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The phone vibrated against her chest, and she turned off the sander. It was him! A text: Setting up the picnic. Come when you can.
She stood and glanced out the window. Sure enough, there he was, in jeans and a navy T-shirt, stretching the checkered blanket on the ground.
She smiled, her heart racing. Calm yourself. She shouldn't act so excited to see him. Even though she was. And she shouldn't act like this was the highlight of her day. Even though it was.
She used bottled water to wash her hands and face, then brushed out her hair and refastened the ponytail. She dashed to the back door. Voices filtered from the dining room. Alastair and Oskar were arguing over whether to keep the old-fashioned, candle-lit chandelier as it was or wire it for electricity. The B Boys were carrying in stacks of wood for framing the new lower ceiling.
She slipped out the back door, skipped down the stairs, then forced herself to walk calmly toward Howard.
He turned and smiled.
Her stride froze for a few seconds as her heart flipped over before settling back into place. She smiled back. If she acted nonchalant, he might not notice the effect he had on her.
His cheek dimpled. "Are you all right?"
Damn. The man noticed everything. "So what's on today's menu?"
"Bear food." He knelt to remove some plastic containers from the basket.
"You mean nuts and berries?" She sat on the blanket, kicked off her work boots, and peeled off her socks. With her feet bare, she instantly felt much cooler.
"This is a favorite among were-bears - smoked salmon from Alaska." He sliced off a small piece, placed it on a cracker, and handed it to her.
The smoky taste filled her mouth. "Ooh, that's so good."
He smiled. "I'm glad you like it." He filled a wineglass for her. "Lemonade."
She took a sip. Tart, and not too sweet. "You like eating, don't you?"
He nodded as he poured himself a glass. "I have heightened senses, not just sight and hearing, but also smell and taste. So I really enjoy food." His gaze drifted over her long, bare legs. "Or whatever I happen to be nibbling on."
She scoffed. "Beast."
"Goldilocks." He tugged on one of her toes. "You're torturing me." His hand slid up to her ankle. "I think this is called bear-baiting. It's against the law, you know."
"Stop that." She swatted his hand away. "I'm all dusty from work."
He gave her a wide-eyed innocent look. "We could wash up in the pool at the stream."
"I'm not skinny-dipping with you."
"Would you do it alone then?" His mouth twitched. "I could watch over you to protect you. I'm a professional security guard, you know."
She snorted. "I have a feeling your protection would be up close and personal."
"That's the best kind."
She shook her head, smiling. "We should use this opportunity to learn more about each other. Important things."
"Okay." He fixed himself a cracker. "So tell me, for future reference, does your bra fasten in the front or the back?"
She threw a cracker at him, and it bounced off his chest to land on the blanket. "Can you ever be serious?"
With a grin, he picked up the cracker and ate it. "Come to the stream with me, and I'll show you how serious I can get."
She didn't doubt it. Howard would be fiercely passionate. And he was terribly tempting. She drank some lemonade to cool herself down. "Oh." She gestured toward the clearing between them and the house. "My entourage has arrived."
He scanned the collection of small animals. "Holy crap, there's a skunk in the mix. Now I don't dare scare them away."
"Maybe they're hungry." She tossed a few crackers in their direction, and the raccoons were quick to grab them.
Howard winced. "You shouldn't feed wild animals."
"Does that include you?"
He gave her a wry look. "I can be entirely domesticated. You should see me in the kitchen."
She shuddered. "I'm having this strange vision of a grizzly bear wearing an apron."
His mouth curled up as he skimmed a hand up her leg. "I'm having a great vision of you not wearing an apron."
Or anything else, she imagined. She shoved his hand off her thigh. "You seem to have a one-track mind."
"I know. I'm an animal."
She snorted. "Why don't you tell me about yourself? How did you grow up?"
He shrugged. "It's not all that interesting. After my father died, my mom took me back to the Bear Claw Islands, just off the Alaskan Peninsula. We lived at my grandfather's house on the biggest island, called The Paw. There was a small elementary school on the island, but when it was time for middle school, we had to take the ferry to Port Mishenka."
She helped herself to more salmon. "And there were a lot of were-bears there?"
"Not on the mainland. But on the islands, we're all were-bears."
Her eyes widened. "Really?"
"Yes. But not everyone is a Kodiak bear like me. Some are black bears. My best friend, Harry Yutu, shifts into a polar bear."
Her mouth dropped open. "Really?"
"Yeah. He turns solid white. I used to tease him that he disappeared for the entire winter. He'd be right in front of me, and I'd act like I couldn't see him." Howard chuckled. "It drove him crazy."
She shook her head in disbelief. "Your best friend is a polar bear?"
"Yep. Technically, he's bigger than me. But I figure I have him beat on looks." Howard's mouth curled up. "I have a really nice fur coat. Don't you think so?"
She gave him an incredulous look. "I was too terrified to notice."
"I could show it to you again."
"No!"
He grinned. "Then you'll have to take my word for it. I'm a very handsome bear."
Handsome Howard. "You really don't mind being a were-bear?"
"No, I'm happy." He ripped open the square of chocolate, broke it in two, and held a piece up to her mouth.
She opened her mouth and let him set the chocolate on her tongue. He popped the other half in his mouth, then opened a plastic container of fresh pineapple chunks.
"Try this." He placed a chunk in her mouth.
The pineapple juice mingled with the chocolate, filling her mouth with a delicious sweetness. "Mmm." She chewed slowly, enjoying it.
He ate a pineapple chunk, watching her. "Good?"
She nodded and licked her lips.
He moaned, his eyes growing a more intense blue.
There was hunger in his eyes. A fierce desire that made her quiver in response. She pulled her legs in, pressing her thighs together as heat gathered in her core.
His nostrils flared, and he suddenly jumped to his feet. "Come." He grabbed her hands and pulled her up.
"What?" She stumbled after him as he strode deeper into the woods. "Where - "
He pressed her back against a large tree trunk. "I don't want anyone in the house to see us." He lifted her arms over her head, pinning her wrists to the trunk.
She tugged at his grasp. "Let me go."
"I will. After I kiss you."
She huffed. "Beast."
"Goldilocks." He kissed her forehead. "Too hard." He kissed her cheek. "Too soft." He hovered over her lips. "But this is just right."
He molded his lips against hers, tasting, nibbling, ravishing. Meanwhile, his hands moved slowly down her arms, prickling her skin with goose bumps.
She leaned back against the tree, her knees weak, her heart pounding. His mouth was insistent. His hands, seductive. They skimmed over her shoulders, then rested lightly on her chest.
He broke the kiss. She gazed up at him, her br**sts heaving beneath his hands. With his eyes gleaming an intense blue, he slowly unbuttoned her shirt. Opened it.
She drew in a long, shaky breath.
With his right hand, he cupped her breast, stroking the cotton bra until her nipple pebbled. His thumb slipped underneath the material and pulled it down, exposing her.
"Beautiful," he whispered.
She shivered, then gasped as he latched his mouth onto her nipple. Oh God, he knew how to use his lips and tongue. Of course he did. He had a heightened sense of taste.
Her knees quivered, and she grabbed onto him to keep from falling. He started on her other breast, suckling the nipple till it was as red and hard as the other.
