Shadow Mated(16)

Bear #1 demolished an entire plate-sized pancake in two bites flat, and just in time, Bailey pushed another platter of eggs in his path.

She glanced down the length of stainless steel. Yep, Bear #2 needed more bacon and his orange juice was empty. Maybe she should’ve given him the entire pitcher?

Who knew grizzlies could eat so much? She’d have to talk to Eagan. They were going to need to reorder supplies, stat.

Bear #1 paused with the forkful of eggs midway to his mouth and met her surprised gaze with a wink. “Thanks, darlin’. Your food’s much better than Cleaver’s. He always burns his eggs. Gets that brown stuff on ‘em. Day old shit would taste better, but I’d never tell him that.”

The two were formerly employed by the falcon shifter as bouncers at his bar. Cleaver’s, named after himself. They’d left the longtime gig after negotiating with Gash. She wondered how he’d convinced them to come here and put their enforcement skills to work for the lodge.

Bear #2 cleared his throat loudly, causing Bailey to jolt. “She’s a lady, Theo.” He stared hard at his brother. “Watch your mouth.”

Theo shot him a blistering look but then eyed Bailey, lips pursed, considering. His gaze narrowed as if he could see through her to the back of the kitchen if he squinted hard enough.

“Mmm. Yeah, maybe.”

Wait. Were they debating whether she was a lady or not? Because she could settle this with one lift of her middle finger. Doc had taught her well. She was a fucking lady, damn it.

She opened her mouth to answer, but Bear #2 was wiping his hands on a napkin and standing to tower over the counter. He pushed one giant palm toward her, the rolled sleeves of his flannel shirt pulling tight around his muscular forearm, and let it hang in the air between them.

“I’m Thames,” he said. Rhymes with limbs. Like Thames could rip your limbs from your body without much effort.

Leaning forward, she shook his hand. His grip was too tight and he must’ve noticed because he loosened immediately.

“My brother here, is Theron.”

“Theo for short,” he chimed in, shoveling more food into his cheeks. He looked like an overgrown chipmunk staring up at her over his fork.

“Nice to meet you both.” Bailey relaxed. They were big and burly but not dangerous. At least not to her.

The kitchen door swung open and Gash strolled in, coming to a short stop when his eyes landed on the place where Bailey’s hand connected with Thames’s.

Gash’s gaze flipped up to hers, instantly hot and angry. She could see the flicker of his animal from all the way across the room. His jaw ticked beneath the scruff of his beard and his fists curled into tight balls at his sides. A threatening sound rumbled from his chest.

Bailey gasped at his low snarl and pulled her hand away from the bear’s, turning on her heel to grab the orange juice pitcher. Quickly, she filled both glasses while Thames settled back on the stool with a raised-eyebrow glance at this brother.

“You’re here early,” Gash grumbled, strolling forward.

“Negative, Nancy.” Theron gulped his orange juice before continuing. “You said get here as soon as possible. Possible happened to be 5am.”

“Possible could’ve happened at noon, or say… after noon,” Thames mused, biting into his bacon. “But Theo was in a hurry to get here, and you made it sound super duper important, so we rushed.”

“And now there’s food,” Theron added, “So I’m definitely not sad that we hurried.”

Thames shook his head. “Not sad at all, brother.”

Bailey glanced at Gash, trying to hide her smirk. He stared between the two bears frowning so hard he looked like one of those smush-faced cats.

“Your girl cooks good,” Theron added.

Gash’s forehead smoothed out almost instantaneously and Bailey opened her mouth to correct the bear—she wasn’t Gash’s anything yet. But then his eyes found hers and with one look, she realized she couldn’t say those words out loud. It didn’t feel right. Not when he looked at her with so much ownership in his gaze.

Bailey swallowed back a purr. She was affected by him. By his dominance. Her cat loved to be looked at like that.

But the woman wanted more.

“Hungry?” she croaked.

“Starved.” The way his eyes burned as they raked over her body, sent a jolt of desire straight to her center.

Holy hell. Food. Get him food. Yeah, that was what she should do.

Dragging her gaze away, she filled another plate with eggs and bacon, and the pancakes he loved. She slathered them with a thick layer of peanut butter because she knew that was how he liked them. No syrup for her man.