Page 2 of Bearly Yours
Or at least eviscerate him verbally and toss him on his butt outside the restaurant.
I hoped the stupid mage froze to death.
I greeted the cool and crisp late January night air with a thankful sigh. It had been getting stuffy inside. I was thankfulMeumhad such a beautiful garden behind the restaurant. Even in the dead of winter, there were beautiful plants to enjoy; a huge dome-shaped greenhouse stood behind the restaurant, and guests were welcome to walk through it. The restaurant actually had two greenhouses; the other one was around the side and provided fresh vegetables, herbs, and fruits for the restaurant.
In front of the greenhouse, along an old-fashioned lantern lit path—lit by magelight—was the winter garden. It was planned, planted, and tended by green witches each season of the year. Roarke paid for the extra maintenance to keep it looking nice. The winter garden, which was one of my favorites, had several winter-blooming plants and flowers along with several water features, including the famous dragon fountain that remained no matter the season.
A huge copper dragon sat peacefully on top of the fountain, with what looked like magma and water running from his open mouth. The orange and red backlit water filled the large basin beneath him, which overflowed into another larger basin below, and then the last, largest basin at the bottom. The fountain was surrounded by beautiful benches, more fairy-lights, and the deep, serene feeling of healing magic that permeated everything. It was a favorite place of mine in the city, and I came often to soak in the peaceful atmosphere.
Sometimes, in a Clan full of mostly male bear shifters, peace was a hot commodity, and one I didn’t ever take for granted.
Thinking about my Clan made me smile, and I wondered which of them had given Lyonel my number.
You’d think I’d know who’d set me up on this blind date, but the truth was there were at least two or three culprits who would do it, and totally think they were doing the right thing. Bears who knew me, and loved me, and understood how much I wanted a family and mate of my own.
At least one of them kept choosing guys like the one tonight. Guys who were bad news and left me feeling weary beyond belief, and so fed up that I swore off peopling for a while.
It was probably Drew, our newest andyoungestClan member. Drew was in his late teens, around nineteen I think, and was prone to acting and speaking without thinking first. I didn’t fault him for it for the most part I knew he’d grow out of it. Eventually...
Roarke interrupted my musings as he came around a bend in the pathway, bearing yummy smelling food that made my stomach snarl. He was still trailing a faint line of smoke, so I took the bag of food and the drinks away from him and let him cool off a bit while I explored what he’d brought me.
“I nabbed the last piece of pumpkin cheesecake for you,” he said gruffly, and I could hear the affection he had for me in his voice. He was never grumpy with me, no matter what was going on in his day, or how frustrated or angry he was with someone else.
I went to kiss his cheek in gratitude for rescuing me and bringing me sustenance, but thought better of it when I noticed his skin was flushed a dark, crimson red.
This was unusual. I’d seen him flame up like this a couple of times in the years that I’d known him, but he was usually quick to calm down again. For some reason it was taking him longer than normal to chill this time. I eyed him with unease for a moment, then carefully set the food and drinks down beside me on the bench—far enough away that the smoke and heat from Roarke wouldn’t taint the food—and scooted closer to him.
“I’m okay, Roarke,” I said.
He snorted and smoke shot out of his nostrils. I coughed and waved it away from my face. “No, you’renot.You say that like putting up with”—he growled a curse in Irish Gaelic—"is your full-time job, and like it doesn’t hurt you. I know it does.” He swallowed, and his eyes turned dark red, like a vampire’s before a feeding.
Uh-oh.
“I’ve held you while you cried over these”—more Gaelic curse words—"and I’m sick to death of the males in this town treating you this way. If I thought you’d agree, I’d fly you right now to another of the paranormal towns. Or we could go to Italy, it’s beautiful this time of year. Maybe we could find our mates there. We could be roommates while we look, eat all the Italian food we can stomach, and be happy.
And let me tell you, Italians know how to treat women. Draven is a perfect example. He cherishes and adores Mia, not,” he flung his hand out dismissively, waving and encompassing the whole of Moonhaven Cove, “whatever these”—more Gaelic cursing—"are doing.”
I knew he bought spelled clothing so it didn’t go to ash when he got a little steamy, so I felt confident that touching his black dress pants wouldn’t burn my hand off. I placed a hand on his thighs, feeling the warmth and power radiating from his skin through his pants, and tilted my head up to so I could see him eye-to-eye. “I’m okay, really. I just needed a moment in your beautiful gardens.”
Roarke reached out his hand, and with a very gentle, slightly-too-warm finger lifted something off of my cheek. “Then what is this?”
It was a tear. I hadn’t even realized I’d been silently crying as I sat out here alone. The heat of his skin made my tear disappear into a cloud of steam, like he was a draconian magician.
I smiled softly and tried to tease, “It’s all the smoke coming off you. You’re hot; I can’t help it.”
Yeah, I’d just called my best friend hot.
Again.
The sad thing was, this wasn’t the first time I’d blundered into doing that, and I knew it wouldn’t be the last. Roarke tactfully didn’t mention my low-key flirting with him.
He shook his head, and I belatedly realized he was shaking his head because I’d said I was okay. He still didn’t believe me. But heshouldhave,because the truth was, I only accepted dates that could accommodate going to one of Roarke’s restaurants, and only when Roarke was working on that specific evening. Because whatever crap-shoot or cataclysmic disaster happened to my evenings, being with Roarke afterward always made it better.
The red of Roarke’s skin was dimming, making his normally pale skin-tone slightly pink. I almost smiled because whenever he cooled down from a slight flame up, he reminded me of a cupid, but more growly and fierce. The crimson red also bled from his eyes, bringing back the vibrant azure and opal colors that I loved so much.
The whites of his eyes literally looked opalescent in certain lights. I thought his eyes were gorgeous and unique, and I teased him about them all the time. That, combined with his long, dark eyelashes, silky black hair, the edge of mixed black and colorful tattoos peeking out from his right shirt sleeve—that I happened to know also went from one pec over his shoulder and down his arm, his draconic physique—large and muscly, and his beautiful smile made him one of the hottest bachelors in Moonhaven Cove.
Literally.
