Page 15 of Caught Bear Handed

Beau

This woman was a one-way ticket to trouble.

She’d drawn in a shaky breath and turned back to her puzzle, putting up an invisible wall between us.

Of course she did.You just referred to her as an assignment, you dumbass, my bear scolded.

I rose from the chair, leaving Kayla to her project, but my bear wasn’t done with me.

That’s her arousal that’s singing in your nostrils.Or it was, anyway, before you shut her down.

My mouth watered at the thought of the taste of her.I closed my eyes for a long blink.Too long, since I was treated to a vivid image of her curvy body, naked and writhing in twisted sheets, from the best possible view—between her thighs.I looked back at her, but she was engrossed in her puzzle, the moment lost.

For now, my bear was nothing if not encouraging.Even if what he wanted would be career suicide.

I’d done the right thing, I reminded myself as I opened the refrigerator and pulled out the pot of leftover chili.My instincts had told me something was wrong when I’d come back to the cabin.Gigi had felt it too.

Was Kayla keeping something from me?

No, Barrett had verified everything I’d told him about her story.Well, that the crime syndicate existed and there were connections.He hadn’t told me what they were, and I couldn’t take it personally.I was spending a lot of time in close quarters with this woman, and no one could risk a slip up.

He’d told me I’d done good work.But I felt like it wasn’t enough.

“Do you like stuffed peppers?”I asked.

Kayla jumped and gave me a bewildered look.

Something was definitely spooking her.

“Thought I’d mix things up with the chili and put them in the peppers, if you’re into it.”

Her lips curled into a smile that was way too seductive for its own good.“I’m into it.”

“Good to know.”I gripped the island, my gaze fixed on her, but she’d already gone back to the puzzle.

Saying ridiculous shit and pulling a gun weren’t the only stupid things I’d done today.I’d pushed Barrett, telling him I wanted more responsibility.He reminded me that a television star’s wellbeing had been placed solely in my hands, and if I didn’t think that was enough, he’d happily swap me out with Brad.

Brad and I had a somewhat friendly rivalry going.We’d joined Sawtooth Security at the same time, both had military backgrounds.But where I was rambunctious, he was smooth.When I was impulsive, he was patient.He’d bet me he’d be the first to lead a case.

He didn’t get assigned a private detail, my bear reminded me.Think you can say you won that bet.

But still, I’d seen him at the Redheaded Stepchild, the local bar with an exclusive room in the back called Red Heaven where anything could happen.He had no problem bringing local ladies back there, with a wink and a nod.I gritted my teeth as I spooned the chili into the peppers, thinking of him putting the moves on…

My gaze landed on Kayla, but there was no stopping my bear.

Mate.

I needed to be a team player and think long term, for all of us, including Kayla.She’d be on the next flight out of Sawtooth Forest the minute the bad guys were apprehended.I wanted that for her, even if I hated it.This wasn’t about me.

The peppers came out of the oven, melted cheese bubbling.After dropping a little cheese into Gigi’s bowl, I plated them and brought one over to Kayla.

“Sweet moon, this looks amazing,” she said as she dug in.“I really hope we get to go to that cookout.”

“I do too.”But right now, I’d savor this moment, sitting with this honey-scented woman who loved my cooking, because it was pretty damn good.

No big surprise, I was starting to have that feeling that my skin was too small.The walls of the tiny cabin were starting to close in on me.Usually, when I felt like this, I’d pick up as many shifts at the fire station as possible.But now, it was just Kayla and me.

And of course, Gigi, who was trying her best to make friends with Kayla.Sometimes, she welcomed her, and sometimes she was distant.Maybe I was reading too much into it, and that’s just how she was.