Total pages in book: 149
Estimated words: 138217 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 691(@200wpm)___ 553(@250wpm)___ 461(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 138217 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 691(@200wpm)___ 553(@250wpm)___ 461(@300wpm)
That detailing echoed a weaving technique from the island of Niue in the Pacific—a nod to the designer’s homeland. He’d thrown a simple black blazer over it all, albeit a blazer that had been structured to his frame by the same master tailor who had his heart broken by bears each and every day.
Pavel had whistled when he’d first emerged from the bedroom after changing, and Arwen hadn’t been able to stop his pleased blush. He’d brushed nonexistent dust off Pavel’s muscled shoulders, his lover dressed in a faded gray T-shirt with the emblem of a rock band and olive green cargo pants, his favorite scuffed boots on his feet.
With his metal-framed eyeglasses paired with that tight senior StoneWater dominant body, he’d looked ridiculously hot, a piercingly intelligent and competent man who could get the job done, then haul his lover back to his lair for a night of debauchery.
Arwen was quite happy to be so debauched.
But what he loved even more was the way his Pasha bear touched him. A little brush of his finger over Arwen’s hip as they passed, the way his leg pressed against Arwen’s after they were seated around the large family-size table at the cantina, how he put his arm over the back of Arwen’s chair. The best thing was that he knew it wasn’t a special effort—this was who he was: an affectionate, touchy bear.
Turning to grin at Arwen now, his killer dimples on gorgeous display, he said, “How about that? We beat everyone here.”
“That’s because I was in the city already, and you drove in early to run a maintenance check on the computronic security system at Yakov and Theo’s building.”
“Details, details.”
Arwen’s smile was in his heart itself. “You find anything hinky?”
“Nope. Yasha’s got good instincts, but whatever is setting them off, it’s not in the computronics. Clean and locked down. As it should be—it was built by the best hacker in Moscow.” Slipping a finger under the edge of one blazer sleeve, he rubbed the fabric between thumb and forefinger. “I like this.”
Arwen’s toes curled. “You want to stay in the city tonight? No clubbing, just a walk along the river and cuddling on the couch. House is free and I already have an overnight bag there from my last visit. Complete with a spare toothbrush for my Pasha bear.”
It was his grandmother who’d purchased the house, but she never used it these days now that StoneWater had given her a suite in the den—a suite so far away from the bright joy of the communal areas that no bear was excited at the thought of living there. Valentin hadn’t wanted to offer it to Ena when Silver suggested it would suit better than another set of rooms that Ena had used once or twice by then.
“I don’t want to insult your grandmother, Starlichka,” he’d said to Silver in Arwen’s hearing, his hands on his hips and his face set in confused lines. “It’s so far away from the heart of the den. So quiet and lonely.”
Which made it perfect for a Psy who had lived in Silence all her life—but who had come to feel great affection for the bear clan that was now part of the Mercant family. Because while the bears thought they’d co-opted the Mercants, Ena was equally certain that the Mercants now had a bear arm.
Arwen found the entire thing delightful.
As it was, his grandmother tended to stay in her den suite when she visited the city, and she was happy for her children and grandchildren to use the Moscow house as long as they left it pristine in the aftermath for the rare times she dropped by to use the living area for an informal meeting.
Arwen often deliberately left a cup out of place, or a jacket hanging on the back of the door, just to play with her. She’d always give him the most severe look when they next spoke, but he could feel her emotions and he knew he was loved. He also knew he was getting worse at the playfulness after hanging around with bears. Especially his Pasha bear.
Who leaned over to nuzzle at him now, his jaw freshly shaven in honor of the family dinner. “I’ll be your river-walk-and-cuddle date—as long as you buy me ice cream from that cart along the riverside.” A rumble that traveled through Arwen’s bones.
Arwen felt his cheeks crease and wondered if he’d ever not smile around Pavel. “I’ll even spring for a triple scoop.”
“You know how to treat a man.” Sitting back, Pavel took a sip of his water, all casual muscle. As if he wasn’t built like a god.
“How did your phone call with Ivan go?” Pavel asked.
Arwen scowled, his happy thoughts of sinking his teeth into all that muscle flying out of his head. “My cousin told me to stop hovering. Can you believe that? I do not hover.”