Page 21 of Caught Bear Handed (Sawtooth Security #3)

Chapter Sixteen

Beau

My eyes snapped open and I groaned when I was greeted by the gray-blue light just before sunrise. Kayla often joked about the four o’clock morning meeting, but I could confirm since we’d started sharing a bed that I’d attended more of them than she had.

She was sound asleep beside me. The only hints of what we’d done just hours before were her wild hair splayed across the pillow, and her bare shoulder.

It took everything I had not to roll over and take her into my arms. To kiss her—to coax her sleepy body into a place to pleasure me.

Who the hell was I kidding? I was simply looking for a distraction.

I sighed and put my hands behind my head as I stared out the window. The mountains were barely visible in the low light.

The thing that had woken me wasn’t new. It followed me everywhere I went. Usually, I thought it made me work harder, be better, do more. But now, it felt destructive.

I was restless.

At least with the cookout, we’d had something to look forward to. A plan. Now, with it in our rearview mirror, it felt like we were in nothing but a holding pattern.

The first time we went on lockdown—I couldn’t believe I was thinking of it that way.

How many people would pay good money to spend this much time with Kayla Mitchell?

Myself included. There was no one I’d rather be trapped with—fuck, there it was again.

This woman was my mate, and she’d granted me an all-access pass to her beautiful body, but we were trapped all the same.

The last thing I wanted was for the two of us to start resenting each other because we’d been kept from our normal lives.

We had such a brief taste of what normal could be like together at the cookout. I wanted to see her thriving. This wasn’t a selfish wish. I could see she was struggling. The long looks out the window, the frowns at various screens.

There was only so long we could stay in limbo. This wasn’t good for either of us.

Gigi trotted into the room and put her paws on the side of the mattress. Once we made eye contact, I could kiss any hope of going back to sleep goodbye.

To make sure I knew what she had in mind, she placed a paw on my arm. The good thing about dogs was they didn’t let their parents wallow in their own fucking pity party, or sleep past sunrise.

I pressed my finger to my lips, asking her to be quiet while I got dressed, not to wake Kayla. Although I knew Kayla would be game for a sunrise Gigi walk, I wanted to let her sleep.

Maybe I just needed to think. Figure out how I could solve this case.

Gigi backed off, understanding the assignment. I was really happy that my dog loved Kayla.

Because I did too.

I sighed as I pulled on my shorts. I needed to figure out a way to reframe this, and use this time to strengthen our relationship.

You’ll never have time together like this again , my bear said.

Just before I opened the door, something told me to grab Gigi’s leash.

I usually let her go free on our walks on the cabin property.

Her recall was excellent, and we rarely ran into another living soul.

But I knew better than to ignore my instinct.

My bear could be picking up on a coyote.

Gigi was more than capable of handling herself, but I wouldn’t put her in that position.

The sun had come up just a little more, painting the sky in gentle pastels. I’d come to appreciate this early morning vibe since I moved here and adopted my girl. It was peaceful and beautiful.

Would you give it all up if Kayla asked you to? my bear asked.

There was a tug in my chest. In this fantasy bubble, I could believe there was a way to make this relationship work—but was there? Kayla’s job had no flexibility, and she’d mentioned long hours many times—so I’d be on my own if I followed her.

Never stopped you before.

My bear was right, but before I was always running from something. Chaos was kind of my default.

Maybe it’s time to reset your default , the beast said with a sniff.

He was probably right, but at the moment, I had another beast to focus on. Gigi. I always let her choose which way we went on these walks, and this morning, she had definite opinions about which way we should go. I followed along as she went on her mission.

“Pulling,” I said firmly. Neither of us were used to the leash anymore. My warning worked for a moment, but then she gave another firm tug. “Hey.”

Gigi’s listening skills were excellent when she wanted them to be, and now wasn’t one of those times. I quickened my pace, knowing just because she didn’t shift to human didn’t make her instincts any less sharp.

She strained against the leash. If I wasn’t holding her back, she’d be in a full-blown run. My bear wasn’t sensing anything. She moved along the fence, sniffing, pulling me along, until she brought me to a post with a piece of paper attached to it.

Strange. It had been tacked with a giant nail, like one that could hold the fence together. I pulled it away, tearing the paper. At first, I thought it was a yard sale flyer, which wouldn’t make any sense, out in the middle of nowhere.

“Fuck,” I growled, and Gigi barked, agreeing with me.

Someone had printed out that picture from The Wolf’s Moon forum, the one of Amelia with Kayla in the background. They’d circled Kayla in red, and written in Sharpie, We see you, “Gina.”

Was someone in Sawtooth Forest working with those monsters?