Beast Behaving Badly
Page 41
I have always wanted to go to an all-bear town, Blayne sighed.
Why?
I dont know. I keep thinking the streets would be flowing with honey and the streams with salmon.
Grizzlies arent the only ones who live there, ya know. Im not a big honey fan.
How can you not like honey? How can anyone not like honey? Thats crazy talk!
Even though you know what grizzlies are, you still think of them as cute teddy bears, dont you?
I do.
Bo began to shake his head but ended up yawning.
Ive kept you up too late.
Nah. He glanced at his watch, eyes going wide. Okay. Maybe a little. I better go.
Sleep here.
The way his whole body tensed and he didnt look at her made Blayne realize how that probably sounded.
On the couch, she quickly added.
They both looked at the oversized loveseat she kept telling people was a couch. It is a tad small, huh?
Itll be fine. But I need to be up at five thirty. I have that breakfast with my agent at six fifteen.
Blayne jumped up and ran into her room, quickly programming her digital alarm clock. She checked it twice, headed back to the living room, ran back and checked it again. She wanted to make sure she would not be the cause of him being late to any meetings.
All done, she said, walking back out with a pillow and several blankets. He took the pillow and stared at the blankets. Oh. I turn the heat down at night, so my bills not so high.
Thank you, cause Im melting right now.
Oh! Im sorry. Right . . . polar.
He dropped the pillow on the couch. Dont worry. Polar shifters can adjust to any temperature if we have to; were just more comfortable in the cold.
Well, no worries. Ill turn the heat down and theres ice water or whatever in the fridge.
I know. I cleaned the fridge out. Its like you had experiments going on in some of that Tupperware.
Are we back to that? she asked, using one of Gwens favorite sayings. Really?
Im just saying if you took care of those things on a weekly basis
Sha-sha-sha. She covered his face with the blankets. Dont make me hate you.
I thought you liked me, he said around the blankets, so she lowered them since they didnt seem to be quite effective.
I do. She leaned in, using her fierce expression. But that can change on a dime, mister.
Seemingly unimpressed with her fiercenessand shed worked hard on that look for years!he said, Ill keep that inmind.
See you in the morning, she said after turning down the heat as much as she dared without risking hypothermia for herself.
Night, Blayne.
Blayne closed her bedroom door and quickly changed into thermal underwear, sweatpants, sweatshirt, and extra thick wool socks. She loaded up her bed with blankets and burrowed beneath them.
And, as she sat in the dark, and stared out her window at the brick building next door, it suddenly occurred to her that she had a guy she didnt know very well asleep in her living roomand that shed never felt safer.
That night, Blayne fell asleep smiling.
CHAPTER 12
Bos eyes opened exactly at five twenty-five a.m., but unlike most days when he woke up five minutes before his alarm went off . . . things were different. Not Im staying in a hotel due to an out-of-town game different but theres a wolfdog clinging to me different.
Without moving his body, Bo studied where he was, which would be the floor. He didnt normally sleep on the floor, but he was definitely on the floor. He was also fully clothed, as was Blayne. In fact, she had on so many clothes, he felt confident in ruling out a wild night of sexual abandon that he couldnt remember.
A good thing, too, since Bo liked remembering past sexual encounters. Less chance of the awkward morning-after moment where one doesnt remember his or her partners name.
Still, none of that explained why he was sleeping on the floor with Blayne . . . or why they were cuddling.
It was definitely cuddling, too. He had his arms around her and she had her head buried in his chest. They were on their side, facing each other, so hed wrapped one leg around hers. Hed had sex with women and still never woke up in this position before. He didnt mind waking up this way, it was just not knowing how they got here that was worrying him.
An alarm went off in the bedroom and Blayne groaned, drew her arm back, and slapped Bo right in the face.
Lying there, wondering what hed done to deserve that, Blayne snarled and said, Off! Then she hit him again. When that didnt seem to shut off the alarm that was in another room, Blayne lifted her head. Her eyes blinked wide when she saw him.
Oh, God . . . was that you I hit?
Twice.
Oh. Oh! Im so . . . Then she burst out laughing.
Unable to take the sound of that damn alarm clock anymore, Bo pulled away from Blayne and stood. He went into her bedroom and turned it off. Letting out a sigh, he went back to the living room. And, yeah, she was still laughing.
Get up, he said. Get showered, get dressed. Well go into the city together. He reached down and lifted her off the floor. The longer you take, the more youre screwing with my schedule.
Why?
I dont know. I keep thinking the streets would be flowing with honey and the streams with salmon.
Grizzlies arent the only ones who live there, ya know. Im not a big honey fan.
How can you not like honey? How can anyone not like honey? Thats crazy talk!
Even though you know what grizzlies are, you still think of them as cute teddy bears, dont you?
I do.
Bo began to shake his head but ended up yawning.
Ive kept you up too late.
Nah. He glanced at his watch, eyes going wide. Okay. Maybe a little. I better go.
Sleep here.
The way his whole body tensed and he didnt look at her made Blayne realize how that probably sounded.
On the couch, she quickly added.
They both looked at the oversized loveseat she kept telling people was a couch. It is a tad small, huh?
Itll be fine. But I need to be up at five thirty. I have that breakfast with my agent at six fifteen.
Blayne jumped up and ran into her room, quickly programming her digital alarm clock. She checked it twice, headed back to the living room, ran back and checked it again. She wanted to make sure she would not be the cause of him being late to any meetings.
All done, she said, walking back out with a pillow and several blankets. He took the pillow and stared at the blankets. Oh. I turn the heat down at night, so my bills not so high.
Thank you, cause Im melting right now.
Oh! Im sorry. Right . . . polar.
He dropped the pillow on the couch. Dont worry. Polar shifters can adjust to any temperature if we have to; were just more comfortable in the cold.
Well, no worries. Ill turn the heat down and theres ice water or whatever in the fridge.
I know. I cleaned the fridge out. Its like you had experiments going on in some of that Tupperware.
Are we back to that? she asked, using one of Gwens favorite sayings. Really?
Im just saying if you took care of those things on a weekly basis
Sha-sha-sha. She covered his face with the blankets. Dont make me hate you.
I thought you liked me, he said around the blankets, so she lowered them since they didnt seem to be quite effective.
I do. She leaned in, using her fierce expression. But that can change on a dime, mister.
Seemingly unimpressed with her fiercenessand shed worked hard on that look for years!he said, Ill keep that inmind.
See you in the morning, she said after turning down the heat as much as she dared without risking hypothermia for herself.
Night, Blayne.
Blayne closed her bedroom door and quickly changed into thermal underwear, sweatpants, sweatshirt, and extra thick wool socks. She loaded up her bed with blankets and burrowed beneath them.
And, as she sat in the dark, and stared out her window at the brick building next door, it suddenly occurred to her that she had a guy she didnt know very well asleep in her living roomand that shed never felt safer.
That night, Blayne fell asleep smiling.
CHAPTER 12
Bos eyes opened exactly at five twenty-five a.m., but unlike most days when he woke up five minutes before his alarm went off . . . things were different. Not Im staying in a hotel due to an out-of-town game different but theres a wolfdog clinging to me different.
Without moving his body, Bo studied where he was, which would be the floor. He didnt normally sleep on the floor, but he was definitely on the floor. He was also fully clothed, as was Blayne. In fact, she had on so many clothes, he felt confident in ruling out a wild night of sexual abandon that he couldnt remember.
A good thing, too, since Bo liked remembering past sexual encounters. Less chance of the awkward morning-after moment where one doesnt remember his or her partners name.
Still, none of that explained why he was sleeping on the floor with Blayne . . . or why they were cuddling.
It was definitely cuddling, too. He had his arms around her and she had her head buried in his chest. They were on their side, facing each other, so hed wrapped one leg around hers. Hed had sex with women and still never woke up in this position before. He didnt mind waking up this way, it was just not knowing how they got here that was worrying him.
An alarm went off in the bedroom and Blayne groaned, drew her arm back, and slapped Bo right in the face.
Lying there, wondering what hed done to deserve that, Blayne snarled and said, Off! Then she hit him again. When that didnt seem to shut off the alarm that was in another room, Blayne lifted her head. Her eyes blinked wide when she saw him.
Oh, God . . . was that you I hit?
Twice.
Oh. Oh! Im so . . . Then she burst out laughing.
Unable to take the sound of that damn alarm clock anymore, Bo pulled away from Blayne and stood. He went into her bedroom and turned it off. Letting out a sigh, he went back to the living room. And, yeah, she was still laughing.
Get up, he said. Get showered, get dressed. Well go into the city together. He reached down and lifted her off the floor. The longer you take, the more youre screwing with my schedule.
