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“See what?” Gerald asked, but the way he watched Laura made her uncomfortable.
Damn it. Just when she thought maybe she and Gerald might be able to mess around, become actual friends or friends with benefits, she had to show her predator.
Most guys, unless they were bears, had issues with a woman being stronger. Gerald seemed to be following that sad, same pattern.
“You guys okay to head back?” she asked.
“Yeah.” Gerald shocked her by leaning close for a kiss. “Great work with those birds. See you tonight at seven. Don’t be late.”
She watched him leave with a smirking Harry and wondered what had just happened. Was he not put off by her grizzly after all? That she’d defended him in front of others? Or was he just playing fake, future mate for his cousin’s benefit?
Ack. Stupid man. Making me wonder about stupid things.
She stomped away, in the mood for a vanilla honey latte. Or a fight. She could totally go for one of them but settled on the latte.
Later that evening, Laura showed up to Gerald’s work thingy. She was glad to see Julia and a few other clients she knew Winter and Sons had helped. In addition, a bunch of Gerald’s buddies had stopped by, members of the catamount clan and a few bears and wolves.
She saw her alpha there and ambled over.
“Tom.”
“Laura. Nice work with the raptors today. Gerald told me.” He nodded to the sly fox who just had to catch her eye and wink and make her blush. “So when are you two mating? Not that you asked permission or anything.”
Which clan members typically had to do, get the alpha’s blessing before mating.
“I, um, well…”
Tom laughed. “Don’t worry about it, Laura. You know we bears are a lot better about family than the other clans.” He said that loudly enough to annoy several people, not that he cared. “Besides, for a fox, Gerald’s decent. He’s smart, sneaky, and funny. I approve.”
“You, ah, do?”
Tom leaned closer and said in a low voice, “And I can smell you two have bonded. It’s faint, but there’s no hiding from this.” He touched the tip of his nose. “Good luck. I’m proud of you for tying that one down. Now we just have to get your sister in hand. Eric’s no good for her.”
“She broke up with him,” Laura blurted, surprised their alpha didn’t already know. And what did he mean about them being bonded? Ac-taw could scent-bond before mating, but they both had to accept the bond.
Her alpha frowned. “No one told me. Damn it. Does anyone care that I’m the alpha? Friggin’ bears.”
“I—”
“Don’t worry about it. I’ve got a meeting with your mother later. We’ll talk then.”
She felt bad for maybe having thrown her sister under the bus, but Hailey hadn’t said her relationship status was a secret. And since she hadn’t been upset about the breakup, Laura didn’t figure she’d have a reason to hide it. With Tom talking to her mother, she didn’t worry much. Barbara Novak could handle anything.
Speaking of which, her mother had been surprisingly quiet about Laura’s mating business. Was that a good or a bad thing?
“Laura, come on. You need some eggnog.” Gerald put his arm around her, and it felt natural. She let him lead her to the bar and accepted a glass spiked with rum.
But as she drank, tucked against him under his shoulder, she took a whiff of something delicious. It was indescribable yet alluring. Their bonded scent? No, it couldn’t be.
Could it?
Chapter Twenty-Four
Gerald followed Laura home in his vehicle, parking behind hers to make sure she got home all right. Not that he had any doubts about her ability to drive in the snow, but he didn’t trust the raptors not to have something nasty planned.
She’d been giving him odd looks all night. He didn’t know what to make of it. Had she realized he was the one giving her gifts?
But no. She’d have said something, he was sure.
