Bear Naked (Halle Shifters) (25 page)

Well. That wasn’t freaky as fuck. “Chloe?”

She tilted her head, the silver gone, just his little sister looking at him like she usually did. Like she totally knew something he didn’t. “Yeah?”

“Nothing.” Julian was keeping a close eye on her. The Kermode would tell him if Chloe was in danger. And if he didn’t, out of some half-assed sense of privacy or to protect Ryan, Cyn would tell Glory.

“We’re moving up the plans to take Bunsun Exteriors to the East Coast.” Ray and Stacey exchanged a quick glance. “Tiffany and Keith will be coming here as soon as they wrap up some jobs they’ve been working on. Once they do that, corporate moves to Halle.”

Ryan wasn’t surprised that Heather’s brother and sister would be moving closer to the rest of the family. Keith was far more laid back than even Bunny, and would follow the family flow without a quibble. Keith and Bunny even had the same love of manga and anime, and would watch
Ranma
and
Sailor Moon
for hours together, cackling like hyenas.

Tiffany, on the other hand, was hell in heels, and would eviscerate anyone who bothered her baby sister. He bit his lip to stop a laugh as he pictured introducing his hell-raiser cousin to Barney. The Hunter wouldn’t know what hit him until he was plucking a four-inch spike out of his balls.

Tiff would just bitch about blood on her Pradas.

“I’ve already agreed to go back to Oregon in Ryan’s place and wrap up some final business.” Eric poured himself some coffee. “Thanks, man.” Ryan relaxed. Now that he knew for certain he wasn’t going to leave Halle any time soon, he could take the same step Bunny had. “I should look for a house.”

Glory froze.

“What a good idea.” Stacey wrapped an arm around Glory’s shoulder. Ryan knew from experience how amazingly strong her grip was. She’d used it more than once to discipline him and his cousins. “What kind of house do you like, dear?”

Ray chuckled. “I think we can handle the landscaping, so don’t worry about that.”

His mate’s eyes glazed over. “Uh…”

“She wants to be between Tabby and Cyn, and she loves the look of Max and Emma’s house, so maybe a Craftsman style?”

Deer, meet headlights
. Glory looked ready to pass out, and not from exhaustion.

“Not as easy to find here as it is out west.” Eric grinned. “You have enough money. Buy a plot of land and put up your own.”

He nodded, thinking Eric might have the right idea. That way, they could build something that would suit both their tastes. Maybe he could find something that faced the forest just outside the city limits. “I could do that.”

The strangled noise his mate made was going to make it all worthwhile.

“But I don’t have a lot of money.” Glory looked panicked. “Ryan, I can’t afford a house that size. It will be years, if ever, before Cynful makes that kind of cash.”

“You’re mated to a Bunsun-Williams.” Eric sounded frustrated with Glory’s lack of understanding, but a single glance at his expression revealed nothing. “Despite what Bunny says, our company takes care of us.”

Ray and Stacey nodded, but it was Ray who spoke. “We’re not stinking rich or anything, but we do well enough.”

“Ryan can afford a home for you, don’t worry about that.”

Oh, there was that strangled noise again. “Sweetheart?” Glory turned to him with a panicked expression. Ryan needed to get that look off her face, so he suggested the one thing he figured would ease her mind. “We should make sure there’s a room for Hope.”

Her panic was suddenly mixed in with something else, something he couldn’t quite put a name to. Gratitude, maybe? “That…sounds
so
good.”

“Glory.” Her tone, and her expression, both were off. She’d been hit with far too much tonight. Ryan extended his senses and felt his mate’s pulse racing. Her heart was beating far too fast as her adrenaline levels rose. Her pupils were dilating as the panic set in. He strode to her side and pulled her tight against him, using his healing gifts to calm her. “I’m here, sweetheart.”

For just a second he thought she’d fight him, but in the end she leaned against him, hard. He took her weight, loving the fact that she felt secure enough with him to give him this gift. “I’m okay.” She squinted up at him. “You’re using your power on me, aren’t you?”

He shrugged. What was he going to do, lie to his mate? “You were starting to panic.” In fact, he was monitoring her closely, keeping her body from its fight-or-flight response. Her adrenaline was still a little high, so he adjusted it slightly.

She blew out a breath and snuggled close, burying her face against his chest. “It’s just so much all at once.”

“I know.” Ryan rubbed his hand up and down her back, hoping to soothe her. When she leaned into the touch and practically purred, he smiled. “But we’ll get through it, I swear.”

Everyone was silent as he got his mate’s panic attack under control. Finally, she relaxed in his embrace, her arms tight around his middle. “A house, huh?”

He nodded, pressing his chin against the top of her head so she’d feel it.

“Hmph.” She was quiet for a moment. “I want all the trim-work and details you’d see in a really old house, but with all the modern amenities.”

“We could talk to a realtor, find something—”

Her fingers were on his lips, shushing him. “I want to make something that belongs just to us.”

That was what he wanted too. “With a lot of stone on the front.”

He felt her smile. “And a wood-burning fireplace.”

“More than one.”

“And one of those big, wrap-around porches that can sit, like, twenty people.” She grinned up at him. “If I’m gonna spend your money, I’m gonna spend it
all
.”

“Uh-huh.” Sure she was. And, hell, if she really did, it was their forever home, so he was okay with that.

“You think Hope will want to live with us?”

He sighed. “I don’t know, but we’ll make sure she knows she’s welcome. It will give her options. Just being safe, being able to make her own decisions will be huge for her.”

“I can’t even imagine…” Glory’s shoulders sagged. “I don’t know what to do for her.”

“We’ll figure it out.” He kissed the top of her head. “I promise.”

When she rested against him again, he took it for the gift it was.

Chapter Seventeen

God, she was exhausted. Ryan’s family left soon after breakfast, and Glory had gotten maybe four hours of sleep before she had to join Tabby and Heather at Cynful. There was a time when that would have been plenty for her, but it had been a couple of years since she partied till dawn.

I’m getting too old for this shit.

She huffed out a laugh and drained her soda can dry. No coffee meant sleepy Glory, but she didn’t dare make a pot. Tabby’s sensitive nose would sniff it out, and then Glory would have Technicolor yawn to clean up.

She scratched absently at her arms, the itch that had been building all morning becoming unbearable. Her vision kept blurring in and out as her muscles jumped and quivered.

She needed sleep, badly.

Glory scratched grumpily at the top of her head, hoping to ease the itch at least a little. Ugh. The itchiness was driving her crazy. She’d already snapped twice at Heather and once at Tabby, who’d actually growled at her in that big, bad Wolf voice of hers. The only bright spot of her day so far was Ryan, and Ryan’s family.

Ryan’s family was beyond awesome. They’d all agreed to table the house discussion—and hadn’t
that
thrown her for a loop—until after Glory’s first change, when she and Ryan would begin hunting for land. The fact that Ryan had paid enough attention to notice how much she loved Max and Emma’s home hadn’t been lost on her. The man knew her better than anyone. Not even Cyn and Tabby were aware of her desire to have a large family home.

Hell, that wasn’t all of it, either. Glory wanted to have a large family, period. It was a dream she’d never dared voice, especially after being abandoned by her parents and siblings. The thought of a little Ryan running around their home, driving them both insane with his smirk and his big blue eyes?

She banged her head against the counter. She did not need another too-cute Williams boy wrapping her around his finger.

But it would happen. She knew it would. The sun would rise in the east, the coffee maker would remain distressingly empty, and Ryan Williams’s children would drive her insane.

She couldn’t wait.

The Bunsun-Williams clan seemed determined to fulfill her desire for a huge family, and Glory was just selfish enough to grab hold with greedy hands and never let go. She thought she’d cried herself out holding Hope, but Ray and Stacey had made her feel so welcome that she’d been unable to stop herself from sobbing on her new mother-in-law’s shoulder.

She hoped Ryan didn’t find out about that. He’d fallen asleep on his sofa, utterly exhausted, and Glory had lost it in front of her new family.

“Glory?”

“Hmm?”

Heather, who’d snuck up behind her, poked her arm. “You’re fuzzy.”

Glory grimaced, but refused to lift her head off the counter. It was cool against her forehead, keeping the threat of what promised to be a doozy of a headache at bay. “Thank you so much for pointing out my hairy embarrassment. I know I haven’t shaved my arms in a while—”

“No, silly. I mean you’re
fuzzy
. I think you’re changing.”

Glory blinked blearily down at her arm, amazed to see the rich brown fur sprouting in patchy spots. She laughed, aware how hysterical it sounded. “Fuzzy Wuzzy
was
a bear.”

“Fuzzy Wuzzy has some hair.” Heather grabbed hold of her, ignoring Glory’s tired giggle. “Ryan!”

The sound of him running thundered through her head, louder than anything she’d ever heard before. “Wha—oh shit.” He grabbed hold of her arm and tugged her into the back room. “I need you to concentrate.”

“On what?” Holy shit. She was changing? Now?

Fuck a duck.

“Glory!”

“What?” Why did he have to be so
loud
?

“Do not let your Bear out. Now isn’t the time.”

“Really? You think so?” She stumbled as Ryan whirled her around, closing the curtains into the back room so that no one could see in.

“Listen to me.” He cupped her face in both hands. The feel of his skin on hers was intoxicating, his scent enveloping her in a cocoon of calm. “Breathe deeply. In.” She took a deep breath. “Out.” She let it out slowly. “Again.”

She repeated the exercise until Ryan seemed satisfied. “What now?” The itch was slowly becoming a burn, and something inside her, something large, was waking up.

“Damn it. It’s too late.” Ryan grimaced. Whatever he saw in her face had him pulling back. He tugged his T-shirt over his head. “You’re going to change here, whether we like it or not.”

“Oh.” Glory licked her lips as smooth, golden skin was bared for her gaze.
Yum
.

“Get naked.”

“Whu?” Glory dragged her eyes from his abs. “I’m sorry, what?”

His smug grin was strained. “Get. Naked.”

“Is this really the time?” She was all for a little back-room loving, but—

“Glory.” He growled out her name, and she shivered. “I want you bare.”

She laughed. “Don’t you mean bear?”

Ryan undid his jeans, pushing them down his legs. “Yeah. I need you Bear naked.” He rolled his eyes at her. “Now, sweetheart. You do not want to try and shift while wearing clothes.”

“What’s the worst that could happen?” But she tugged off her skirt, trusting her mate’s judgment.

“You’ll hurt yourself when your clothing rips away. It’s not like the movies, you know.” Ryan kicked off his jeans and underwear, leaving him completely naked. “Most clothing is pretty sturdy. You tug on it, and it doesn’t rip right away.”

“It constricts.” It made sense. She’d had a boyfriend once who thought it would be cool to rip off her panties.

That had been one hell of a super-wedgie.

“At best, you’ll try and claw it off. You’ll have to sit back here, with no clothes, while I run home and get you some.”

“Or I could work in your T-shirt and boxers.”

His eyes went wide and deep brown. Someone liked that, a lot.

“You like the thought of me in your clothes?” She reached out to brush a hand down his chest, startled to realize that she had five-inch claws. The little ones she’d been sporting since he’d bitten her had finally grown. “Whoa.”

“Get the rest of it off.” He tugged on her shirt, pulling it over her head.

Glory managed to take her own underwear off, though the claws made undoing the bra a pain in the ass. Ryan didn’t help, laughing his butt off when she began twirling in place, trying to get the hooks undone with nails in serious need of a trim.

“Ass. Hole.” She glared at him, her shoulders feeling strangely humped, her voice far lower and more gravelly than it had ever been before.

Ryan stopped laughing. “All right. Deep breaths.”

She drew in a quick breath and blew it out with a snarl.

“Okay then.” Ryan chuckled. “Down, SG. No eating the tasty mate.”