Page 5 of Snowed in with the Bear Shifter
He blew out a breath and stuck the cast iron pan on a burner to heat before gathering the salad fixings.
“You’re cooking?” Eloise asked as she glided into the kitchen and slid onto a stool at the island.
He couldn’t help but notice she was still wearing the socks he’d put on her earlier. He shouldn’t read anything into it. Right?
She picked up a cucumber, pointing it at the lettuce, tomatoes, and bell peppers on the counter. “I’m guessing a salad is on the menu. What else you got?”
“How do steak and fries sound?” he asked, holding a hand over the pan to check the heat level before pouring in some avocado oil.
“Pretty damned good, actually. I’m starving after today’s excitement.” She pulled a knife from the block. “How ‘bout I chop stuff while you take care of the rest?”
He placed the steaks in the pan with a satisfying sizzle. “Oh, right. Make me do the hard part,” he growled before giving her a wink.
She rolled her eyes and went to work.
With her chopping skills, dinner was on the table in no time, and he couldn’t help the warm feeling growing in his chest as he watched her tuck into the meal they’d prepared together. He liked it. He wanted the chance for more of it, but a niggling worry that if he made a move, he’d scare her off overshadowed it all.
5
ELOISE
“Thanks for dinner. It was delicious,” she said as they cleaned up the kitchen. They worked well together, like they’d done it a million times before. There wasn’t the usual awkwardness that came with someone she didn’t know all that well. It was disconcertingly nice.
“Least I could do was feed you, considering you’re stuck here until the roads clear,” he said, taking the rinsed dish from her and putting it in the dishwasher.
Outside, the snow was still going strong, pale white flecks flying fast in the darkness of the winter night. She blew out a breath. He was right; she wasn’t going anywhere for a while. But lucky her, she happened to be trapped in a beautiful cabin with one of the hottest men she’d ever seen, one who could cook, and one who kept sneaking her admiring glances when he thought she wasn’t looking. A warm tingle spread through her body, and not just from the delicious food and cozy fire.
To distract herself from her reaction to him, she said, “Where did you get those fries?”
“Costco,” he said, oiling his cast iron pan. “Why? Did you like them?”
“Hell, yeah. The closest to restaurant-style fries I’ve ever had. Might even be worth getting a membership for a steady supply of them alone.”
“You don’t have a membership?” He said it as if she were committing a crime not having a card to the big box store.
She raised a brow. “That isn’t the worst thing in the world, you know. I mean, I’m single and live in a two-bedroom apartment. What am I going to do with a giant pack of toilet paper or the world’s largest bag of coffee? I don’t have the space or a need for that.”
“It’s not like that at all,” he said, a glint in his golden eyes. “Not only do they have delicious fries and a killer rotisserie chicken, they’ve also got freshly baked bread, a decent selection of wine, even clothes.” He held out his arm, a bicep bulging. “Got this shirt there.”
She bit the inside of her cheek to hold back a giggle at his enthusiasm. It was so cute to hear the big bear shifter wax lyrical about shopping. “I have to admit, that is a pretty nice shirt,” she said. The urge to run her hands over his lovely muscly muscles surprised her with its strength.
A quick grin flashed across his face. “Why don’t you go relax while I finish up here?”
As he reached out to take the dish from her hand, their fingers touched and a bolt of electricity shot through her body. Her cheeks warmed, and heat coiled in her belly. Their eyes met, and in that moment, she saw a future with him, one filled with love and laughter and the possibility of a kid or two.
A little dazed by the force of the vision she’d just had, she didn’t protest as he shooed her out of the kitchen. She shook her head, trying to clear away the odd feeling of destiny tapping on her shoulder.
She cleared her throat. “You said power was out for most of the area. So how is it you still have electricity?” She picked upa book off the coffee table and flipped through it before setting it back down. “Are you one of those ‘prepared for everything’ guys?”
“While it’s smart to be prepared, especially up here in the mountains, I’m not a full-blown prepper. Nor am I completely off-grid.” He wiped his hands on a towel and joined her in the living room, leaning a hip against the couch arm. “But I do have solar and a back-up generator, just in case.”
“So no need to huddle together in front of the fire to conserve body heat then,” she said, looking at him through her lashes. “Pity.”
He twitched as if she’d poked him with a cattle prod.
Pleased with his reaction, she opened a tall cabinet near the guest room door. It was filled to the brim with board games. While there were classics like Monopoly and Battleship, there were a lot of newer titles, too. She shot a look at the man watching her move around his house with bright honey-gold eyes. “What’s with all the games? You’re the only one who lives here, right? Or do you have a secret harem stashed away on your second floor?”
An eyebrow winged up. “Those are for the cubs when they come visit.”
