~

 

“Go away…” Karl growled, turning back towards the cabin and dismissing the man.

“You go away…” Bailey shot back on a frown.

“I was here first…”

“I was here … because…” Bailey shot back, and Karl turned a curious look back on him. “I had nothing…” Bailey shrugged.

“Go away…”

“What are you five?” Bailey bit out. “Stop saying that.”

“I’m … in a protective mood. It’s not a good idea for you to be here,” Karl offered back, and that piqued Bailey’s interest…

“Ohhh, someone likes a human…” Bailey grinned, then that frown dropped. “It’s not Jenny?”

“Which one’s Jenny again?”

“The one at Ma’s bakers…”

“No, not her…” Karl offered back, distracted by the sounds that came from inside the cabin once more.

They sounded dirty. Erotic… he liked that.

His hard length twitched within his jeans and he grumbled at the feel of it. There wasn’t a damn thing he could do to but leave that uncomfortable ache where it was while the vampire was around…

“Good…”

“It is?” Karl snapped a look back at the man before he returned his gaze back towards the cabin…

“Very…”

“Why?”

“Because…”

“Don’t start that again!” Karl growled.

“I was going to say, because … I like Jenny…” He offered with a tone of pure annoyance at being interrupted.

“You do?”

“Sure…”

“Why?”

“Why not?”

“She’s… a girl…” Karl shrugged.

“And that’s a problem how?” Bailey asked.

“I have no idea …” Karl shook his head. “I’m … distracted…” Karl offered back slowly, carefully considering his words.

“Noticed.” Bailey snorted. Then he twisted his head on his neck once more and eyed the bear shifter for a long moment… “Noooo…” he said with a teasing quality that brought the man’s head around, and his eyes glared at the vampire.

“What?” Karl finally snapped out – the look of amusement on the vampire’s face and the lack of an explanation annoyed him so.

“You found your…”

“Don’t…” Karl warned on the shake of his head.

“Ha! You did!” Bailey chuckled, and Karl had no choice but to turn towards the man and shush him…

“They’ll hear you,” he growled. “She … hates me.”

“Have you met you?” Bailey offered back, and the big man’s head came up as his eyes glared in annoyance…

“Yes,” he bit out, accepting the vampire’s words as gospel.

He knew that as men went; he wasn’t exactly a prize catch. He was big and growly, and he really did have something of an attitude problem when it came to being around people. That was probably something that he could thank his father’s genes for.

The man wasn’t exactly all sunshine and roses. Not that alpha bears were supposed to be, but the man had just taken the bad mood bear thing to a whole new level at times.

His father wouldn’t have known a kind word if it had bitten him on the backside, and the alpha bear might just have choked on it if he’d tried to get one out of his mouth. That had left Karl wanting…

He’d never known his mother. He’d been told that she was kind and loving, and he’d wished as a child that she’d been around for him.

Karl wasn’t sure how he could miss someone that he’d never known, but he had. He’d mourned not having her in his life.

“Oh, this is going to take some serious wooing…” Bailey sounded distracted, but extremely gleeful.

“You don’t say…” Karl bit out dryly.

He didn’t need to be told the obvious from a vampire. He didn’t need to be told that he was basically unlovable…

“Are you up for that?” Bailey asked, and as Karl turned to look at the man; he noted the deep frown etched into his forehead.

“I’m not – not up for that,” Karl’s eyes went skywards as he considered his words.

“Geez, you’re chasing your backside already…”

The sound of the vampire’s chuckle annoyed him. He could woo …

At least, he thought he could … but it wasn’t like he had much of a choice in the matter.

His mate was there and it was a case of woo or lose her, and he couldn’t lose his mate. That would just be wrong on so many levels that he didn’t want to explore in case it set off his bear…

The beast was already prowling within him. He could practically feel the fur beneath his skin…

“I’m fine…”

“Fine. Oh! The kiss of death word.” Bailey offered back. “The obvious angst of; will she – won’t she, is playing on your mind already … the thrill of the chase mixed with the fear of knowing that this could be your only shot, of not just lifelong happiness, but of not going crazy bear…”

“Well, I was fine,” Karl ground out bad tempered even more that the vampire had pointed out the damn obvious to him once more.

“Those little tiny butterflies with their big old wings flapping around inside your stomach…” Bailey did the arm motions for effect and Karl growled at him… “Don’t shoot the messenger…”

“How about I snap his arm off and beat him to death with it?” Karl said, turning towards him and drawing up to his full height.

“You could…” Bailey considered it… “Or, you could let me help you.”

“Help me…?”

“Ok!”

“No! I said it as a question…” Karl growled.

The thought of the vampire being mixed up in his love life was like sandpaper rubbing against his eyeballs, and he didn’t like that idea one little bit.

“I didn’t hear it that way.” Bailey offered him a teasing smile – almost devilish in nature, and Karl growled long and hard back at him.

“Stay away from my mate…”

“Ha! So, she is your mate!” Bailey said with glee.

“What the hell have we been talking about for the last ten minutes?” Karl’s deep scowl brought his eyebrows down and they almost completely covered his eyes…

“You tell me…” Bailey offered back with an air of suspicion that confused the bear shifter.

“I have no damn idea…” Karl shook his head slowly on his neck as he turned back towards the cabin and the females inside.

Bailey slapped the man on the back hard enough to make him shuffle his feet forwards on the grass; save pitching headfirst downwards, and he growled in annoyance once more.

“I really don’t like you…” Karl muttered.

“I really don’t care.”