Catching Her Bear by Vella Day Page B

you were told how wonderful you were your whole life.”
    “My parents loved us kids more than life itself and wanted us to be the best we could be, but at times they were hard yet nurturing. They really believed in personal responsibility. That’s my way of saying, I wasn’t always praised at every turn.”
    As if she was uncomfortable with his comment, she delved into her potato salad. When she finished, she looked up at him. “I think by taking the time to teach you the difference between right and wrong, it was their way of telling you how wonderful you were.”
    Her profound words really hit home. “You might be right. You seemed to have learned how to be successful and a nice person despite your folks not being around.” From what she told him today, it was reasonable to draw that conclusion.
    “I had a good support system.” She looked off to the side as she finished the food on her plate. “I probably should be getting back to work.”
    Elana stood, gathered the trash and dumped it in a garbage can while Kalan just sat there, a bit stunned. No woman had ever cut short a date, especially after he’d just complimented her. His ego wasn’t used to the beating. “Is something wrong?”
    Elana returned. “No. Lunch was wonderful. Thank you, but I do have a store to run.”
    Was her flower shop so busy that she couldn’t take a full hour for lunch? “I’ll drive you back.”
    He escorted her to his Jeep, happy he’d recently washed and cleaned it. With her sudden dismissal of their date, however, he was unsure what to say to make things better between them. He slipped in his side and started the engine. “Maybe we can do this again.”
    Never in his wildest dream did he think he’d ask her for a second date, but she’d gotten under his skin.
    Thankfully, her smile implied he’d said the right thing. “I’d like that.”
    That was easier than he expected. Kalan drove slowly, hoping to prolong their time together. “What kind of things do you like to do when you’re not running your store?”
    She glanced out the window. “I read a lot.”
    Reading wasn’t exactly something they could do together as it cut out the talking part—and the kissing too. Of course, if she read him some sexy scenes, it might get them in the mood. Before he could ask what she liked to read, they’d arrived. He parked in front, rushed over to her side, and held open the door. “Do you like to go to the movies?”
    Elana faced him, shielding her eyes from the sun. “Yes, but I don’t see you as the romantic comedy type, which is about all I ever see.”
    No, he liked the action adventure movies, but he could sit through anything. “You don’t think I like romance?”
    Shit . Him and his big mouth.
    The wind picked up, whipping a few strands out of her elastic. He wanted to brush it behind her ears, but he didn’t dare touch her.
    She shrugged. “You seem more of the rough and tumble type. I can picture you riding a motorcycle, jumping out of planes, and maybe even doing some MMA fighting.”
    He cracked up. “I see I have my work cut out for me, showing you the real me.” Goddess in heaven, he couldn’t believe he’d just said that. What was happening to him? It was as if someone else had possessed his body. Damn bear. “I used to own a motorcycle, and I have done some skydiving, but I’ve never taken any martial arts classes.” Mostly because he could shift and beat any attacker. “Do you like to ski?”
    She laughed. “It’s a little too warm for that.”
    Crap. Nothing was coming out right. “I meant in the winter.”
    Elana grinned then winked. “I know what you meant. No, I don’t ski. I’ve always been a big girl. Exercising wasn’t my forte.”
    “That’s okay. We can just talk.” And kiss. And fuck. No, no, no . He had to stop thinking with his cock.
    She looked behind her as if she expected her assistant to be waving at her to come in. “Look, I really need to go. Thank you for the picnic.