Page 17 of Hunny and the Bear (Bearly Yours #1)
Seventeen
W hat the hell did Hunny mean by that? He’d broken her heart? When? How?
“Answer me,” Tank commanded darkly, his fingers tightening on the back of Hunny’s neck as he held her firmly against his chest. His shirt was damp from her tears, and each shuddering breath she took made his heart twist painfully. He wanted her to stop crying, to not be so petrified of the future. To stop feeling like she would always be alone.
But most importantly? He wanted her to answer the damned question.
His mom popped up from her seat, the sudden movement startling him. His head snapped up, eyes meeting hers. “I’m going to give you two a moment,” she informed him, her voice more high-pitched than he’d ever heard it before. Pointing awkwardly to the door, she shuffled from the room like a fire had been lit under her ass.
“I didn’t mean anything by it,” Hunny whispered, returning his attention to the small form huddled against him. She kept her face firmly buried into his shirt. “Can we please not talk about it?”
Not talk about it? Just like they’d barely spoken all day? Hunny had avoided him like the plague since this morning, barely glancing at him, barely responding to anything he said. And for someone like Tank, who thrived on silence, he’d absolutely fucking hated how quiet his cabin had been today.
Fuck , had he hated it.
It had only begun this morning, after he’d woken up with his hands gripping her tight and his cock buried against her ass as he’d thrust against her.
That had to be why Hunny was upset; he’d taken advantage of her in her sleep. It didn’t matter that he’d been asleep, too. He should have at least put some clothes on before climbing into bed with her. And though he’d apologized this morning for his behavior, it clearly hadn’t been enough.
Had he damaged his chance with her forever?
The scent of her tears made his heart ache, her murmured words of heartbreak echoing in his ears and settling in his gut like a heavy weight.
His little rabbit was out of her damned mind if she thought he’d let that comment slide. He intended to get to the bottom of it, to fix it. But he could give her a bit of time to collect herself, at least. She was shaken up from the news of her pregnancy, and he didn’t want to stress her out any further.
But how long could he wait? A day? Longer? His jaw clenched at the thought. That was too damned long. The drive back to his cabin, then? Even that felt like an eternity from now.
Eager to return home, Tank palmed Hunny’s jean-clad bottom, fitting her more firmly against his chest as he spun around toward the door.
“Let’s go, darlin’.”
She sagged against him in relief. Did she think this conversation was over?
Tank almost snorted at that, but remained silent, leaving the examination room. He waved at his mother, who was now behind the front desk, ignoring whoever else might be around, and left the building. It was short work, putting Hunny in his truck, getting into the driver’s side, and starting the engine. But each second that ticked by felt like an hour had passed, and as he drove home, he thought about pulling over several times and demanding some answers.
Instead, he listened to her breathing, relieved that it had evened out and her tears had finally ebbed. She seemed in better control of her emotions. Regardless, he reached over, laying his large palm on her knee. She didn’t flinch from his touch, which he considered a small victory, so he kept it there, needing to be close to her in whatever way she’d let him.
After what felt like several lifetimes, but was actually less than ten minutes, Tank parked his truck in the garage, climbed from the vehicle and moved toward Hunny’s side. She’d already opened the door, sliding over the side of the seat. Her feet hit the garage floor, but before she could close her own door, he grabbed it, nearly denting the metal as he scowled down at her.
“You always let me get the door for you,” he growled, offended.
She bristled at his tone, sending him a watery glare. “I can open a door for myself.”
“I didn’t say you couldn’t,” he argued hotly. “But you don’t need to because I’m here to do it.”
Exasperated, Hunny ran a shaky hand through her hair. “One day you won’t be here for stuff like that, Tank. It’s not a big deal if I get back into the habit of looking out for myself.”
His hand left the truck door, palming the nape of her neck as he crowded into her space. Nearly pinning her spine against the side of the passenger seat, he pulled gently on her hair, forcing her to look up at him. “Stop calling me that.”
“Everyone calls you Tank—”
“Not you,” he hissed. He leaned in, resisting the urge to slam his mouth against hers in a claiming kiss. Her lips would be soft, and she’d taste sweet; he knew it down to his bones. His nose brushed hers, and it was all he could do to not close those last few inches between them, his body coiling with tension as he fought to remain in place. She swallowed thickly, her hands finding his chest as he rasped, “Say my name, little rabbit.”
Her eyes widened, and the rising scent of her desire had his mouth watering, his cock hardening with need. Her fingers tightened their grip in his shirt, and for the briefest second, he could have sworn she’d pull him down and claim him just as eagerly as he wanted to claim her.
Then Hunny’s eyes hardened, and she shoved at his chest. Even though he barely felt it, he released her, taking a step back to give her the space she wanted. “You can’t say stuff like that to me.” She threw her hands up into the air as she pushed past him and out of the garage. “You’re giving me every kind of mixed signal!”
“Mixed signal?” Confused, Tank prowled after her, hot on her heels as she rushed up the porch steps and into his house. “What mixed signal?”
“I said I didn’t want to talk about this.”
He slammed the door behind him, stalking after her from the living room and into the kitchen. “That’s too damn bad, darlin’. Turns out I’m in the mood for a talk.”
Hunny scoffed, keeping her back to him as she reached the refrigerator. She ripped the door open, grabbing items at random and dropping them on the counter haphazardly. What the hell was she even doing?
“If you’re hungry, I’ll cook something for you.”
“I can make my own food!” Hunny snapped, looking over her shoulder and glaring at him as she slammed the refrigerator door closed.
“Oh?” He glanced down at the items on the counter in irritation. She’d laid out sour cream, mustard, and a melon. “What the hell are you making?”
“None of your business, Tank !” Hunny exclaimed, grabbing the tube of sour cream as she whipped around to face him.
He took a step toward her, his voice dropping several octaves. “I told you to stop calling me that.”
“Well, it’s a good thing you’re not the boss of me,” she seethed.
“No, but I made it clear to you last week I want to provide for you, and now you won’t even let me feed you?” He asked irritably, completely bewildered by this entire conversation. “Is this about this morning? I apologized for that.”
“Trust me, I’m well aware.” Hunny crossed her arms in front of her chest. Her cheeks heated and she looked away from him. “We don’t need to bring up what happened this morning.”
“Apparently apologizing wasn’t enough, which you made evident when you told me I broke your heart.” Tank was confused and desperate to figure out what the hell had gone wrong between them. “I just want to fix—” His voice cracked, and his throat sliced with pain, causing him to grimace.
Immediately, Hunny dropped her arms, her expression losing its hard edge. “I forgot to make you tea this morning.”
“It’s fine,” he grumbled.
Rolling her eyes, Hunny moved to the sink, discarding the sour cream and grabbing the kettle off the drying rack, filling it with water. Next, she moved to the stove, placing it on top of a burner and turning it on. He watched her with a desperation that was equal parts longing and fear.
Had he really fucked things up so drastically? What if she left him over this? He didn’t know how he’d handle it. If he could handle it.
The silence between them might as well have been a vast canyon, and he didn’t know how to cross it. She was shutting him out, and it made him feel out of control. Unbalanced and lost. And given how he’d spent years of his life, always on the outskirts, alone and isolated … Tank didn’t want to go back to that. Never again.
Not after Hunny …
His heart was in his throat as she placed a tea bag and honey into a mug and then poured piping hot water into it. Focused on her task, she turned to him and handed him the mug, which he took, his attention still trained solely on her.
“I’m really sorry, Henry.” Hunny’s voice was soft and hesitant. “About this morning and how I’ve been acting all day.” Her lower lip trembled, and she huffed out an agitated breath. “I … Look, it wasn’t you-” She cut her words off abruptly.
Hunny was always ready and willing to talk about anything and everything, but now he’d done this to her: she felt like she couldn’t talk openly with him. He never meant for her to feel she had to censor her words in any fashion.
He frowned, his grip tightening on the mug until he thought he might crack the damned thing. “Just spit it out—”
“I thought you were attracted to me!” Hunny blurted out, her eyes widening like she couldn’t believe she’d just said it out loud. His eyes mirrored her own expression, widening as he dropped the mug onto the counter with a thud, scalding water sloshing over the side.
“I woke up and you were all over me, and you were … aroused ,” she explained, her cheeks turning a brighter shade of pink. She glanced away, wringing her hands. “I thought it was because of me, and I made a move on you because I really like you …” She shook her head, unaware of the way his heart was pounding. “That doesn’t matter. You woke up and freaked out. And I-I—”
Hunny turned away from him, moving back toward the stove. She stood beside it, placing her hands on the counter. “I just feel so stupid. And my feelings are hurt, but that’s not your fault. You can’t help that you don’t want me like that. And it’s fine, even though I’m acting like an absolute idiot about it,” she whispered forlornly, her head dropping as she stared down at her hands.
Hunny’s shoulders were tense as she waited for him to say something, but Tank was still trying to wrap his head around everything she’d said. “You were coming onto me this morning?”
He’d woken up thinking he’d taken advantage of her, and he’d fled the bed to keep from scaring her. He hadn’t known she’d set out to entice him, otherwise he’d have pinned her beneath him and taken her, just like he’d wanted for days.
“Yes,” she answered tightly, oblivious to his own thoughts. “I’m so sorry. I shouldn’t have assumed that just because you were turned on, it was because of me .”
“It was because of you,” he admitted gutturally, crowding in behind her. She’d wanted him to make a move, and he’d scurried away like some kind of weak fucking dipshit. He wouldn’t make that mistake again.
Wrapping an arm around Hunny’s waist, he pinned her between himself and the counter, careful to not put too much pressure against her stomach. He dropped his head to her shoulder, his lips roaming over her pulse.
She gasped when he kissed her neck, her desire perfuming the air. Instantly, he was hard, his cock straining in his jeans. “What do you mean, Henry?” she asked softly.
“I’ve wanted you since the moment I saw you standing there in my shirt, little rabbit.” His fingers tightened on her waist, and he pressed himself more firmly against her. He didn’t want any signals getting crossed between them this time. “You feel right in my arms, darlin’. Every part of you feels like you’re mine.”
Her breath hitched, and she grabbed his arm, her fingers digging into his skin. Even though her scent was strong between them, he still caught the smell of fresh tears. “Then why did you apologize this morning?”
“I want to be patient with you. You’ve been through a lot, and I didn’t want you to think I was just using you for sex.” Not like that pissant, Jason . “I apologized because I was afraid that I’d pushed you too far, and I didn’t want you to think that’s all there is between us and leave. I care about you. More than you could know.”
Still looking down at the counter, Hunny asked, “What do you want from me, then?”
“Everything you want to give me,” Tank replied immediately, revealing his intentions without another moment’s hesitation. He kissed her pulse again, his teeth scraping over her skin. Hunny shivered from the light grazing, her nails biting into his forearm.
She twisted around in his arms, staring up at him with a heated look that threatened to undo him in every way. “Are you sure? My entire life is a mess.”
“I don’t care.” Tank cupped her face in his hands. “And I don’t want you to feel pressured by anything. You’ve got a lot going on, and I’m willing to wait as long as you want. We can take things slow—”
Hunny moved before he could finish his sentence. Grabbing the nape of his neck, she pulled him down as she stood up on her tiptoes. Her mouth crashed into his, her lips just as soft as he’d imagined. She licked the seam of his lips, and his brain short-circuited, precum sliding over the tip of his erection as Tank let her lead their first kiss.
He’d let her lead him anywhere, let her take things as slow and sweet as she wanted, even if his balls eventually exploded from the pressure.
Pulling back suddenly, Hunny stared up at Tank with a devious glint in her eyes. “Henry?”
He cleared his throat, his own eyes heavy-lidded with lust as he met her gaze. “Hunny.”
She smiled, pulling him back down until her lips brushed his. “I don’t want to go slow,” she murmured against his mouth, licking his lips again. Tank froze, a ringing in his ears, and his body filling with tension as he registered her words.
And then he was on her.