Page 15 of Bear Haven
“Do you really believe that?” Maxi asked. “Do you really believe wolves and bears have to work together?
“Yes,” Michael answered without looking at her.
“Do you think we can? You do come across as though you don’t like us very much.”
Bex knew Maxine wasn’t talking about wolves in general, but about her specifically. She and Michael hadn’t gotten off on the right foot and the tension between them didn’t seem to be easing up.
Michael stared at her for a long moment. His jaw tightened. His fingers flexed. And Bex figured if he could breathe fire, he’d done so. He still hadn’t acknowledged the connection between himself and the she-wolf.
“Yes. I do think so.” He sighed and for the first time since they’d come back inside, Bex realized the entire room of wolves and bears were watching Michael, listening to the conversation. “Look, I’m not saying it’s going to be easy. I’m not even saying it’s going to be less than difficult. But if we’re going to survive the Mayor and those like him, if we’re going to survive long enough to find mates and live out our natural lives in relative peace, then yes. We’re going to have to come together as one united front.”
“Wow. I didn’t know you could talk that much.”
“Shut up, Blake,” Michael groused.
“Seriously. That was pretty impressive.”
“You think you’ll be impressed with my fist in your face?”
Blake sneered and smiled at the same time. How did he do that? Super bear powers? “Bring it on,” he urged.
“Take it outside.”
Bex whipped her head around to find Gus leaning against the doorframe where the kitchen and dining room were connected, his arms crossed over his chest.
“We’ve got a big enough mess in the house without you two dripping blood all over.”
No one heard him drive up or even open the back door. Someone must’ve attacked the hinges with WD-40.
Bex grinned and ran at him. He caught her and lifted her off her feet, burying his face in her hair as she wrapped her legs around his waist. “I like this greeting. Maybe I need to leave for a few days more often.”
“Maybe,” she teased.
“I missed you, pretty girl.”
“For fuck’s sake. Get a damn room.”
“We’ve got one. Want us to leave the door open so you can listen in, take some notes?”
Michael’s lips twisted in disgust. “God, no.”
“Jealous, Mikey?”
“Don’t call me that.”
“You used to like it.”
“I was ten. I didn’t care.”
Gus set Bex down. “You good?” he asked, his gaze tracing her face. Sometimes it unnerved her how he watched her, how he seemed to know how she was feeling, what she was thinking at any given moment. She knew why he did it and though she was grateful to have someone in her life looking out for her, watching over her. But given her history of independence and self sufficiency, and given that she’d spent her life taking care of others, she was still getting used to being on the receiving end.
“I am,” she replied when he finally let her slide down the front of his body. She tried to ignore the fact that he was hard inside his jeans and that she was damp between her legs, that her nipples pebbled when she’d been pressed against his chest, that for a brief moment, she’d have been perfectly fine if he’d taken her against the wall with everyone watching.
Something about accepting the fact that part of her was an animal, did funny things to her hormones.
“We had neighbors over earlier.”
Gus’s brows rose and his smile lost a bit of its brightness. “Did you?”
