not the family dog no one wants anymore.”
She placed her hands on her hips and gave him a look of exasperation. “Look, all you need to know is that they’re safe. Would I lie to you?”
His lips twitched, but he didn’t say anything, so she carried on. “All you need to know is that we’re about to become millionaires and all these tiny, little worries will soon flutter away.”
Maya squealed as Brick grabbed her again, and the two of them roared in happiness.
Logan watched them as unease blossomed inside him. No, this was wrong. This was all so wrong…
*
Present day
“Logan,” purred Maya.
He shook his head and stared at the she-bear stood before him. She looked exactly the same as the day they had parted. Or rather, the day she had left him.
“Maya,” he said gruffly.
“It’s so good to see you; I’ve missed you.”
She wrapped her arms around him and pulled him down for a kiss. He stiffened in her arms as his bear snarled.
She stepped back and gave him a half-quizzical and half-disappointed look. “You’re mad at me.”
Logan quirked an eyebrow at her. “I wasn’t thrilled that you called me in the middle of the night, but I can get over a little sleep deprivation.”
She shook her head; her long chestnut curls bounced. “No, I mean you’re mad at me for leaving you.”
He blinked at her in surprise. “No, I’m not,” he answered truthfully.
It had been a shock when she called him out of the blue, and he wasn’t exactly jumping around for joy at how much he’d paid out for her bail, but he wasn’t mad at what happened six years ago.
She frowned at him. “How can you not be? I treated you so badly.”
Maya fluttered her eyelashes ever so slightly. If he didn’t know Maya so well he would have missed it, but he knew all her tricks.
When she left with Brick, after their unholy bust-up, he’d felt numb. For so long he’d had Maya to help him, and center his anger, and without her it had been jarring, but he’d managed. He’d learned to survive on his own; he’d managed to calm himself and take control of his bear. And then he’d met Mia, and he and his bear had been as one ever since.
She ran a hand over his bicep, and he gently removed it, ignoring the growls of his beast. “I’m fine, Maya.”
She nodded shortly, and her face clouded over. “Thank you for bailing me out; I can pay you back most of the money.”
“Sure.” The money didn’t mean that much to him. He figured he owed Maya for pulling him through a dark time in his life.
He pushed his hands into the pockets of his jeans. “So, armed robbery, huh?”
Maya snorted at his deadpan face. “They have no evidence that I was there; it’s all circumstantial. It’ll never stick.”
“But, they have evidence that Brick was, right?”
She shrugged. “With a good enough lawyer, who knows what will happen? They can’t prove he didn’t sneeze in that shop some other time.”
His bear harrumphed. “Ummm hmmm. You are going to court, right? You wouldn’t leave me hanging like that?”
A smile ghosted over her lips. “Of course.”
“What about Brick?”
She scowled. “He can sort out his own bail.”
Logan rolled his eyes. He had not doubt that both Maya and Brick were the ones that robbed jewelry store. It wasn’t Maya’s usual style, but she was more than capable of doing it. But, no one got hurt, and they were on trial for the robbery, so he wasn’t going to push it. His bear felt edgy around her; he didn’t want to upset her. If he did piss her off, there was no telling what she might do. Skipping her court date was one thing, but he certainly didn’t want her poking around his life out of spite. Who was to say what she might say to Mia?
He took a deep breath. “Look, Maya, it’s a lot of money, but you helped me out when I needed it, and I owe you. But, this is a one-time thing, okay? I have a life now; I have a girlfriend, and I don’t want her to know about anything that happened
She placed her hands on her hips and gave him a look of exasperation. “Look, all you need to know is that they’re safe. Would I lie to you?”
His lips twitched, but he didn’t say anything, so she carried on. “All you need to know is that we’re about to become millionaires and all these tiny, little worries will soon flutter away.”
Maya squealed as Brick grabbed her again, and the two of them roared in happiness.
Logan watched them as unease blossomed inside him. No, this was wrong. This was all so wrong…
*
Present day
“Logan,” purred Maya.
He shook his head and stared at the she-bear stood before him. She looked exactly the same as the day they had parted. Or rather, the day she had left him.
“Maya,” he said gruffly.
“It’s so good to see you; I’ve missed you.”
She wrapped her arms around him and pulled him down for a kiss. He stiffened in her arms as his bear snarled.
She stepped back and gave him a half-quizzical and half-disappointed look. “You’re mad at me.”
Logan quirked an eyebrow at her. “I wasn’t thrilled that you called me in the middle of the night, but I can get over a little sleep deprivation.”
She shook her head; her long chestnut curls bounced. “No, I mean you’re mad at me for leaving you.”
He blinked at her in surprise. “No, I’m not,” he answered truthfully.
It had been a shock when she called him out of the blue, and he wasn’t exactly jumping around for joy at how much he’d paid out for her bail, but he wasn’t mad at what happened six years ago.
She frowned at him. “How can you not be? I treated you so badly.”
Maya fluttered her eyelashes ever so slightly. If he didn’t know Maya so well he would have missed it, but he knew all her tricks.
When she left with Brick, after their unholy bust-up, he’d felt numb. For so long he’d had Maya to help him, and center his anger, and without her it had been jarring, but he’d managed. He’d learned to survive on his own; he’d managed to calm himself and take control of his bear. And then he’d met Mia, and he and his bear had been as one ever since.
She ran a hand over his bicep, and he gently removed it, ignoring the growls of his beast. “I’m fine, Maya.”
She nodded shortly, and her face clouded over. “Thank you for bailing me out; I can pay you back most of the money.”
“Sure.” The money didn’t mean that much to him. He figured he owed Maya for pulling him through a dark time in his life.
He pushed his hands into the pockets of his jeans. “So, armed robbery, huh?”
Maya snorted at his deadpan face. “They have no evidence that I was there; it’s all circumstantial. It’ll never stick.”
“But, they have evidence that Brick was, right?”
She shrugged. “With a good enough lawyer, who knows what will happen? They can’t prove he didn’t sneeze in that shop some other time.”
His bear harrumphed. “Ummm hmmm. You are going to court, right? You wouldn’t leave me hanging like that?”
A smile ghosted over her lips. “Of course.”
“What about Brick?”
She scowled. “He can sort out his own bail.”
Logan rolled his eyes. He had not doubt that both Maya and Brick were the ones that robbed jewelry store. It wasn’t Maya’s usual style, but she was more than capable of doing it. But, no one got hurt, and they were on trial for the robbery, so he wasn’t going to push it. His bear felt edgy around her; he didn’t want to upset her. If he did piss her off, there was no telling what she might do. Skipping her court date was one thing, but he certainly didn’t want her poking around his life out of spite. Who was to say what she might say to Mia?
He took a deep breath. “Look, Maya, it’s a lot of money, but you helped me out when I needed it, and I owe you. But, this is a one-time thing, okay? I have a life now; I have a girlfriend, and I don’t want her to know about anything that happened
Similar Books
