Free Bearly a Memory: Pacific Northwest Bears: (Shifter Romance) by Moxie North Page A

was apparently a trollop.

Chapter 14
    T anner gripped the end of the small table trying to control himself. He’d dropped his head down to stare at the bag when he realized the sweet scent coming off of the woman on the bed meant whatever transpired in those few moments had gotten her wet. She was aroused, and his bear was clawing at him from the inside.
    Not wanting to scare her, he cleared his throat, released his hands and continued opening the containers.
    “Yeah, I think they cook those vegetables until they are a regulation level of mush. Probably easier for sick people to eat,” he offered. His bear was at least not in his voice yet; that would be even harder to hide. He told his bear to back down, or they’d scare their mate. It seemed to work.
    He looked up to see his mate looking at him, confused and shocked. Not sure what caused that look, he decided to avoid what just happened by handing her a takeout box.
    “Do you need something to drink?” he asked.
    Brooke accepted the box and pointed to the table by the head of the bed. “Apparently I’m thirsty. You would think being hooked up to an IV would negate that, but I keep going through those. I guess I like ice water. Simple, but it seems like it’s something I know,” she said with a shrug.
    “Hey, that’s good. Baby steps, right?” he said, grabbing the chair he’d been in earlier. He sat down and kicked one booted foot up onto the bed.
    “Excuse me, Mr. Sheriff, did you just put your dirty boot on my bed?” Brooke asked, her eyebrows raised.
    Looking down at his feet, he gave a shrug. “Yup, getting comfy. You should try it,” he suggested.
    Glancing down at herself, she laughed, “This is about as comfy as you can get in a hospital bed and gown.”
    “Shit, sorry, I should have let you change first,” he said, feeling chagrined he didn’t think she’d want to put her own clothes on.
    “No worries, I’ll shower and change after I eat. So far I haven’t been a sloppy eater, but you never know. There is soup here. We could be in need of a total change-out – clothing, bedding, it could be a catastrophe,” she joked
    “I’m gonna have to go ahead and say that possibility is slim to none. You don’t seem the type,” he said, biting into his sandwich.
    “What type do I seem?” she asked, truly intrigued,
    Chewing, Tanner seemed to ponder this. “Well, you are organized, so I’m going to have to say you aren’t messy. Your hotel room barely looked lived in. By the way, you apparently are a knitter. I found a bag of stuff in your room. Thought you might want it,” he said, gesturing to the other bag next to the duffle.
    Brooke just stared at the bag like it was a snake. “Knitter? Seriously? What am I, eighty?” She looked at him like he had the answers.
    “I guess your mom said she suggested you take it up to reduce your stress. So yeah, you knit,” he said, taking another bite of sandwich.
    “Oh, did I have a cell phone in the motel room? There wasn’t one in the purse. I’m pretty sure everyone over the age of twelve has one,” Brooke asked.
    “Didn’t see one in the room or your car. Maybe you left it at home?” Tanner offered. His instinct was telling him she’d watched enough cop shows that she thought cell phones were traceable and had ditched hers, but he kept that to himself.
    The confused look stayed on her face as she took a bite of her own sandwich. Her eyes rolled back, and her lids closed as the roasted turkey and tart cranberries woke up every one of her taste buds. She let out a moan as she chewed.
    Opening her eyes after she swallowed, she saw Tanner with his sandwich hanging in midair, halfway to his open mouth. His eyes on her, looking…well, she wasn’t sure. They looked hungry, but not for turkey and cranberry,
    “Sorry, it’s really good,” she apologized, blushing.
    Tanner had to try and make his brain start functioning again. His mate wasn’t making it easy on him at all.
    “Uh, no, sure.