Page 4 of Bear In A Bookstore
“I thought that was the other reason you’re here today.”
Earl shrugged one shoulder, then peered down at the printer as if he was totally confused. “Right, but I figure you might want anactualsecurity expert. Desi here designed systems for the U.S. military. He knows all the high-tech stuff way better than me. What do you think, Des?”
Her body was hyperaware of his presence. She’d been a bit relieved when she thought he was leaving. Her lungs were looking forward to taking a full breath again. This was a hell of a reaction she was having. Then again, every woman in this town probably drooled when he walked by. He turned those blue eyes on her, and her chest squeezed harder.
“Ah, sure, we could discuss it.”
Funny, she’d done a lot of research on home security and mapped out what she’d like to have installed in her house and the bookstore. Her home came with an efficient system, but it was old and needed updating so she added a few extra locks to all her doors and sometimes wedged the back of a chair beneath the front door handle for good measure.
He looked at her, clearly waiting for her answer.
“Uh, sure. You could drop off some information, like a pamphlet or something?”
“Ok.” He gave the place a sweeping observation. “So, is the rumor about the secret room true?”
His profile was beautifully impressive: strong and masculine. How would she describe him if he were a hero in one of her thrillers? Reincarnated Viking god about summed it up. He had to be at least six foot five. Her head would barely touch the center of his chest. The family resemblance to his brother Dax, who’d been here taking measurements last week, was strong. Both men were cut from the same gorgeous, golden cloth.
Was it something about bear shifters in particular? Or were the genetics in this family line just extra sexy?
“The existence of the secret room will remain a mystery, I’m afraid.”
One corner of his lips turned up. “Darn.”
Earl stood back and assessed his work, or lack thereof. Desi moved to the printer, shut the top and closed the side.
“We had one of these on base that never printed like it was supposed to.”
He made a fist and brought it down on top of the control panel. Once. Twice. The plastic creaked, the entire unit trembled from the impact. Earl gasped. Kora’s mouth dropped open.
The lights on the printer console suddenly lit up. Gears wound up and the printer began to spit out the papers she’d been printing two days ago when it choked.
Desi patted the printer like it was the top of a dog’s head and shot Kora a look over his shoulder with a playful grin. “I’ll bill you.”
He walked out, taking his huge presence with him. The air seemed somehow smaller after he was gone. His absence did nothing to slow her pulse.
Kora watched him out the front windows until he disappeared down the street and had the very distinct feeling that if she wasn’t careful, her life might take a route she never saw coming.
Chapter Two
Somethingmovedintheceiling.
It was just her imagination. The sound came and went, like a branch rubbing against the roof, or something lightly banging in the wind. It was almost like someone was clawing their fingernails along the beams—
Stop it, Kora. It’s a tree branch.
She pinched a forefinger and thumb over the bridge of her nose. The past couple of days had kept her super busy in the bookstore and her mind wouldn’t settle at night. She’d only had about five hours of sleep in the past two days, and it was clearly catching up with her. Insomnia was her old enemy and she’d adjusted ridiculously well to being sleep deprived. But sometimes, it was a real bitch.
Crossing her arms on the desk, she propped her chin on them and observed the store. She’d do better tomorrow, but for right now, she was going to admire what had been accomplished. The bookshelves had been delivered and were waiting to be affixed in their respective places. New overhead lighting had gone up yesterday. The original oak wood floors had been buffed, polished, and resealed. She’d had drywall removed to expose the original brick interior when she first purchased the building. It looked amazing with the updates she’d done so far. A remarkable industrial blend of old and new. By the time she was done, the bookstore would be architecturally stunning, cozy, and a place people wanted to come back to. It was still sparse and messy, but it was so satisfying to see it all coming together.
Turning to the sideboard she’d hauled in to hold a mini coffee station, she started a pot of strong, dark coffee. She watched it percolate for a few minutes, oddly soothed by the dripping sound. She really should go home for a nap. There were no deliveries coming or services scheduled, and it was almost supper time. It was the perfect time to rest before things got busy in the next few days with Mitchell Construction coming to start work.
Mitchell Construction.
Desi. The mental image of him popped into her mind as she watched the coffee percolate. The drip, drip, gurgle, drip mesmerized her fatigued brain. She drifted off a bit to the sounds, and the image of him solidified in her mind’s eye. A little shiver went over her. Weird, she could almost feel his presence taking up space beside her.
So silly. He was a hot former Marine and a bear shifter. Of course, her brain would go there, right?
She didn’t know much about bear shifters, just that they were a normal part of the population and unless you pissed them off, you didn’t have to think twice about them being different than humans. There was a small pack where she’d lived in California, but she couldn’t recall interacting with any of them in all her years there. Desi wasn’t a city shifter though. No, he was made for the woods.
