“Sorry,” Shelly managed to gasp out between peals of laughter. “That was funny as hell, though.”
I narrowed my eyes at him and gestured toward the paper towels, wiping up the table when he tossed them over. “So glad my pain amuses you.” It’s possible I was sulking a bit.
Shelly cleared his throat and walked over to help me with the mess. “I really am sorry,” he said softly, pressing a light kiss to my shoulder. “I was just remembering that female bear after you last night and didn’t think about how random it would sound.”
There’d been a female bear after me?
“Which one?” I asked casually. “It’s not really standing out in my memories.”
Shelly shrugged. “Not sure who the human is,” he said thoughtfully, “but she was all black with green eyes.”
The shifter reserve behind our condo was one of the few that encouraged bears and they came from all around to take advantage, so without knowing if it was a local or not, I couldn’t narrow it down. Deciding their identity wasn’t really important, I shrugged and took another sip of my coffee. Shelly considerately waited for me to swallow before pressing me.
“Well, do you?”
So, apparently, we weren’t letting it go. Nifty.
I took another sip and considered how to answer.
“I have,” I said after a minute. “You know I was married to another bear shifter, so, yes. Outside of a committed relationship, no. Since bears don’t use condoms, there’s a higher risk of disease and unplanned pregnancy with a random hookup in animal form. So even if I had noticed her last night, I probably wouldn’t have been interested. Why?”
Shelly hummed quietly as he considered that. “Just nosy, I guess,” he finally said. “We’ve never really talked about Bear all that much, even though you shift around me occasionally. I guess I was just curious why he wasn’t more interested when I pointed her out.”
I had to stifle a laugh at the thought of my beast pursuing someone else for a quickie when the Omega he’d imprinted on was in the same zip code, much less at his side. Of course, I couldn’t very well tell Shelly that. Inside me, the bear huffed and pouted at my amusement.
“I guess I never really thought about it. What do you want to know about him?”
Shelly thought for a minute and then shrugged. “I’m not really sure. I mean, I know he eats the berries I bring for him but would he rather have something else?” His voice dropped, like he wasn’t sure if he should continue. “Um, does he like it when I’m with you or is he just, you know, being polite?”
I couldn’t keep from laughing even though Shelly’s lips turned down in a frown. “He likes you a lot,” I assured our Omega. “He wouldn’t let you pet him and want to cuddle you, otherwise. And I don’t think polite bears are a thing. Ever.”
My bear huffed in annoyance and I could feel my ears twitch as he laid his back in displeasure at that comment.
“And for the record, he’s mad that I said that,” I announced with a smirk.
“Aww,” Shelly cooed, leaning against my back and kissing the top of my head. “I don’t believe him, Bear. I think you’re always a sweetheart.”
My ears twitched again as the idiot perked back up with a grumbling purr that made Shelly snicker.
“Is that him or you?”
“Definitely him,” I sighed. “I’m starting to miss the colder days when he slept all the time.”
“Don’t listen to him, Bear,” Shelly murmured into my ear, the movement of air making me shiver a little. “He’s just being an old crab.”
“You’re a dork,” I teased, nudging Shelly back so I could stand up to take my cup to the dishwasher. “And I need to get to the youth center. Will you be home for dinner?”
“Should be.” Shelly drained his coffee and passed his mug over to me. “Although the guys seem to be on some sort of mission to get me out into the world ever since someone shoved a tourist into the trunk of a car.” He mock-glared at me. “They think we’re spending too much time together.”
I snickered. “He deserved it.”
Shelly shook his head. “And you say bears have no manners!” He passed me a brown bag. “I fixed you a snack to take as long as I was making my lunch.”
The bear perked up again as the scents of berries and salmon reached my nose.
“Cream cheese and salmon on a bagel and a fruit salad?” I guessed.
Shelly laughed. “That sniffer of yours doesn’t miss much.”
