Page 38 of More Than I Can Bear

“Balls!” Freya burst out laughing.

“So whaddya reckon?” Jack asked River. “Up for a little bear on bear action and why does that sound like gay porn?”

“I’ll be there in ten,” he said. “Don’t fucking move an inch.”

As soon as he hung up, we both started to talk at once, but River just ignored us, snatched up his keys and strode out of the kitchen and down the hall.

“Why did they ring you?” I asked my brother. “And what’s going on?”

“Dunno, but I’m not standing around here waiting to find out,” Kaine snapped.

Chapter20

Freya

There was a reason why I didn’t often get drunk, but I couldn’t remember what it was.

“Did you know bears have bones in their dicks?” Jack announced.

Ah yes, that was it.

We’d had way too many shots and were talking too loud. Even Motley Crue screeching about all the girls, girls, girls they’d boned couldn’t compete with us. But that was the fun thing about getting drunk, because I no longer cared, cared, cared. When I revisited the memory of Kaine in fur, I giggled at the sight of a polar bear standing in a penthouse and when I saw Adam apologising on the TV, the giggles got louder. Jack kept staring owlishly at her phone, trying to focus, so I went to take a look.

“Get the fuck out of here,” I said, craning my neck to look at her screen.

“Says here that bears have a… baculum.” She put her phone down and then switched to an image search. We both recoiled as pictures of long bones appeared on the screen. “Apparently most male mammals used to have them, even the predecessors of humans.”

“More shots, ladies?”

The barmaid, Janey, who we were now on first name terms with, appeared with a tray and my hand went out, needing another drink if we were going to have this conversation.

“Did you know that bears have dicks in their bones?” I asked Janey.

“I did not.” She placed more shot glasses before us, and I lost count of how many. “I do know they apparently shit in the woods.” She folded her tray against her and looked the two of us over. “And you’re getting cut off after these.”

“What? Why?” we cried.

“Because you have a weird interest in the mating habits of animals and we can hear you talking about them from the bar,” she replied with a tight smile. “So can I close out your tab?”

“Fine,” Jack huffed and then handed over her card. “And put a little extra on there as a tip.”

“Not sure if that’s gonna be enough to pay for the therapy sessions I’m gonna need after hearing you talk about bear dicks,” Janey said, “but thanks.”

“I like her.” Jack hung off her stool, watching Janey walk away. “I wonder if she—”

“Focus!” I snapped my fingers and then grabbed another shot, slamming that down without even a wince, feeling the rush of warmth and oblivion that came with it. “Do you know yet another thing about bear shifters that I don’t? Is that why you’re looking up what a back scratcher is?”

“Baculum,” she repeated. “No, I figure since we’re being drip-fed information, maybe it’s time—”

“Shit.” I froze on the spot.

“What?” Jack peered at me, struggling to focus.

“I just remembered something about that night.”

“What?” She smacked me on the arm. “Stop with the fucking foreplay and shove it in already.”

“Is it normal…?” I paused, looking at Jack and reconsidering my question. “What am I asking you for? You don’t know anything about hetero sex.”

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