Page 76 of Regally Binding

“Like taking the throne,” Liss replied, resigned to her future. Her home was gone, and one of her closest friends was not who she thought. Then there was Bear. Her words slipped out. “I slept with Bear last night.”

“What?” Isla shouted. “Tell me everything.”

Liss spent the next half hour giving Isla the highlights. They talked a little more about Steve and his crush, but Liss didn’t spill that the bodyguards were investigating him.

“I’m guessing you’ve got the feels for Bear,” Isla said just as Liss was about to hang up. “What are you going to do when you take the throne?”

Isla was talking about it like it was a done deal, as were her bodyguards and yet she was still undecided even though it would give her everything she wanted. “I’ll get over him. He doesn’t do relationships, and I can’t trust the feelings I have for him. We’ve not even known each other for two weeks. We’ve been thrown together by trauma, nothing more. I need to embrace my future and the chance at a family. I can’t have both.”

“That sounds like a pre-prepared speech you’re using to convince yourself. Are you sure?”

“I have to be. There’s no future for us.”

“Then hold on to that, and don’t let his awesome dick or grumpy charm distract you from what you know you have to do.” He did have a fantastic dick. “Catch you later, Liss.”

Chapter Thirty-Five

It only took another hour of graft, but with an indie pop station playing at full blast, Liss managed to shut most of her thoughts out. Occasionally, she’d find herself mumbling about a fated future and friends she couldn’t work out as she filed notes and reports that the guys must have bunched together in one big disorganised pile at the end of a job.

The radio presenter suddenly announced her favourite song. There was a rule in the pub that when “Feel So Close” by Calvin Harris played from the speakers, you must turn it on full volume and dance like no one was watching.

Liss jumped up and tossed herself about the room as the first bars played, desperately holding onto memories of her favourite nights at the pub, nights she’d never get again. She bounced on her feet and threw her arms in the air as the song climbed higher. The beat filled her body as Liss stood on the tips of her toes and let her hips shift back and forth. It was as if she was on a rollercoaster as she spun around and around.

Why had Steve kept his crush quiet all this time? There was no chance she’d date him because she’d never had that attraction to him, but they could have talked it out.

She climbed on the sofa before touching the sky and projected herself off it. As she twisted in circles, she caught a familiar hunched bodyguard watching her. But his inspection didn’t deter her, and she continued to dance until she couldn’t breathe. Panting, Liss turned off the radio and waited.

“I could watch you do that for hours,” he said, levelling her with a stare.

Her chest slowed as she regained her breath.

“I’m sorry for what I said about Steve,” he said as he leaned against the rustic doorway. The grey joggers still hung from his hips, and the scruff on his chin had her fingers tapping against her body. “I’m sorry. You’re right. I haven’t known him for as long as you.”

“But?”

Bear held out his hands. “Steve set off my bodyguard senses. All of us bodyguards have instincts. We’ve learnt a lot from mistakes and being around people. Some of mine are from being part of that dangerous crowd when I was younger and recognising people’s behaviour, especially when they’re trying to hide what they’re really up to.”

“Like when I’m at the pub, and I’m wary of someone, but I can’t always understand why.”

“Exactly. I’m always vetting people, deciphering their motives and behaviours.”

“And something about Steve seems off.” Liss sighed as Bear stood closer. Surely, Steve’s crush meant he wouldn’t try to hurt her, and yet Strike and Bear’s thoughts reminded her that you never really knew someone’s motives. She hadn’t known he had a crush even after being friends with him for years.

“I don’t apologise often and know my feelings about Steve are biased—”

“Because of your instincts?”

“And because I’m jealous.”

Liss stared in disbelief. “Of Steve?”

“Yes.” Bear stepped closer. His scent reached her even as he stood several arm lengths away. She tasted his woody smell on her tongue. The only sound was a ticking clock as they eyeballed each other. It was as if she stood on the edge of a cliff, waiting for a moment to change her life forever. “I’m jealous because I fancy you. God, I sound like a teenager. I like you, Liss, more than I’veliked any woman. I don’t get jealous, and I don’t get invested, but then there’s you.”

“But what’s so special about me?” she said, her voice wavering.

“Everything. You came into my world with your ability to care about everyone: pregnant strangers who you get drunk for, old men from your local pub with grumpy dogs, Luke who opens up to no one but told you about his One Direction love—don’t worry, he doesn’t know I know. You even care about Strike.”

Liss’s smile was tentative. Bear bit his lips as he stared at her. “And then there’s me. No one cares about me or has ever cared about me as you do. You make me laugh, whether it’s because you’re giving me attitude or because you want to beat me at self-defence, which isn’t even a competitive sport. You listen to everyone and want the best for all of them. You challenge me and cuddle me. You make it possible for me to close my eyes and sleep without fear that someone from my past is going to attack me. You make me feel whole. You’ve changed all my rules in less than two weeks. Do you get how ridiculous that is? I haven’t let anyone in for years, maybe forever, but you’re under my skin.”

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