Page 14 of Bearnapped at the Altar

“Ain’t that the truth.” He chuckled. Maybe it was the distraction we both needed. “You should get some sleep.”

I was still holding onto his shirt. His strong, earthy scent radiated from it.

“Don’t you need this back?” It looked like we were in a valley, and nights would get cold quickly. “So you can go home?”

The question seemed a little cruel after the conversation we’d just had.

“Nope, I’m staying. It’s not safe for you to be here alone.”

I eyed the bed. “How do you want to do this?”

Chapter

Six

Barrett

“You’ll sleep in the bed,” I said. My bear groaned inwardly, and I reminded him exactly how inappropriate it would be to suggest I crawled into bed with a client.

She’s not just a client, he argued.

Right, she’s a client that could have a bounty on her head.

Tegan bit her lip. Her lipstick was long gone at this point, her hair was wild from our travels, and her eye makeup had smudged. “Where will you sleep?”

She practically just gave you an engraved invitation?—

Shut up, bear.

“I’ve spent many a night on the floor.” I moved quickly over to the closet. I needed the distraction before my bear convinced me to agree with him. Thank the moon, I found some extra pillows and blankets.

I got myself set up, and Tegan headed into the bathroom. I’d been aware of the sleeping arrangements when I booked the cabin. It was the only one available for an open-ended rental at the last minute. But I wasn’t prepared for the rush of feelings this job had given me.

The mating ceremony.

Having a woman in my arms again.

This fucking emptiness that I’d learned to ignore came racing back to the surface, threatening to throttle me if I didn’t do something about it.

But I couldn’t. I wouldn’t. I’d treat Tegan like any other client. She deserved that respect.

I could do this, I convinced myself. My resolve was strong as I put my makeshift bed together. Considering my resources, it wouldn’t be half as bad as some of the places I’d slept while on assignment. I was a bear, I wasn’t opposed to spending the night in a forest, or on the side of a mountain. But like anyone else, I enjoyed a good bed.

Just as I pulled the blanket over me, Tegan came out of the bathroom wearing nothing but my shirt.

Hot. Fucking. Damn.

She’d swept her hair up on top of her head and wiped away as much of her makeup as she could. The shirt went down to her thighs, which were bare except for the flower and vine tattoo that started at her ankle and disappeared under the fabric.

“Nice ink.” I groaned inwardly. “Sorry, that probably wasn’t the most professional thing to say.”

“It’s probably not professional to be having a sleepover, or for me to be wearing your clothes, but here we are.” She yawned again as she sat on the bed. A little more of the tat revealed itself as she crossed her legs.

Hell yes. My bear approved. Can’t wait to find the pot of gold at the end of that rainbow.

“We should probably be honest with ourselves and admit that we’re not gonna get any sleep tonight,” she said.

I raised a brow. “Excuse me?”

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