Authors: Mary Wine
Bear Essentials (8 page)
“That doesn’t make any sense.” But it sure felt right. Her
heart twisted into a knot of tension as she watched the way he looked at her.
“Well, my mother swears that’s the way love is. You heard
her yourself. My mom says fate is always right. Maybe Cupid got me in the back
with one of his arrows.”
He pressed a hard kiss against her lips to seal her response
inside her mouth. Her hands locked behind his neck as she surrendered to the
moment, letting her doubt dissipate. It felt perfect and perfection was a
delicate thing. It was best not to mess with it by thinking too much.
He broke off the kiss, looking as if it cost him a lot to
rein in his desire. “What would you like to do tonight?”
“I’m not very hungry.”
“Thank God,” he answered with relief.
“Do you play cards?”
One dark eyebrow rose. “You like to gamble? We could take in
a casino if you like.”
She toyed with one of his buttons, pushing it through its
hole to open his shirt and reveal the skin beneath. He made a soft sound of
enjoyment as she stroked the bare skin she’d uncovered.
“I was thinking something a little more intimate.”
“Like what?”
She leaned toward him, making sure she pressed up against
his hardening cock. “Like strip poker.”
He chuckled, the sound dark and full of promise. His embrace
tightened for a fraction of a moment before he released her. He actually
clicked his heels together and offered her a stiff bow.
“I wouldn’t dream of disappointing you.”
“Good.” She placed her hand into his and followed him toward
his car. “Because about those steps of courting you think you’re going to
skip…”
He pouted at her but she shook her head refusing his plea
for mercy. Something glittered in his eyes as he grinned.
“As I said, I wouldn’t dream of disappointing you, Roslyn.
Courting there shall be, and the bear suit is mine.”
“It’s yours.”
And she was his but it was still hard to believe he wanted
to be hers. He closed the door and made his way around the sports car while she
found herself feeling breathless.
Yeah, Cupid had scored a hit on her too.
* * * * *
“Wish Bear!”
Twenty preschoolers shouted with glee as Granger danced his
furry feet into their midst. Some month later, he was still showing up to don
the costume and parade his zany dance steps in front of adoring fans. Roslyn
watched the baggy overalls jiggle as he shook his caboose to the delight of the
children. There was no way to fake the zeal with which he performed. She
followed every step with adoring eyes because she just couldn’t believe that
he’d joined her crazy vision of life. Fate really was a creature of mystery.
Roslyn was sure that she would never understand how she’d held his interest,
but she was absolutely certain that he loved her.
Who else would be her Wish Bear?
“What have you done with my son?”
Roslyn turned to find Valerie Webb standing in the doorway
of the school with a visitor name tag stuck to her silk blouse.
“I do believe you have found his father’s spirit.” She spoke
softly as her eyes became glassy. “I was so worried he’d keep dating those fake
women.”
She cut a look over to Roslyn and gave her a wink. “Do make
him work for it though. He’s had too many easy conquests.”
Granger danced in a circle and Roslyn could see him trying
to peer at them through the mesh covering of the bear suit mouth. His mother
lifted her hand and waved to him.
“He’s been making appearances for three months.”
His mother winked at her. “So he said. But I just had to see
it with my own eyes.” She aimed a serious look at Roslyn. “You found my son and
I thought the business world had taken him forever.”
Granger had turned to face them and wiggled his way toward
them. He got down on one knee, to the delight of the children and covered his
heart with his furry gloved hands.
“Wish Bear is in love with you!” the children shouted with
glee.
Her cheeks turned red and she was sure she heard a very male
chuckle coming from the open mouth of the costume before Granger got up and
danced back through the crowd.
“Are you going to marry me? You leave the choice of carpet
color up to me and I think you might call it family unfriendly.”
Setting the head of the bear suit aside, Roslyn gaped at
Granger. Sweat slicked his hair back and glittered on his skin. He shrugged and
grinned at her.
“Guess that wasn’t very romantic either, but you can’t
accuse me of having cold feet.”
Twisting the top off a water bottle, she handed it over to
him. A furry glove dropped onto a nearby table as he grabbed the water and
placed it against his lips.
“Actually, it was just perfect.”
He choked on the water and lowered it. “Really?”
Anticipation made his eyes glitter. “Yeah it was, because
I’m not going to turn into the model of a businesswoman. The bottom line will
never be my sole driving force.”
“I’m going to hold you to that promise, you know.”
A firm kiss landed on her lips before he shrugged out of the
bear body. He winked at her before digging into his shirt pocket. There was a
flash of a diamond as he held up a slim band.
“I’m going to hold you to the promise of a lifetime and
hopefully beyond.”
He pushed the little ring onto her finger, grinning with
glee as he did it. Roslyn felt her tears trickle down her cheeks as she shook
her head. No, it didn’t make any sense and she liked it that way. Besides,
maybe the best way to stop being strangers was to share a lifetime together.
Fate certainly thought so.
About Mary Wine
I write to reassure myself that reality really is
survivable. Between traffic jams and children’s sporting schedules, there’s
romance lurking for anyone with the imagination to find it.
I spend my days making corsets and petticoats as a
historical costumer. If you send me an invitation marked “formal dress”, you’d
better give a date or I just might show up wearing my bustle. I love to read a
good romance and, with the completion of my first novel, I discovered I’m
addicted to writing these stories as well.
Dream big or you might never get beyond your front yard.
Mary welcomes comments from readers. You can find her
website and email addresses on her
author bio page
at
www.ellorascave.com
.
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Also by
Mary Wine
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Ellora’s Cave Publishing
Bear Essentials
ISBN 9781419939587
ALL RIGHTS RESERVED
Bear Essentials Copyright © 2013 Mary Wine
Edited by Briana St. James
Cover design by Mina Carter
Photos: Vasilchenko Nikita/Shutterstock.com and Chuwit
Srisomwong/123rf.com
Electronic book publication February 2013
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