Page 10 of Asking Fur Trouble

“Overdue,” Bess replied, straightening her shoulders. “My boss expected me to work through another weekend with no compensation.”

“And you refused?” Something resembling respect flickered in his eyes.

“I did more than refuse. I finally walked away.”

Charov’s mouth curved slightly as servers brought platters of food that made Bess’s mouth water—meats in glistening sauces, vegetables in colors she’d never seen, and fruits arranged in patterns too perfect to disturb.

As the meal progressed, Bess noticed how Zyre and Gerri chatted like schoolgirls, while she struggled to engage Charov.

“Do you enjoy hunting?” she tried.

“When necessary.” He sliced into his meat with precise movements.

“Reading?”

“When time permits.”

Bess bit her lip, running out of small talk. “What about humor? Do bear shifters have jokes?”

His gaze snapped to hers, a brief flare of surprise. “We laugh.”

“Could’ve fooled me,” she muttered under her breath.

His jaw tightened, but before he could respond, Gerri turned their way.

“Charov, didn’t you promise to show Bess the Nova Aurora sunset? It’s simply spectacular.”

The prince pushed back his chair obediently, extending his hand toward Bess. “Yes, I would be delighted to.”

His palm engulfed hers, strong and warm as he helped her stand. The contact sent an unwelcome thrill up her arm. Gerri was right—the man was hotter than a Greek god with a body built for sin. Too bad his personality seemed to be frozen over.

SEVEN

Charov swallowed his growing irritation. He had promised no such thing of taking Bess to watch the sunset, but contradicting Gerri Wilder was never a good idea.

As he helped Bess out of her chair at the dining room table, the contact sent another unwelcome jolt of electricity up his arm. His bear rumbled with approval beneath his skin. Seven hells. He didn’t need this complication right now.

While he had agreed to meet his mate and marry her to satisfy his father’s dying wish, he couldn’t believe she was this...boringhuman from Earth. A paper-pusher who processed insurance claims. He had always imagined his destined partner would be someone exciting like a warrior queen or a renowned explorer. To make matters worse, he overheard this Earthling hadn’t even known until yesterday that interplanetary travel was possible.

“The western viewing point offers the best angle,” he explained, guiding her through the palace’s ornate corridors. His gaze drifted to the gentle sway of her hips beneath her plain skirt. For all her dullness, he couldn’t deny how beautiful and sexy she was. Those curves would drive any bear shifter wild.

His inner beast growled with approval.Mine.

Charov silenced it with a mental snarl. This wasn’t the time. The mating could wait.

Outside, the royal transport waited, its sleek black exterior gleaming under Nova Aurora’s two suns. He helped Bess inside, catching another whiff of her scent—something floral undercut with a hint of citrus that made his nostrils flare. His bear stirred again, more insistently.

“So,” Bess said as the vehicle glided away from the castle, “you handle the regulatory paperwork for the entire kingdom?”

Charov suppressed a groan. More talk of paperwork. “My administrators deal with a lot of that. I oversee territorial defense strategies and diplomatic relations.”

“That must be exciting.” Her voice was flat.

“It can be.” He tapped his fingers on his knee. “Last year, I led an expedition into the Frostspine Mountains to negotiate a peace treaty with the snow leopard clan. We were caught in an avalanche. I had to shift and dig out eight diplomats before they suffocated.”

For the first time that evening, he saw a flicker of genuine interest in her green eyes. “You actually turned into a bear? To save them?”

“That’s generally what ‘shift’ means.” The words came out harsher than he intended. Damn it. His father’s grave condition was making him cruel. “Sorry. Yes. My bear form is... efficient for many tasks.”

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