Page 8 of Guard Bear
When he finally reached her booth, she turned to face him fully. "Honey Lion?" The words came out as a growl. Up close, she was even more beautiful. She had a dusting of freckles across her nose that he wanted to count with kisses. There was a small scar on her chin that demanded the story behind it.
"Andre?" Her voice caught on his name.
The air between them crackled with electricity. Every hair on his body stood at attention. Her pupils dilated, turning her eyes almost black. The elderly customer cleared her throat, but neither of them could look away.
"I messaged you last night." His voice sounded foreign to his own ears, too deep, too rough.
"I know. I saw it this morning." Direct. No games. His bear approved even as his human side scrambled for what to say next.
The silence stretched taut as a wire. He could hear her heartbeat accelerating, matching his own racing pulse. The elderly customer muttered something about young people and toddled away. Still, they stared at each other, frozen in place by the mate bond screaming between them.
Then three customers descended on Joy's booth at once, all talking over each other about custom orders and allergies and whether she had unscented options. Joy blinked hard, shaking her head like she was surfacing from deep water.
"I need to..." She gestured helplessly at the crowd.
"Of course." Andre stepped back, though every cell in his body screamed in protest.
While Joy served customers, Andre couldn't stand still. His protective instincts needed outlet before he did something stupid like vault over her table and carry her away. The elderly vendor two booths down struggled with a heavy crate of preserves. Andre moved before he made the conscious decision.
"Let me get that for you, ma'am."
The crate weighed at least forty pounds. He lifted it like it was made of air, setting it gently on her table. The woman’s weathered face creased into a smile.
"Such a nice young man. Are you new to town?"
"Yes ma'am. Just started with Bear Patrol."
"Oh good. We need more strong boys keeping us safe."
Andre helped her arrange mason jars while stealing glances at Joy. She was watching him between customers, her expression unreadable.
When the booth three spaces down started tilting dangerously, its corner leg wobbling on the uneven ground, Andre was already moving. The teenage vendor selling hand-carved wooden spoons looked ready to cry as his entire display threatened to slide onto the grass. Andre braced the sagging corner with his shoulder while fishing a multi-tool from his pocket. The adjustable foot had worked loose from its bracket, leaving the leg too short. He cranked it back into position, extending it until the table sat level again.
"Thank you so much," the kid breathed. "I thought I was going to lose everything."
Andre waved him off, his attention already shifting to the pregnant vendor struggling with a plastic crate full of ceramic mugs. She'd managed to lift it from her van but stood frozen, clearly calculating the distance to her table.
"Please, let me." He took the weight before she could protest. "Where would you like this?"
Each act of service calmed his bear slightly. Protecting. Providing. Showing his mate what kind of male he was. He caught Joy tracking his movements, something soft flickering across her face before she turned back to her customer.
At a vegetable booth, a young mother bounced a crying baby while juggling a toddler and trying to dig out her wallet. Her coffee sat abandoned on a nearby table, probably cold by now. Andre bought a fresh cup from the coffee booth and appeared at her elbow.
"Thought you might need this."
Tears actually welled in her eyes. "Oh my God, thank you. I've been up since four."
"My sister says it gets better." He helped corral the toddler while she paid for her vegetables. "Her oldest boy just turned five."
"Please tell me he sleeps past sunrise now."
"She claims six-thirty on good days."
She laughed, looking more relaxed. Andre watched her walk away with both children and all her purchases intact. When he turned back, Joy was serving another customer, but her eyes followed him. Rollo Morris materialized beside him.
"Making the rounds, I see." Rollo's tone was friendly but assessing.
"Yes sir. Trying to get a feel for the market dynamics."
