Page 21 of Bearly Hanging On

“Morning!” Geoff called out from where he was working his magic at the grill. “Coffee’s there for you.”

“God, I love you,” I said, walking over and wrapping my hands around the foam cup after I’d pulled an apron on. “Don’t tell Sharon.”

“Don’t tell Sharon what?” The woman herself came marching through the swinging doors only to shove a cluster of orders onto the metal clip that ran across the prep bench. “That you’re ready to start your shift right now because every bloke in a ten kilometre radius has decided they need a bacon and egg sandwich right bloody now?”

“You got it,” I said, taking a long sip of the coffee. It burned all the way down, but that just left me with a warm glow. I made sure my hair was tied back neatly, then grabbed an order book and pencil and walked out.

“Hi, how can I…?”

I needed to take the order and the man’s money fast, because the guys behind him were getting restless, so why did I stop and stare? Probably because the last time I saw Kieran, he had a lot less clothes on. He was also using those massive hands of his to… With a shake of my head, I forced it to get back into the game.

“What can I get you?”

“Nine bacon and egg sandwiches,” he said and I scribbled that down. “Bacon extra crispy, and make them doubles.” I amended the order. “Add cheese and tomato sauce, please.”

“Can do,” I said, moving towards the cash register. “Anything else?”

I meant coffee, Coke, or other drink, but he just grinned. There was something almost shy and a whole lot sexy about that.

“I suppose asking for another date right now wouldn’t be appropriate?”

Of course, that was the moment when Sharon came to stand by the cash register. Sharon’s eyebrows shot up, then her eyes narrowed as she took Kieran in. Something about the way his high vis gear stretched over his shoulders seemed to meet herapproval, because she turned to me, a questioning look in her eyes.

Sharon could be abrasive as hell, but she looked after her girls. That look said a whole lot. Do you want this big lunk or should I get the cricket bat out from under the counter and knock his block off? I shook my head slightly and that had her grinning, right as her fingers danced across the keys of the cash register, ringing up her customer’s purchases.

“Probably,” I said when the register was free. I rang up his order and then held out the EFTPOS machine for him to make a payment. “Seeing as I’m at work and this is my boss.” I nodded to Sharon.

“She gets off at two.” The bloody traitor! Sharon grabbed my order and hers and then headed towards the kitchen. “Ask her then.”

Right as I was going to say something about that, Kieran winked at me.

“Two PM. We’ll be here with bells on.”

I was left standing there, other guys swarming forward to take his spot as he stepped away, and right as I watched his back disappear into the crowd, my phone started to buzz in my pocket. I let it, grabbing my pencil and taking down the next order.

Chapter 9

Kieran

We’d spent the day working on a job, but I couldn’t have told you what we did. My mind wasn’t on the task, something Mack reamed me out for. Instead, my eye was on the clock, and the minute it turned half past one, I was packing up my tools. Mack was left to explain to my dads that we’d be back tomorrow to finish things up, making up some excuse about needing some materials to get us out the door.

To here.

The car park was almost empty now, the lunch rush gone. My stomach was hollow and feeling all fluttery, and that wasn’t because I hadn’t stopped to eat the leftovers Tor had packed for us. Eating, drinking, and breathing all seemed like superfluous things to me and the bear, until I got out of the car and went marching up to the front door of the cafe.

“We’re…”

Harper looked up from where she was sweeping the floor. Her hands grasped the handle tighter and that had me remembering something else.

Dream walking: the act of entering your fated mate’s dreams, particularly before the mating bond snapped into place, was not something every bear shifter could do. I was damn pleased I could. Falling into that dream, into Harper, had me taking a step closer. Tracing the line of her shoulders in her loose white T-shirt, those legs that seemed to go forever. She settled her weight onto one hip and then smiled.

Fuck…

Women did it every damn day, but if you’d asked me to cite even one of them, I couldn’t. My feet moved without thought, the bear shoving against the bond, until I reached out and plucked the broom from her grip.

“We’re closed,” Harper said finally, her cheeks flushing.

“And the clean up crew has arrived.” Tor wheeled the mop bucket over. “Mack?—”

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