Page 13 of Bear In Mind

Bending, I picked up the food and drink.“Tell Bear thank you for the breakfast.”I closed the door behind me, not waiting for his response.

Sauntering into my small, outdated kitchen, I set the bag and cup down on the counter.Removing the lid off of the coffee, I was prepared to add cream and sugar, but stopped short at the milky appearance of the brew.Taking a sip, I was pleasantly surprised to find it was exactly the way I liked it.Replacing the lid, I opened the bag.My breath hitched at the sight of my favorite breakfast sandwich fromJane’s Diner, a few miles up the road.They servedMugscoffee and we servedJane’spastries; unfortunately, we served sandwiches from another vendor that I wasn’t very fond of.

He’d known.Somehow he knew.

“He knows you better than you think, and certainly better than you know him.”

Jake’s words replayed in my mind, proving that he was right in more than one way.Somehow, he’d known that I needed him last night.He-

Jake was right in all aspects.I was overwhelmed and confused.I wasn’t thinking straight.If I tried, I could weave the pieces together and it would all make sense, yet it wouldn’t change anything.It wouldn’t change the fact that he wasn’t physically attracted to me.He was looking after my physical well-being, but not the way I desired for him to.

And that had every ounce of hurt I’d suppressed earlier rising again, snaking through my chest and settling into a sharp ache.

Everything blurred before me.I grabbed the edge of the counter and pinched the lip between my fingers and thumb.Ireallyhated this.

Ugh!Squishing my eyelids together, I sucked in a deep breath.I wasnotgoing to cry again.Blinking several times, I waited for the tears to clear.I pushed all thoughts of Bear and Jake out of my mind.

Snatching the items off the counter, I settled in the living room, plopping down on the sofa, and turning on the TV.I needed an escape, a distraction.Leisurely, I ate the bacon, egg, melted swiss and caramelized onion sandwich, and drank my large coffee.I made it through two crime drama re-runs before Tiff showed up.

“What’s with the hunk of muscle?New guard dog?”She closed the door behind her.

“He’s a friend of Bear’s.”Learning that Jake was still there was the catalyst that had me re-examining everything Bear had said earlier again.

Most guys with a hero complex would be the ones waiting outside, at the ready for something to happen.While I hadn’t seen anyone shift, for some reason, I believed them now.Hearing it from Bear, I was skeptical, but, hearing it from Jake, too, had shaken most of the doubt away.It was the missing piece of the puzzle I’d been searching for for years.The resemblance between Bear and his friends, the ones I knew anyways, had to be the shifter piece.

Dear God, it was all making sense.The honey, the growl, the need to protect me.Despite the dots connecting, there was one glaring black spot: motive.

Bear wasn’t protecting me because he was madly in love with me, no matter what Jake had insinuated.You couldn’t love someone at the exclusion of their figure.No.I was convinced that I was merely an obligation thrust upon him by Mother Nature, someone he couldn’t ignore but someone he didn’t want to be with.

Jake said Bear couldn’t walk away, but he could have gotten into my panties over the years if he’d wanted to.He’d never pursued more than a cup of coffee with honey five days a week with me.Actions would always speak louder than words, and his had spoken for him for five years now.

I’d made the right decision in walking away.I deserved more.I may never get it, but I am more than a heavy bag of responsibilities.

She studied me for a solid minute.“You’re not okay.”It was a declaration.“I should have known.”She scooted closer to me and took my hand in hers.“Talk to me, B.”

“I-”Crap!What on Earth was wrong with me?

Tears stung my eyes as emotions, scary feelings too intense for a mere stranger, welled in my chest, making it harder to breathe.I gasped for air, fighting the onslaught.

“Aw, babe.”Tiff threw her arms around me.“I already planned on taking a few teeth from the creep last night, but who else’s ass do I need to kick?Bear’s?The hunk of muscle?Stuart’s?All of the above?Cause you know I will.I may be scrappy but I’ve got a few good punches in me.Give me the reason and a chance and I could do some damage.”

I chuckled, even as the tears rolled down my cheeks, escaping my hold.My gaze fell to my bruised forearm.It was ugly, sore, and slightly more puffy than my right arm.Glimpsing up at my friend, I smirked.“Some people would pay money to watch you make a fool of yourself.”

“Even better.They can fund that cruise we’ve been talking about taking for three years now.”She squeezed me.

“Thanks.”I sniffed, pulling out of her grip.I wiped the remnant of my tears away.

“You know I’ve always got your back.I’d have way more than that if you let me.”She winked.“Come to daddy.”She playfully lunged at me.

“Stop.”I shoved at her chest, laughing.

“Now that’s a smile.”She beamed, proud to have cracked me.

Oh God.Realization dawned on me.“What time is it?”

She glanced at the men’s watch further dwarfing her slender wrist.“1:15pm.”

“Crap!”I leapt off the couch and bolted for my bedroom.Throwing open my closet doors, I shoved my other clothes aside to reach my work clothes.I yanked my black skinny jeans and a long-sleeved black top – I wasn’t looking to field questions about the mark all day – off their hangers.Spinning, I found Tiff lounging on my bed.I didn’t stop, jerking off my tank and tossing it aside.

---