the smile dipped from his face, she cupped his cheeks and kissed him again, softer this time.
“You are a very tricky bear to get to know,” she said, bestowing another playful kiss on the tip of his nose. “At least tell me what you are thinking now.”
“Want to get you out of these clothes.”
“Oh?” She waggled her eyebrows.
“Dirty-minded woman. I mean I want to get you dry.” He seemed enraptured with the smile on her face, and he settled her onto the side of the bed of his truck where she was eyelevel with him. “You’ve changed a lot since I first met you.”
Raking her fingernails lightly across the back of his head, just under his hard hat, she asked, “How so?”
“You seem happier. You laugh a lot and make jokes.” He traced her lips with the tip of his finger. “You smile.”
“I’d smile more if you’d quit pushing me away.”
“I don’t want to do that. I just want to make sure you’re okay before I…”
He was right there, right on the verge of letting her in. “Before you what?”
He looked away at the dark wall of clouds rolling in from the east. “I want to take you into town.”
Her heart slammed to the bottom of her feet, and she froze. He was getting rid of her? Taking her back to Roger? Not now. Not after everything she’d found here. “But I don’t want to go back,” she rasped through her closing throat.
His dark eyebrows drew down. Rain spattered his yellow hard hat in a storm song as he stared at her. “I’d never take you back to him, Skyler. I meant I want to take you to dinner.” His words became rushed. “I’ve been watching Tagan and Brooke, and she seems to like to go into town for dinner alone with him. I asked her about it, and she said it was good to date. Her voice turned different, like a song, when she talked about spending time with Tagan, and I want that for you.”
Skyler’s head spun with relief. Feeling dizzy, she leaned her hat against his and sighed her stress out on a breath. “What do you want for you?”
“What do you mean?”
“You said you want that sing-songy feeling for me, but what do you want?”
“You.”
His answer drew her up short. Cupping the back of his neck, she closed her eyes and lost herself in the feeling of being wanted by him. She’d thought he didn’t see her as a potential partner. He’d slept with her, sure, but she was still learning her way around bear shifters, and they very well could place sex over feelings and emotions. Intimacy was important to her, though, and when she’d shared that part of herself, she’d expected him to open up. When he hadn’t, she’d felt lost. And now it seemed like her feet had been slammed back to earth. The journey was dizzying, but so worth it if, at the end of the day, she could feel like this.
“I thought you didn’t want me,” she admitted, the thick words clogging her throat.
A soft growl rumbled from his chest. The door latch clicked as he yanked it open, then he set her inside the dry cab of his truck and shut the door beside him. She was settled in his lap, nestled against his chest as his breath came unevenly. Without a word, he reached over into the glove compartment and pulled out a tiny, navy-colored box. Slowly, he set it on the passenger’s seat, then looked out the window beside him with a slight frown. “I asked Tagan about your people.”
Her chest heaved as she stared at the unassuming gift sitting on the seat beside them. With trembling fingers, she lifted it to her lap, then opened it slowly.
Tears stung her eyes as she pulled out the delicate gold chain with the songbird charm. It was no bigger than her pinky nail. Her people exchanged trinkets at a ceremony that bound them as mates. If she accepted this gift, and if she gave him one in return, he would be hers, and she his.
“Do you know how big this is? Or is this just a gift because you want to take me on a date?”
“I bought it the day after you sang with Denison and you won
“You are a very tricky bear to get to know,” she said, bestowing another playful kiss on the tip of his nose. “At least tell me what you are thinking now.”
“Want to get you out of these clothes.”
“Oh?” She waggled her eyebrows.
“Dirty-minded woman. I mean I want to get you dry.” He seemed enraptured with the smile on her face, and he settled her onto the side of the bed of his truck where she was eyelevel with him. “You’ve changed a lot since I first met you.”
Raking her fingernails lightly across the back of his head, just under his hard hat, she asked, “How so?”
“You seem happier. You laugh a lot and make jokes.” He traced her lips with the tip of his finger. “You smile.”
“I’d smile more if you’d quit pushing me away.”
“I don’t want to do that. I just want to make sure you’re okay before I…”
He was right there, right on the verge of letting her in. “Before you what?”
He looked away at the dark wall of clouds rolling in from the east. “I want to take you into town.”
Her heart slammed to the bottom of her feet, and she froze. He was getting rid of her? Taking her back to Roger? Not now. Not after everything she’d found here. “But I don’t want to go back,” she rasped through her closing throat.
His dark eyebrows drew down. Rain spattered his yellow hard hat in a storm song as he stared at her. “I’d never take you back to him, Skyler. I meant I want to take you to dinner.” His words became rushed. “I’ve been watching Tagan and Brooke, and she seems to like to go into town for dinner alone with him. I asked her about it, and she said it was good to date. Her voice turned different, like a song, when she talked about spending time with Tagan, and I want that for you.”
Skyler’s head spun with relief. Feeling dizzy, she leaned her hat against his and sighed her stress out on a breath. “What do you want for you?”
“What do you mean?”
“You said you want that sing-songy feeling for me, but what do you want?”
“You.”
His answer drew her up short. Cupping the back of his neck, she closed her eyes and lost herself in the feeling of being wanted by him. She’d thought he didn’t see her as a potential partner. He’d slept with her, sure, but she was still learning her way around bear shifters, and they very well could place sex over feelings and emotions. Intimacy was important to her, though, and when she’d shared that part of herself, she’d expected him to open up. When he hadn’t, she’d felt lost. And now it seemed like her feet had been slammed back to earth. The journey was dizzying, but so worth it if, at the end of the day, she could feel like this.
“I thought you didn’t want me,” she admitted, the thick words clogging her throat.
A soft growl rumbled from his chest. The door latch clicked as he yanked it open, then he set her inside the dry cab of his truck and shut the door beside him. She was settled in his lap, nestled against his chest as his breath came unevenly. Without a word, he reached over into the glove compartment and pulled out a tiny, navy-colored box. Slowly, he set it on the passenger’s seat, then looked out the window beside him with a slight frown. “I asked Tagan about your people.”
Her chest heaved as she stared at the unassuming gift sitting on the seat beside them. With trembling fingers, she lifted it to her lap, then opened it slowly.
Tears stung her eyes as she pulled out the delicate gold chain with the songbird charm. It was no bigger than her pinky nail. Her people exchanged trinkets at a ceremony that bound them as mates. If she accepted this gift, and if she gave him one in return, he would be hers, and she his.
“Do you know how big this is? Or is this just a gift because you want to take me on a date?”
“I bought it the day after you sang with Denison and you won
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