Page 24 of His Protective Bear

“I’m leaving,” I said, rolling my eyes and ignoring them. “Don’t wait up.”

I ignored my Papa’s not so subtle, “And why is that?”

I stopped by the kitchen to grab the pie I’d made earlier. It was one of Hunter’s favorites, or I assumed it was since it was the one he ordered the most. I called out goodbyes as I grabbed the keys to the car and headed out.

The drive to Hunter’s house was easy. Everyone knew where the Crazy Bear Ranch was.

I followed the instructions he gave me on finding his house once I was on the ranch property.

The patrol car parked right outside was a dead give-away as to which house was his. And his truck was in the driveway. The same truck he’d handcuffed me to and fucked me.

I pulled up in front of the cruiser and parked. I took a moment to collect myself and let the blush from the memory of that night fade before getting out of the car. I grabbed the pie from the back seat and made my way to the front door.

I knocked on the door and took a step back, smoothing my shirt. I waited, but no one came to the door. So I knocked again, checked my watch and saw I wasn’t late.

Could he have forgotten?

I knocked again but still got no response; I turned the doorknob and found it unlocked, to my surprise. I looked behind and shrugged, taking a step inside. I wasn’t sure what made me so brave.

Maybe it was Hunter. He made me brave or, at the very least, made me feel like he wanted me around.

I shut the door behind me and stopped to listen for any sounds in the house.

Then I heard Hunter’s voice. “Fuck. Fuck. Fuck. No!”

I followed the sound of his voice until I came to a dining room. To the left was a family room, and to the right was the kitchen. My eyes widened at the very messy kitchen.

“Oh my,” I said. Hunter’s head snapped up at the sound of my voice. And then he glanced towards the fridge.

“Oh no! I—” he looked at the mess in front of him, “I was trying to. Dinner… I didn’t think it was that late.”

I stepped closer until I was in front of the island. The counter was covered in dirty pots and pans, some containing what looked like a red sauce that had burned on the stove, and others, maybe pasta? Wait, was that some cut of meat?

The place was a disaster. And the pièce de résistance was a pan of inedible lasagna that had burned during baking.

“I guess dinner is served,” I said, looking up from what looked like it was supposed to be lasagna or something along those lines.

“I’m so sorry.” He looked completely flustered. “The lasagna burned, so I tried making a roast, but that burned too, and it’s still raw on the inside. And then the spaghetti, which was supposed to be easiest and most straightforward, looks like it could be some kind of glue or paste…” he sighed, “I should have ordered something. I’m sorry.”

He looked embarrassed, and that just made me smile. I can’t believe he did all this for me.

“It looks like you put in a lot of work,” I said, putting the pie box down. I walked over, so I was standing next to him.

“Apparently not enough,” he sighed.

I wrapped my arms around his waist, and he froze for a second before turning and pulling me in for a hug. “Thank you,” I whispered, “this was very thoughtful of you.”

“I’m sorry I couldn’t pull it off,” he sighed.

“Maybe we can clean all this up and make something together,” I suggested leaning back to look him in the eye.

“Why don’t I take you out for a nice dinner? Hunter suggested. “I didn’t invite you over to have you do housework.”

“Honestly, I don’t mind. I would really like to stay in,” I assured him.

“Are you sure?”

I pulled back, “Of course. The quicker we get this done, the quicker we can eat.” Just as I started to turn around to grab a pot, Hunter took hold of my forearm and slid his hand down to mine. He then pulled me back to him until I was wrapped up in him again. Soft seeking lips found mine making way for his tongue to slip into my mouth. I moaned into the kiss as he set my body on fire. Hunter pulled back, breathless.

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