Between the Bear's Sheets (Wylde Brothers 2)

“There seem to be a lot of weddings going on. At least, that’s what the salesclerk at the boutique told me.”

“Mmmhmm,” he said, his focus on her mouth still. But then something covered his face, and he leaned back and lifted his bottle to his mouth, downed the rest of his beer, and motioned for the waitress to bring another round. Whatever she just said put this wedge between them, and now his whole demeanor was closed.

She should have been happy her lust had been successfully doused, but now she just felt empty and cold.

The awkwardness she felt initially came back full force, and she contemplated going back to where her brother sat. The longer the silence between them dragged on, the more she just wanted to leave.

He wouldn’t look at her, and it was clear he was going through some kind of internal struggle.

“Uh, listen, maybe I should just head back over to my brother’s table.” She went to stand, but he gently placed his hand on top of hers.

“No, please stay. I’m sorry if I got weird just then. It’s just talk of weddings and shit tends to bring the funk on.” He offered her a smile, but it seemed somewhat forced.

God, what if he was married or engaged or something like that? He must have read her facial expressions and figured out what she was thinking, because he chuckled and said, “No, I’m not married, nor was I at one time, and I am not about to get married.”

He watched her over the rim. For several long seconds, they stared at each other, and she wondered what had been done to him that just speaking about weddings would throw him off. He inhaled deeply and seemed to be struggling with an internal debate.

“Someone from my past is getting married, and I have a lot of….” He chuckled humorlessly.

Oh. She assumed it was about a woman, but she wasn’t about to ask.

His posture was relaxed as he threw one of his thick, muscular arms over the back of the chair and kicked one of his legs out straight. She didn’t know anything about this man aside from his name, that he was a bear shifter, and that she wanted him desperately. A switch in conversation was what they needed.

“So what do you do for a living?”

The waitress came by and set down two fresh beers.

“You mean aside from running into pretty little red foxes and causing them to spill scalding coffee all over themselves?” The corner of his mouth lifted in a smirk, and she couldn’t help but laugh. “I work with my brothers in a family-owned construction business. Maybe you’ve heard of Wylde Construction?”

So he did hard, manual labor? That explained his muscular body.

She nodded. “Yeah, I actually remember seeing the signs in front of the construction sites on my way into town.” She finished off her drink, which was turning watery. Ford pushed over a fresh beer, and she smiled in gratitude. She wasn’t much of an umbrella drink kind of girl anyway.

“So, where are you from, and what do you do?”

She took a long pull from the beer and liked the hoppy flavor that covered her tongue. “I’m from California and just graduated with my master’s in education. Although looking for a teaching position in LA is like finding a needle in a haystack.” Holy hell, did she just make that analogy? Her cheeks warmed, and Ford smiled, which made her flesh burn hotter. “In reality, I’m jobless.” Talia didn’t mention she was living off her trust that her parents set up for her.

At twenty-four years old, she envisioned something more for her life. The past six years had been filled with school and not much of anything else. Now that she was finally done, she felt almost lost. There had been this optimistic side of her that saw her getting a teaching job right after graduation, but the reality was a lot sadder than that.

Most places wanted experience, but how in the hell could she get experience if she didn’t have a job? She hated the bigger cities and longed to settle down somewhere small, such as an intimate town like Sweet Water.

“That’s an incredible accomplishment. Congratulations.”

She felt herself blush at his compliment.

Yeah, she might have a degree, but what was the point of owning that piece of paper if she had nothing to show for it in the long run? “Thank you, but it certainly isn’t owning your own construction company. I’m sure you’re the go-to builders in your town.”

He smirked and shrugged. “It has its pros and cons, believe me. Working with family can be a pain in the ass at times.”

She nodded and smiled. Her father and brother worked together, and there had been plenty of times she heard them arguing about patient cases and what the other would do in the situation.