Page 18 of Hunny and the Bear

Jasper’s smile morphed into a full-on grin. “You’re acting different.”

“What do you mean?” Tank asked distractedly, his throat already irritating him. He looked back toward the house,wondering if it had been a mistake to leave his mother with Hunny for any length of time.

Tabitha was a force of a woman, and he knew she could be overwhelming. But she was kind and genuine, and part of him hoped that would help sway Hunny with her decision to remain here.

Jasper shrugged. “Usually I act like a prick and you grunt at me once and then ignore me. But you’re far more lively today than I’ve seen you in years. A rude dick, sure, but a lively rude dick.”

“Shut it,” Tank muttered, his brow furrowing as Jasper’s words sank in. Was he behaving differently? He didn’t think so, though he had to admit that he didn’t feel drained like he usually did at this point in a conversation. Not that he ever really got thisfarinto a conversation.

Unsure of what to do with Jasper’s comment, Tank moved from the porch and wandered to the side of the house, feeling the sudden urge to chop up some logs. It calmed his nerves. Only, he’d chopped all the logs yesterday, leaving him with nothing but stacks of wood.

Too bad he wasn’t holding Hunny in his arms; that seemed to calm him more than anything over the past few days.

Jasper whistled loudly as he spotted the high stacks of wood, some logs far longer than the others. “You’ve been busy.” Tank grunted in answer. “We’ve got several months until we need this much wood, Tank. So why’d you cut all this up so soon?”

“Might need to build another room,” he said eventually, stroking his beard. “Hunny will need a place to stay, and my cabin’s too small right now.”

“I see. And you’ve got no problem sharing your space with her and a kit?”

“No.”

Uncharacteristically, Jasper remained silent for a few minutes, the two of them just staring at the stacks of wood.

Eventually, his brother replied, his voice thicker than usual, “You know, you’ll probably need a spare bathroom downstairs, too. Women love extra bathrooms.”

“Yeah?” Tank hadn’t thought about that.

Jasper hummed. “Shifters usually carry to term in about eight months, right? Kit will be here before you know it. We should probably chop down some more trees.”

“Right now?”

Jasper shrugged nonchalantly. “Doesn’t have to be today. You down for some company tomorrow?” Tank grunted in answer, and Jasper clapped him on the shoulder, squeezing slightly before letting go. “Tomorrow it is then, big brother.”

Tank nodded absent-mindedly, already thinking of what other things Hunny might need. Tomorrow sounded good.

Eight

Hunny dug through the bag of clothes sitting on the bed, her cheeks burning from Tabitha’s constant staring. She knew what the other woman was thinking; Jasper had almost stated it outright until Tank had threatened to kill him. They both assumed something sexual was going on between her and Tank.

But it wasn’t—of course not.

Hunny was barely out of a failed mating, and … and Tank was … Well, she didn’t knowwhathe was, exactly, but he hadn’t made a move on her at all. He probably wasn’t even interested in her like that.

She grimaced at the ball of anxiety that had formed in the pit of her stomach, plucking up a random shirt as she fought herself internally. She didn’t even know why she felt upset by the thought of his lack of interest. She was pregnant withanothermale’s baby. She couldn’t dive headlong into a fling right now anyway, especially with someone she barely knew.

Except … Aside from the startling way she’d woken up this morning, she couldn’t remember a time when she’d slept better. She’d felt warm and safe all night, wrapped up in Tank’s arms. It had felt like she belonged there. She’d even fallen asleep with her face buried in his neck, his beard tickling her skin. But she didn’t care, too consumed with inhaling his scent with every breath she’d taken.

She couldn’t get enough of it.

His scent clung to her even now, and every inhale felt intimate. Stupid of her to think like that, but it was true. And now that she was upstairs, she couldn’t escape his natural cologne. This entire upper floor smelled like him—woodsy and strong, with a hint of berries. It was so intoxicating, and the rabbit in her just wanted to roll around in his bed, burrow under his sheets, and never come out.

She’d just bet that if she peeled back those covers, she’d find heaven—

Snap out of it. Hunny shook her head as she grabbed a pair of jeans from the bag.

“Did you hear me, dear?” Tabitha asked, pulling Hunny from her thoughts.

Her head shot up, and she winced in embarrassment. “I’m sorry. I was a little distracted.”Thinking about your son and how delicious he smells.

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