Bear Necessities by Dana Marie Bell

crushed the phone in his hand. The
flimsy plastic shattered easily. “It was.”
    “Alex?”
She sat up with a frown. “What’s wrong?”
    He
took a deep breath. He’d give her a chance to explain, to make this right. “Do
you have a boyfriend?”
    “Other
than you? No.”
    Damn.
Right now, he wished he was a goddamn Coyote. They could smell a lie at fifty
paces. “You sure?”
    “Yes,”
she drawled. She pulled the sheet up around herself, hiding her beautiful
breasts from him. “Who told you otherwise?”
    “Gary
did.”
    She
blinked, fury blanketing her features. “ Gary. ”
    Something
inside him eased. That was not the response of a guilty woman. “Ex-boyfriend?”
    Tabby
stared at him for a moment before carefully blanking her features. “Nothing you
need to worry about.”
    Oh,
hell. Now that wouldn’t do at all. “Bullshit.”
    “Alex,”
she sighed, rubbing the bridge of her nose.
    “He
called because he heard you’d gotten hurt, but as soon as he heard my voice, he
asked if you’d cheated on him again. He told me he was your boyfriend.” The
possessive fury rose in him again. He battled it back down, knowing he’d failed
when her expression turned wary. “So if he’s a pain in your ass that makes him
a pain in my ass.” A pain he’d be more than happy to rub out if it came
down to it.
    “Let
Gabe deal with him. Please?”
    “This
is something the sheriff knows about?” He settled on the edge of the bed.
    “Yeah.
It’s an ongoing pain. I’m just having trouble finding the right medicine to get
rid of it.” She smiled weakly. “Can we go out for breakfast now?”
    He
stared at her, deliberately letting his eyes bleed to brown. “I’m more than
willing to take care of Gary for you.”
    She
shook her head, panic drifting across her face. “No. Alex, no. You have more
than enough to worry about. Let Gabe handle it. Please?”
    Tabby
was rubbing his arm, her expression pleading. He didn’t understand the hint of
worry in her eyes, but she was obviously upset. He closed his eyes and let go
of the anger. The last thing he wanted to do was get into a fight in his new
hometown. He couldn’t risk losing this place when it meant so much to Tabby.
“Are you sure?”
    “Yes.”
    “Could
he have been the one who hit you?”
    She
blinked, looked shocked. “I don’t know. Maybe? Whoever it was stayed downwind,
and no one saw anything.”
    He nodded.
He’d definitely be paying the sheriff a visit. “If he did, he’d better pray the
sheriff gets to him first. Understand?” She nodded, her shoulders relaxing in
what looked suspiciously like relief. He cupped her cheek, his chest rumbling
happily when she nuzzled into his hand. “I have to do my yoga before we go, and
I’m thinking we could both use a shower. What would you like to eat?”
    She
tilted her head. “Yoga?” Her lips twitched. She looked both amused and
intrigued.
    This
wouldn’t be the first time someone teased him over the yoga he did every day.
“Don’t. Please. It helps more than you know.” If it wasn’t for the peaceful
meditations he did each day, he probably would have killed someone by now.
    “Does
it hurt? I’ve seen some of the positions people get into and it looks massively
uncomfy.”
    He
smiled, relieved. She wasn’t going to give him shit. “Not once you’re used to
it, no. It’s a nice, slow stretch that helps to center me.”
    She
nodded. “Yoga, huh? That explains your truly epic ass.” She tilted her head and
tried to sneak a peek.
    He
felt himself blushing. No one had ever called his ass epic before.
    “Can I
watch?”
    He’d
have felt more comfortable about it before the comment about his ass. “Sure.
Just do me a favor and keep quiet, especially after I put my music on, okay?”
    She
looked intrigued. “Sure. But afterwards I want bacon.”
    He’d
talk to Anderson once he got to the hospital. She might not want to give him
the details on Gary, but he bet the Puma would be more than