Chapter 25
The warm, sparkling feeling whirling through Mattie was something new. Gunnar had surprised her in more ways than one this evening. Not only had he saved her life, regardless of what he thought that other bear might have done, but he’d revealed a softer side of himself to her.
And he’d kissed her. He had kissed her. The grumpy bear shifter who’d wanted nothing to do with anyone.
To say he was turning her head was an understatement. “I should, um, go heat up the oven. For the pizza.”
“You’ve done enough tonight. And you’ve had a big scare. You stay here and rest. I know my way around a kitchen well enough to heat up pizza.”
“You do?”
He narrowed his eyes. “Yes. Just because I don’t know how to bake doesn’t mean I can’t reheat things. Or cook, which I do for myself all the time. I made spaghetti, didn’t I?”
“Fair point.”
“You get the show ready. I’ll do the rest.”
“Okay. I still have to put the first aid stuff away.”
“But after that, you should just sit here and take it easy.”
“Why does it not surprise me that you have this totally bossy side?”
“Bossy?” He snorted as he got up. “I am not bossy.”
“Which is exactly what a bossy person would say.” She laughed, not the slightest bit bothered by it. “I get it. You’re a shifter. You’ve got the whole alpha thing going on.”
He started to say something, then closed his mouth.
She nodded. “You can’t argue because I’m right, aren’t I?”
A smirk lifted one corner of his mouth. “How many slices of pizza do you want?”
“Just one. Thank you.” He went into the kitchen, and she gathered up the first aid supplies. She took them back to the bathroom and put them all away.
She glanced at herself in the mirror. Her mascara was a little smudged from crying, her hair was disheveled, and there was a smudge of dirt on her chin, no doubt from crawling under her truck.
Which was why her shirt was also dirty. Her pants had to be, too.
She cleaned herself up and finger-combed her unruly hair back into shape, finding a piece of dried leaf.
All that and he’d still kissed her.
She went into the bedroom to change, running her fingers over her lips, remembering the press of his mouth on hers.
How had they gotten to this place? She wasn’t really sure. She liked Gunnar. And not just because he’d saved her life or cut short his time in the woods to check on her. More and more she was realizing that behind that gruff exterior there was a kind soul who wanted the same thing as anyone else.
She pulled on a clean tee and a pair of jeans. Whether he recognized it or not, Gunnar wanted companionship.
Who didn’t? Wasn’t that a basic human need? Even if he was a bear at heart, he was still human.
Maybe this thing between them was a product of the situation they were in. A false intimacy born from the shared stress of knowing they’d put their beloved town in jeopardy. For her, it might also be a rebound from Aaron.
She didn’t want to think about him right now. Not with a much more pressing problem.
Where was Blueberry? She wondered if she should send out a message to the coven, letting them know the imp was still missing.
She shook her head. They had enough on their hands, trying to protect the town and safeguard its supernatural citizens.
She turned off the bedroom light and went back to the living room. In the kitchen, Gunnar was laying slices of pizza on a baking sheet. The oven beeped, indicating it had come up to temperature.
She nodded approvingly. He seemed to be doing all right. But why wouldn’t he? He was clearly capable of taking care of himself. He lived alone. He had to know how to do basic things. And she’d seen his cabin. It was spotless.
Everything had a place in his house, although he didn’t have nearly as much stuff as she did. There was no excess, no disorganization, no chaos.
No wonder Blueberry made Gunnar so crazy.
Her house was pretty much the exact opposite of his. She grimaced as she looked around. He must think her house was cluttered and messy. And maybe it was, a little, but she loved her house. And her things. Every one had a memory attached.
All the same, she straightened the bookshelf and plumped a few of the pillows on the couch. Whatever good that did.
She sat, put her feet up on the coffee table, and closed her eyes. Forget the house. She had to figure out where Blueberry had gone. If he wasn’t in the woods, he wasn’t in Gunnar’s truck, and he wasn’t hiding out with the bees, where else might he have gone?
She didn’t think he was in her house. She hadn’t felt his magic or seen a trace of green dust. Not bright green dust anyway. The older the dust, the darker it got until it just disappeared. The few bits she’d seen weren’t fresh.
He liked Delaney’s. Loved it, actually. Was there a chance he’d gone back there? He could have easily slipped through the door when someone was coming or going.
She had Delaney’s number. Mattie wasn’t excited about talking to the woman married to the man whose family owned the town, but it was the only thing she had to go on right now. She sent Delaney a text.
We’ve exhausted the possibilities of where Blueberry might be. Any chance he could be back in your shop? Anything unusual happen there today? Any missing chocolates?
Delaney answered pretty quickly. Hard to say. We were busy and trying to convince customers we were human. Do you want me to go look?
No, Mattie responded. Delaney had kids to take care of. She didn’t need to be headed back to her place of business on a whim. That’s okay. It was just a thought.
Not a bad one, though. I can send Hugh to open up, if you want. Or you could just come by and pick up the key.
Mattie sighed. She didn’t really want to go back out, but she had no choice now. She’d started this. And she was partially responsible. Give me a few minutes. I’ll text when I’m on my way.
She left her phone on the coffee table and went into the kitchen. Gunnar was crouched down in front of the oven door, watching the pizza. It amused her for reasons she couldn’t name. “How’s it going?”
“We’re close. The cheese isn’t quite bubbling yet, but it won’t be long.”
She sat at the table and admired the breadth of his shoulders and the width of his back. The man was built like a tank. An incredibly handsome, sexy tank. “I was just texting with Delaney.”
He glanced over his shoulder. “Did the imp turn up?”
“No, but I was thinking it might not be a bad idea to have a look around her shop. He loves that place. He could be in there.”
She expected Gunnar to react with a little irritation or something, because he was probably as worn out as she was. Maybe more. But he just nodded. “That’s not a bad idea at all. Is she going to meet us there?”
Mattie could have kissed him for saying us. “No, she said we could come by and pick up the keys.”
One brow popped up. “She trusts us alone in her shop?”
She let out a little laugh. “Apparently, she does.”
He looked back at the pizza. “It’s ready.” He stood and donned an oven mitt, then got the baking sheet out. He shucked the mitt, grabbed a piece of pizza by the crust, and slid it onto a plate for her, then put the last two on a plate for himself.
He brought the plates to the table.
“Thanks. I can honestly say I’ve never been waited on in my own house before.” She started to get up. “I can get drinks.”
“Sit. I’ll get them. What do you want?”
“I have a pitcher of honey-sweetened iced tea in the fridge.”
“Sounds good.” He started opening cabinets until he found the glasses. He brought those to the table, then went to the fridge.
He opened it and almost immediately muttered a low curse.
Mattie twisted in her seat. “What’s the matter—”
“Ranger Rick, you freed me again!” Blueberry zipped past Gunnar to the center of the kitchen and shook himself. “Brr. It was cold in there.”
Mattie stood up. “Blue, what were you doing in the refrigerator?”
He gave her a toothy smile. “I was just having a few chocolates.”
Gunnar shut the refrigerator door with more power than necessary. His eyes were glowing softly, his jaw clenched so tightly she was surprised his teeth weren’t squeaking. “No. No. I am not doing this again.”
“Too late,” Blueberry said, flying circles around him. “You just got yourself three more wishes.”