Halle Shifters, Tome 3: Bear Naked

Ryan watched the woman of his dreams run away from him yet again and laughed. God, she was so adorable it shattered him. Long, powder blue curls, pale blue eyes, and a tongue that would make a harpy blanch; she was everything he’d ever wanted and more.

Too bad all she ever did was run away from him.

Too bad for her he would follow no matter how far she ran.

“Hi, Heather.” He paused long enough to kiss his sweet little cousin on the forehead. The shy smile he got in return always made him want to protect her from the world. Thank

God Julian’s mate had taken a liking to her. Heather was blossoming at Cynful Tattoos, despite Eric Bunsun’s objections. Eric was very protective of little Heather, and snarled at anyone who made her so much as frown.

Ryan followed Glory into the back room, laughing harder when he found her hunched over the unwrapped sandwich and muahaha’ing in her best evil overlord voice. “Do I get a sandwich?”

She glared at him. “Mine.”

He shook his head and took his sandwich anyway, aware she wasn’t going to try and keep it. The woman was insane, but she wasn’t nearly as mean as she pretended to be. He pulled a bottle of water out of the mini fridge and sat across from her at the small table the girls had set up for their breaks. “So.”

“Mm?” She had a mouth full of ham and cheese. A smidgeon of mustard was on her lip, and the urge to lick it away was nearly overwhelming.

“I want to take you out.”

She blinked and swallowed. “Like a hitman?”

“Yup, because I’m a total mafioso.” Ryan did his best fake Italian accent, her little snort of amusement his reward. “No, SG. I want to go on a date.”

She tilted her head in confusion, for once ignoring his nick-name for her. He’d totally lied when he said it didn’t stand for Super Grover. He liked his nuts right where they were.

No, he’d agreed that it stood for Super Glory, and in return she let him get away with it. “Why?”

This time he was the one who was confused. “Huh?”

“Why do you want to go on a date?” She bit into her sandwich, her expression curious, almost wary.

How the hell to answer a question like that? Because you’re my whole world didn’t seem like something Glory wanted to hear. You’re my mate probably wouldn’t cut it either. So he decided to go with the simplest answer, the one he hoped would get her to say yes. “Because I want you.” He held up his hand when she started to speak. “Not just in my bed, but in my life.”

“Because I’m your mate.”

He smiled, trying to convey what he was really saying. He’d known Glory for almost a year now, and he’d fallen for her, quirks and all. He couldn’t imagine having a life without her in it, even if she chose not to accept him as her mate. “Because you’re Glory.”

Her cheeks turned bright red. “I’m not that great.” She couldn’t meet his eyes. “I have... issues.”

“Want to tell me about them?” He put his hand over hers, surprised when she started. “Glory?”

She took a deep breath, obviously gathering herself together. “No. I don’t want to tell you. Not yet, anyway.”

That hurt. “Haven’t I earned a little trust?”

The sandwich paused halfway to her mouth. “If you hadn’t you wouldn’t be back here with me.” She bit into the ham and cheese with all the concentration she usually gave to her craft.

Glory was the piercer for Cynful Tattoos, and she took her job seriously. It might sound like a simple little job that didn’t require much thought, but Glory was always looking for a way to improve not only her skills but her stock. She attended conventions held just for piercers to learn new techniques and was utterly dedicated to her craft. She kept abreast of all the safety and health regulations, and stayed on top of the latest trends. She had to learn anatomy to determine where to safely pierce, such as where saliva glands and ducts were, and where nerves ran so that she wouldn’t do any permanent damage to her clients.

Ryan was in awe of her. She worked just as hard as he did at something she loved, and didn’t let anyone give her crap for it.

Her own piercings were subtle. She had a pretty, glittery diamond nose stud, a delicate silver ring in her eyebrow, tiny silver rings up her right ear and another diamond stud he’

d heard called a Monroe, right above her upper lip on the right side. As far as he was concerned each piercing only enhanced her beauty, made her more exotic. He wanted to lick each one, to strip her and see if she had any piercings in places he hadn’t discovered yet. Did she sport studs in her nipples, or little hoops he could tug on? Were her labia pierced, or her clit? He shuddered with need just picturing her sweet pink flesh decorated with gold and silver.

Speaking of piercings, perhaps it was time he asked for one. “If you were going to pierce me, where would you do it?”

The grin she shot him was so full of evil he nearly backed up. “You sure you want me to answer that?”

“I’m serious.” He sighed, not sure how to get through to her. It always felt like he took one step forward, but she’d take two steps back. “I want you to give me a piercing, but it will be my first one. What should I get?”

She sat back, her expression becoming serious, professional. “How adventurous are you feeling, and how will a piercing affect your work?”

“I’m pretty much stuck in the office, doing paperwork.” He was the head accountant for Bunsun Exteriors, Pennsylvania branch. Thanks to Bunny, he didn’t have to return to

Oregon. When Bunny opened the Pennsylvania branch he’d brought Ryan in as the money man and head paper pusher. So far, business was slowly growing, partly on the reputation of Bunsun Exteriors and partly due to the hard work of Bunny, Ryan and Eric.

She studied him intensely.

He decided to push a little bit. “Pick something you’d like to look at.”

She gave him that innocent look that always spelled trouble. “But, Ryan, they don’t make a Chris Hemsworth piercing.”

He growled, but she just laughed. “Think of something else, SG.”

She grumbled a bit under her breath at the familiar nickname. Her head tilted left, then right, then left again, and all the while she just... stared. He squirmed under her gaze, wondering how she’d try and emasculate him this time. But instead she surprised him. “I think, considering what you do for a living, we should keep it simple. Do you want one ear done, or both?”

He was almost disappointed. He’d thought she’d suggest an eyebrow ring or a nipple piercing, though he’d probably balk at a Jacob’s Ladder. “That’s it? An ear piercing?”

She giggled, the sweetest sound he’d ever heard. He could listen to Glory’s laughter for the rest of his life and never get tired of it. “You want a gauge? I can get one that looks like a tire rim.”

“Those are the huge ear piercings, right?” That was one piercing he knew he didn’t want. While he didn’t mind the look on other people, it just wasn’t him. “I think if I’m doing my ear we’ll stick to a stud.”

She made a face, and he wondered if he’d picked wrong. Maybe she’d been testing him, seeing how far he’d go to fit in with her life. “Any particular kind of stud?”

He shrugged. On this, he could be flexible. “You pick.”

Glory bit her lip. “I...”

“You?”

“I have something. Wait here.” She got up, her sandwich half finished, to root around in her piercing stores. She pulled out little drawers, rooting through the jewelry within them until she pulled something out with a satisfied “Ha! Found it.” She held out the little stud by his eye, nodding in satisfaction. “It’s a titanium stud with a London blue topaz.

What do you think?”

She held out a stud much larger than he’d thought it would be. The dark metal made the blue of the gem stand out. It was unique, just like his mate. “I like it.”

“It matches your hair and eyes.” Her startled expression was quickly suppressed. She must not have meant to tell him that.

“I’ll wear your stud with pride.”

She rolled her eyes at him, but that delicious pink tone raced across her cheeks again. “It’s not an engagement ring, Mr. Williams.”

He kissed the fingers holding the stud. “Not yet, anyway.”