Page 25 of Arctic Panda's Secret Mate
Haisley later thought that was the exact moment she foolishly fell in love with him.
21
TRISTAN
Tristan breathed a deep sigh of relief when Chef finally left, humming under his breath. He listened to the big man’s steps creak up the stairs and turned to find that Haisley was standing in the door to the dining room.
“You didn’t turn me in,” she said gratefully.
“I told you that I wouldn’t,” Tristan assured her.
“I worried that you might, under pressure,” Haisley confessed. “I find it terribly hard to lie.”
“I didn’t actually have to,” Tristan pointed out. Her gaze was direct and delightful. He could get used to her appreciation.
“He’s a real chef, isn’t he?”
“As opposed to a fake one?”
Haisley laughed. “I mean, Icook, but I didn’t go to school for it. I make basic food, nothing too fancy. He speaks French and sings in Italian. You must be from a veryclassyresort. Will you tell me about it?” She walked into the kitchen to eat the last bite of her sandwich and take her plate to the sink.
“Shifting Sands Resort is a beautiful place,” Tristan said, as he followed her to the sink to pick up where he’d left off washing. “As beautiful as this place, but in a completely different way. It’s got a white sand beach, emerald green jungle, these amazing cliffs, and the ocean. The water is so clear, you can see down for miles. It rains sometimes, but the rain is so mellow and warm, it doesn’t even matter.”
“I’ve never heard of it,” Haisley said, getting a dish towel from the rack. “Is it expensive?”
Tristan chewed over his answer. “It’s…exclusive,” he finally said. “It’s for shifters only.”
Haisley took the bowl as he rinsed it. “Like, a motor club or something?”
“Like, werewolves,” Tristan said boldly. “Except for all kinds of different animals.”
Haisley, to her credit, did not drop the bowl or scream and run away. She did laugh a little uncertainly, like he’d made a joke that she didn’t understand. “Furries?” she suggested. “I have a friend in LA who does costuming.”
“No,realshapeshifters.” Tristan switched sponges to wipe off the tray, which was still hot to the touch. The water steamed off of it as he rinsed it. “I’m a panda bear.” Haisley was taking this all much more in stride than he’d feared.
“A panda bear? You’re a panda bear?”
“I’m a panda bear,” Tristan said again, more firmly than before. He gave her the tray and met her level gaze. “I’m a panda bear, andyou’re my mate.”
He didn’t have time to duck before she’d swung the tray he gave her and hit him across the face with it.
22
HAISLEY
Haisleyknewthat Tristan was too good to be true.
It was just impossible that he wasthatnice,thathandsome,thatinto her, and not also completely delusional.
She dropped the tray she’d just clocked him with and sprang away, because she couldn’t hope to overpower him if he proved violent. He followed her as far as the door to the dining room, but Haisley didn’t wait to see if he came further, fleeing down the hallway to her own room. She slammed the door behind her, and locked it.
She listened at the door, trembling, and waited for him to come after her.
But he didn’t come charging at her door, snarling, he only tapped lightly. “Haisley? Haisley, are you okay? I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to scare you. I just want to explain, or maybe show you. I’m doing a terrible job at this, can you forgive me?”
He sounded so nice, and reasonable. But he was also, clearly, completely insane. The whole lot of them were. Haisley wanted to believe the best of Tristan, he seemed sofunny and sweet, but he thought he was a bear, and that she was his mate, whateverthatmeant, and it was a short, slippery, snowy slope from that to locking her up in his luggage and kidnapping her or something.
Haisley wasn’t even sure what she thought he might do to her. She didn’t stream movies rated R, and she liked her books on the light, fluffy side. She never watched the news. Maybe these people were part of a horrible cult. Maybe they wanted privacy at the chalet for awful sacrifices. It was like she’d somehow landed in a horror movie. Well, she was not going down into the dark scary basement with the cute crazy man. Not even to make out.
