Page 23 of Regally Binding

“I’m not stressed,” she replied sullenly. Unable to look Bear in the eye, she busied herself, picking at the puffy white bedspread. “And you shouldn’t listen to private conversations.”

“I’m not getting into a fight with you, Liss.”

She did look at him then. He leant against the doorway. He’d changed into a long-sleeved T-shirt. The cobalt blue of his topadded intensity to his brown eyes and made his skin glow a deep brown. Her belly flipped, and her heart thumped in her chest. He’d heard what her grandma said about Liss’s crush on her mum’s nurse. She pulled the duvet higher. He’d laugh about that with Strike when they joked about the silly princess. Bear’s face was blank as he tracked her movements.

“Of course you won’t get into a fight with me. God forbid you might be anything other than Mr. No Emotion. So tell me more about this family of yours that you’ve made. Or about why you don’t do relationships or why you hid your tattoos from me or anything about you,” she snapped, raising her voice.

He stared her down. She pushed the duvet off and walked towards him.

“No? Have you got nothing helpful to say?” She lifted her chin high. It was like her whole body throbbed as she confronted him. “Don’t give me your advice and little words of wisdom. You’re only here because someone’s paying you to be here, and if you cared one bit, you wouldn’t have suggested I call my grandma. You would have done something useful that helped me with this crap situation and the future waiting for me.”

He raised his eyebrows as they stood toe-to-toe. His body crowded hers, and Liss fought the temptation to step down. Her body thrummed, and goose pimples rose on her arms as he watched her. “Are you done, Princess? Because I have something in mind.”

She chewed her lips to avoid recalling her dream. She hated herself both for wanting Bear and for shouting at him.

“Is it more of Bear’s great wisdom? Because I can’t be arsed with that.” She shoulder-barged him, hoping to make an impact, but she bounced straight off his body. She ducked around him and entered the living space with a flick of her ponytail. He was so fucking strong. He could pin her anywhere he wanted, and she wouldn’t complain. The mixture of anger and attractionmade it impossible to stay in her bedroom. She might beg him to take her mind off things, inevitably filling her with shame if something happened. She dropped onto the sofa and shouted while turning on the television, “You should write a book of all your wise sayings. Maybe you’ll find at least one person who gives a shit.”

He laughed, but the darkening eyes suggested he was anything but happy. Bear took the remote from her hand and turned the television off.

“I want you to come at me,” he said. The way he’d overemphasised “come” had to be more than her imagination. She flexed her hips as she sat back on the sofa.

“You what?” He loomed over her like a feral animal, yet the gentle way he’d removed the remote made her want to find out what sort of guy he was when he desired someone.

“I want to teach you self-defence. Three reasons,” he said brusquely. “One, it might come in useful in the future. Two, it will distract us while we wait for the DNA result.”

“And three?”

“You’re being a real brat at the moment, and I want nothing more than to pin you to the floor and show you exactly what I am capable of.”

He revealed his teeth when he smiled. Liss’s body burned as she imagined those teeth ripping off her underwear.

How was she going to think about anything else now?

Chapter Twelve

Bear’s grey joggers hung low on his hips. They were barely into their sudden self-defence class, yet her need for him touched every part of her body with heat waves. As he stretched to show her how to deflect him, he revealed some of the perfect V of his pelvis that acted as a pointer to his dick. Thank goodness she wore a baggy vest, or her hard nipples would give away her thoughts.

Liss sucked hard on her lower lip as she stared. Her fingers tingled as she imagined tracing his body with her lips and making his cock judder as he groaned her name.

“Liss,” he growled through the fog of desire. “Oi, Liss, pay attention. Or would you rather die when I attack you?”

“There are worse ways to go,” she mumbled.

His eyebrows jumped, and she winked in response. Where did this confidence come from?

Bear let out a loud sigh as he pushed his sleeves up before pausing and shoving them back down again. “Come at me.”

She attempted to punch him in the stomach, but he stuck his hand out, and she shook it.

“What the fuck was that?” she shouted. “I’m not going to shake hands with my attacker.”

“And yet you just did.” His chuckles were endearing. Bear’s mask slipped, and dimples appeared on his cheeks. “The shaking hand thing isn’t really for attackers but for anyone who confronts you in an argument. I learnt long ago that if someone wants an argument with you or confronts you and you stick yourhand out, they automatically shake it like you did there. It takes the wind out of the situation.”

She tilted her head and nodded. “Does it always turn to cute giggles too?” His laughter stopped abruptly, and she kicked herself. He’d offered her a viewing platform for the adorable and worry-free version of Bear. She wanted his eyes to sparkle again.

“Let’s try something else. I’ll walk towards you like I intend to attack you. This is an expected attack, which is rarely the case, but it’s good to know how to react. It’s one-to-one, and something is about to kick off. You strike to the neck, giving you time to walk away,” he said.

He strode towards her, and she attempted to hit his neck. Even with a little jump, she struggled to reach. “You’re too tall. Not everyone who attacks me will be an extra fromJurassic Park!”

---