Page 20 of His Determined Bear

My cheeks heated in embarrassment, and I wished the ground would open up and swallow me whole. Fuck. Could I come across as desperate more spectacularly than that?

Mortified by my own question, I scrambled to get off his lap. Still, Graham's arms tightened around me, effectively keeping me in place. My heart was beating so fast, I could probably take flight if I had wings. I had to get away from his touch.

“Where are you going? To answer your question, yes, Cooper, I live by myself. I have no significant other, partner, or husband.” He said the words softly but right into my ear, causing chills to quake across every inch of my skin and a tingle to race up my spine.

Fuck! I nearly moaned, which would have been… fuck!

I couldn’t go there with him and allow this man to dismantle me piece by piece. This alpha… we were from two different worlds. And he’d just said he couldn’t live without his family.

This place was a different world compared to Los Angeles. There was no way Graham would ever want to leave his business and family and the wide-open spaces of Montana for the hustle and bustle of life in LA. The only foreseeable option was for me to move to Asheville. Mom would love it. And it wasn’t like I didn’t travel a lot already. I could write and travel just as easily from Montana as I could from LA, and renting out both the condo and mom’s house would be extra income, not that I needed it. Hitting a million followers on Instagram and eight hundred on Tiktok meant my income was actually quite secure.

Fuck! I shook my head. No! No! This was crazy. He was out of bounds.

Pulling myself from my speeding thoughts, I finally met Graham’s eyes again. The look in his hazel-colored eyes conveyed a completely different story than I was prepared to admit.

One I really want to be a part of.

Goddamn it, the annoying voice was right. Again.

Chapter 8

Graham

I had just finished the icing on the last sample and took a step back to ensure it was exactly right. Maybe baking six-inch cakes instead of just cupcakes was overkill, but I wanted them to get the full experience. And this was for Aaron, after all.

I wasn’t sure I’d gone to this extent only because of Aaron. If I were being honest with myself, I was hoping to impress a certain blue-eyed, rose-bud-lipped, brown-haired man that just happened to fit perfectly in my arms like he was made to be there.And he was.

I groaned and rubbed the dark late-day stubble that covered my face. I’d been so close to kissing Cooper yesterday when I held him in my arms. Truth be told, I wasn’t sure how I’d managed not to sink my tongue into his mouth. I looked into that beautiful face, and all I wanted to do was comfort him. I was content just holding him until I’d scented his desire, and fuck, I wanted to kiss him so badly.

So why didn’t I?

I didn’t want that moment of vulnerability to be the reason for our first kiss. When Cooper was vulnerable and being honest with me, I finally understood my mate wasn’t trying to be difficult just for the sake of it. He truly didn’t want to lose his close relationship with his mom. It had been just the two of them since he was born, and I could see how that experience had formed a bond between them. One which probably had never had much separation.

I couldn’t imagine not being able to walk over to Gabe’s house or stop by at Hunter’s on those nights we just relaxed in front of the TV, not really watching it or talking, just hanging out. Or even my parents. It was rare if I didn’t see them almost every day.

I would leave for my mate. As soon as the thought entered my mind, I knew it was the truth.

If Cooper decided that Asheville wasn’t the place for him, I would go wherever he wanted to. As long as I was with him… I didn’t care. It didn’t matter where we were, just as long as we were together.

I glanced up when Erica and Sammy, two of my front counter employees, walked in. “Everyone gone?”

Sammy nodded, “Yup, and we’ll be heading out too unless you need us for something else, Graham.”

I smiled, “No, I think we’re good to go. Thanks for staying to tidy up. See you tomorrow.”

“No problem, besides who doesn’t like a half-day at work,” Erica chuckled.

I nodded my head and laughed, “Don’t get used to it,” I said mock firmly. One of the good things about a small town was you could actually let the customers know you were closing early. And they were pretty good about it.

I didn’t actually have to close the café for the cake tasting. I knew Aaron and Kelly would have been happy to come in after we were closed for the day, but I also knew this was more convenient since they had a couple errands in town.

And maybe I wanted to show off for my mate. I wasn’t even sure he was coming.

“Well, we’ll just be off.” Erica’s words snapped me out of the back and forth thoughts I’d been having most of the day. They both smiled and nodded before heading towards the break room to get their coats, scarves, and purses.

“We’ll go out through the back door,” Sammy said, and they both headed in that direction. I gave them a wave and waited until I heard the door shut before glancing around.

“Tidy up, Graham. What if your mate comes in here and sees this mess?”I had no idea why I was talking to myself. I guess that’s what happens when you’re alone a lot.

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