Page 9 of Bears Behaving Badly
“I’m glad you came in.”Jesus Christ, she’s still talking to me.“I wanted to thank you for bringing Caro Daniels in safely. And Dev.”
He shrugged. “It’s the job.”
“Handsomeandmodest, oh dear.” Nadia smirked, ice-blue eyes gleaming.
“I can’t tell if you’re being mean or flirting with me,” he replied.
“It’s adorable that you think those are two different things.”
“Don’t mind Nadia,” Annette said pleasantly, “because she’s horrible.”
“I’m forced to vehemently agree,” Nadia agreed.
“Lund’s being released from the hospital this afternoon,” he told Annette, already anxious to get the hell out of this conversation. “Wanted to ask you…”
“Yessssssss?” Nadia asked, leaning forward and blinking as though someone was shining a flashlight in her eyes.
“…if you needed an addendum to his statement.”
“Yes indeed,” Annette replied. “Shall we?”
“Huh?” Oh.Oh.She was coming with. Him. She was comingwith him. But what did that mean? Coming with him as in following him? Coming with him in his car? At least the Razer was in decent shape; he’d had it washed just last… Wait… What year didThe Great British Baking Showstart? “Yeah, sure.”
Like the blush, the fact that she seemed to be looking at him slightly too long was a figment of his overheated imagination. “Excellent. Nadia’s got some more paperwork to take care of, but she’ll meet us at the hospital.”
“Thank you so very much for speaking for me. The good Lord knows I couldn’t manage it myself.” But it was reflexive snottiness; Nadia was already waving them away when Annette turned to him.
“Is it all right if I get a ride with you? I can head back with Nadia.” Then a heart-stopping pause.Here’s where she backs out.“Or you could come with me.”
Okay, maybe not.“Yeah, sure.”
“Which part?” she asked.
“I don’t know, whatever.”
“I’ll just go with you, then.”
“Uh-huh.”
Smoooooooth!
Chapter 4
The Saint Paul skyway system was an above-ground labyrinth of bright corridors that connected to various shops, restaurants, office buildings, and hotels. Since the average Minnesota winter lasted approximately 304 days, it was lovely to be able to traverse buildings at any time, and the skyway had the added benefit of enormous windows and the greenhouse effect, making it warm and bright no matter what the weather.
All of which was moot, because the skyway was for thenaturae fixed, the Stables, those poor souls who were stuck in the same shape from birth to death:Homo sapiensin all their stable, savage glory.
Shifters, thenaturae flex,had to keep to the Beneath—figuratively if not literally, the ground and what was below it. If it was raining they got wet, and if it was snowing, they got snowed on, and if it was fogging, they got fogged.
Which was why she and David were not on the second floor but instead in a parking garage, after swinging by Cinnabon on the way to United Hospital. Because if she didn’t have something to do with her hands and mouth, Annette was likely to jump poor unsuspecting, sexy David Auberon. Which wouldn’t just be unprofessional (and possibly illegal) but would also ruin their working relationship.
What working relationship? This is the first time you’ve shared a case in two years.
Still chewing
(gah, it’s like eating a pillow, a wonderful cinnamon-frosted pillow)
Annette smiled as they approached a gray Subaru. “Your car looks like—”
