Page 127 of The Thief

“Don’t bother. I’d leave it be. I think he’s that way because he craves company and doesn’t like being alone. Some people are like that. Believe me, when he’s overstayed his welcome, Bear lets him know.”

We returned to the living room, and the pack hadn’t moved. With the midmorning sunshine glinting across the wood floor, it was hard not to appreciate the enormity and yet coziness of our new living space. Joy was curled up at the end, her knitting needles guiding the yarn. Melody was sitting on the floor, leaning against the sofa with Lakota’s head in her lap. She lazily traced the line of his nose and mouth before he playfully nipped her finger.

“I’m fixin’ to run a load of laundry before work,” I announced. “Anyone have any last-minute items to throw in?”

“That’s her not-so-subtle way of telling us we stink,” Archer said before sniffing his armpit.

Melody pinched Lakota’s T-shirt. “That means you.”

He sat up and stripped off his shirt. “You’ll say anything to get my clothes off.”

“That’s the pot calling the kettle black.” Melody stood and gathered all the men’s sweaty shirts.

After handing Melody his shirt, Virgil stripped off his jeans and added them to the pile. “Might as well wash these.”

“You can stop there,” Archer said, turning his gaze away. “You didn’t work up that much of a sweat.”

Virgil folded his arms. “I carried a leather sofa.”

“You carried a corner. I carried a whole chair with one arm.”

Still staring at his phone, Lucian said deadpan, “And I was the invisible idiot carrying it with you.”

While Melody rolled her eyes and handed me the clothes, I watched Bear peel off his short-sleeved shirt. He still preferred long sleeves, especially when cooking, but because they were doing heavy lifting, he had chosen something cooler with a wider collar. I loved seeing him gaining confidence around the pack. It wasn’t going to be an overnight switch, and honestly, I loved him in long sleeves. Those broad shoulders and thick arms made me want to do naughty things with him. Regardless of what he chose to wear, I just wanted him to be comfortable in his own skin.

Bear added his shirt to the pile and gave me a chaste kiss. I was still getting used to public affection, and my favorite moments were still the ones that happened when no one was looking.

“When are you going to cook us some barbecue?” Archer complained while looking over the couch at Bear.

It didn’t escape my attention that Bear’s face flushed. No one could see him with his back turned. Suddenly, I began wondering what really happened to that smoker.

No, Mercy. You don’t wanna know.

Chapter 24

“Are you sure that’s everything?” I asked Bear while taking inventory of our luggage in the back of his Tahoe. We’d flattened the rear seats to make room since we had more bags than we needed. But it was our first trip together, so we kept thinking of things we wanted to bring, like our favorite blanket and Bear’s guitar.

“Yep. That’s all of it.” He squinted at the sky—not a cloud in sight. “We have a long drive ahead of us and need to get going if we want to make it to the hotel before dark.”

“Don’t rush me. I don’t want to leave and forget something important.” My eyes widened.

The diamond!

Tak swaggered toward us from the porch with a thermal bag in his hand. A few packmates had gathered to see us off, but the rest were busy working. “I brought you healthy snacks for the road. None of that processed garbage.” He gave me a furtive wink. The kind of wink that said: There’s a big fat diamond between the oranges and Ritz crackers.

I took the bag. “You’re a lifesaver.”

“That was kind of you.” Hope clutched his arm.

“More than you know,” he murmured.

Bear tucked the bag in a safe place in the trunk and then closed the liftgate. “We should make it to Memphis in about nine hours, depending on traffic. Did you pick out a place to eat?”

I glanced down at my blue sneakers, grey leggings, and tank top. “I’m not dressed for fancy dining, so let’s have fun. Music, drinks, a few burgers—that’s good enough for me. Then we can watch a movie in bed.”

He put his arm around me. “Yes, ma’am.”

Montana approached and tipped his hat at me. Then he handed Bear a locked container. “It’s a Glock. I also made you a fake license. They don’t require it here, but some of the other states do,” he said, handing him a key. “Don’t speed, unless you want the cops to pull you over.”

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