Page 47 of Bear
“Okay, we’ll save it for later.” He set the glass down then let his finger trail up my thigh. “Is Kareema spending the night?” He asked, leaning over to kiss my neck.
“Um…yes. Kareema is spending the night.” Kareema’s voice made me jump away from Bear just as desire was beginning to pulse through my veins. “Do I need to find a hotel?”
“Nah, you’re good. You can have the entire guesthouse, Kareema. It’s all yours. You need food?” He pulled out another small roll of money and plunked it down on the coffee table.
“I can get my own food, Bear. Plus, I’m stuffed…and drunk. And evidently, I’m interrupting something so I’ll take my bag to the guest house.” Bear’s bright eyes watched Kareema until she was out of the room, then he turned to me.
“I really like that dress on you.”
“I can tell.”
A crooked smile hung on Bear’s full lips as he regarded me.
“We leave in an hour. Be ready.”
“Are you okay with me going with you tonight?”
“Am I trying to stop you?”
“You shouldn’t answer a question with a question, Bear.”
“And yet…it didn’t stop me.” I rolled my eyes at his smart-ass remark and folded my arms. “If this shit between us is as real as it feels then I want you beside me. I need to see if getting a look at the real me scares you off. It’s not something you can fake. My gut is the only way I’ll know.” He stared at me before stroking my hair.
“That’s fair.” I knew I needed to see Bear in his true element too. Without him cloaking the darkest parts. I needed to know if I was romanticizing what he did or if I was truly fascinated by it all. I’d find out tonight.
Before Bear even told me to change out of my dress, I did it. I knew being around a bunch of high-level drug dealers wearing a pretty sundress wasn’t the smartest thing to do. I put on a pair of leggings and a tank top then tied my hair up in a messy bun. I made a point to steal Bear’s red hoodie before we left too.
When I checked on Kareema, she jokingly asked if we were going to rob a bank before passing out on her stomach in the guesthouse. I shook my head at her and pulled a blanket over her sprawled out body.
“Let’s go,” I smiled when I caught up to Bear in the foyer.” He glanced at me and laughed, running a palm over his face.
“You manage to look better in my clothes than I do.” He grabbed the keys to the Monte Carlo and held the front door open for me. When I walked past him, he slapped my ass and I giggled. That man made me feel like I was soaring sometimes. He managed to do that even before today.
We drove for a long time in the darkness. Conversations sparked and faded organically between us while we listened to jazz. Bear’s energy felt different. I liked it though. It was light and warm instead of heavy and hard.
“Where are we going?” I finally asked him after we’d been on the road for an hour.
“Right there,” he pointed through the windshield and a huge shipyard rose from the ground. Shadows draped over tall structures creating what looked like monsters looming in the distance. Bear drove by the main entrance gate and shut his headlights off. It wasn’t until then that my stomach turned to lead. He parked beside an all-black truck near a chain-link fence and looked over at me.
“We’re going to park and walk up,” he told me before killing the engine. I nodded and forced down the nerves collecting in my throat. “You okay?” He quizzed unclicking his seatbelt.
“Yeah, I’m fine.” I realized that as long as I was with Bear, I was okay. He was the king of Louisiana. Beside him was the safest place to be in the world. My nerves settled a little and I breathed easier.
“Good. You let me know if you’re not okay and I’ll keep you safe. You know that, right?”
Was that worry I saw flitting across his irises? It was faint like the pop of light you see from a firefly against the night sky.
“I know, Bear.” I leaned over and kissed his lips. It seemed so natural. It seemed like I’d been doing it for years.
“My right-hand man, Ace is in the truck beside us along with four more soldiers. There are three more behind us and an entire army watching nearby. We’re safe, but I still want you to wear this.” He fished around in the backseat and pulled out a bulletproof vest.
“You think I’ll need that?” I asked with wide eyes. “You’re not wearing one.”
“Because I’m a damn good shot. Until you learn how to shoot, wear the vest. Put it on under your hoodie. Then we’ll get out.” Bear watched me unzip his hoodie and I felt his hot gaze skating along my skin. I fumbled around with the heavy, stiff vest, squeezing it over my breasts and tugging it down my torso. When I was done, I was out of breath and Bear was amused.
“You could have opened it up right here and slid in,” he pointed to the side and I smacked my lips together.
“You sat there watching me struggle. You’re an asshole.”
