Page 19 of His Determined Bear

“Damned by faint praise,” he said, shaking his head without looking offended. “I guess I’ll just have to bring my A-game around you.” He leaned in like he was sharing a secret, “but I have a feeling you’ll be worth it, Cooper Wakefield.”

My name… that was my name. Had it ever sounded so hot?

“I’ll get you that cookie, and we can get going,” Graham said. He was standing so close his warm breath against my face had goosebumps glazing my skin and a shutter rolling up my spine. And now, my cock was definitely paying attention to him as if it hadn’t been since I had first laid eyes on him on the baking aisle.

This wasn’t like me to have such a visceral reaction to a beautiful man. I didn’t know if I had responded or not, but I was pretty sure I nodded because when Graham moved away, I immediately felt the loss of his heat. We hadn’t touched, but I felt the loss acutely.

Stop that. I told myself. You’re just being fanciful. You don’t know this man. All you have to do is hear him out, then go back to your life.

Why was that thought not as appealing as it should have been?

* * *

Yup, apparently, this was how the dictionary defined torture. Being in a car with Graham. It was like he filled up the entire space.

I couldn’t draw in a breath without smelling him. The air was filled with the aroma of cinnamon, sugar, and vanilla, probably infused into his skin from baking. Yet under all of that deliciousness was the unmistakable fragrance that was musk and man. And it was intoxicating.

It would be weird to lick him, right?

“Okay, pull in right here,” Graham directed. I did as he asked but frowned as I looked around at our destination. We appeared to be on an estate and stopped in front of a cute little bungalow.

I put the car in park then looked around, trying to guess what we were doing here. I twisted in my seat to face him and did my best not to sigh. Because really, why did he have to be so good-looking?I had to get my normally snarky self back up and going.

“Let me guess. A little old lady lives in the bungalow, and Aaron saved her from a house fire. Oh, and then he rebuilt her home from the ground up with his bare hands,” I teased. After everything I’d heard today, I was convinced the man should be put up for sainthood at this point. He volunteered at the hospital and the omega shelter in town and was well-loved in both places.

“Actually, you’re pretty close,” Graham said.

I put my hand up, “Please tell me you’re joking because I may have to suggest Mother Teresa send a habit for him.”

Graham snort chuckled, “I don’t know about that. Aaron is just the kind of friend everyone wants to have. He’s a good man. On my honor, I can promise you that your mom couldn’t be in better hands. Trust me.”

I looked away and sighed. “There’s that word again,” I said, mostly because I didn’t know what else to say. Graham was right, though. Before our first stop today, I was almost certain that Aaron deserved my mom. Everyone I’d met had nothing but good things to say about him.

“So why did you bring me here?” I asked, nodding towards the bungalow when the silence in the car felt like it was pressing down on my chest. Even when I wasn’t looking his way, I could feel his eyes on me, and it felt like Graham could see more than I wanted him to.

“There was a fire here about six years ago. Mrs. Mosely was old, even by our standards. One evening, she fell asleep in her chair but had forgotten to turn off the stove. She had layed her dishtowel too close to the burner, and it started a fire. Thankfully the smoke detector was wired to the estate security system and alerted the fire department when it was set off. It also woke her up, and she was able to get out of the house unharmed. One side of the house didn’t fare as well as she did. Even though the house was damaged, she didn’t want to move. So they boarded up the kitchen and left her with use of the rest of the house so she could stay there.”

As I studied the bungalow, Graham continued the story. “That’s where she and her husband lived until he passed a few years ago. And since they never had any children, she wanted to live in the house her ma—husband built for them when they married. At least until it was time for her to join him.”

I opened my mouth, but nothing came out. I wasn’t sure if it was the sound of his voice or the story he was telling, but something inside me didn’t want to interrupt him.

“Aaron spoke with a lot of people in town, and we all pitched in to rebuild her kitchen pretty quickly. He also took it upon himself to deliver food every single day so she wouldn’t have to worry about her meals. Aaron made her home more accessible, and he and Kat visited every chance they got.”

Graham paused the story, giving me time to reflect upon what he had just said. Aaron really was a good person. I was almost ashamed that I had not given him the benefit of the doubt. Taking a deep breath, I shut my eyes and had to swallow the lump forming in my throat. I didn’t open them as I finally spoke.

“I’m just not ready to lose my mom.” My voice broke, and I swiped away at the tear that slipped down my cheek. “It’s always just been the two of us…what if I just don’t want her—”

Before finishing my sentence, I was wrapped completely in strong arms. Graham pulled me from my seat and onto his lap as if I weighed nothing. I was completely surprised at his protective response to my admission. Maneuvering around, I found myself burrowing into his firm chest for comfort and wallowing in his uniquely Graham scent. With my eyes firmly shut, I let him hold me close while I breathed him in.

That rich, gravelly soothing voice finally spoke. “I don’t think I could live anywhere else without my family.” I sniffed and listened as he spoke. I don’t know why I expected him to say that ‘I would get used to it,’ or ‘these things happen.’ Graham repeatedly surprised me in the best ways, so why was I still surprised at his tender care for me. “Did you know we all live on the same property?”

That had me opening my eyes, even though I was a little embarrassed. When I pulled away from Graham’s chest just enough to look into his eyes, they were filled with tenderness and understanding. Still wrapped in his strong arms, the piece of my heart that had been trying to break off and jump into his—probably not waiting hands—did.

“You’re just saying that to make me feel better,” I said, sniffing.

Graham shook his head, “I could show you how we all live on my parent’s ranch… well, I guess our ranch now, since it’s been in the family as long as I can remember. My brothers and their husbands all live out there. So do my parents. Even my grandparents have a house on the ranch.”

I was genuinely surprised at that information.“Wow.” Even as the word came out of my mouth, I wasn’t sure why I had said it. My mind began to turn over all the details about his family, and I suddenly found myself asking. “I know it's none of my business, and you don’t have to answer it, but do you live there with a… alone?”

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