Free Eric's Edge by Holley Trent

shelf.
    Like I said. Really complicated. There’s a reason Maria and I are hostile to each other.
     
    You mean other than general personality clashes?
     
    Keep this between us.
     
    What are you telling me?
    That I’ve known her for a long time, and that I know her probably better than anyone. Eric swooped down the chip aisle and grabbed a couple of things he hoped kids would like. He always served plain chips at the lodge because it was easiest to go with one flavor for everyone if he had to serve them at all, but he figured he could put some effort into it for the sake of those scared children.
    Just be careful , Bryan said. You know how it goes with Shrews.
     
    Nah, I really don’t. Explain it to me.
     
    Hang tight.
    Eric tucked his phone back into his pocket, did a run through the candy aisle grabbing chocolate and Skittles, and made his way toward the registers.
    There were no lines. Maybe there was something appealing about getting his shopping done at dark o’clock in the morning. Sure, the bread was picked over and most of the fruit was dinged up, but there was no one there running over his feet with their shopping cart wheels or parking their buggies in asshole diagonals so people couldn’t get around them in aisles.
    He paid, and let out a little exhalation of relief to see the lights inside the RV were still off. When they got done with their mission, he was going to make that woman sleep. He didn’t care if he had to sit on her to do it, but he wouldn’t let up until he was satisfied she was well rested.
    His phone buzzed as he approached the door, and glancing at the screen, he cringed at the paragraphs-long message. Bryan must have been typing messages from his computer. There was no way a guy with thumbs as big as Bryan’s was fiddling with a tiny touchscreen.
    You should have paid more attention to me, Patrick, Felipe, and Fabian. You can’t fight these women because they’re tuned to snap back if you try. They are what they are. Contrariness is their defense mechanism. The best you can do is try to steer them away from destructive behaviors. I’m guessing you’re invested in doing that. Nobody else would want to be bothered, right?
     
    Eric had just been thinking that.
    I can’t tell you what to do with her. I don’t know her that well, and Tam is as mystified by her as I am. But you should be ahead of the curve. You’re not being thrown together on this job as strangers, so you’ve got a running start the rest of us didn’t have.
     
    And by the way—if you’re feeling Bear-ish, you probably need to be upfront with her about that.
     
    “No way,” Eric muttered. That was exactly what he didn’t need—his Bear wanting his wild oats sowed and Maria being perfectly welcoming of that because it meant she’d get vigorous sex out of it.
    I guess I’m relieved in a way that the reason you two don’t get along isn’t because of petty personality squabbles. I’m not saying there’s an easy fix for this, but hey. It’s a good situation.
     
    That, Eric had to respond to. Maybe. I hope so. I’m trying. She’s got a lot of baggage.
    They all do , Bryan texted.
    “Not like Maria, though.” He typed, About to get moving. Again, keep what I said between us? I don’t want Astrid to meddle. She’ll worry, probably more about Maria than me.
    Deleting the thread now. Check in when you’re near the school.
     
    10-4.
     
    Eric deleted the conversation on his end, too, and then pulled open the RV door.
    Maria sat up, rubbing her eyes as he climbed in with the first few bags.
    “Just sit tight. I’ll bring everything up, and you can tuck it away as I get this thing back on the road.” He deposited the bags, and returned to the ground for the rest and the case of water.
    “How long were you gone?” She raised her arms over her head in a long stretch that elongated her spine and made her full breasts thrust forward.
    His inner bear did the psychic equivalent of giving Eric a hard poke