Bearly A Squeak by Ariana McGregor Read Free Book Online

answered.
    At that, the door opened and Tara came in. She made straight for the box of cheesecake, picking it up and examining the contents. A smile spread across her face.
    “That is a lot of cheesecake,” she said, looking at him.
    “I wasn't sure what kind you preferred, so I got a selection,” he answered. He got up and walked towards her. “I should get going. Can I see you tomorrow?”
    She nodded, her eyes back on the cheesecake. A lesser man might take that personally. His bear, however, was delighted that she liked their gift and that they had provided for their mate.
    “I'll pick you up from work,” he said.
    “Uh, no,” she said, looking up at him. “You've seen the monstrosity of a uniform they make us wear. I'm going nowhere until I've been home to change.”
    He snorted. “Yeah, fair enough.”
    She walked him to the front door. Stepping outside, he turned back to her. “I'll see you tomorrow.”
    “Thanks Alex,” she said. Standing on the top step, she was almost level with him. She leaned over and kissed him lightly. He grabbed her hips to make sure she didn't topple down the stairs. Her lips were soft and the kiss light, yet it was the most amazing thing he had ever felt. In his mind, his bear was flat on its back, legs in the air, and tongue rolling out of its mouth, totally blissed out.
    She pulled back and he reluctantly let her go. “Until tomorrow,” she said shyly.
    Yeah, tomorrow better come soon.

Chapter 6
     
     
    What had woken her? Tara lay in bed, trying to work out what had disturbed her sleep and her awesome dream about hot bear dude. Dammit, she really had to start calling him Alex. The house seemed quiet, but she still felt uneasy.
    She sat up in bed, listening intently. Still nothing. She snuggled back into her pillow, pulling the covers over herself. Maybe if she went back to sleep, she could get back to the dream of a naked Alex feeding her chocolate cheesecake.
    A noise came from outside. Her eyes opened wide and she listened, waiting to hear another sound. Definitely outside, but very close. Tara sat up slowly, pushing back her quilt and edging to the side of the bed. She stood up and padded silently over to the window. Reaching out, she slowly raised one slat of the blinds, leaving herself a space to peek through. It was dark outside but the street lights let her see a little. There. Something was moving under the bush where she'd hidden earlier. She couldn't make out its form but it was maybe the size of a small dog. Or maybe a fox. Barry.
    Her hand shook a little as she watched the dark shape under the bush. She couldn't tear her eyes away from the shadows. Her heart beat faster and she felt paralysed with fear. She was being ridiculous. Being aware of that didn’t make her feel any better. In the dark, from a distance, she couldn't be sure it was Barry. Maybe it was an actual fox, or a dog, maybe even a cat. She just couldn't get a good enough look. Even if it was Barry, he couldn't get in the house. If he did, he'd have Sara to deal with. She was safe, she knew she was. She just didn't feel it.
    Should she call someone? Sara was in the next room. She was tempted. Sara was always the braver twin who could cope with anything. Or she could call Alex... and tell him what? That there might possibly be an animal in her garden? Overreaction much?
    She forced air into her lungs, concentrating on taking steady breaths, as she stepped slowly away from the window and sank down onto her bed. She sat there for a while, unable to persuade herself to lie down, sure that there was a threat nearby. Her eyes were glued to the window, even though she could see nothing from her position.
    A high-pitched scream sounded, making her jump. The first time she'd ever heard that sound, she'd been sure a woman was being murdered right outside her window. She knew better now. She knew it was the call of a fox. Oddly, the knowledge did not comfort her.
    The screech was answered by a loud bark,