“You might as well come out,” I said into the darkness. “I know you’re there.”
The large bear slipped out of the shadows and I knew it was Dane immediately, not needing to see the slightly crooked hind leg to identify him.
Bear stepped up beside me, brushing his massive head against me as if apologizing.
“It’s okay,” I murmured. “I’m not mad at you, Bear.”
He grumbled softly in his throat and matched my pace as the car sped back up.
We walked in silence, Bear occasionally brushing his head against me as if reassuring himself I was there. When we got to the condo, Bear wasn’t showing any signs that he intended to shift, so I swiped my pass card and held the lobby door open for him to enter.
“Elevator?” I’d never seen Dane enter a building in his animal form, so I wasn’t sure how Bear felt about tiny boxes that moved.
He grunted and lifted his head in a sort of nod before leading me over to the bank of elevators. It wasn’t until we’d parted ways in the living room, the massive bear settling down on the rug like a pet dog and me slipping into my bed that I realized he’d never looked me in the face.
Odd.
Whether it was the booze or the warmth in my heart from Bear escorting me home, I slept better than I had since the entire debacle started and when I rose the next morning, I was rested and refreshed.
Which was more than I could say for Dane.
On my way to the kitchen, I nearly stumbled over his naked body huddled on the same rug that bear had settled onto the night before. His skin was goose bumped and he was grumbling in his sleep.
“Dane? Wake up!” I leaned down to shake him gently. “You’re going to be sore as hell.”
“Huh?” Dane blinked awake, staring at me in adorable confusion. “What’s going on?”
I shrugged and extended a hand to help him up. “Dunno. You look cold and uncomfortable sleeping naked on the living room floor, so I thought I should probably wake you up.”
“Thanks.” Dane allowed me to help him up and then headed down the hall to his bedroom, quietly cursing Bear under his breath.
I couldn’t help but snicker as I set the coffee pot to brew.
Chapter Eighteen
Dane
I was still bitching silently at the smug bear when I sat at my desk with only minutes to spare before my class arrived. Luckily, it was Friday and that meant the students would be using their class time to finish up assignments that they had fallen behind on during the week, although there was the possibility of one or two asking for extra coaching on concepts that they were struggling with.
Easy-peasy.
“Um, Mr. Eades?”
“Hey, Trent,” I greeted the shy young man before me gently. He was new to the center, waiting for foster placement after his parents had been arrested on drug charges and he was understandably fearful. “What can I help with?”
He held out the notebook he’d been clutching to his chest. “Can you check this for me? I’m not sure I understood what the math teacher was telling us.”
“Of course,” I agreed, taking the notebook and running over the problems. “They all look good, man. Just remember to show your work, okay?”
“Oh, right. It’s on a separate page.”
“Perfect!” When Trent stayed put, shuffling his feet, I smiled. “Was there something else?”
“Can..can I ask a personal question?”
“You can, but I always reserve the right not to answer, depending on how personal it is.” One thing about these kids, a lot of them had absolutely no boundaries.
Trent tapped the bracelet on my left wrist. “I was just wondering about this? You, um, don’t usually wear it.”
