Page 15 of Hunny and the Bear

“Then stay, Hunny. You’re welcome to stay.” His thumb slid over her pulse, caressing her skin. “As long as you want.”

“Here?” Feeling suddenly shy, she looked away from him, staring around the small cabin. “I don’t want to be a burden to you. You’ve already done so much for me, and my needs are only going to compound the further along I get with my pregnancy.”

They hadn’t discussed that yet, or much of anything, but she knew he could smell it on her. What kind of male wanted a female, pregnant with another male’s babies, invading his space? And his home was small—soon enough she’d inevitably take over his cabin, even without intending to.

“Having you here has been … refreshing.” Tank shrugged, slowly releasing her wrist. She kind of hated how cold she felt without his touch. “You can even have the bed. I’ll take the couch.”

Hunny snorted. “There’s no way your feet won’t dangle off the edge. No, I’ll stay on the couch.”

He smirked. “So youarestaying.”

Was she?

He must have seen the indecision warring on her face, because he reached up, cupping her cheek. Her eyes shot to his. Determination shined in his gaze, and she had a feeling that he’d speak until his voice gave out if that’s what it took to convince her. “Give it a few days, at least. Figure out what you need to do first and then decide.”

“Okay.”

The words had barely left her mouth before Tank moved. Placing an arm behind her knees and lower back, he scooped her up and into his arms, moving quickly into the kitchen. She barelyhad time to brace a hand against his chest before she was back on her stool, gaping at him in shock as he returned to the stove.

“I can’t believe you just picked me up like that!” she exclaimed, unsure if she should feel outraged or baffled. She’d gotten used to him carrying her around as a bunny, but now he was doing it while she was in her human form?

He shrugged, plating their food and making his way over to her. “I enjoy carrying you.”

She raised a haughty brow, ignoring the way her mouth watered as the smell of cooked trout reached her nose. “You think that now, but if you spoil me, I’ll demand you carry me everywhere.”

Lips twitching, he sat down beside her, dwarfing her small frame. “Eat. Let me know if you want more.”

“More?” She eyed the plate full of fish, salad, and two bread rolls. She didn’t even know if she could handle all of this, let alone a second helping. But the delicious smell overrode any doubts and she’d barely had the thought before she dug into her plate, devouring most of it before she’d come up to inhale.

Okay, maybe she was hungrier than she’d realized. She polished off her last bread roll, and before she could even mourn its loss, Tank took the remaining roll off his plate, dropping it onto hers without a word.

Her throat clogged with emotion at the simple yet kind gesture, and she looked over at him. “Thank you, Henry. Not just for dinner, but for saving my life. My baby’s, too.” Her nose tingled and her eyes watered as gratitude overwhelmed her. He looked at her then, his expression concerned as she struggled to compose herself. “I, uh, I’m just really glad that you found me when you did.” Her voice cracked, and a fat tear spilled from her eye, tracking down her cheek.

And then the floodgates opened, and she began weeping, her chest heaving as a barrage of tears ran down her face unchecked.

His eyes filled with alarm.

“Oh shit!” she exclaimed through a hard sob, wiping quickly at her face with the back of her hand. “I ne-never cry. This is s-so embarrassing!”

This had to be pregnancy hormones, right? What a terrible time to have a meltdown! Tank was probably rethinking his offer now, mortified she’d turned into an emotional mess because of a bread roll.

Pull yourself together, bitch!

Instead, she only cried harder.

Tank stared at her in bewilderment, probably just as startled as she was by her outburst. “I’m so sorry, I literally can’t stop,” she wailed, snatching up a napkin from the counter and covering her face, like she could spare them both from this entire horrible experience by hiding behind it. She probably looked like a freaking lunatic—

He plucked her up from her stool, careful to keep the shirt covering her ass as he palmed her bottom. Instinctively, she wrapped her legs around his waist and her arms around his neck, removing the napkin to drop her face into the crook of his shoulder. She hid there, partly because she was too embarrassed to face the world, but also because his scent helped calm her down.

He made gentle noises in his throat, rubbing a hand soothingly up and down her spine as he left the kitchen, carrying her around like precious cargo.

“Come now, darlin’. We’ll watch some more of that housewives show you like,” he bargained, the stress evident in his voice nearly causing her to laugh, despite how much she was crying. “Take your mind off things.”

“Yeah?” she asked, sniffling into his neck. She laid her head on his shoulder as he sat on the couch, his hand dropping to her hips as he kept her firmly in his lap.

The position was extremely intimate. She should move away, sit down beside him, and apologize for acting so irrationally.

But as he turned the TV on, the theme song of her favorite show filling the room, she didn’t do any of that.

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