Page 10 of Bear In A Bookstore
She pondered this a moment, then picked at the corner of her drink napkin. “I need something for my house too. The builder put in basic security, but I’d like something . . . better. More aggressive.”
“You live in town?”
Her eyes whipped to his. “Not far.”
“Within city limits?”
“Why does that matter?”
Desi leaned his forearms on the table and clasped his hands. “I’m going to need to survey your property in order to determine what’s best for you, and also to install it.”
“How quickly can you do that?”
Okay, now all his warning bells were going off. She wanted aggressive security, and she wanted it fast. Why?
“Listen, your brother has been really fair and invested in working with me, so I’ll share with you that I’ve had security issues in the past and I can’t sleep well at night because every little noise makes me afraid that someone is breaking in.” She waved a hand in the air. “Despite my past issues, I can’t seem to remember to lock doors to save my life. It’s an ineptitude that resulted in a dozen maggot covered black flowers now rotting in my garbage can.”
Desi’s entire body went on high alert. Those damn flowers. He was going to confront the asshole tomorrow. Done deal. Sliding his hand across the table, he ran his fingers lightly over the back of her hand. She startled, then went still like a deer hiding from prey.
“Kora,” he soothed. “I’ll get your house buttoned up so tight, if a fox sneezes too close to the property line, a missile will take it out. Okay?”
She did a double take at his hand on hers, grinned, and lightly pulled away.
The waitress returned with their food. Desi took the top bun off his burger, speared the tomato, and flung it onto the edge of his plate. He was about to take a bite when he noticed she was staring wide-eyed at her meal.
“What’s the matter?”
“W-what is this?”
“You ordered the miner’s steak and mushrooms.”
She nodded weakly. Her face paled. “It’s got a tail.”
His lips jumped in amusement. “That’s because it’s a beaver.”
She turned her lower lip beneath her teeth. “Is this a joke?”
“The description under the miner’s steak mentions how beaver was considered a delicacy during the early mining days. You didn’t read that far, apparently.”
She shook her head.
Good thing he didn’t tell her that some town historians argued rats had earned the moniker instead.
He exchanged his plate for hers. “Here, take my burger.”
“Are you sure?”
“I’m a shifter. I eat anything.”
She grinned again. A surge of warmth went through him. This woman had some serious walls, and each smile he drummed out of her made him want to try for another. She speared the tomato.
“Just not these, I assume?”
He suppressed a shudder. “My brother Jett grows organic tomatoes bigger than my head. I’m the only one in the family who can’t stand them.”
“Well, thank you for switching.” She put the tomato back on the burger.
“You’re welcome.”
