Page 71 of The Thief

“Or me,” Joy quipped. “Would you like to order anything before we leave?”

Bear shook his head. “Did you two find anything?”

I touched his foot beneath the table with mine. “Boy, did we. All these lamps over here”—I gestured to the bags on my right—“for the living room, and a couple of deliveries are coming. Including a TV.”

Joy scooted her chair back and stood. “Pardon me. I need to use the ladies’ room before we leave. I’ll settle the bill while I’m in there.”

Joy had a bladder the size of a walnut. She’d gone three times since we arrived in Austin.

Bear watched her like a hawk until she walked inside the café.

I tapped my shoe against his leg. “Do you think?—?”

Bear advanced so swiftly that my breath caught. He planted a gentle kiss on my mouth that lit my body on fire. All it took was a sweep of his tongue and the smell of his cologne to incinerate every doubt I had. That flame smoldered as the kiss deepened, and Bear let out a little grunt that made me want to straddle him. My body remembered his touch, his scent, and his passion.

Tapering off the kiss, he said, “I’ve been wanting to do that all day.” Bear eased back into his seat, his cheeks flushed. “What were you gonna say?”

Was I going to say something? Do I speak English? What day is this? Bear had caught me so off guard that it left me dizzy and breathless.

“I forgot.”

Still wearing sunglasses, he grinned. “You and I need to talk about things. We’ll wait until Tak returns.”

I leaned forward. “Can we not rush into this just yet?”

Bear removed his glasses, his confused gaze colliding with my serious one. “Why?”

“I need to resolve this situation with Argento and figure out if it could hurt my future with the pack. You deserve to be with a pack like this—one that understands and appreciates you. I’m not taking you away from that, especially after what happened in your old pack.”

He leaned forward so we were face-to-face. “If I didn’t make it plain before, let me make it abundantly clear. Where you go, I go. Period. What I feel for you isn’t fading. It’s different from what I’ve ever felt before. You’re all I think about.”

“I’m scared what’ll happen.”

Bear touched my hand but then quickly retracted it when Joy walked out. He shot to his feet and put his sunglasses on. “Don’t be. Now, hand me those lamps. I’ll load them in the back.”

Joy claimed the front passenger seat, and I sat directly behind Bear. He had an awesome sunroof. I was tempted to recline my seat and stare at the sky, but since I wanted to be near him, I scooted my seat as far up as it would go.

His kiss still lingered on my lips.

Joy searched for music on the radio while we pulled into traffic.

I leaned forward. “It sure is hot in here.” I slid my hand between the seat and door and stroked his flank. Though I couldn’t see his reaction, the SUV made a slight jerk to the left.

Bear cleared his throat. “There’s a vent in the middle, between our seats.” He reached behind the console and tapped the knobs.

But he wasn’t interested in showing me where the vents were, because his fingers crooked as if summoning me.

I stroked my hand in his palm before he pulled his arm back. Stealing moments with Bear was becoming a favorite pastime.

Joy finally leaned back when she was satisfied with the music. “It’s impossible to find anything from the forties anymore.”

“You can download music and listen to it anywhere,” Bear informed her.

She put on her dark sunglasses. “Technology confounds me. Just when I think I’ve figured it out, everything changes.”

I couldn’t relate. I knew many things with no context as to how and when I’d learned them.

The SUV stopped short, and I hit the back of the driver’s seat.

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