Page 11 of Snowed in with the Bear Shifter
That’s what you get for being so lecherous,she scolded herself between coughs, her eyes watering.Naughty, lustful woman.
But how could she not? He was not just a snack but a full-on meal plus leftovers.
“You okay?” he asked, worry in his golden honey eyes.
“Fine.” She cleared her throat and changed the subject. “So, uh, what’s with the tree?”
He grabbed a neatly folded black t-shirt from the bench and pulled it over his head. “It’s for you,” he said, his voice muffled beneath the cotton. He tugged the shirt down and ran his hands through his hair.
“What?” Her gaze darted to the tree and back to him. “You brought me a tree? Why would you do that?”
“I didn’t want you to miss out,” he said with a small shrug, his neck turning red.
Her heart squeezed so tight, she thought it might explode in her chest. “Really?” she asked in a quiet voice.
He grunted, scratching a freshly shaved jaw.
Setting her coffee down on a coaster, she walked over to him, flung her arms around his neck, and popped up on her toes to give him a quick kiss. “Thank you, Roar. That’s so incredibly sweet and thoughtful.”
His hands settled on her hips, the heat of them practically burning through the soft, worn fabric of the flannel to her skin beneath. “Is that my shirt?” he asked.
“Of course it is,” she said, trailing her fingers over the hard muscles of his arms. “I don’t have any extra clothes here.”
“Where’d you get it?”
“Your upstairs closet.” She cocked her head, giving him an innocent look. “Why? Is that a problem? That I went through your things?”
“No.” He gently tugged on a lock that had come loose from her messy bun.
With a raised eyebrow, she asked, “You don’t mind that I went through all of your stuff? Breeched the inner sanctum of Roarke Hargrove without permission and stole your shirt? And a pair of socks?” She rubbed her wool-covered foot against his bare one.
“What’s mine is yours, El.”
“Really?” She drawled the word, trailing a finger over his chest. “And what about all those deep, dark secrets I discovered? Are those mine too?”
The man didn’t even flinch. “You found where I buried the bodies?”
Her lips quirked up. “I did. You know, I hear lye is quite effective for getting rid of things like that. Better than tucking them away in that hidden space at the back of your closet.”
“And just how do you know so much about getting rid of bodies?” His strong fingers massaged the base of her skull, and she had to bite the inside of her cheek to stop a moan from escaping.
“Wouldn’t you like to know?” Giving him a broad grin, she patted his chest and took a step back, afraid that if she let him keep touching her, she’d wind up in a puddle on the ground. That or she’d throw herself at him, only to be rebuffed yet again. She didn’t want another one of his gentle rejection of her overtures. “Anyway. What about this tree? I don’t see a stand. And decorations? You seem to be sorely lacking in those.”
“Just didn’t get around to it this year,” he said, casting a glance at the bare tree he’d stuck in the corner. “Besides, I’ll be spending Christmas Eve at my parents’ house, and they go all out. That’s usually more than enough for me.”
“Family,” she said with a shake of her head, the one word encompassing all the emotions.
“Yeah. I love mine, but when we all get together, it’s a lot.”
“Don’t tell my mom,” she said, leaning closer as if imparting a dire secret, “but I’m kind of happy I’m stuck up here on this mountain with you and not at all sad that I’m missing out on a few days of ‘family fun’.”
“I’m happy you’re up here with me, too,” he said in a quiet voice.
Her breath caught in her throat, a tidal wave of emotions rolling over her. She flashed him a grin. “So. What are we going to do about your naked tree?”
“Don’t you mean your tree?”
Huffing out a laugh, she said, “Either way, this beautiful thing needs to get dressed up for the holidays. But sadly, you’renot a decorations kind of guy, it seems. Man, I wish I had the ability to just magic up some fun sparkles and baubles.” She nibbled her bottom lip. “I guess we could go old school, string some popcorn or hunt up some pinecones or something.” But her stomach sank at the thought. The tree Roarke brought her, it was such a lovely gesture. It deserved all the sparkle and lights and pretty colors.
