Page 54 of Coveted By the Bear

His chest heaved as he squeezed his eyes closed against whatever urges he was fighting, and it all became so clear.

He said I was his tonight, but now, he was also mine, too.

****

I thought it was Caleb who knocked on my door after our night was through. Who else would be at my place at such an hour? Who else was brave enough to travel my haunted woods at night? He must have forgotten something. His hoodie still clung intimately to my torso, and he probably needed it back. I hummed as I made my way to the door, but my old mangy dog, Brady, growled out his warning just as I reached for the handle. Too late.

“Evenin’, Mira,” Evan drawled as he leaned against the frame of my doorway.

“No,” I said, as if he’d asked a question. “You are not invited in.”

“I’m not a vampire, Mira,” Evan said, shoving his way past me. “That shit doesn’t work on me.”

I scuttled behind the kitchen table and held onto a chair with a steely grip, as if doing so would give me the strength I needed to throw it at Evan if I felt so inclined.

“What are you doing here?” I demanded.

“Pipe down, Crazy Mira. I’m not going to murder you or anything. I came to pass along a little information, is all.”

He leaned across the table, and I backed up, the chair in my hands shuffling loudly against the grain of the wooden floors as I dragged it with me.

“Look, I came here to tell you, you should forget about my brother. Just let him alone.”

“Why would I do that?” I asked shakily.

“Because from the way you look at him, I can tell you care about him. And if you care about him like I think you do, you won’t hold him back.”

I stared at him, completely at a loss to what he was going on about. He may as well have been speaking in pig latin, which I didn’t happen to know the formula for.

Evan growled with impatience. “Look, you crazy skank. If you know anything at all about my brother, you know his job is his life. And he just turned down the chance of a lifetime to work on a big rig as a supervisor because he’s all hung up on staying close to you. He would be the youngest man at that position for fuck’s sake. And that idiot turned it down flat. Your fault, Mira. Fix it.” Evan turned and left the house without another word.

I closed my mouth and wondered abstractedly if it had been hanging open the entire time Evan had lectured me.

“I’m not a crazy skank,” I grumbled as I slunk down into the chair I had used as a barrier the moment before.

Evan’s motivation for bestowing such information on me was unimportant. I didn’t have any doubts that it was for some dark reason, but if what he said was true, I couldn’t let Caleb give up his dreams for me. He had a future. An important one. He was going somewhere while the rest of this sleepy town was frozen in place. I couldn’t rob him of that.

The selfish parts of me argued. He had made his choice. He had come after me. He had scaled that wall at the parade and invited everyone to watch him choose me. I could keep him.

Damn Evan for not telling me at Rooney’s before I gave my heart completely to Caleb in the front seat of his Ford. In a wave of fury, I picked up the ceramic vase that sat idly on the table and threw it against the wall with a tremendous crash. I screamed and put my head in my hands. Why? Why couldn’t I, for once in my entire, miserable existence, have something that made me feel happy? That made me feel safe?

I wouldn’t be able to live with myself, knowing every day I took something from him—something so vital to his happiness. I wanted to give him things, not take them away.

I would never want anyone else. I had chosen to give my heart to the only man it found worthy, and now I would have to rip it away from his protective grasp. It was too late. The damage had been done.

His lips against mine, his secret smile, our dance, his touch. It would have to be enough to last my entire life.

Chapter Nineteen

Caleb

I spent more time than I thought possible picking out flowers for Mira. The tiny florist off Main Street didn’t have that big of a selection, and still I stood staring at the bouquets for twenty minutes, at least.

I hopped out of the truck and opened the gate to Mira’s property, mindful of stepping around a gigantic pile of horse crap so I didn’t get my dress shoes dirty. The windows were down and the crisp autumn air bit into my flesh. I ignored it and turned up the radio. Open windows made Mira more comfortable and relaxed my inner animal, so down they’d stay.

The truck bounced along for what seemed like forever in my haste to see Mira again. I hadn’t been able to keep my mind off her after our date. The rig kept me busy, but she wasn’t far from my thoughts. I couldn’t stop thinking about the way she’d looked when we danced, or when she was reclined in the bed of my truck, smiling at me like I was the most important man in the world. Or the way she said my name when I touched her. That little moment visited my memories whenever I sat behind the wheel. She was perfect.

My knuckles made a hollow sound as they rapped against her front door. It was as if they already knew she wasn’t inside. I slid a glance to my watch. Right on time. I squinted at the door, then hopped off the porch.