Page 58 of Hunny and the Bear

“It’s not,” Tank grumbled, cupping his knees to keep from doing what he really wanted, which involved bending Hunny into a provocative position and pumping into her until he came so much he blacked out. His mouth watered just thinking about it. “It’s a Hunny thing.”

Her fingers paused in his hair. “‘A Hunny thing?’”

“Yeah. Everything you do makes me hard as a fucking rock, darlin’.”

Laughing lightly, she resumed combing his hair. “Now you’ve got me wondering how deranged I can get.”

“More deranged than cum tea?”

“Oh my God, Henry—there wasn’t any cum in there!”

“Not yet,” he snickered, just because he knew she’d blush. He snuck a peek out of the corner of his eye, and sure enough, her cheeks were glowing a delicate shade of pink. Regardless of how much he appreciated this banter between them, as soon as she ran her fingers through his unruly mop of hairagain, he couldn’t help but ask, “You planning on cutting anything, darlin’?”

Hunny tugged teasingly on a few strands. “If you actually combed this mess once in a while, I wouldn’t have to spend half an hour detangling it.”

Tank’s cheeks heated with embarrassment. She wasn’t wrong—he had never cared about his appearance before, whether it was regarding his beard or his hair. Living in the mountains, relatively alone, it hadn’t seemed necessary, which was why every six months he used an electric razor to trim his hair into a buzz cut and took off several inches of his beard.

Self-consciously, he lifted a hand, feeling his long, unkempt facial hair. Shit, when was the last time he’d even done that? Had it been longer than six months? He couldn’t remember. So far, Hunny hadn’t complained about the length, but what if she hated how he looked?

Frustrated, he huffed, “It’s notthatbad.”

“No, it’s not,” Hunny agreed with another small laugh. Leaning in, she kissed his cheek, her soft, warm lips burning into him like a brand he wanted to wear forever. Just like that, Tank’s irritation melted away, replaced by a need so fierce he was surprised he didn’t pluck her up and take her to bed right then and there, haircut be damned. Resuming her finger-combing, she added, “But your hair is very thick and silky, so I want to make sure it’s brushed out properly.”

His brows furrowed as he heard a slight tremor in her voice, and before she could say anything else, he turned in his seat, staring right at her. “You’re afraid you’re going to fuck up my hair, aren’t you?”

She shrugged nonchalantly, but he’d studied her every move for almost two weeks; he could tell by the guarded look in her eyes she was nervous. “Come on, little rabbit. You’ll do a great job.” And if she didn’t, he didn’t give a shit. It was just hair; it would grow back. Couldn’t get any shorter than a buzz cut anyway.

“Yeah,” Hunny murmured faintly. Clearing her throat, she grabbed the scissors from the counter, pursing her lips in concentration as she made the first cut.

“That wasn’t so bad, was it? You’re practically a professional already,” Tank teased gruffly, earning a playful smack on the shoulder.

“I mean, I spent an entire summer working as a dog groomer a few years ago,” Hunny commented distractedly, lifting a section of his hair straight up and cutting. She dropped the pieces onto the counter, creating a neat little pile as she continued with her work. “That’s kind of the same thing as cutting a person’s hair, right?”

“Oh, definitely,” Tank replied readily. Although he had to admit, he didn’t give a shit about how adept her skills were with a pair of scissors. He was just flattered Hunny wanted to make a nest with his hair.

She wanted a part ofhimwith her when she shifted, to snuggle up protectively with.She said it didn’t feel right without my hair, he thought smugly. If that wasn’t enough to make a male feel on top of the world, he didn’t know what would.

It was even enough to take the sting out of what he’d accidentally overheard earlier at the teahouse. Even though he’d left the women in the main room while he’d checked out the security features in the back, he’d inadvertently listened in as Hunny denied she was in love with him. As soon as he’d heard it, he felt like his heart had dropped into his stomach, and he’d done everything he could to tune their conversation out, not wanting to experience another blow to his ego and heart.

Even now, a few hours later, he still felt the pain from Hunny’s words, but he understood her reservations. He was just lucky she’d given him a chance to woo her, to treat her as she deserved. He’d be patient with her. And soon enough, she’d come to love him like he loved her. To need him like he needed her.

And when that day finally happened, he’d mate her.

His erection hardened further at the thought, his canines aching with the need to lengthen so he could place a possessivebrand on her soft skin, to mark her for the entire world to see. Humans like Nessa wouldn’t understand the meaning of it. They’d probably think it was a scar or birthmark. But shifters would know that his little rabbit was claimed, and that her kits were his too, even if they didn’t share his DNA.

A deep, possessive growl rumbled in his chest, and he didn’t bother tamping it down.

“Someone’s being awfully vocal,” Hunny commented, the smile clear in her voice.

“Got a lot to be vocal about.” Clearing his throat, Tank asked, “Did you enjoy your girls’ date?”

“Yeah. Nessa’s a lot of fun. I think she’s had a hard life, though.”

“Why do you think that?”

“She made a comment about moving to Montana because it was ‘safe,’ and that was after she mentioned having a really shitty ex-boyfriend.” Hunny sighed, the sound drowning out the snipping of her sheers as she cut more of his hair. “It just gave me the impression she ran away from some kind of abusive situation. She didn’t want to talk about it, though, and I didn’t have the heart to badger her about it.”

“Murphy’s claimed the entire town, so she’s now under his protection,” Tank stated, a slight itch in his throat. He glanced at the counter, to where he’d left his cup of tea. He leaned over, snagging it right as Hunny gasped.

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