Bearly Breathing (Werebears of New Hampshire #1)(7)

Grace frowned. “He cheated on you Becca.”

Angie shook her head. “With your wedding coordinator. You have to get over him.”

Rebecca looked at her hands. She knew they were right.

“And there’s nothing that will help you get over him like a nice rebound,” Angie said, crossing her legs on her bed. “A nice hunky, sexy, mountain man rebound.”

Rebecca looked at her fingernail. “I don’t think so.”

“Why not?” Angie asked.

“Yeah why not?” Grace echoed.

Rebecca bit her fingernail.

Yeah. Why not?





four





Connor opened the door of the stove and checked the three honey-mustard, glazed ducks. They were browning nicely and almost ready.

“You have to roast it at five hundred degrees for an hour,” Sidney said, leaning over his shoulder. “Give it a nice blackened taste.”


Connor closed the door of the stove and turned the asparagus on the frying pan. “How many times did you get hit in the head in those two NFL games?”

“I don’t remember.”

“Figures,” Connor mumbled. He sprinkled some salt into the sizzling pan.

“Put triple that amount. Let me do it,” Sidney said, pushing Connor to the side. “You’re not messing up my girl’s dinner.”

“Those are clients,” Connor said pushing him back. “You are not going to be hitting on them.” Rebecca’s smile was still haunting him. Was he going to be able to follow his own orders?

Sidney stepped back from the oven with his hands up. “Fine. But it won’t be my fault when they all hit on me.”

“I’m going to ask the skinny, yellow haired girl to mate with me,” Edwin said, from behind Connor. He was sitting at the table sticking his finger in the bowl of chocolate mousse that Connor made for dessert and licking it.

Connor snatched the bowl from his hands. “No you’re not. You’re going to act professional.”

Female voices traveled in from the dining room and the three boys froze up with tense bodies. Edwin’s shoulders hunched over and his face started to twist in pain.

Connor leapt over next to him and grabbed his ear. He squeezed it and yanked his head down. “Stop it!”

Edwin’s shoulders straightened back out. “Stop phasing every two seconds,” Connor said, punching him in the arm. “What is wrong with you?”

Edwin shrugged. “I got nervous.”

“Do what I do when you get nervous,” Sidney said. “Just say out loud whatever comes to your mind.”

Edwin nodded as he listened.

“No,” Connor said shaking his head. “That is terrible advice.” He peeked into the other room. The three women were walking around the dining room looking at the pictures on the shelves. “Just relax. They’re only girls.”

“I think I bonded with all three of them,” Sidney said.

“No you didn’t,” Connor snapped. “That’s not even possible.”

“Yes it is,” Sidney said. “One of my uncles bonded to over two hundred women.”

Connor was about to retort, a werebear could bond to one and only one mate in their whole life, and then thought twice about it. “Just watch the ducks.” He headed towards the exit and looked back. “And don’t touch anything.”

Rebecca and Grace were looking at an old picture that they had picked up off of the table beside the fireplace.

“That was me as a kid,” Connor said proudly. It was a picture of him with his cousin Beckett on vacation. She must be interested in me if she’s checking out pictures of me as a kid. “I’m the one on the right.”

“Actually we were just looking at the frame,” Grace said.

Ouch.

Rebecca flashed her a dirty look. “I could tell by your dimples,” she said.

Connor tried to hide his grin. “Is everything satisfactory with your cabin?” he asked.

Rebecca smiled and some of the tension melted away from Connor’s shoulders. “It’s great.”

“Great?” Grace said, butting in. The tension crept back in. “We only have one bathroom. What kind of place only has one bathroom for three girls?”

Connor’s throat tightened.

“A cabin in the woods Grace,” Rebecca said, rolling her eyes. “Excuse my friend. She is a little bit of a snob.”

“A little bit?” Grace said, raising her chin in the air. “Show me some respect. I am full snob.”

Sidney burst into the room followed closely by Edwin. “Hello beautifuls,” Sidney said with his deep, loud voice. He walked right up to Angie and leaned over her. She looked like an oompa loompa next to a Sasquatch. “You smell wonderful,” he said. He leaned over, his nose a centimeter from her neck, and inhaled long and hard.

Connor flew over and grabbed his arm. He tried to pull him away but the giant wasn’t moving.

“Mmmmm,” Sidney moaned. “What is your perfume?”

“Bug spray,” Angie said, shrinking away from him.

“Well it smells wonderful on you.”

Connor jumped between them. “What did I tell you about smelling the guests?” he asked.