Page 24 of Hers to Call
At least she thought so. Could she be overreacting? Either way, she didn’t want to make a big deal of it. She waved off their concerned looks. Heart hammering, she walked back into the restaurant. She went back to making sure the fruit and vegetables were properly stored, her hands shaking the whole time. Every time she closed her eyes, she relived Patrick jumping towards her. For a moment she’d experienced, real, deep rooted fear and she’d been unable to move. It reminded her that she still had a long way to go. She would look into finding a therapist in the area. While she’d been doing a good job of holding herself together without the assistance, she knew having one would be good to help her with the changes in her life. Once she was done with the food delivery, she went upstairs. She needed to take a shower and get dressed before her meeting with Jerica. She was going to see her about the rental properties.
***
Hours later, she rushed into the kitchen and got to work on the evening pastries. She and Jerica had not only saw the small rentals available in the area, they’d also driven over to Pleasant Hill to look at those apartments. The whole time Jerica hinted that Calita may not need a place to rent, but she ignored the realtor. The whole town was full of meddlers and the real estate agent was no different.
She looked up as the kitchen door opened and butterflies attacked her stomach. Simon walked in, a pair of khaki chinos molded to his thighs and a jean button down shirt, loose, the top buttons opened. His hair was down around his shoulders, the curls windswept and tousled. It immediately made her think of the way he’d looked after their night together. She sucked in a sharp breath of need.
He smiled and came closer, his dark eyes raking her body. She leaned over as he got closer, offering her lips, as her hands were covered in flour and dough. He happily met her halfway, his tongue dipping into her mouth. Her body relaxed and energized at the same time.
She pulled back. “Hi. You got my message.”
“I did. I was outside of cell range, sorry I missed your call,” he whispered, sipping at her lips again.
She nodded her head towards a small table in the corner. “Sit, I’ll be done in just a second.”
He settled at the table and stretched his legs, his body language suggesting he was perfectly content to sit in her space. That made her incredibly happy. She finished the dish she was working on and ordered his favorite meal. It was a mushroom curry with spinach and chickpeas. She ordered parmesan corn fritters to go with it, and took a look at the honey pecan cheesecake she’d made for him that morning. It was her first time trying it, so she was anxious to see what he thought. She gave instructions to the staff and took off her apron.
She grabbed herself a glass of wine, knowing they were on the tail end of the dinner rush and that soon, she and the staff would start cleaning up. It was another thing she liked about small town living. There were no late nights. She would start the morning pastries when they were done and clean up after herself, leaving her and the bear, Anna, who’d deemed herself Calita’s assistant, up a few hours after. She was usually done with everything a little after midnight depending on the next day’s menu.
She sat at the table and Simon grabbed her hand. He brought it up to his mouth to kiss and frowned.
“Why do you smell like a male bear?” His voice was mild, but she saw his bear flash in his eyes.
“Jeesh, I’ve washed my hands at least a dozen times since then and changed my clothes,” she muttered. “It’s Patrick you smell, he saved my life today.”
His frowned deepened. “I hadn’t heard anything.”
“It happened a few hours ago and only Patrick and his dad saw it. Even in this town, gossip doesn’t travel if there is no one nosy to see it.”
“What happened?”
“Something fell from the roof and Patrick grabbed me to keep it from hitting me. Freak accident.” She worked to squelch her worry. She was calling it an accident and that was that.
His brows furrowed. “That’s weird.”
“I know. Patrick is a great kid, I’m glad he was there.”
“I’ll repay him for the favor. Your life is very important to me.” He kissed her hand and released her.
***
An accident? Something about her manner didn’t sit right with him. While her face was calm, her scent drifted to him, worry intermingled with her normal scent. It was a source of frustration for both he and his bear that they couldn’t read her better. Calita was adept at hiding her feelings, something that made his bear leery and a little insecure. He studied her a moment more, but decided to drop it for now. He was just happy to be in her presence.
He’d settled his mind to spending the night in his skin, fighting to keep him and his bear from rushing her. So, when he had listened to her voicemail inviting him to come over, he’d rushed like the hounds of hell were after him. Calita was calling the shots, and Simon would stick to that, no matter what it cost him in cold showers. It had been a week since he last had his mate, and his bear was bucking at its leash.
He stared at her flushed face. She honestly took his breath away. Her hair was in its customary tight bun, but tendrils had escaped and were plastered to her neck, moist with sweat. His bear rumbled, as happy as Simon was to see her. When he’d come in, the sight of her at the counter had soothed him, yet made him tense with need. Her black jeans fit her thick thighs and cupped her ass in a way that had his cock twitching. It bucked against the zipper of his jeans even now.
The heat must’ve shown in his eyes, because her lips parted and she looked away. Her pulse quickened, her scent, beating even the delicious smells around the kitchen.
He changed the subject before he leaned over the table and devoured her. “Patrick’s father was in the clan before my father passed. They’re a good family.”
She cleared her throat. “Most of the bears in this town are amazing. It must be great to have a pack so tight knit.” She frowned and tilted her head. “Is it a pack of bears? What are a lot of bears called?”
He chuckled. “Technically, dictionary wise, it would be a sloth or sleuth of bears, but then we aren’t normal bears, so we refer to ourselves as a clan.”
She laughed “No, a sloth of bears?”
He pointed and gave her a mock glare. “Hold all jokes please.”
