Read Bear Naked (Halle Shifters) for Free Online Page A

said I set water on fire.” He opened the basket and pulled out a bottle of wine. “My cousins played hockey with the leftovers.”
    She sputtered a laugh and began helping him unpack their dinner. The smell of Chinese food filled the air. She opened one of the boxes as he took the other. “Mm, General Tso’s chicken. How’d you know that’s my favorite?”
    “A certain little Wolf told me.” He handed her some chopsticks, using his own pair to dig out what smelled like Kung Pao chicken. “Dig in.”
    She did, moaning as the spicy-sweet flavor exploded on her tongue. “’S good.”
    He poured two glasses of wine, handing her one. “I want something from you.” He laughed when she glared at him. “That too, but, no. I want you to ask me anything.”
    She blinked, confused. “Anything?”
    He nodded, licking sauce off the end of his chopstick. “We’ve danced around each other quite a bit, but…” He sighed. “We haven’t tried to get to know each other, not the way mates should.”
    Glory grimaced. Most of that was her fault. He’d been trying so hard to get close to her, even leaving her those presents, but she couldn’t help the way she reacted to Ryan. The man scared the piss out of her. No one she’d ever met had ever held the power to hurt her quite so badly, but Ryan Williams could without even trying. Already she couldn’t imagine him not bopping into the shop, smiling and chasing her around her piercing station.
    What would she do if he left?
    “No. Don’t feel bad.” He put his hand on hers, his blue eyes going brown for an instant as his Bear peeked out at her. “ Don’t feel bad. I should have known why you kept pushing me away.”
    “Oh really? Like I go around telling people I have abandonment issues.” Glory rolled her eyes.
    He used his chopsticks to pick up a bit of General Tso’s and held it to her lips. “I still should have known.”
    “I hate to tell you this, but you aren’t Super Bear.” She laughed. “Hell, even Super Bear didn’t know, okay?”
    “Then I want to know. Tell me everything.”
    Glory sighed. “Wonderful first date topic. You really know how to show a girl a good time.”
    He froze, his expression stricken before it closed off. “You’re right. We should keep things light—”
    She covered his lips with her finger. “Damn it. Don’t look like that.” She pouted at him. “How long have we known each other?”
    “Close to a year.”
    From the wary way he answered she was willing to bet he knew down to the day, but didn’t want to seem like a stalker. Which he totally was. “You said you wanted me to ask you anything, but the truth is you want the same.” He nodded, still wary. “Then do it. Ask. I’ll tell you if you go too far.”
    “You mean it?”
    “Have I ever said something I didn’t mean?”
    “I refuse to answer that on the grounds that I may be incinerated.” He popped a bite of General Tso’s in her mouth when she opened it to reply. “All right. Back and forth?”
    She tilted her head. “You mean, I ask you something, then you ask me?”
    “One for one, with the caveat that we can say no with no hard feelings.”
    She thought about that for a moment, but she couldn’t see a downside. “That’s fair.”
    He held out his hand. “It’s a deal, then.” She smiled and took his hand, ready to shake, but instead he tugged her forward and planted a soft kiss on her mouth. “Go ahead, sweetheart. Ask me something.”
    She licked her lips, the spice from his dinner mingling with the sweetness of hers. “Um.” Her brain had completely blanked out at the touch of his lips.
    He gave her that smug, knowing smile that made her want to beat him with a sledgehammer…or ride him like a pony. She hadn’t decided yet. “What’s wrong? Bear got your tongue?”
    The sledgehammer was winning. “What’s it like having to call Alex boss? You know—” she leaned in closer and ran her finger down his arm, “—having to do every