitals and police stations.”
“So they’d have an idea of what Hope looks like now.” Cyn smiled approvingly. “Good idea. Let me see what I can dig up.”
“Thanks. I don’t want to use one of those brassy Halloween wigs. I want to get as close to my natural color as possible.”
Tabby settled into one of the turquoise chairs. “Do you even remember what that is? Or do you have to grab a mirror and drop your panties?”
“Aw, Tabby. Would you like some coffee?” Glory smiled sweetly at Tabby as the Wolf gagged. “Extra cream, extra sugar?”
Tabby gagged again. “I hate you so much.”
Glory blew Tabby a kiss. “The feeling is mutual.”
Ryan had to smile. She might have lost her biological family, but his mate had made one hell of a new one in her friends. Even if they were crazy as hell.
“Y’all have got to see this.”
Glory followed Cyn into the bathroom. Considering what else they’d found she wouldn’t be surprised to see an alien reading the newspaper. So far she’d found a box with what she thought might be pizza in it. Or a fuzzy new life form. She wasn’t sure. Oh, and the jar of peanut butter that had been sitting in a coat pocket since the dawn of time. The peanut butter was so hard the spoon was permanently cemented into the jar. And did they even make that brand anymore? And why was it in a coat pocket from his high-school days? He had to have packed the coat, moved it to Halle, and then unpacked it, all without removing the jar.
