Bear With Me (2 page)

Sam
shook his head.

“Sam,
that’s not very polite,” said Hannah.

“That’s
fine. He’s probably shy. I was just like that at his age. I’m guessing he’s
what seven or eight?”

“Sam
turned seven two months ago.”

Bear
sat, took the menu from her, and set it down in front of him.

“Can
I get you something to drink while you look that over?” asked Hannah.

“A
beer would be perfect for me. I’ve had sort of a long day.”

He
ran his hands through his hair. Hannah watched as those big hands made their
way through the waves.

“I’ll
just go grab that for you. And our soup of the day is fire roasted tomato.”

She
walked back to the kitchen and opened up the cooler and pulled out a beer. On
the way back to the main café she grabbed a glass and headed to Bear’s table.
A beer for bear.
How silly was that. Bear, unusual name and
it sorted of suited him.
Big and manly.

“Here
you go,” she said, putting both items down in front of him.

He
immediately poured himself half a glass.

“You
want some more time to look over the menu?”

“No,
I’m pretty good at knowing what I want as soon as I see it.”
 
He looked at her. Was that an innocent remark
or did it have a hidden meaning? If it was aimed at her then he was out of luck,
because she didn’t date any more.

“I’d
like the salmon sandwich,” he finally said.

“One
of my favorites and that comes with French fries and coleslaw.”

“Can’t wait to try it.”

He
handed the menu to her and as she took it their fingers brushed, making her
feel
like she had when she’d first met Sam’s father. She
remembered how excited he’d made her feel, and how special. She stopped herself
right there. He was the last guy she’d been with and it hadn’t ended well.

“Something
wrong?” he asked her.

“No,
I’m sorry just a bit tired. I’ve had a long day too. I’ll get this order in
straight away.”

She
turned and patted Sam on the head as she walked by him. She wasn’t sure why but
she decided to look back at Bear. Sure enough he was looking at her as well.

****

Shit.
He’d been caught red-handed.

Bear
thought he’d had enough of females for the day, maybe enough for a whole
lifetime. He thought the Starlight Café would be his ideal sanctuary, his safe
haven against all things estrogen. He’d been here a couple of times before but
had never met the owner before tonight. He’d heard Charlotte mention her but
had assumed she was a middle aged woman. Why he didn’t know.

Tonight
he found out he’d been totally wrong and it had taken him by surprise. Hannah
Morrison was in her late twenties possibly early thirties. She was pretty with
strawberry blonde hair and a few freckles over the bridge of her nose like
she’d been sunbathing. She was curvy too just how he liked his woman to be.
Even if his mind had become fatigued by females, his body clearly hadn’t.
Within mere minutes of spotting her he’d gone hard and blood had pumped around
his body at twice its usual speed. He’d even felt it pulsing inside his head.

Bear’s
mind had drifted off while he’d been looking over the menu. It had also gone way
south into the gutter. He’d thought about touching her pussy, making her wet,
hearing her cry out when he brought about her orgasm.

Phew.
He was worked up. He rolled the cold beer bottle over his forehead, hoping it
would cool him down along with his libido. He was no better than the women
who’d thrown themselves at him today. Well, at least he hadn’t dropped his
jeans and boxers and shown her the goods.

In
fact, he found Hannah the refreshing change he was hoping for. She hadn’t shown
the least bit of interest in him. She’d been all business and he liked it. He,
like the big alpha bear he was, had to do the pursuing. That was one of the fun
things about being with a woman.
Or trying to be with her.

The
bell over the door rang and a few more customers strolled in. Hannah returned
with his meal and placed the plate down in front of him. It smelled heavenly
and it looked divine.

“Anything
else I can get you?”

“No,
I think I have everything I need for right now.”

Had
she realized he’d put more emphasis on the
right
now
bit of that comment? Food was okay for now, but later he’d been looking
for female companionship and she was in contention.

“Enjoy.”

She
walked over to the two other couples, seated them, and then headed back out to
what he assumed was the kitchen. Bear took his first bite of the sandwich. He’d
been right. It was divine. Nothing like salmon to get his taste buds excited.

As
he took his second bite, he sensed he was being watched and knew it was
Hannah’s son. He turned to see Sam still sitting on the piano stool staring at
him. He was a good looking boy, but without even interacting with the child and
by the vacant stare, Bear knew something was obviously wrong with him.

Bear
pulled out the chair beside him and tapped it with his palm before signaling
for Sam to come join him. At first he thought the kid was going to ignore him,
but finally he walked over and slid his butt onto the seat.

“You
had supper yet, Sam?”

Sam
shook his head.

Bear
cut off a piece of the sandwich and slid it to one side of the plate before
placing it between him and Sam. Sam stared at it and then back up at Bear.

“Go
ahead dig in,” said Bear, taking the lead and getting back to eating his
sandwich.

Sam’s
hand curled around the bread. He picked it up and soon he was munching away.

“Salmon’s
real good. My favorite,” said Bear. “You ever go fishing for salmon?”

Sam
shook his head before helping himself to a French fry.

“You
like these as well. Me too,” said Bear, pushing some more French fries Sam’s
way. “You want some coleslaw too?”

Sam
shook his head quickly from side to side, making Bear laugh. “Yeah, I wasn’t
one for eating my vegetables when I was your age. I think vegetables,
especially cabbage, are an acquired taste.”

Boy,
this was strange. He couldn’t remember when he’d been in a one side
conversation before.

“Sam,
what are you doing?”

Hannah
had returned to the dining room without him realizing it. “You can’t disturb
customers while they’re eating and you certainly can’t eat their meals.”

She
looked like the blood had drained from her face and was clearly upset about her
son’s behavior, so Bear needed to clarify the situation. Without giving it a
second thought, he grabbed her hand and squeezed it. Her skin was soft, her
hand, well it felt like it was made just for his. While his was your typical
Kodiak bear shifter, big and wide, hers was delicate and narrow. He just about
stopped himself from pulling it up to his mouth and kissing it.

“
It’s
okay, Hannah. I invited him to
come
sit with me, and I also offered the food to him.”

“Mama’s
mad with me,” said Sam. “She’s mad with me.”

He
began rocking backwards and forwards on the chair.

Hannah
knelt beside him, throwing her arms around him. She kissed the top of his head
and hugged him. “Mama’s not angry. Bear’s explained what happened and I’m happy
that you took him up on his offer of sitting with him. That was the polite
thing to do.”

A
tear slid down her face and he could tell that she was a devoted mother. Not
all mothers with special need children had the patience. He’d seen it all too
often as a doctor.

“It’s
sort of lonely eating on your own,” said Bear.

That
was true. He wasn’t saying it just to make Hannah feel good about her son
eating half of his meal. Dining solo sucked and always had, but what was a
single bear to do? Eating dinner on your lap in front of the TV had never had
much appeal to him, but he’d focused on his career instead of finding a good
woman. Now he could have his pick of them and he realized he’d rather be alone.

“At
least have this meal on the house. I mean my son’s eaten half of it,” said
Hannah.

“No,
certainly not because you have a living to make,” said Bear.

“Well
then at least come back and eat with us again and that one can be on the
house.”

“Only
on one condition and that’s Sam eats with me again.
And how
about Mom joining us too?”

Sam
looked up at Hannah as if he was seeking her approval.

“Are
you sure?” asked Hannah.

“It’s
the only way you’ll get me in here for that free meal.” Bear winked at Sam.

Hannah
flicked some stray tendrils of hair from Sam’s eyes. “Okay, I think we can do
that.”

“The
salmon was really good by the way,” said Bear. “And believe me I know salmon.”

“Glad
you liked it. Would you like to see the dessert menu?” asked Hannah, taking his
plate away.

“I’m
in the mood for some ice cream, you have any of that?”

“We
do have rocky road.”

“Hey, another one of my favorites.
I’ll have one
of those and two spoons because Sam’s going to keep me company and help me eat
it.”

Bear
looked up at Hannah and winked at her. She nodded.

“Okay,
I’ll be right back with that.”

He
watched her walk away, turning back to see Sam watching him.
 
It was almost as if the kid knew what he was
thinking and that Bear found his mother attractive and was thinking about pursuing
her. However, that was crazy, not that minds couldn’t be read, but as far as he
knew only certain shifters could do it.

Sam
blinked several times in quick succession, another key indicter that he was
reading Bear’s mind.

Bear
bit his bottom lip, Sam copied him. The kid was fascinating him. In fact, he
was looking forward to getting to know him just as much as he was Sam’s mother.

Chapter Two

Hannah
peeked out from behind the wall that divided the kitchen and dining area, watching
as her son and Bear sharing the ice cream. Bear was doing all the talking, but
she could tell Sam was showing some interest. That was a huge step for him. She
wondered what Sam found so captivating about this man. He captivated her too
but definitely not for the same reasons as her son. She smiled. Second time
she’d done that this evening and both times since Bear had first walked into
the café.

It
was almost as if Sam was hanging on his every word. Sam held up his hand like
he was finally communicating with another human being. Had she found a miracle
in this man? She leaned back against the wall. She was used to setbacks in her
life, so she wouldn’t get her hopes up only to be let down by someone again. He
was probably being polite by letting Sam hang out and eat with him.

Had
Sam just smiled? Or was she so excited that she imagined her son was finally
like other boys his age? Bear laughed and Sam raised his hand up again like he
was doing sign language. Sam never did anything like this with her, but maybe
he’d reached a turning point and it took a stranger, a man, to do it. Finally
deciding she’d spied on them enough, she headed back into the dining area.

“How
was the ice cream?” she asked.

“Super delicious.
Right, Sam?”
asked Bear.

Sam
held up his hand, flexing his fingers. It was the first time she’d seen him
make that gesture. She didn’t know what he meant, but at least he wasn’t just sitting
there staring into space.

“He
liked it,” said Bear. “And your son’s decided he’d like to catch the salmon as
well as eat it so I’m taking both of you fishing on the weekend.”

“I’m
not sure I can get someone to cover for me here,” said Hannah.

“I
can arrange it, so yes you can.”

She
smiled.
Third time tonight.
Bear was bossy, but if
this was going to help Sam in some small way, he could be as domineering as he
liked.

“Okay,
Sam. I have to be running along now, but I’ll be seeing you again soon. Nice
meeting and spending time with you, buddy.”

Sam
did his rapid blinking thing and then stood and walked toward the kitchen.

“Thank
you for doing that,” said Hannah.

“My
pleasure and I think he’s a great kid.”

“Lots
of people don’t know how to act around him.”

“Then
that’s their problem and not Sam’s,” said Bear getting out his wallet. “That’s
what I always tell patients.”

“Patients?”

“Yeah,
I’m a doctor at the new local hospital.”

A doctor.
Maybe he was
their miracle man after all.

“You
specialize in children?”

“Nope,
before they get to that stage. I’m in
Gyn
/OB.”

She
swallowed. The thought of having him examine her suddenly made her pussy pull.
How did women manage to have him as their doctor without showing signs of
severe arousal?

“How
much do I owe for the meal?”

“Nope,
I really think
this needs
to be on the house.”

He
winked at her, making her heart miss a beat. “In that case you’ll let me bring
along a picnic lunch when we go fishing.” He raised his finger and wagged it at
her. “And no I won’t take no for an answer.”

“Okay,
doctor.”

He
stood and she walked him to the door.

“How
about I swing by about 1 p.m. on Saturday, and don’t worry about fishing
equipment because I have everything.”

She
nodded. “Have a good night.”

“You too.”

She
watched as he walked to his car and got inside. She turned back and headed to
the kitchen where Sam had a wooden spoon and was pretending to fish with it.
He’d never been fishing, but yet he knew exactly what you did. Bear had made an
impression on Sam.

And
yes, he’d made a memorable first impression on her too.