Page 75 of The Thief

Bear’s lips brushed across my knee, desire crackling in his brown eyes. He lifted my other foot, propped it on his shoulder, and kneaded my thigh with his dexterous hands.

My heart melted when I looked into his soulful eyes. I lowered my leg and sat forward, holding his face in my hands.

“I miss sleeping next to you,” he said.

I kissed the corner of his mouth. “It’s only been two days.”

“Two days too many. I’ve been mighty lonely.” His hand rested on my hip. “I need my girl.”

Normally it was my stomach that did funny twists and turns, but this time that sensation squeezed inside my chest.

I savored the soft touch of his lips. Bear knew how to kiss like he meant it, and it wasn’t just arousal that stirred inside me.

A knock sounded at the door, startling Bear. When he attempted to stand, he lost his balance and fell on his butt.

I belted out a laugh. After helping him up, I watched him scramble to the far side of the bed and take a seat.

“Come in.” I sat on the mattress, wondering how us moving to the bed looked any less suspicious.

Lucian entered and analyzed my bedroom with a sharp eye. He still had on the same tank top from earlier, only now he was barefoot. “Why didn’t you pick a room with a window?” he asked, staring at the painted wall.

“It’s cozier without them,” I replied.

His nose twitched, and he rubbed it. “I couldn’t sleep and thought you might want an update. Calvin’s hiring me to fix a few things, so I’ll be working after-hours. He’s giving me the key to lock up, just so you know.”

“Congrats. If he likes your work, he’ll spread the word. Calvin doesn’t have a reputation for bullshitting anyone.”

Lucian approached the bed, still staring at the wall. “If I can’t find steady or high-paying jobs, I doubt I’ll be here for long.”

“Don’t sell yourself short,” Bear said.

“I’m not.” He crossed his arms and frowned. “But I can’t predict if these local hicks will hire a Chitah, let alone pay me what I’m worth.”

“Who are you calling hick?” I grinned, reaching out as if to slap his leg. “It’ll take time for everyone around here to warm up to us. That’s how small towns work. The more we socialize, the better.”

“Therein lies the problem.” His eyes steered up to the ceiling. “Not everyone here’s a social butterfly. Some of us like to read in our cocoon.”

Lying on my side, I propped my head in my hand and said, “Now you have ten thousand reference books in the library to keep you occupied. Did you see all those?”

He rubbed the side of his face. “Oh shit. I was supposed to help Joy with cataloging. On top of my new job. On top of monitoring the security system and reviewing footage.”

“What footage?” I asked, hoping he hadn’t recorded the horse running off.

“The cameras record when they sense motion. Whenever there’s video saved, it’s my job to review the footage, camera location, time, and what set it off. So far it’s usually deer, rabbits, owls, raccoons, squirrels, and a fox.”

Bear leaned against the headboard. “Do they record what goes on in the backyard?”

Lucian rubbed his arm, the dark stubble on his head making me wonder what he would look like with long hair. “That would create constant footage, and Tak thinks it’ll invade everyone’s privacy. No one’s sneaking into the backyard without passing by one of the outside cameras first. I don’t get alerts with the ones immediately around the house since it would blow up my phone. I only review that footage if something were to happen, like with Dax. People get their panties in a twist over nothing.” He picked up my paperweight and hefted it. “I’m thinking about buying a drone.”

Bear scratched his ear. “Don’t people use those to peek inside windows?”

“Perverts.” Lucian tossed the rock and caught it. “I’m not interested in other people’s sex lives, if that’s what you’re implying. A drone would have been handy when Dax was running around. Maybe we could have found him before he burned down the barn. We could use it to spy on Hamish or find Luna if she gets out again.” He admired the quartz paperweight. “Where did you get this?”

“I don’t know. I’ve had that longer than I can remember. Literally.”

“It’s heavy.” He turned it between his fingers and held it above the lamp. Then he looked around the room and strode over to my vanity.

When he touched it to the glass, Bear said, “If you scratch that, I’ll beat your ass.”

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