~

 

With the laptop still open on the coffee table from hours of internet research, and both Jenny and Bonnie face down on the sofa sleeping – the sound of a heavy thud against the front door startled both of them from sleep…

“They’re trying to get in…” Bonnie placed her palms down on the cushion and pushed upwards.

The bright sunlight hit her square in the eyes and she groaned out a promise never to drink that much Scotch again, as she fought with her own body to get up from the sofa…

“I think both men would just have to sneeze at that door, and it would come off its hinges.” Jenny bit down on her need to groan at the thudding against her temple … she was going to stick to beer from that moment on.

“What?” Bonnie called, snatching up the bat from where it had rested against the coffee table all night, and walking a less than perfect line towards the front door.

“I have coffee and cakes from Ma’s…” Bailey’s melodic tones reached deep inside of Jenny’s brain and his words snapped her awake…

“Coffee…” she practically begged Bonnie as the woman turned a look of disbelief on her…

“I suppose if you drink enough of it you can replace your blood with coffee and you won’t have to worry about your mate taking a bite,” Bonnie shot back.

“That sounds good …” Jenny tried to shake off the thudding inside her head. “The coffee, not the bite, although…”

“Hush…” Bonnie berated her, tapping her index finger against her ear and then pointing towards the front door…

Jenny shrugged. Bailey being a vampire didn’t bother her as much as it bothered Bonnie – and neither thing bothered Bonnie as much as having a shifter mate…

“It doesn’t matter how quietly I say it, Bon, he’s gonna hear me anyway,” Jenny said as she pushed up to her knees on the sofa and rolled her head on her neck to try to unstiffen her muscles.

“Yes, I am, and the cinnamon coffee’s getting cold…” Bailey said, and Bonnie rolled her eyes in her head at her friend.

“It had to be cinnamon…” she muttered, as her friend practically tripped over her own feet, making a beeline for the door. “You’d sell your own grandmother for a cinnamon coffee, wouldn’t you?”

“Yes…” Jenny offered back, snapping off the locks with glee and grateful anticipation of that coffee…

“Fine,” Bonnie shrugged, swinging the bat up and against her shoulder. “Just don’t invite him in.”

When Jenny wrenched open the door; Bailey used his hand to waft the tantalising aroma right at her…

“You can’t come in,” Bonnie bit out; just as Jenny sounded as if she was having a mini orgasm in her doorway.

“Someone fell off the sofa on the wrong side this morning,” Bailey offered her a grin and she sneered back at him.

“Where’s Lurch?” Bonnie shot back, looking around the vampire for his sidekick.

“Ah, how sweet – you missed him already,” Bailey chuckled at her expense, but Bonnie was in no mood to play the vampire’s game. She offered him an old fashioned look. “He’s actually naked at the back of your property.”

Bonnie’s head snapped back on her neck and she blinked twice before her eyes darted around the area, trying for rational thought and yet finding nothing…

She couldn’t say the image of Karl butt naked in her mind was anything but warmth promoting – because something had certainly rushed to turning up the heat inside of her, but she had to wonder at it.

“Why?” Was all that she managed to push out.

“Shifters are shifty, and the bear has been patrolling around your property all night…”

“Why?” Bonnie said again.

“A woman of few words. I like it,” Bailey offered with his tone dripping with sarcasm, but the look that Bonnie gave him made him clear his throat and continue anyway. “Protection duty. Bears … do that.”

“Do they now?” Bonnie shot back.

She couldn’t say that the idea of someone looking out for her wasn’t a nice one, a good one, and something that might just make her sleep easier in bed of a night … and yet, it was also kind of freaking weird to think that a bear was out there prowling…

“Yes, yes they do, and you need to get used to the idea, because Karl isn’t going anywhere with you being his mate.”

The vampire looked back to his own mate, who seemed to be debating reaching out and just snatching the coffee from the carrier in his hand. Bailey held it out towards her and watched her eyes light up as her hand shot out and snatched a cup.

“Thanks,” Jenny brightened.

Then she lifted the cup to her nose and sniffed – there was another mini-orgasmic sound that caught in her throat and Bonnie shot her a sideways glare as the vampire cleared his throat once more…

“Sounds … tasty…” Bailey grinned and his mate batted her long eyelashes at him. Bonnie groaned long and hard. “I have one for you,” Bailey offered Bonnie a cup and she turned her nose up at it.

“Thanks, my affections can’t be bought,” Bonnie assured him.

“Then Karl really has his work cut out for him in the wooing department, doesn’t he?”

“There’s not going to be any wooing…” Bonnie assured him.

“I beg to differ…” Bailey offered back, and then he nodded his head towards the side of the house. “Here comes the bear now.”

Bonnie’s face dropped at the thought of having a big bear prowling up towards the door, but in the moment of sheer panic that it took her to decide to slam the door and batten down the hatches… Karl, the man, appeared next to Bailey…

Bonnie wasn’t sure if she was disappointed or not. A part of her had rushed to panic over coming face to face with the man’s bear, but she’d never seen a bear up close and personal, and not one that was tame enough not to kill her … and then there was the whole him not being naked thing … she’d been kind of curious about that as well.

“Ah, the look of disappointment…” Bailey’s grin widened and his eyes were teasing. “I’m not sure if it’s because you’re you, or because you’re fully clothed…” Bailey watched Bonnie snap her eyes on him…

Butthole vampire … she thought.

So what if I wanted to see his bear…

So what if I wanted to see him naked…

He doesn’t have to point it out to the whole damn world…

“Hmm, fifty –fifty,” Bailey said with glee and Karl grunted at the man before he turned his sole attention on his mate.

“He reads minds,” Karl warned his mate and watched the colour deepen in her cheeks until they were practically glowing.

Bonnie shot him a nervous gaze and his heart kicked his ribs, and his palms suddenly grew sweaty just at the sight of her eyes on his…

“Morning…” Karl said for want of something more…

“Well,” Bailey announced, turning his attention towards his mate. “As I’m not allowed in, want to come out and have a morning picnic with me?”

“I…” Jenny shot a quick look at Bonnie and the woman rolled her eyes in her head once more.

“Don’t look at me, it’s your blood…” Bonnie bit back.

“Ok,” Jenny said quickly with a shrug as she started out the door.

Bailey snatched up one cup of coffee and offered the other two and one box of cakes towards Karl.

“Feed the bear,” the vampire said and Karl shot him a glare. “Both of them.” He turned his eyes towards Bonnie and she sneered back at him once more.

Karl took what was offered from the man, before the vampire lifted his elbow and offered his arm to his mate, and she giggled as she took it.

“Now what?” Bonnie asked, and Karl looked down at his hands – then he shrugged…

“I guess it would impolite not to eat?” He said.

“Is there any danger of you shifting into your bear in my living room?” Bonnie asked, turning her head and giving him a sideways, curious look.

Karl grinned. Then he shook his head…

“No, I can control my beast…” he assured her, but Bonnie didn’t look too assured.

“Beast…?” She said, raising her eyebrows high on her head and swallowing down hard.

Karl could have kicked himself for his choice of words.

“My bear is tame, tamer even around his mate,” Karl assured her, and her eyes flicked up and down his body as she mulled that one over. Then she gave a single nod…

“Ok then … you can come in,” she said. “Don’t make me regret it.”