Page 12 of Off-Limits to the Grizzly

She’s the same age as my daughter.

Which means I’m a dirty old pervert.

But—

It doesn’t feel like that.

It just feelsright. This feeling I’ve never had in my life before is pouring through my veins.

I feel like Blair is the one. The one I’m supposed to be with.

I didn’t feel it before, because she was just a kid. But now, now she’s a mature woman—

I feel like I can hear the voice of the world in my ear, telling me I’m too old for her and I should know better. But my heart and my beast are telling me she’s mine.

I clear my throat, but my voice still comes out hoarse. “I’m the one who needs to apologize. I’m very sorry I intruded on you, Blair. I was checking whether you were still asleep, because I didn’t want to disturb you.”

“Oh—” She drops her gaze to the floor. “I slept for a couple of hours. Then, I-I don’t know what came over me.”

“It’s perfectly natural,” I say. Then I remember when Kayla was getting to puberty—how I read a book calledEducating your teen about sex.You were supposed to tell them that exploring their own body was a healthy part of growing up.

A lot of good it did. The first time I broached the topic, she completely freaked out and made me promise never to mention it again.

Who would’ve thought that all these years later, I’d be passing on that same advice to her best friend?

“What’s funny?” Blair demands. Damn. She thinks I’m laughing at her, and she looks like she’s about to cry. The poor girl is probably totally humiliated.

I wish I could tell her that this has been the sexiest, most arousing moment of my whole life. And if she wanted to take me back to the bedroom while she finished herself off, I’d be in there like a shot.

Instead, I mumble, “Nothing,” and I turn my back on her and get busy putting all the groceries away. There’s a bunch of moldy stuff at the back of the fridge. I pull it out and shove it into a garbage bag. I’ve barely been here since Blair left town. I’ve either been sleeping in my truck or in a motel somewhere close to her place, keeping watch over her.

When I get back from dumping the garbage outside, she’s nowhere to be seen, but I can hear the shower going.

Darn. The thought of her naked in the shower is more than my bear can stand right now.

And a bad, bad thought bursts into my mind—will she finish off in there? Is she gonna grace my little shower cubicle with her orgasm? I sure hope so.

I get to work in the kitchen, prepping a bunch of vegetables. She hasn’t been eating well lately, my girl. She’s been mainly living on takeout and the food from the bar where she worked. It’s okay I guess, but no substitute for a home-cooked meal.

I’m going to cook her something real tasty tonight. When she was a kid, she used to love strong flavors. Unlike Kayla, who was a burger and pizza addict, Blair always wanted to try new things.

She’s gone a long time. To my beast’s disappointment, I don’t hear any little sighs or moans, but when she finally reappears, her eyes are still downcast.

“You look all brand-new,” I tell her. It’s true; she must’ve taken off her make-up or something, and she looks all fresh, like a chick that just came out of the egg.

But I’m mostly saying it in the hope it’ll draw a line under what happened before.

“Want a beer?”

“Yes,” she says, fast.

I reach into the fridge, grab an IPA and pop off the cap with my teeth.

“Oh, that’s my favorite,” she says.

I know. There’s little craft beer shop in Oakdale. She used to go in there sometimes and browse the shelves. Every time the clerk checked out her ass, it was all I could do not to tear his head off. She’d spend a long time deciding, but she’d always wind up choosing the same beer. And she only ever bought one, like it was a special treat for herself. Used to warm my heart to think of her going back home and savoring it.

“Happens to be my favorite, too.” Of course, I made sure to try it as well, and it was delicious. She’s got good taste, my girl.

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