Page 83 of Regally Binding

Beatrice ended the call, leaving Liss and Bear in silence.

Chapter Thirty-Eight

With Beatrice’s words and the team’s plan ringing in her ears, Liss took to her bed.

Time passed quickly, and she fought sleep. She barely had time left in this sanctuary. But as she grappled with memories of her mum and what she’d say, the exhaustion from her earlier anxiety attack overwhelmed her, and she fell into a deep sleep.

It felt like minutes later when she woke to the smell of childhood Sundays during cold winters. Bear poked his head around the door with his latest offering, bringing the scent of freshly baked bread mixed with stewed beef and winter vegetables.

“You awake?” he asked as she rubbed her eyes.

Liss nodded and pulled herself to sit before he placed the lap tray on her and let her feast.

In one spoonful, she knew it was the best stew she’d ever eaten. She languished in the taste before her belly rumbled at her to hurry. Bear sat on the edge of the bed and beamed while she ate.

“I call this Bear stew.” Liss eyed him warily as he chuckled. “No bears were harmed in making this stew except when I dropped a ladle on my foot. But there’s a secret ingredient, and I’ll only tell you if you’re nice to me.”

Liss gave him a wink. “How nice are we talking?”

Bear’s Adam’s apple bobbed as he swallowed. “Not that nice yet. Strike said he’d pop in when you woke.”

“Shame.” She licked her lips and delighted in the blush covering his cheeks.

“Fine. I’ll tell you.” He beckoned her closer with a crooked finger. Instead of telling her his secrets, he kissed her neck and brushed his lips across her earlobe. She shivered against his smiling mouth. “The secret is one slice of teddy bear ham. Everyone needs a bit of Bear inside them, especially you.”

She slapped him on the arm as he licked her spoon with a satisfied grin. “You think you’re hilarious.”

His eyebrows danced as he grinned.

“You’re not eating too?” She ripped the bread in half with her teeth and dipped it into the juices at the bottom of her bowl.

He reached for some of her bread. “This was for us to share, but—”

She slapped his hand away. “Get lost. This is all mine. And I want more cookies too.”

“You’re feral,” he teased before reaching into his pocket and retrieving two cookies wrapped in a piece of kitchen roll. “And if you play your cards right, there’s more where these came from.” His charm was the light she needed after the earlier phone conversations. But soon he’d be out of her life. “I’ve already eaten with Strike. We chatted through the plans. He’s heading to Beatrice’s brother, who has the pills.”

As if on cue, there was a knock at the door. “Everyone decent?”

“For now,” Bear replied.

“Come in, you dickhead,” Liss called. “The only thing raising my temperature is this stew. It does more for me than Bear ever could.”

Bear grumbled as Strike entered. “It’s so good. Bear may be a massive bell end, but his kitchen skills nearly rival Mum’s.”

“Don’t let Ma hear you say that,” Bear replied, standing. “I’ll get more cookies for this lady because I love how delicate and princess-like she is when she eats.”

He jumped away as she swiped him, although he returned to kiss her and grab the tray.

“How are you doing, Liss?” Strike asked as Bear slipped out the door with a bouncing step.

A long breath pushed out from between her lips. “Confused, exhausted, and freaking out with stress, but also…weirdly happy.”

Strike hung around at the edge of the room. Maybe he was like Bear and only comfortable in women’s rooms if he was having sex in them.

“A bit different to your life a couple of weeks ago?” Where Bear was to the point with a cheek that made her want to fuck him and laugh with him, Strike was serious and soft. He was often business, but there was more under the surface.

“Definitely. How do you deal with a life where one minute you’re in one place and the next in a different country?” Liss asked, nibbling one of the cookies.

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