Page 47 of Bearly Hanging On

“Thank you so much for your hospitality. Honestly, my flatmate and I are going to eat better than we have for weeks with this stash, but anything more and it would just go to waste. I’ll make sure to wash all the containers and get them back to you.”

“Then I can fill them with more food.”

I blinked, not sure what to say in the face of such intense mothering. Tor’s dad shook his head, steering his wife away.

“It was lovely to meet you, Harper. Tor, you could come by and see your mother more often. Then she’d be less likely to send you away with enough food to feed an army. You know cooking is her love language.”

“And I love you for it.”

Was there anything sweeter than a guy who loved his mum? Tor leaned in, careful not to dislodge the containers before pressing a kiss to his mother’s cheek.

“You’re a good boy.” She patted his face, then turned to me. “He is, despite this…” Her hands waved in the air. “Scruffy exterior.” I watched Anya reach up to ruffle his hair in the face of his obvious frustration. “I hope you come to see that.”

And that’s when things got awkward.

I didn’t do parental expectations well, not mine, not other people’s parents.

“Thanks for your hospitality.” Great. They’d put on a banquet for me and I was mouthing some rote platitude. “The food was amazing and?—”

“We need to go.” Tor’s green eyes seemed to catch my every twitchy shift, because before his family could complain, he finished his sentence. “Harper has to get up early in the morning, so I need to get her home. Love all of you.”

Would all my aunties and uncles come out to see us off like this? I never saw my father’s side of the family and Mum’s usually ended up getting drunk and belligerent at the rare timeswe all got together for Christmas. I couldn’t imagine them rolling out the welcome mat for Tor. I smiled and waved, my face feeling unnaturally stiff, until we walked out and over to his car.

This wasn’t a casual thing, no matter what Tor had to say. The way his family responded, the sheer amount of food gifted to us, this was an investment in a future daughter-in-law. As Tor put the food on the backseat, I frowned slightly, considering that idea. I wasn’t doing this for the plot anymore. People could get really hurt, and so I sucked in a breath, ready to let him down easy. As if sensing that shift in mood, he appeared at my side of the car, cutting me off before I could say a thing.

“Look, don’t say it.” Were tiger shifters psychic as well? “Not yet, OK? This…” he shook his head and looked back at the restaurant. “Did not go to plan, obviously. Gimme another chance.”

I was ready to say nope, I didn’t do serious, but then he had to get in my space, the air filling with the scent of amber and musk. That broad chest, those sensitive hands, I knew exactly what they could do, and that had me craving something that I couldn’t get from a plastic container.

“I…”Say the words, Harper, I thought, as his hands slid down my arms, the soft brush of his palms making me shiver. “I’ve gotta put my washing in to dry or I’ll have nothing to wear to work tomorrow.”

Excellent. Well done, Harps.

“Mm hmm…”

I looked up, his hair falling in messy waves as his eyes bore into mine. With a shake of my head, I tried to break the spell I was under.

“We shouldn’t do this,” I said. “You’re looking for your fated mate and I’m…” I threw up my hands. “I don’t know what I’m doing.”

“Right.”

I was trying to be responsible here, but he ignored all of that. One hand tilted my chin up, and somehow lengthening my neck felt just right. It also made it really hard to avoid his gaze.

“You want a mate,” I said.

“I’ve got a mate.”

“No, you don’t get it.” I pushed against his chest, forcing him back, though it was obvious he could’ve dug in his heels and stopped me. “I don’t know…”

It’d all seemed clear to me yesterday, before Mack horned in on my disastrous date. Go to work, keep it casual, go out with guys that were here for a fun time, not a long time, and talk shit about it with Daria. This was how I’d lived my life for years, so why would I stop now?

Because being around the guys messed up my neat little life.

“I don’t know what I want, OK?” That seemed ridiculous to say. I was nearly thirty. Surely it was time to get it together. “Dinner was amazing.”

“You’re amazing,” he said, stepping forward.

“Tor, you’re not listening! If we keep going the way we are, I’m going to hurt you.”

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