Page 29 of The Bear's Fated Mate
He rumbled with amusement and moved toward her cautiously. “Body ornaments that are tasty. Let me check.”
He managed to nibble one pile off her knee before he got distracted, and by the time they were done, the couch was covered in crushed chips and two sated bodies.
They fell into a routine. Sex, food, chatting. The sex was off the charts, the food fantastic, but by the evening of the second day Alex was beginning to look forward to the interludes where they ended up talking about anything and everything.
His bear good-naturedly rolled his eyes and seemed to be on his best behaviour, knocking almost politely to disrupt conversations when it was time for another round of heated sex.
Lara was sharing another story about being the youngest girl of five when there was a knock on the door of the suite.
She tensed, the happiness and relaxation in her body vanishing between one breath and the next.
Alex braced instinctively. “What’s wrong?”
“Nothing.” But her gaze darted to the door, shoulders tightening as if preparing to face an attack.
Warning signals going off, Alex rushed to the door. He glanced through the peephole and jerked the door open to find a startled waiter stepping back as he precariously balanced an oversized bowl in his hands.
“What?” Alex demanded.
The man’s face had gone utterly white, but he held forward his hands as if making an offering. “Delivery for Ms. Lazuli.”
Alex let out a deep growl and took the container, watching as the man scampered away as if the hounds of hell were on his heels.
Weird.
He turned back and brought the delivery to Lara’s side. “Did you order something?”
A frown folded her expression. She pulled a card from the top of the covering and opened it, and he read the message over her shoulder.
Sweets for the sweet.
She peeled back the edge of the lid and the scent of ripe blueberries filled the air. Nowhere near the dangerous item he’d expected from her earlier behavior.
Alex forced his voice into normal range, trying for light-hearted. “I hope you plan to share.”
“Of course. Help yourself.” She tipped the bowl toward him, but there was still tension in her shoulders. She was smiling, but it wasn’t real.
Before he could ask any further questions, she picked a big ripe berry from the bowl and pressed it to his lips. One thing led to another, and the confusing situation slid from his brain as the mating fever once again took control.
Monday morning rolled around. Alex lay on the carpet in front of the fireplace with Lara sprawled on his back. She was tracing shapes with her fingertips on his shoulder blades, and he couldn’t remember the last time he’d been so relaxed.
“This isn’t done,” he warned her. “I know we have to check out today, but I’m not out of the fever, so we need to talk about how we’re going to deal.”
She took a deep breath and let it out slowly, the air gusting over his back as her cheek rested on his shoulder blade. “I can put off going back to the pack house for one more day, but beyond that, it could get tough.”
He twisted, catching her as she fell and pulling her into his lap. The instant she’d spoken, the tension had risen so hard it was as if someone had been applying thumbscrews.
Alex gazed into her face, horrified to discover fear in her eyes. “Dammit. If being with me is going to cause trouble with your pack, I’ll do what has to be done to smooth it out.”
“It’s not that,” she hurried to assure him. “They have no control over who I choose to be with…”
The way her words faded off sent up all kinds of warning signals.
“Lara. What the hell is going on? You’ve been laughing and teasing and sharing with me for the past three days. Not just sex, but more than that, I can tell the thought of going back to the pack house is upsetting you.”
Her expression grew even more guarded.
His bear went on alert.
