Billionaire Bear Shifters A Paranormal Romance Complete Series Boxset - Brittany White Page 0,15

head again. Only this time, it didn’t feel bad exactly.

“You told me to come find you,” she said quickly. She was wearing a black skirt and tights and one of her cashmere sweaters. “I asked Eric if I could speak to you and he pointed me here…”

He sat up, eye level with her shapely legs encased in those shimmery black stockings, and sucked in a breath, looking down to wipe his hands on a rag.

“I’m glad you did,” he said and got to his feet.

Nathan had stripped off his sweater and he’d gotten grease on the grey tank top he wore to work on the cars. He leaned on the van and wished he was a little more cleaned-up but it didn’t seem to bother Alanna, judging by the way her gaze raked up and down his body. He flexed unconsciously.

She licked her lips and nodded at the van, approaching him hesitantly. She reminded him of a scared deer. “You’re a mechanic too?”

“No,” he said, chuckling. “Not really. There are a few things I can fix so I always give it a shot before we take it to a shop.”

“Hmm.” She nodded and clasped her hands in front of her. She was clearly nervous, her gaze skirting around him as if searching for anyone else to look.

It was adorable.

“I was watching TV,” she said. “I mean I was trying to watch TV but there’s nothing good on. There’s never anything good on, you know? Sometimes, I feel like I’ve missed out on things in the human world while being a bear. But then I turn on the TV and a lot of it seems so...angry. Or sad.”

“Well, you should try cartoons,” Nathan said, taking a step toward her.

She clearly wanted to talk, but about nothing in particular. That was fine with him if it was what she needed.

“I do like cartoons!” She lit up in a way he hadn’t seen yet, her eyes brightening and making her look like a little girl. “I like...Yogi Bear?”

“Yogi Bear?” Nathan said. He laughed so hard he had to cover his mouth and she ducked her head, blushing. “I’m sorry. No, I like Yogi Bear just fine. I just didn’t expect that.”

“I just remember being a little kid and when I did get to watch TV, Yogi Bear was on a lot. I kept thinking he was a bear shifter too,” she said, shrugging. “Except he could talk. That was confusing. And he never took human form…. I don’t know why I thought that. I was a dumb kid, I guess.”

“No way,” Nathan said firmly. “Bet you were a smart kid. You’re imaginative, right? You sound like it.”

“Yeah, I mostly imagined a better life,” she muttered. “I wish… I’d had what you had.”

“Yeah.” He nodded. “I’ve had it pretty damn good. I took it for granted. But I won’t. Not ever again.”

She nodded and shifted from foot to foot, somehow getting a little closer. She nodded at his hands. “You’re all greasy. Did you fix the van?”

“Not yet,” he said, and coming across a tender spot where he’d nicked his finger on the undercarriage, he winced. “Ow.”

“What’s the matter?” She walked right up to him and he breathed in her scent, attempting to be subtle about it. She only came up to his chin and when she looked up at him, his gaze dropped to her pink mouth that looked a little swollen.

“Just hurt my finger,” he murmured.

“Let me see.”

He let her take his hand. She stood close enough that he could feel her breathing, the shortness of it. Her skin was soft where she held his hand in hers and it was probably unnecessary the way she stroked her thumb along his palm and turned his hand over until finally finding the small nick that had cut a little notch in the skin of his ring finger, though it was not bleeding. “Ouch…”

“Doesn’t hurt,” he said. He ducked his head a little, just enough that his lips brushed her hair.

“I...I can’t,” she breathed. He was so close. He tipped his head forward and let his eyes shut, content to let his lips brush along the crown of her head.

“Can’t do what?” He whispered and squeezed her hands in his. Just that seemed to unravel her a little. She leaned into him and he lowered his head, brushing his lips along her cheek.

“Whatever this is,” she whispered. “I…”

“There is no glass,” he said and moved his hand to stroke her cheek. She closed her