Page 41 of Bear In A Boutique
He acted like they were about to be under attack.
Lulu tried to pretend everything was fine, but her poker face was lame, and the saccharine smile she’d worn all morning gave it all away.
“I’m going to go,” Olive said quickly. Taking her friend’s hands, she gave her a reassuring squeeze… and snatched her keys.
Fox rolled the cuffs of his shirt. “Why don’t you stay here? I’ll show you how to arm the security system, and you can watch movies all day.”
She looked between them, waiting for one of them to tell her why exactly she needed to arm the security system.
“Is there something I should be concerned about? You two are giving off a vibe.”
Fox looked at his wife, who smiled flatly and shrugged.
“I don’t want to scare you unnecessarily, Olive.” Fox hesitated. “A man commented on you at the bar last night. Something about him didn’t sit well with Ryker and me. He’s probably a tourist, but it never hurts to be cautious.”
“Whoa! What kind of comment?”
Olive hugged herself as a chill raced over her body. Her shirt pressed against her back as her skin grew clammy.
“He wanted to know if we had your number. He probably came into the boutique, saw you, and decided to be a creep about his interest in you.”
Her shoulders hunched inward with the sudden need to make herself small. “That’s not terrifying, or anything.”
Fox lightly touched her shoulder. “Dax tailed the guy, making it clear that he was being watched. If this guy shows his face again, we’ll get rid of him. In the meantime, be vigilant.”
“I saw someone,” she blurted. “When I was waiting for the electrician yesterday. A man came to the door and jiggled the handle so hard, I thought he would break in. I hid behind a clothing rack so he couldn’t see me.”
It felt silly to be scared at the time, but now? It hadn’t been silly at all.
“Did you see his face?”
“No. The shades were half drawn so all I could see was his outline and the lower half of his body. Someone must have scared him off because he high-tailed it out of there.”
Men didn’t routinely come into the boutique unless their wives dragged them along. She couldn’t remember the last time a man had come in alone, aside from Ryker. Which suggested thisasshole was likely someone’s husband and had been creeping on her with his wife in the store.
She shivered hard. What a dick.
Osprey, Fox’s Labrador, whined and looked at her adoringly, tongue lolling out of her mouth as if she knew Olive needed comfort. The moment lasted a nano-second before the dog burst to her feet and barked menacingly at the sound of tires crunching the gravel outside.
“That would be Ryker.” Fox let Osprey out, who wasted no time viciously attacking their visitor with kisses.
Looking out the door, Olive forgot her unease as Ryker dropped to one knee to scratch the dog’s ears and tell her she was a good girl in his deep, rumbling timber. She stumbled over nothing and slapped her hand against the doorframe to avoid falling.
Good girl.
She wanted to be a good girl… with Ryker’s big, strong hands cupping her face and holding her against his hard body.
A low moan rose in her throat. She barely stopped herself from letting it lose. The waft of something spicy and woodsy drifted her way. She drew it in, closed her eyes, and savored it.
Don’t look at him. Do not look at him.
She needed to get the hell out of here.
Gabbing her duffle, she slipped the strap over her shoulder and picked up her purse.
“Thanks for letting me stay, Lu. I’m going to head out.”
She ignored the curious look her friend gave her as she pulled her in for a hug. “Congratulations again. I’m so excited that you’re going to be a mom.”
