Authors: Jane Wakely
He
didn’t.
Instead
he leaned over and whispered in her ear. “What are you going to do if he’s
still staring at the bread when you go back?”
The tofu
became blurry. She was afraid something like this would happen. She’d have to
tell Bull about her past and then he’d know how stupid she’d been. Once he
found out, would he leave? She should have gone shopping first then she could
have kept him to herself for at least one day. Maybe he could have looked past
all of her faults.
“Hey,
c’mere.” Bull pulled her into his arms, held her tight, and whispered again.
“You’ve got me now and everyone is afraid of me. You don’t have to hide from
anyone anymore.”
She
hoped it was true. The warmth of his embrace felt so right and his arms made
her feel like she could face anyone or anything.
As if
sensing a need to lighten the mood Bull said, “Why are we standing in front of
the tofu? You tempted me with salmon. You never mentioned tofu. I’m not eating
salmon flavored tofu.”
Christina
laughed, she couldn’t help it. He sounded so serious. He’d done exactly the
right thing to make her forget her fears and push away the sadness. She was
grateful. She didn’t want to cry in the tofu aisle of the health food store.
She
lingered in his arms for another minute before reluctantly pulling away.
Chapter Seven
He’d
made her laugh.
The
thought of Christina crying because of some jerk had him wanting blood, but the
urge to console her was greater. Without thinking he’d pulled her into his
arms. He wanted her to know he would protect her from anything. The health food
store wasn’t the place to discuss it though and he’d made a joke instead. It had
worked.
He liked
how she seemed to remain in his arms seconds longer than necessary. He hated to
let her go, but loosened his hold when she pulled back.
Christina
held up her first finger and thumb really close together.
“An
itty-bitty bit of tofu and a whole lot of salmon, okay?” Her eyes sparkled, but
not from the threat of tears. Bull had a feeling he was getting an equal share
of tofu and salmon.
“Okay.”
He didn’t care. He couldn’t deny her anything.
She
turned to the tofu again, made her choice and put it in the cart.
“By the
way,” she paused until his eyes met hers. “I’m not afraid of you, Bull.”
Christina finished, and turned to walk toward the produce department.
Bull was
too stunned to move. She wasn’t afraid of him? He’d lost his temper twice in
front of her, yelled and almost punched his friend in the face. She wasn’t
afraid?
She did
come to his hotel and wanted to spend the day with him, but somehow that didn’t
erase his idea of her fear in his mind.
After
agreeing to eat whatever she made, Bull had watched as Christina studied the
tofu before finding the one she wanted. During that time he’d fought the urge
to find the guy from the market and pound him. What was Christina hiding from? Remembering
what the guy had said the night before, was it that she’d dated a lot? Had she
slept around? While the thought wasn’t something he wanted to think about, he
wouldn’t hold her past against her. He wanted to know her secrets. He wanted to
know everything about her.
“Hi
Christina, how are you doing?” Bull had caught up and a short, slim woman with
white blond hair was talking to his mate. She wore an apron with the store’s
logo on the front and a nametag that read ‘Hollie.’
“I’m
doing great, I’m making tofu-salmon and I needed some things. This is Bull. He’s
new in town and friends with Matt, Jenn’s fiancé.”
The
woman looked up at him with wide violet eyes, took a step back and looked
around seemingly for an escape route. Now that he was closer, he could smell
the reason why. Rabbits always ran when they found themselves face to face with
a bear.
“You’re
going to eat tofu?” From the look on her face, the words had slipped out
unexpectedly.
“And
salmon,” he laughed. “Relax little one. I’m not going to hurt you.” He kept his
voice low, trying not to frighten her.
Hollie
shifted her eyes from him to Christina and back again several times before
nodding her acceptance.
“It’s
nice to meet you, Bull. I hope the two of you enjoy your lunch.” As she
scurried off, the little bunny yelled over her shoulder. “Bye Christina. I’ll
see you later.”
They
both watched Hollie run off then Bull turned to find Christina watching him, a
defeated expression on her face before she forced a smile and silently chose a
few tomatoes.
Something
had happened, but what? Bull replayed the last few minutes over and over and
his only conclusion was Christina was jealous of Hollie. It made sense. They
hadn’t had time to talk about what he was or her place in his life. This was
their first “date” and they barely knew each other. Of course she would feel
threatened by his attention toward another woman, even if it was to stop the
other woman from running for her life.
They
needed to talk—about everything—but first he needed to say something to let her
know she was the only one on his mind.
“Hollie
seems nice. Are the two of you good friends?” Bull asked as Christina waited
her turn at the seafood counter.
“We’re
pretty close. I’ve known her for awhile.” She took a deep breath. “I could give
her your phone number if you want.” She wouldn’t look at him and he understood
how hard it must have been for her to offer. He needed to tread carefully.
“Christina,
your number is the only one I want or need.” So much for being careful.
Her ticket
was called just as she opened her mouth to respond, but Bull saw the smile she
couldn’t hide when she placed her order with the store clerk.
Maybe he
didn’t need to be so careful after all.
****
When Bull
called Hollie “little one,” Christina had been crushed. “Little” was not
something she could ever use to describe herself. He sounded so sweet, she
thought he must be attracted to Hollie. She felt silly for believing what Matt
had told her about mates and basically throwing herself at Bull. Her mind raced
for an excuse to end the date early.
Your number is the only one I want or
need.
Did he
mean it? Was she overreacting to his exchange with Hollie? Before she could say
anything, her ticket was called. She put the wrapped salmon in the cart and
walked toward the bread aisle.
Christina
cringed when she turned and saw not only the guy from the market, but Derek as
well. Even if she wanted to she couldn’t turn back. She knew Bull would never
let her get away with leaving the store without bread.
“Hey
Christina, where’s your body guard?” The guy from the market laughed.
“Yeah, I
heard you’re dating someone louder than you this time.” Derek laughed, too.
Their
laughter died and from the looks on their faces, Bull had turned into the
aisle. He pushed the shopping cart past Christina and stopped in front of the
two men.
“Hey
guys, is there a problem?” Bull asked, staring them down.
Derek
and his friend where about the same height as Christina, but next to Bull’s
muscle bound body, they looked small and weak. They both stared up at Bull like
two kids in trouble with their dad and neither said a word.
“Unless
she speaks to you first, you are not to talk to her again. Do you understand
me?” His voice was barely above a whisper, but the message was clear.
Both men
nodded their heads before Bull stepped back as if giving them permission to
leave—and they both nearly ran down the aisle to get away from him.
Christina
stared after them. She was positive they wouldn’t bother her again. Without
explanation, Bull had defended her. The only other person who had ever done
that for her was Jenn.
“You
don’t have to tell me, but I hope one day you will,” Bull said, bringing her
attention back to him and his warm smile. “So, we need bread?”
Christina
nodded and picked up a loaf off the shelf.
She
would tell him. If Bull was willing to defend her without knowing about her
past, then she could trust him with the details. Besides, if Matt was right and
they were mates, she didn’t want to keep anything from him.
Chapter Eight
They
drove to her house in comfortable silence and Bull carried in the groceries.
After Christina put everything away, she gave him a tour of the apartment.
“This
was Jenn’s room. You’re still welcome to move in if you want to. I was thinking
about moving before Jenn mentioned you needed a place to stay.”
“This is
a great place. I like how there’s so much forest surrounding the community.” He
wanted to stay, but not in this room. He wanted to share Christina’s room with
her.
“Me too.
It’s one of the great things about Chestnut Rock. One day I hope to own a house
this close to the forest. It’s so beautiful.”
“It is.
I find it very soothing.” Matt was right, Chestnut Rock did sooth his restless
bear, but part of the reason was because he’d found Christina. He needed to
tell her what he was.
As he
tried to find the words, they stood together looking out the window of the
empty room and enjoying the view. Straight to the point was usually the best
way for these things.
“When we
first moved here two years ago, I went on a date with Derek. He was mean and I
left during dinner, but Derek told everyone that we slept together. All of his
friends asked me out and tried to get me to have sex with them. I found out
later it was a joke to see which one could bang the tall, loud girl. They’ve
been laughing at me ever since.”
Christina
beat him to it. It all came out in a rush, she’d barely taken a breath between
sentences as she continued to stare out the window.
Deep
breath in, deep breath out. Bull nodded and breathed, trying to control his
bear. If he had known those men had been badgering his mate for two years, he
wouldn’t have let them get away. Christina hadn’t moved, but her back was
straight and her shoulders stiff.
“If I
had known,” he took a deep breath and she hung her head. He realized she was
waiting for him to dismiss her. It was time to tell her everything. “I wouldn’t
have let them walk away so easily.” Blue eyes met his. “I told you in the tofu
store that I’d take care of you. You’re not getting rid of me that easy.”
“It’s
not the ‘tofu store’,” she laughed, “and I thought maybe…”
“That I
wouldn’t like you anymore because of what some jerk said about you?”
“Well,
that and because I’m tall and loud.”
“No you’re not. You’re perfect.”
He kissed her because he couldn’t not kiss her anymore. Before
he shared his secrets, and possibly lost her, he needed a taste of her
beautiful mouth.
Strawberries. Her mouth tasted like strawberries. Bull
couldn’t help wonder if she tasted like strawberries everywhere.
****
I’m perfect!
Christina only had a moment to savor
the words before Bull surprised her with his kiss. Warm, soft lips brushed
across hers in gentle, careful movements one would never expect from someone of
his size. He didn’t possess her or force his tongue; instead he persuaded and
begged with his lips. It didn’t take long before Christina opened her mouth and
let her tongue meet his. He discovered her mouth, tasting every inch and
Christina welcomed his exploration.
Her
hands roamed his firm chest and shoulders and when he kissed down her jaw, Christina
pulled him closer, encircling her arms around his waist. Bull’s hands didn’t
roam, instead he held tight onto her waist with her shirt bunched up in his
fingers as if he fought for some control.
“Bull…”
She whispered his name as he licked her collarbone. She was begging without
saying the words.
“Christina,
I…we need to talk.” He pulled his mouth away from her skin and met her eyes.
“Now?”
Christina didn’t want to talk, but Bull looked so serious. She had a feeling he
was about to tell her his secret so she agreed. “Okay, let’s go sit on the
couch.”
Leading
the way, Bull followed her out of the room and they sat down in the middle of
the couch together, side by side.
Bull
held her hand but he didn’t face her. Instead, he focused on the TV even though
it was turned off. Christina watched as he swallowed several times, seemingly
trying to formulate the words.
He
cleared his throat and began to speak.
“This
might be difficult to hear at first, but I have something important to tell
you.” He cleared his throat again. “Do you know anything about shifters?”
“A
little bit.”
She’d
surprised him and he met her eyes.
“You
do?”