Read The Steel Bear: A BBW Bear Shifter Romance (Highland Brothers) for Free Online Page B

knowing his bear was growing impatient.

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    Mila
    S he didn’t know what else to do, but make herself useful in the kitchen. She was used to helping Crawford in the office. This felt like the natural state of things. She soaped the pans before wedging them in the dishwasher.
    It felt as if he were watching her. But she focused on the dishes. She had given him her notice, and for some strange reason he was rejecting it. It didn’t matter. He had rejected her last night. She couldn’t stay. Today she needed to say goodbye to him and start healing her heart.
    He was probably acting nice and sweet because he felt guilty. Her last boyfriend had done the same exact thing. The morning after their breakup, he offered to fix her computer. He told her he wanted to make sure she was ok without him. It was more of an insult than anything. She had slammed the door in his face.
    Crawford didn’t look guilty though. He looked happy. His eyes sparkled with that look he had when a great idea had hit him.
    “Did you come up with anything else for the drawing?” she asked.
    “Not yet. But your modifications made a huge difference. I think I know what I need to do next.”
    She wiped the counter, scrubbing the grease splatters from the bacon pan. “Good.”
    “What do you think about going for a hike?” Crawford was behind her, nearly touching her back when she spun into him.
    “A hike?” She made the mistake of looking into his eyes. They were dark with mischief.
    “Yeah. I gave you the house tour last night. Want to see the property? There are trails, a lake, the garden, and there is a hunting cabin. You don’t want to drive home without seeing all of it.”
    “Another cabin at the cabin?” It sounded silly saying it.
    “It’s a place my brothers and I like to hang out sometimes. It’s rustic. What do you say?”
    Her teeth sank into her bottom lip. “I don’t have the proper hiking wardrobe.” She pointed at her high heels.
    “Ahh. Right. Let me see if I can find something for you. Be right back.”
    Crawford disappeared from the kitchen. She heard him slamming drawers and closet doors before he emerged at the bottom of the staircase.
    He offered her a set of clothes. “I know this isn’t your usual style, but I think it will work.”
    She examined what he had brought her. Another T-shirt, a flannel button-up shirt, and a pair of pajama pants. None of this was going to fit.
    “And shoes?” she asked.
    “I could carry you?” he suggested.
    Mila felt the blush on her cheeks. “No way.” Next to Crawford she felt petite and feminine, but she wasn’t about to test his weight-lifting abilities on a hiking trail.
    “Oh wait!” He held up a finger. “There’s a chance my mom left a pair of running shoes here over the holidays.”
    He dashed to the garage and returned holding a pair of sneakers. “I think these will work.”
    Mila took the shoes. “I will try it all on. Be right back.”
    She climbed the stairs, trying not to analyze why Crawford was suddenly trying so hard to keep her at Highland House.
    The edges of her heart wanted there to be a reason. The kisses they shared. The touches over the drawing board. The new way they had met each other. But the deeper recesses of her heart told her she was being foolish. If the man hadn’t noticed her all year, one night wasn’t going to change shit.
    She trotted to the guestroom and assembled an outfit out of what he had given her.
    By tying the flannel shirt around her waist, she could keep the pajama pants up. The drawstring wasn’t long enough to tie it securely. The waistband kept hanging off her hips.
    She looked at her reflection in the mirror. Her hair was long and loose over her shoulders. Other than the powder and lipgloss in her purse, she was makeup-free. It didn’t matter anymore anyway, she told herself.
    She trudged down the stairs. She needed to get this over with. The longer she was around Crawford, the more her heart was going to