The Bear's Bride (Mail-Order Mates #3)(11)

His bear took notice too when she stepped into the shop and walked past him. Her smell was intoxicating.

“Nice to see you again, Amy.”

“Glad to be here.” She looked around the dark shop. “It feels so strange to be here after hours. I’ve never been a VIP at a bakery before.”

Frank laughed. “You can always have special access here at Frank’s Treats.”

“Thank you.”

He fought the urge to push her to the floor and have his way with her. His bear was getting out of hand. Maybe all that fantasizing the day before hadn’t been such a great idea. Being completely alone with her, all he could think about was making love to her. His bear knew it was a surefire way to convince her she was his mate. As much as he wanted to, he couldn’t do that quite yet.

Instead, he led her to the back of the shop while his bear whined in frustration. “I wanted your opinion on my menu for a special I have coming up this week.”

She put her hands in the back pockets of her jeans as she continued looking around. The move only highlighted her luscious ass. Frank stifled a groan. She had to be doing it on purpose.

“What kind of special?”

He pulled out a chair for her at the table. “It’s a Cuisine holiday special with Allison Jenner.”

Amy’s mouth dropped open. “You’re kidding! My sister and I watch those every year. I love those specials.”

“Really? Well, you’re getting a sneak peek this year.”

“Lucky me.” Amy put her purse next to the table and then looked up at him, smiling. “I can’t wait to see what you’ve got cooking.”

Frank went to the prep area and brought back five small plates. Each plate had four bite-sized portions of a treat. “I know it’s a lot of food, but I’ve kept everything small.”

“You don’t have to warn me about your treats. I know better than to go overboard tonight.” Amy laughed, delighted. “These are all so cute, Frank! They’re perfect for Christmas.”

He explained what was on each plate and then watched as she took her first bite. It was his mint brownie. It was very rich and decadent. It normally had a mint chocolate candy on top, but he had added a mini-candy cane for the season. Amy closed her eyes and then moaned after she swallowed the treat.

“These are one of my favorites,” she said, eyes still closed.

Frank licked his bottom lip. His bear wasn’t whining anymore. It was murderous. Frank needed to get a grip on himself. Less than ten minutes into date two and he was already losing it. He cursed himself before standing up. “Let me go grab some cold milk from the fridge up front.”

Amy’s eyes popped open. “That would be great.”

He walked to the fridge slowly. When he got there, he took a moment to stand with the fridge door open. He let the cool air wash over him as he calmed himself. He would tell her he was a shifter and then gauge her reaction to see how he should continue. Not all human women hated shifters. Frank knew that some were even really into shifter men. Not in a creepy shifter stalker way, but some were genuinely interested. Maybe Amy was one of those and she knew all about mates already.

Frank wanted to tell her that they belonged together and then consummate their bond. Not a usual date two, but he could dream. He grabbed two containers of cold milk and went back to the table.

Amy’s purse was on the table and her face was pale.

“What’s wrong?” he asked. The air was filled with the scent of her emotion. It set Frank’s bear on edge. He automatically went into protection mode and looked around the shop for any intruders. He knew it was ridiculous, but it was hardwired into his DNA. He had to protect his mate from any danger and something was spooking her.

She swallowed a few times before answering. Her voice was full of emotion. “There’s an emergency with my sister. I need to go home. Now.”

Frank looked for his keys. “I’ll drive.”

Amy shook her head. “Thank you, but I can drive myself.”

“You’re in no condition to drive. What happened?”

“It’s private,” Amy snapped. She pushed away from the table and stood up quickly. “Thank you for the nice night, but I need to leave now.”

She walked to the front door quickly. Frank had to hustle to get to her before she had it unlocked. He put a hand on the door before she could open it. “Amy. Let me help you. It’s no problem. I won’t feel right until I know you’ve made it where you need to go safely.”

“Move your hand, Frank.” Her mouth was set in a grim line and her tone was cold.

Frank stepped back, frowning. “Are you mad at me? I’m just trying to help. I know you’re a great driver, but I don’t like seeing you like this.”

“I need to go now.” She went to her car and had the door closed before he could say anything else.

Frank went out to the road and tapped on her window. “I’ll call you later to be sure you got home okay.”

Amy just looked at him hard before pulling out of the spot and driving away. Frank had no idea what had just happened, but he had a very bad feeling about it. His bear didn’t like it one bit, but he could only watch her drive away.





Six


Amy held her glass out for another refill of wine. “Are you sure she doesn’t have him confused with someone else?”