Ignite: A Werebear + BBW Paranormal Romance (Bearpaw Ridge Firefighters Book 3) Page 8

  Steffi blinked at the news of the babysitter. "I don't feel comfortable leaving Olivia with a stranger," she said.

  "Oh, don't worry. Jodie's not a stranger. She's Olivia's cousin—and mine, too."

  Okay, more Swansons. That was kind of reassuring. But still…what if Olivia suddenly turned into a bear cub again?

  Neither Evan nor Dane had reacted to this morning's shapeshifting incident like she expected, and so far, Evan hadn't brought it up. He was acting like Olivia was perfectly normal.

  Maybe they'd written the whole thing off as some kind of illusion created by the fire and smoke.

  "I don't know," Steffi hedged, torn between caution and the necessity of buying Olivia and herself new clothes.

  And she'd need to buy dog food too. And a dog bed. And something for Royce to chew on…maybe one of those rubber bones you could fill with peanut butter.

  And then there were diapers, baby food, bath toys, extra bibs, onesies, a new sippy cup…

  If there was one thing Steffi had learned in her short time as Olivia's guardian, it was that while dogs needed a lot of stuff, babies needed even more.

  "C'mon," Evan urged. "It's okay. Nothing like this morning is going to happen again. It's a small town, the police are on the lookout for that SUV, and Jodie's great. She's been taking care of Matthew for a few months now while Annabeth is at work, and she's totally trustworthy."

  Steffi glanced over her shoulder to where Royce was sitting next to Olivia's high chair. "Is Jodie okay with dogs?"

  "Jodie loves dogs," Evan assured her. "And they love her."

  Steffi came to a decision. She desperately needed to replace the things she had lost in the fire, and what were the chances that someone would try to abduct Olivia again?

  Besides, the apartment has a security system, she reminded herself. Annabeth had shown her how to turn it on and off.

  "All right. And thank you. Do you want a cup of coffee while we're waiting for Jodie?"

  "I wouldn't say no," Evan drawled, following Steffi inside the apartment. "It's already been a long day."

  "About that—" Steffi turned to face the big firefighter, her heart pounding. "Thank you again for rescuing us. I have never been so scared in my entire life."

  She bit back the impulse to apologize yet again for kissing him. The sooner she stopped mentioning it, the sooner he'd forget about it. Right?

  He looked embarrassed. "I was just doing my job," he said seriously. "And I'm so glad that you, Olivia, and Royce made it out okay. It could have been…really bad."

  Steffi saw the desolation in his eyes and wondered how long he'd been a firefighter and what kinds of awful things he'd seen. And admired him for taking on such a dangerous and heart-wrenching job.

  Player or not, Evan Swanson was a genuine hero.

  And she decided that she wasn't really sorry that she had kissed him. Not that it would ever happen again.

  * * *

  "…and once we get back to the apartment, I'll have to contact Rajesh—he's my boss--and see if he can FedEx me a new laptop. Thank God I had all my work stored on the company's cloud drive!" Steffi was saying as she twirled strands of linguine onto her fork.

  If she had been appealing with bedhead and a Hello Kitty nightshirt, she was a bear shifter's wet dream in jeans and a scoop-necked top that flattered her generous curves.

  Evan's bear thoroughly approved of her figure, and it liked her scent, too—the musky-sweet perfume of a healthy young woman tinged with soap and shampoo.

  And she was both smart and funny, which appealed to Evan's human side. They had bantered their way through the grocery store, several clothing stores along Main Street, and Wallace's Ranch & Home Supply, which carried everything from dog food to Western clothing.

  There, Evan tried unsuccessfully to talk Steffi into buying a pair of pink cowboy boots as a souvenir of her visit to Bearpaw Ridge, just to see her break into a fit of giggles. She had a pleasant laugh that did even nicer things to her abundant chest.

  In turn, she made successively wilder—and more hilarious—suggestions about what he should wear when he posed for the firefighter's charity calendar.

  Evan normally hated shopping and did it only when he absolutely had to, but somehow, with Steffi in tow, it was fun. It also helped that she made her purchase decisions quickly and didn't make him stand around while she agonized over the merits of one item over another.

  Now, sitting across the table from her at The Bear's Lair Pizza & Pasta, Evan was having a difficult time keeping his mind on the conversation.

  He kept drifting off into pleasant fantasies about tasting her lips again, but this time with every one of her sweet curves pressed against him from chest to knees.

  Too bad she was only planning on staying in town for a week. On the other hand, in the course of their far-ranging conversation, she hadn't mentioned a boyfriend, and her hand was bare of a wedding ring.

  Should he ask her out for a real date? It could turn out to be a really fun—and mutually satisfying—week.

  His bear liked that idea.

  "We should do this again sometime," Evan said, trying to sound casual. "Maybe dinner? Tomorrow night?"

  Steffi's scent spiked. She froze, momentarily looking like a deer in the headlight. Then she shocked him by saying, "I don't think that's a good idea."

  "Why not?" asked Evan. "I thought we had a good time today."

  She's turning me down? Why? He felt shocked, as if he'd just been unexpectedly slugged in the stomach.

  We had amazing chemistry during that kiss. Doesn't she want to explore what that chemistry could do for us in bed?

  "We did," she agreed. "And you seem like a really nice guy. But with Olivia and everything that's happening right now, I don't really have the bandwidth to date anyone."

  And Evan could smell the lie. Whatever her reason for turning him down, too busy wasn't it.

  Steffi dropped her gaze to her plate and combed her fork through the remaining strands of pasta.

  Bewildered, Evan stared at the top of her head. Had he ever been turned down before by a woman whose body language and scent were screaming that she was attracted to him?

  Well, I guess it had to happen sooner or later. He recalled Olivia's shapeshift during the rescue from the hotel. Maybe she knows I'm a bear shifter, too, and that's why?

  Inside Evan's head, his bear yowled in silent outrage. It really liked Steffi, and it wanted Evan to take her to bed as quickly as possible and make her moan and scream with pleasure.

  Not gonna happen, buddy, Evan told his bear. Besides, this isn't the last time we're going to see her. She's invited to Mom's Sunday dinner. We can try asking her out again then.

  "Hey, do you mind if we go back to the apartment now?" Steffi asked, looking deeply uncomfortable. "I don't want to take advantage of Jodie."

  He leaned across the table and captured her hand. As it had before, a jolt raced up his arm from the point of contact straight to his chest. He wondered if she felt it too.

  From the slight widening of her eyes, he guessed that she did. That's a good sign.

  "Hey, are we okay?" He took a deep breath. "Look, I really like you, Steffi. But if you just want to be friends, that's cool."

  "I—I like you, too. As a friend." Her cheeks reddened.

  Liar, he thought. And really hoped it wasn't his bear shifter nature that she was objecting to.

  "And I really appreciate everything you've done for me," she continued. "Annabeth told me that you were the one who asked her about the apartment, and then there's this shopping trip. And lunch."

  He smiled at her and squeezed her hand. "So, I'll see you Sunday for dinner at the ranch?"

  She nodded.

  "Good." Reluctantly, he let go of her hand and made a show of looking at his watch. "It's about time for me to go in to the office, anyway."

  "And I need to call my boss…and my car insurance company," she said.

  The distress in her expression made Evan w
ant to drop everything and buy her a new car on the spot. The impulse was deeply unsettling.

  He liked women, maybe a little too much, if his family's opinion was anything to go by. But he didn't generally feel quite so…protective towards them. Especially if they didn't want to date him.

  He cleared his throat and downed the last of his beer. "All right, let's go. It shouldn't take long to unload your stuff when we reach the apartment."

  * * *

  Later that afternoon, as he sat in his office, vainly trying to write up the data from his latest field study for inclusion in the new edition of the multi-agency Canada Lynx Conservation Assessment and Strategy Report, Evan couldn't prevent himself thinking about Steffi Tristan.

  His mind kept replaying every moment of the brief time they had spent together—her touch, her scent, her smile, and that kiss…

  Today, he could have sworn she had been flirting with him as they traded quips about posing for the firemen's calendar and pink cowboy boots. And she had definitely responded to him on a physical level.

  They definitely had chemistry—and that wasn't something that an Ordinary or even a shifter could fake.

  So where had he gone wrong?

  Had she known that her brother-in-law Patrick was a shifter? Had she known about shifters at all before this morning?

  Evan couldn't decide whether Steffi's horrified expression when little Olivia shifted in the midst of the rescue was due to her shock at the shift or at having witnesses to the shift.

  And there was no way to ask her without giving away his own shifter status, dammit!

  Most shifter communities forbade their members to reveal themselves to Ordinaries unless they were mated to one or were otherwise 100% sure that the Ordinary wouldn't freak out or betray them.

  No shifter ever wanted to out themselves to an Ordinary unless it was absolutely necessary. Evan had never revealed his secret to any of the Ordinary women he had dated. He had never wanted to take that risk before.

  But Steffi seemed trustworthy. He had watched her interacting with little Olivia after the baby had shifted into her bear shape and then back into her human form. Steffi had been patient and loving with the baby even after she realized that her niece might not be fully human.

  So, what to do?

  Evan's bear was restless. It wanted to go visit Steffi again. It liked her scent and soft curves.

  And Evan couldn't stop thinking about how he wanted to give Steffi a car, since she badly needed one.

  He tried to tell himself that it was a stupid impulse. Even if he did find a car, she probably wouldn't accept it from him. She'd probably think he was trying to bribe her into going out on a date.

  Yes, show her that we can provide for her, urged his bear.

  Shut up, Evan responded wearily.

  It was bad enough that he couldn't stop thinking about how Steffi's eyes lit up when she smiled and how soft her skin had felt against his fingers during their fleeting moments of contact.

  Providing was something you did for a mate or for family. Not a fling.

  And Evan neither wanted nor needed a mate.

  A fling, however… His cock stirred at the idea of Steffi, naked and smiling in his bed.

  My God, she would smell so good. I want to put my face between those gorgeous legs of hers and make her scream my name.

  Yes, said his bear. We want her.

  Evan growled softly, both at his bear and at his rebellious body.

  Why was he so hung up on her, anyway? She was just another woman, though an extremely attractive one. But attractive women weren't like an endangered species. The country was full of them.

  And Steffi was returning to California next week, anyway.

  That really agitated his bear. No! I want her! Make her stay!

  Evan tried to ignore his ursine half, but that just made things worse.

  Give her the car! Show her that you can provide for her!

  Finally, he snarled silently. Fine. I'll get her the fucking car, just to shut you up. But we'll do it my way.

  Hoping that this would appease his bear and let him finally concentrate on work, Evan reached for his phone.

  "Hey, Aunt Margaret, it's Evan," he said, when she answered.

  Chapter 8

  Having finally made some progress on his section of the report, Evan left the rambling wooden building that housed the offices for Fish and Game, the Forest Service, and BLM employees on the outskirts of town. He got into his truck and headed for Mary's house, since he still had one more day left on his on-call shift for the BPRFD.

  His route took him up Main Street past the Cinnamon + Sugar Bakery…and the apartment where Steffi and Olivia were currently staying. He couldn't help glancing up at the apartment's large window as he drove by, but the reflections from the late afternoon sun made it impossible to see if Steffi was there.

  Sunday, he told himself. That's only two days away. I'll think of a way to convince her to go out with me.

  When he opened the door to Mary's comfortable two-bedroom cottage and walked into her living room, he found her on her sofa, reading an article from a news site on her iPad.

  "Beer's in the fridge, and there's chili in the crockpot," she informed him. "Help yourself."

  He made a quick detour to the couch and kissed the top of her head. She still smelled faintly of the smoke from the fire. "You are my favorite wolf girl, you know that, right?"

  She grinned up at him. "And you look like hell, Mr. Bear. Rumor has it that someone didn't get his beauty sleep last night."

  "Duty called…loudly," Evan said. "Which reminds me—sorry about waking you."

  Mary shrugged. Her hair was still pulled back in the ponytail she wore for work, and it brushed the neck of her T-shirt as she moved. "You're a regular action hero, you know that, right?"

  "I'm a hungry action hero," he corrected her and turned to head to the kitchen. "And you're a real lifesaver."

  "There's a pan of cornbread on the counter too. And grated cheese in the fridge," Mary called after him.

  When he returned to the living room a few minutes later, Evan had a steaming bowl in one hand and an open bottle of beer in the other, and a large square of cornbread balanced on the rim of the bowl.

  He lowered himself into an armchair across from the couch and dug in. The chili was delicious, made with ground elk, beans, and green chiles, and was fragrant with cumin and herbs.

  Trying not to disturb Mary while she was reading, Evan didn't say much beyond complimenting the chili.

  But the silence gave him time to think, and that brought a fresh wave of images and memories of Steffi.

  Damn it! Why can't I stop obsessing about her?

  She had turned him down. That stung, but amazing kiss or not, he really needed to get a grip and move on.

  "Hey," Mary said, and Evan looked up at her, startled out of his musings. "You seem kind of upset. Did something happen today?"

  That was the downside of hanging out with other shifters. You couldn't hide any strong emotions from them. They could always sense things going on beneath the surface.

  "Other than being kicked out of bed at oh-dark-thirty? Not really…well, there was one thing that happened, and I'm trying to figure out how to handle it."

  Mary put aside her iPad. "Yeah? What?"

  "The baby—Olivia—shifted while I was getting her out of that hotel room. I've been thinking about Steffi Tristan's reaction and trying to figure out what she knows about shifters." Evan spooned up another mouthful of the savory, spicy chili.

  "It's hard when an Ordinary sees things she's not supposed to," Mary agreed. "'When I was taking her report, she told me that she's related to your cousin Patrick by marriage. Do you think there's any chance that Patrick or his wife said anything to Steffi before they left Olivia in her care? Do you know whether Olivia ever shifted before?"

  "I don't know. Steffi looked really shocked when Olivia changed shape, but she didn't freak out. Just kept going. So she's
either really good at handling curve balls, or she knows."

  "And you can't just ask her, can you? Not unless you're sure she already knows."

  Evan sighed. "Yep. It's complicated."

  Mary gave him a long, considering look. "I get the feeling that there's something else going on too. Your scent goes…well, weird, when you talk about Steffi."

  What? Evan bit down on his impulse to deny it. As if a denial even made sense, where scent was concerned.

  Mary was looking at him with an odd expression on her face. And she smelled as if she had just gone on high alert.

  "It's probably frustration," he was forced to admit. "I asked her out on a date, and she turned me down. I could swear she's interested in me, though." He shook his head.

  Mary looked startled. "She was interested in you. I could tell when I talked to her."

  Then she laughed. "She turned you down? You? I bet that's never happened before!"

  Trying to suppress his bear's glee at this confirmation that Steffi did indeed find them attractive, Evan shook his head ruefully.

  "Not since college, anyway." He sighed and took a long pull from his beer. "And I can't get her out of my head. My bear is being really…well, I guess pushy is the only way to describe it."

  "Pushy? Hm. I've got an idea about what might be going on." Mary said. "Let me try something."

  Evan leered at her cheerfully. "Try anything you like," he invited.

  Mary rose from the couch, walked around the coffee table, and unexpectedly straddled his lap.

  Oh, goody! Evan hastily set aside his bowl.

  His bear growled as she put her hands on his shoulders and kissed him.

  What the hell? Evan thought. His bear had always liked Mary just fine.

  Evan ignored his bear's protest and returned the kiss with interest, his hands sliding up under the hem of her T-shirt to the bare, warm skin of her waist.