Loving The Bear Read online

  “Anything else I can get you?” asked Lilly.

  He had so many things on that list.

  “Food wise, no, but I’d like to talk with you before I leave.”

  She nodded and headed back to the kitchen.

  The food was better than delicious. Maybe he’d come here every Sunday now that he knew Lilly worked here. He squeezed some honey on the toast and even that was heavenly. As he ate he watched Lilly clear and then wash down the empty tables around him. As she leaned over he couldn’t help but look at her legs as her uniform rose up her thighs. Curvy and lovely. He felt himself getting excited. He quickly threw the napkin over his lap just in case anyone saw the tell-tale bulge in his jeans.

  Her ponytail swung from side to side as she wiped down another table. He could sit here all day and just watch her go about her work. He took a sip of tea and then ate the last of the sausages.

  She turned around and looked at him. Yeah, he wasn’t going to let her get away. He could tell by her eyes and body language she liked him just as much as he liked her.

  Chapter Seven

  Lilly had kept herself busy all the time Christopher had eaten his breakfast. He’d now finished and she’d already cleared away his plate.

  “Anything else I can get you?” she asked him.

  “I think that’s all I can eat right now,” he said patting his belly.

  “Yeah, it’s filling isn’t it?” She put the bill down beside the mug.

  “When do you get off work?” he asked.

  “I have a break coming up before my lunch shift starts, and then I finish at three.”

  “You want to take a walk on your break. In case you’re wondering what it’s about, I want to apologize for the other day.”

  “You really don’t have to.”

  “I think I do.”

  She nodded. “I’ll meet you outside in five minutes.”

  She turned and went to the back for her jacket and the promised sausages for Barney. On the way to his table, she noticed he’d already left and $10 dollar tip sat on the table. She shook her head, but she wouldn’t say anything to him about it. She’d overreacted once and she wasn’t going to do it again.

  She walked outside and pulled her coat collar up around her neck and face. Christopher was already out there.

  “Let me start with my apology,” he said.

  “Christopher you don’t have to. I’m the one who should be doing that. I was rude and I know you didn’t mean anything by your suggestion of paying for the battery. I guess I’m not the sort of woman who likes to be in debt to a man.”

  “I can understand that. Maybe I’m a bit old school.”

  “You look my age so I can’t see how you could be.”

  “I’m a young head on old shoulders.”

  She laughed. A very good looking head on some sexy, muscular shoulders. The Superman image came into her head again.

  “How would you feel about us doing a barter deal?” he asked.

  That had caught her off guard. “Barter?” she asked.

  “I won’t cash the check if you clean my condo. You probably saw I’m a typical man and throw socks and things around the place.”

  She hadn’t because she’d been too busy looking at the sketches. And if she was honest, he’d been the main focus of her attention.

  “Sure, that I’d be more than willing to do.”

  “In fact, I probably can find you some more customers.”

  He really was a nice guy and it made what she’d done and said the other day, seem even more irrational. Borderline bitchy and she never wanted to be that. She had to make it up to him somehow.

  “That would be great, but you really don’t have to.”

  “No problem because some of my shif…some of my buddies need their places cleaned, believe me. Oh, and if you need a reference about my character you can call Trent Burgress, he’s a cop I often hang out with. Also, my brother and sister-in-law, who I might add is a doctor,”

  “I think I know a good person when I see one.”

  Christopher looked down at the ground. “I’ve never been tongue-tied, so I’m going to need to do this right now before I lose my nerve. Would you go out on a date with me?”

  She was honored, she’d love to, but she wasn’t sure she was ready for dating, friendship, yes, but not a relationship. She had to rebuild her life first.

  “Please don’t think it’s you, because I think you’re a great guy, but I’m not really interested in dating right now. I’m sort of getting a few things sorted out in my life.”

  She hoped she hadn’t offended him again.

  He nodded. “Okay, so how about we just hang out together and then when you’re ready you let me know?”

  It sounded fair enough and she was in need of friends in this new to her town.

  “Sounds good to me.”

  “You want to clean my place tomorrow and then we can talk about what we’re going to do for our first non-date?”

  Lilly smiled. She was now non-dating someone. “Okay.”

  “How about 10:00 a.m. tomorrow?”

  “Works for me. Oh, and here are Barney’s sausages because I have to get back to work soon.” She handed the foil wrapped food to him.

  “I’m sure he’s going to love these.”

  “Oh, and give him a hug for me.”

  ****

  The bit about her cleaning his condo had sprung into his mind at the last minute. It had worked and so had the bit about them non-dating. He’d break down the barrier she’d obviously built around herself and her heart. Something had happened to her. He wouldn’t pressure her into telling him. She’d do that in her own time.

  He gave Barney the sausages and then felt like running. Not in human form but as a bear. He wondered if Barney would get scared if he took him along. Guess they’d be only one way to find out.

  He put him into the car and headed out to his favorite spot on Flathead Lake. It was secluded and he and Aiden had found it many years ago when they wanted to get away from it all and let their bear halves emerge without anyone seeing them. Barney barked as he got him out of the car.

  “Now Barney, you can’t tell anyone about what you’re about to see happen. And don’t be scared little guy because this big bear wouldn’t hurt you okay.”

  Christopher relaxed, feeling his muscles gradually giving way to his inner bear. Barney barked as his transformation took place. Christopher went down on all fours. He began running, then stopped and looked behind him. Barney hadn’t moved. He looked at the tiny dog then flicked his head and the dog came bounding to him and Christopher took off running again, the Pomeranian barely keeping up, but at least he knew to run with him and he clearly wasn’t scared or intimidated by his appearance or size.

  Christopher loved this area. He’d loved running with his dad and Aiden. The three of them together as a family. Now his dad was dead. Aiden had Charlotte, so he and his brother didn’t get to spend asmuch time together. Christopher hadn’t thought of himself as lonely, but now that he’d meant Lilly he felt like one half of him was missing.

  If he was going to pursue her, then one day he’d have to tell her the truth about him being a shifter. Barney barked and almost caught up to him and nipped at his paws.

  Christopher ran faster, feeling the dog trailing behind, obviously enjoying being with a bear.

  He ran faster thinking about Lilly and seeing her again tomorrow.

  ****

  Christopher managed to clean Barney and brush his fur before Mrs. Nelson’s son arrived. Barney had concluded their run by going into the lake and then through some mud. He’d just turned off the hair dryer where he’d managed to fluff up Barney’s fur, and make him look half respectable again, when the doorbell rang.

  He’d been reluctant to look after Barney but now that he was about to leave, Christopher knew he was going to miss having the little guy around. He opened the door to see Mrs. Nelson’s son standing there with a small carrier for Barney.
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  Christopher swallowed the lump in his throat. Maybe he’d let him visit Barney from time to time.

  “Hi, come in,” said Christopher.

  “Thank you. Hello Barney. I hope you’ve been a good dog.”

  Barney barked.

  “He’s been no trouble and we went for a long run earlier today so he’ll probably just sleep now.”

  “Great and thanks so much. Now all I have to do is find him a permanent home.”

  Had Christopher heard correctly?

  “A home? But I thought he’d live with you?”

  “No, I travel a lot for my business and it wouldn’t be fair to him to be left at the kennels all that time.”

  “I’ll take him.”

  Wow, that was me who said that?

  “Are you sure?”

  “Positive. I like having him around and I work from home so he won’t be on his own that much.”

  “That’s wonderful. I know Mom would be happy to think he found a good home and just a few doors down from his old one.”

  “Glad I can do that for him.”

  “Well, you might as well have this carrier for him.”

  Christopher took it and Barney barked. “It’s okay little guy, you’re staying her permanently.”

  Barney jumped up in the air and spun around. Christopher hoped it was a sign he liked the news.

  “Well, I must be running along as I have Mom’s funeral to prepare for at the end of the week. I hope you’ll come along to the service.”

  Christopher hadn’t given it any thought. He didn’t know Mrs. Nelson that well, just to say hello to if they meet in the hallway.

  “Some of the other neighbors said they’d attend.”

  “Sure, let me know the time and place, and I’ll be there.”

  Not the sort of thing he liked to attend and especially on his own which made him think that maybe Lilly would accompany him.

  ****

  Lilly carried the vacuum, mop, and bucket with her supplies, out of the elevator. It had been nice of Christopher to offer her the chance to clean his condo. Her bank account was low this week so he didn’t know how much she appreciated it.

  The whole thing made her feel guiltier about the crappy way she’d treated him when he’d offered to buy the battery. She never used to be that sort of person. Guess now she was bitter about being bitter, if there was such a thing.

  She rang and doorbell and was surprised to hear Barney barking inside.

  Christopher opened the door and she immediately felt tongue-tied. He was even more gorgeous today. His sweatshirt pulled tightly over his chest muscles and biceps, and his jeans stretched across nicely defined thighs. Non-dating him was going to be tough, but she knew she couldn’t rush into anything after the whole fiasco with Matt.

  Barney pounded out of the condo and jumped up as high as her waist.

  “Hi Barney, what are you still doing here?”

  “You want to come in, and here, let me help you with the vacuum,” said Christopher.

  “That would be great.”

  Lilly walked in behind Christopher. “Barney is now officially my dog,” he said.

  “Really, how did that happen?”

  Christopher set the vacuum down in the living room where she now saw new plaid dog bed with Barney’s name embroidered upon it, and three squeaky toys that weren’t there before.

  “Mrs. Nelson’s son travels a lot so he was going to have to find a new home for Barney. Whose knows where the little guy would have ended up so I decided to take him?”

  “That’s so sweet of you.”

  Any guy that liked animals this much had to be okay.

  “Oh Barney, aren’t you lucky finding a new home?”

  Barney barked and then chased his tail. “That’s his way of saying thank you for the sausages,” said Christopher.

  “Anytime, Barney. Now where would you like me to start cleaning?”

  “I think the kitchen needs the most attention. You’ll see that I’m really bad about cleaning up after I cook.”

  At least he was honest.

  “Let’s see what I can do.”

  She followed Christopher through to the kitchen. He wasn’t lying because it was a mess, but nothing she couldn’t handle.

  “Let’s start with getting all these dishes into the dishwasher and turn it on.”

  He stood nibbling on an apple, leaning up against the doorjamb watching her as she rinsed some dishes under the tap. She glanced his way every now and then, hoping he didn’t see her, hoping he’d go into the other room.

  Christopher was one of the most attractive men she’d ever met. She wished that he’d hang around, hold on long enough for her to be healed and back to the person she was before the horrible mess with Matt. But he wouldn’t wait forever. No man could be expected to do that. He might tolerate non-dating for a little bit but like any male, he’d eventually want proper dates, someone who wasn’t afraid to be held and kissed, and yes, have sex. Bottom line was he was a guy and they had needs.

  “How are you sketches coming along?” she asked him, hoping her mind could focus on something else.

  “They’re all done and I sent them off so I should hear within the next week.”

  She turned off the tap and began loading the plates into the dishwasher. “That will be so exciting. I mean if you get the job.”

  “I know and it could be the start of more work for the company.”

  “I’ll keep my fingers crossed for you,” she said closing the dishwasher’s door.

  “I’ll just wash down the countertop and mop the floor and then how about I dust and vacuum all the condo?”

  “Sounds great to me. I’ll be in the living room working on some sketches if you need me.”

  She nodded. Glad that he would be out of the way and she wouldn’t be drooling or thinking about what might have been had she had met him before Matt waltzed into her life.

  She filled the bucket with soap and water and then pushed the mop over the tiled floor.

  Lilly left the kitchen and walked along the hallway, seeing the bathroom to her left. She went inside and guessed that Christopher had recently showered. The smell of aftershave lingered in the still moist air, and two bath towels hung over the shower door. She began wiping down the top of the vanity while spotting his boxer shorts sticking out from the laundry hamper. He looked like the boxer sort of guy. She took another peek at them. Blue. She tried to imagine what he looked like wearing them.

  She swallowed, feeling her pussy pull just thinking about it. It had been forever since she’d had these sorts of feelings and sensations. Maybe her body was coming back to life. Her counselor had told her it would happen slowly without her being aware of it because trauma took time to heal. Good news was nothing bad lasted forever.

  Lilly picked up the bottle of cologne that sat next to the mirror. She couldn’t resist putting it to her nose and taking in its scent.

  “Hey Lilly, I forget to…”

  She hadn’t heard him approaching, and in fright she spilled some of the cologne down the front of her t-shirt and apron.

  How embarrassing.

  “I’m so sorry. I was just admiring this. Let me pay for the amount that’s been spilled.”

  “No, it was my fault for sneaking up on you. I’m just glad you like it. My brother said it’s the worst thing he’s ever smelled and more likely to turn a woman away than attract one, but for some reason, I’ve always loved it.”

  He was just making small talk to be nice. God, what a clumsy idiot she was. Matt had been right. Lilly ran the tap and put her cleaning rag under it and began dabbing at the cologne. She wasn’t worried about it staining her clothing, but she just needed something to focus on. Her hands began to shake. The hot water intensified the smell of her clumsiness.

  It’s okay. I’m not with Matt. I’m not with him. I’m not going to get hurt for being stupid.

  Her hand shook some more and the next thing she knew Christopher was b
eside her, his hand covering hers. She swallowed. She was so used to Matt striking her when she’d done something dumb that her hand wouldn’t stop shaking despite Christopher having hold of it.

  “Lilly, it’s okay. You want to tell me about it?”

  She turned to look at him. He had such lovely blue eyes. Kind eyes.

  “Tell you what?” she asked.

  “Why you seem so nervous all the time?”

  She shook her head.

  “Okay, but when you do I’ll listen to every single word. I’m pretty good at that.”

  “I’ll just get this cleaned up and continue with my work.”

  He looked her in the eye.

  “I want to kiss you, but I’ve got a feeling you won’t let me. Am I right?”

  She wanted him to, but he was right. She wasn’t ready to do that just yet. She shook her head. Lilly didn’t want to hurt him so she had to explain. “It’s not because of you. It’s because of me.”

  She could smell and feel his breath on her face. Normally having anyone this close, let alone a man, would have sent her into a panic, but she sensed that Christopher wasn’t the hurting kind.

  He finally let go of her hand and stepped away. He turned and walked out of the bathroom. She wasn’t shaking anymore. Well, not the sort of shaking you did out of fear. More out of frustration. Her body craved a man touching it in a sexual way. What would it be like to have a man touch you and bring you pleasure and not pain? A man like Christopher?

  She shook off that thought and quickly got on with her work. She had the rest of the condo to clean, and hopefully she wouldn’t be tempted to touch any more of his stuff.

  ****

  Christopher sat down at his desk with every intention of sketching his ideas for the storyboard, but he finally gave up and set the pencil down on top of the paper. Lilly was now vacuuming in the hallway.

  She puzzled him. Intrigued him. She’d been shaking so bad it was like someone had plunged her into ice cold water. She was scared of something. Not just being touched, but getting physical and being around a man.

  Maybe she had been raped at some time in her life and that’s why she was reluctant to be touched and to date. No matter what the cause, he’d help her heal.