Page 19 of Regally Binding

Liss shoved cutlery in her yoga pants pocket and grabbed a plate of food with her free hand. “Catch you both later. Enjoy reminiscing.” She turned and winced. That sounded so bitter. She was embarrassing herself.

“Isla and Steve should be here in a couple of hours,” he said as she slid out of the room, her plate barely balanced on her hand. “Shall I send them in?”

“Thanks. That would be great.” She kept her back to him and closed her bedroom door with her foot before opening her mouth in a silent scream.

“Come in,” she said when Bear knocked at her door a while later.

Liss had eaten in the bathroom to drown out the sound of Mel’s and Bear’s laughter, but she’d returned to bed an hour ago. Their familiarity made her want to rage, and as much as she knew why, she refused to admit it.

“I brought you another coffee and a bottle of water too. It’s good to stay hydrated.” He put both on the bedside table next to her.

“Thanks,” she replied.

“Isla can’t come over now. She left a message that she’s swamped at work but she and Steve will be over tomorrow.”

“Okay.” Bear looked a little less tired. Maybe Mel’s visit energised him. “Mel seems nice.”

She hated her masochist side even as she said it.

“She is. We hung out as ‘friends’ before she met her husband. She was going through a bad life situation.” Liss’s shoulders eased at the word husband. “She’s the manager here now, which is one of the reasons we use the place. She keeps things discreet.”

She kept her head ducked, still embarrassed by her earlier attitude. “That’s helpful.”

“Yeah, your safety is key.” Bear sat in the seat where he’d rested as she slept. If a heart could blush, that was what hers did at the memory. He’d cared for her. She needed to keep reminding herself that it was his job.

“Do you look after everyone, Bear?” She lifted her gaze, and his eyes met hers. It was as if he was staring into her soul, searching for the meaning behind her question.

“Only those who need it and deserve it.” He shifted in his seat. “Don’t get me wrong, I do my job and ensure people are safe, but for some, I go the extra mile. Strike calls it my saviour complex.”

So that was all this chemistry was. Bear was going the extra mile for her for whatever reason, probably because he’d seen hercry. Lust and a saviour complex. “That’s good of you.” Her reply sounded flatter than she intended.

“And how about you? Do you let people…go the extra mile for you?”

Liss shrugged. “No one has since my mum; even then, it was mutual. Isla cares, but it’s not the same. Why?”

Bear shrugged and stood. “No reason.” As he reached the doorway, he turned. “Mel questioned if something was going on with us because I remembered how you take your coffee.”

“Right,” she replied. The subtext of the comment was lost on her.

Gruffly, Bear added, “Don’t mention it to Strike though.”

Liss tipped her head in a nod, and he walked out. Bear was the ultimate mind fuck, and she had enough to think about.

Thankfully, the next day of cabin fever and feeling unproductive was broken up by a visit from Isla and Steve.

“Hugo is speaking to the chain that’s considering buying the pub. It’s not rumours anymore. He says he’ll put in a good word for me. He reckons I could skip the manager stage and go to head office.” Steve’s laugh was giddy.

“But I thought you liked being at the pub and didn’t want a corporate job. You could have got one at any point.” Liss’s chest tightened. She’d only been gone from the pub a few days, and everything was changing.

“I know. I said I didn’t want it. So what if you’re a princess? You’ll still come back to us,” Steve reasoned. “The pub will always need you.”

“Of course. But Bear said if I’m a princess, it will be difficult to return. But I will, no problems.” She took a deep breath. She sipped her coffee to hide how her conflicting emotions scratched at her.

Steve chewed his lower lip. “Bear said that, eh?”

“How long until you get the DNA tests back?” Isla asked. Steve spied her warily.

“I spoke to King Archibald today,” Liss uttered. “He said it could be a couple more days.”

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