Too Much To Bear Page 3

  “Foam?” A muscle ticked in Boone’s jaw. “You can eat foam?”

  She shrugged. “It’s all kind of a ‘presentation’ thing, I guess, but it’s not something I’d actually try to make for myself.”

  “Me too,” Boone took another look at the plate on the table. “Can I make a confession?”

  Willa felt a little twinge of worry in her middle. “Sure?”

  He smiled. “About the restaurant.”

  “Oh, good.” She eased back in her chair. “Then go ahead.”

  Boone gestured at the plate again. “I probably should have asked Gerri where to take you for this first date-”

  Her smile deepened at the words ‘first date’ because it sounded like there was going to be another one.

  “But I let the boys talk me into using a restaurant review app on my phone and this one had a high ranking.” He shrugged. “Perhaps I should have checked if those reviews were left by rabbit shifters.”

  Willa was about to laugh and then stopped. “Wait, are there rabbit shifters?”

  Boone shook his head. “I’ve never met one, so I don’t know, but why not?”

  “Well, if you ever do, you can recommend they come here.”

  “So, here’s where I try to salvage our meal,” Boone reached out and poked at one of the ‘bites’ with the tip of his finger. “What if we get out of here? Where do you like to go?”

  She smiled and then shook her head. “It’s not the kind of place most people would like to go, especially not in your suit.” She looked him over again, enjoying the soft cream-colored dress shirt under his dark brown, pin-striped suit. “And you do look very good in that suit.”

  And here’s hoping I get to see what’s under the suit… someday.

  “Try me, Willa.” He leaned forward and touched the tips of his fingers to hers. “I just might surprise you.”

  “I arrived in a cab,” she swallowed and looked toward the front door, “you?”

  “I rented a car. It’s in the parking lot.” Reaching into the pocket in his suitcoat he pulled out his wallet and left a sizeable amount of money on the table. Standing, he moved around and helped pull back her chair. “Wherever you want to go,” he offered her his arm, “I will take you.”

  Ah… promises promises.

  When he pulled into a parking space along the curb in front of the dark diner, he heard her intake of breath.

  “I hope you don’t mind,” she turned slightly in the passenger seat and he saw her look at him out of the corner of his eye, “I thought I’d lead with my best foot forward.” She was shocked when he was suddenly outside her door, opening it to help her out of the car. “You’re fast!”

  “I’m tall, but my bear helps. He’s also pretty thrilled to meet you.”

  “Will I?” she wondered aloud. “Meet your bear?”

  He looked around the neighborhood and shook his head. “Not tonight. And really, probably not unless you come to Sylvan City to meet the boys. Out there we have our own wooded area where we don’t have to worry about curious eyes or hunters.”

  “That would be exciting. I’ve been in city after city, but I’ve always wanted to live somewhere quiet with lots of trees.”

  “Lots of trees I can do.” A strange odd smile twisted at his lips. “Life with a bunch of teenage boys is anything but quiet.”

  She returned his smile with a brighter one of her own. “But they’d be family.” She turned away from him, fishing for her keys in her purse, but Boone caught just enough of her expression in the reflection on the glass. He didn’t need much light with his bear’s natural sight augmenting his own. She was flushed and the heat he felt rolling off her body went straight to his heart and lower.

  The door swung open and she reached inside to flick on one light.

  “Come on in,” she stepped inside and held open the door.

  He followed her inside, drawing in a breath as he walked past her.

  She smelled like honey and sugar and he flexed his hands to keep himself from reaching for her. They’d spent less than an hour in each other’s company. If he tried to touch her the way he wanted to, he wouldn’t be surprised if she took a swing at him.

  She was human. Things were different for them.

  Even more so now, he was glad he’d refused the photo that Gerri wanted to send him. The effortless sensuality that she’d shown him from the moment he’d seen her, the gorgeous curves that begged for his touch, and yes, the light in her eyes when she was pleased or happy made him ache to hold her. If he’d known what Willa had looked like, he would never have been able to wait for a plane. At least he’d given himself some time to get his head on straight.

  He had allowed Gerri to forward a letter from one of her own friends and a man who was a customer of the diner two meals a day, five days a week for longer than Willa had worked there.

  Mr. Poston’s words about her food made him smile, he was less than hopeless in the kitchen. Frozen pot pies, those strange pocket things, and other items like tater tots and tv dinners were doable, but nothing like the delicious meals that Mr. Poston had described. Still, it was Mr. Poston’s comments about Willa’s smile and her character that had Boone reading those parts of the letter over and over again. The letter that cemented Boone’s need to meet Willa and do what it took to at least have her give him… give them, a chance.

  Personal testimonials aside, nothing had prepared him for being in the same room with Willa. The moment the door at the restaurant had opened and the sudden rush of outside air had brought him her scent, he’d known.

  Willa Barnes was his.

  Ours.

  Yes, he soothed his bear, ours.

  She’d clicked the lock closed so he followed her into the kitchen.

  “Need any help?”

  She shook her head. “I love cooking. Still, I should ask you if there’s something you don’t like eating. Or if there’s something that’s your favorite. We don’t have a huge pantry here, just normal diner fixings.”

  He smiled at her and she had to look up into his eyes for an answer.

  “My two favorites are something I didn’t have to make and something that isn’t burned beyond recognition.”

  “Well then,” she grinned, and he felt it straight to his heart, “edible food, coming right up.”

  Having Boone in the kitchen with her was a revelation of sorts. Whenever Charlie had decided to ‘check on her’ he’d always had plenty to say about her technique… or rather the lack of it. It made her a little ham-handed if she would admit the truth to herself.

  But while she was cooking for Boone, he filled the space in ways that Charlie didn’t. He watched her with his quiet gaze, smiled at her when she wasn’t looking, catching the expressions in the reflections on different surfaces in the room.

  And he talked to her. Asked her questions, not just about the food, but about her… her dreams… her hopes.

  It made her feel filled with hope to have someone who actually cared to find out about who she was.

  “Hey,” she turned a quick look over her shoulder, “want to taste something for me?”

  Almost before she finished asking her question he was standing there behind her, casting a shadow over the counter in front of her. It was a heady feeling. He was tall, big, and when he leaned over her shoulder she had to hold onto the counter so she wouldn’t lean back against him.

  It was hard to resist. Boone was like a magnet, tall, broad, and muscled in all the right places. And that was just a guess since he was still dressed. Still-

  “Willa?” His voice felt like a caress against her cheek. “What is it you wanted me to taste?”

  Me?

  She winced. Her inside voice was very… frank. Taking a tasting spoon from the bin, she dipped it lightly in the sauce and then held it up.

  His lips closed around the bowl of the spoon and she was sure if any of the sauce touched her skin it would go up in steam. When she heard his soft moan less than an inch from her ear, s
he answered with one of her own.

  “What is it?”

  She licked her lips and sucked in a breath. “It’s a raspberry coulis.” She managed to hold herself together as she finished assembling the plates on the counter. “A little bit of lemon juice, sugar, syrup and raspberries,” she sighed, “I can’t get enough of berries.”

  “Me too,” he growled beside her, “I love to roll them over my tongue.”

  She felt a warm puff of breath against her neck. “We should get this to the table before it gets cold.”

  Taking a plate, she held it out to him.

  He took it in his hand and held out the other hand. “I can help with that.”

  “Sure, thanks. I’ll get the drinks.”

  Boone smiled. “Water’s great.”

  “I have iced tea in the fridge.”

  He smiled and leaned in closer, almost brushing his cheek against hers. “If you have honey, I’d love some.”

  “Honey,” she could almost taste the word on her tongue, “I got that.”

  He turned and walked into the dining area of the diner and she let out a long breath. If just being in the same room with him was enough to make her weak in the knees and hot and bothered, what would happen when they were good and truly alone in a room on street level with so many windows.

  Willa nearly flung open the refrigerator and let the cold air wash over her. She needed the shock of the chill to cool her down. Nope, it wasn’t working.

  Reaching for the neckline of her wrap dress she pulled it away from her skin and shook it, trying to get some of the cold air to her skin.

  “I came back to help, but now I’m really glad I came back here. I don’t suppose you need a hand or two with that.”

  She turned to look over her shoulder and was suddenly sure that spontaneous combustion was actually a thing. Willa opened her mouth and tried to find something intelligent to say. Or funny. She could be okay with funny. Plastering a smile on her face, she opened her mouth. “It’s not hot flashes.”

  Oh, Dear Heaven… I wish the ground would swallow me up right now!

  “I’m not,” she reiterated, “having hot flashes. I’m not going through menopause.”

  Oh, shut up, Willa!

  “I was just hot. I mean, I was feeling hot with you in the kitchen.” She winced and leaned her head against the open frame of the fridge. “I need to just shut my mouth and quit while I’m only up to my neck in stupid.”

  Boone walked right up to her and she turned to face him, getting a nice cold chill against her backside, but where he was standing, heat seemed to roll off his body. And suddenly shutting her mouth didn’t have all that much appeal anymore. Not if she could get them on him.

  “I would pay to know what’s on your mind, Willa.”

  She felt her cheeks go up in flames. “I’d rather die than tell you.”

  The intense look on his face said he wasn’t kidding, and the look in his eyes… it made her mouth dry and other parts of her wet.

  Okay one part, but it was a good one… and hadn’t been this interested in a long time… even during the years she’d been with-

  Nope, not going to think about the jerk, not when she had-

  “Willa?”

  He startled her, but she shook off her thoughts and grabbed the pitcher of iced tea, before she ducked around him to close the door.

  “You know,” she opened a cupboard and took out a glass and set it out on the counter, “this is probably not the right time for me.” She poured him a glass of the iced tea and then tugged over a small ceramic container.

  Boone was beside her in a moment. “What’s wrong?”

  She felt his warmth like a blanket and a spark at the same time. Her body was trying to kill her. “It’s not you,” she met his eyes for a moment, sure that what she was saying was the truth, “it’s me.”

  Willa took the top off the container and took out the honey dipper and drizzled thick ropes into his glass. Picking up a long-handled iced tea spoon, she set it into the glass.

  “I’m sorry you had to waste your time coming here to-”

  “Hey,” he didn’t even touch the glass, setting his hands on her shoulders to hold her still as he moved even closer, “I didn’t waste a thing. I just want to know what’s going on.”

  “Nothing,” she said the word so fast she almost had whiplash. “Look, I was with Charlie for years, I supported him so he could chase his dreams, and I worked here for pennies on the dollar so he could save money. Now he’s gone, and I think I’m probably just jumping into things too fast. I don’t even know why you need a matchmaker.” She set her palms on his chest and regretted the move the instant she’d done it. He felt so good under her hands. “You’re gorgeous. You’re successful.”

  “And I have a bunch of boys at home in their teens,” he smiled at her. “Not exactly enticing for most women.”

  “But here I am, wanting to drip this honey all over you, but I’m worried that I’m feeling this way, not just because you’re this amazing guy, but that I’m on that rebound.” She looked up at him and she could feel her face crumple. “Why am I even saying any of this? With my luck you’ll run for the airport.”

  “Hey,” he smiled at her, “take a breath.”

  Willa had a few gasping tries before she was able to pull in a full breath. And that breath was full of the woods and Boone.

  He lifted his hand and gently threaded his fingers through the loose flaxen curls at her temples. “Let me tell you what’s going on in my head, okay?”

  She nodded, hoping they could still salvage some kind of relationship.

  “Willa Barnes, you take my breath away.”

  “You mean I suck the air out of the-”

  His lips. His lips tasted like spice.

  And when she grabbed at his shoulders to pull him closer, his tongue was like a flame to her pilot light that had gone out so long ago.

  When he drew back slowly, she still felt the tingle along her skin.

  She saw his dark brown eyes swim with inky black.

  “I could kiss you all day long, Willa. And more, but that’s not all I want.”

  She couldn’t move, let alone talk.

  “You make me laugh and there’s not a lot of that in my life. I want a chance to get to know you, and hope you want to get to know me. And if you’re worried about me being the rebound, I’m not.” He took her hand and set it back on his chest over the heavy pulse of his heartbeat. “Bear shifters have one fated mate. One heart that calls to us. One true love. From the moment I saw you, Willa, both my heart and my bear called you mine. Ours.

  “So, if you need time. You’ve got it. If you worry that you’re jumping in too fast, we can wait for you… because for us it’s not ‘if’ you’re our mate. You are everything we want and need.”

  Boone brushed another kiss over her lips and she was a heartbeat away from melting in his arms when he pulled back.

  “So, take your time, Willa. We’ll wait.”

  Chapter Four

  Willa was humming the next morning when Gerri came into the diner. Even with an armful of plates, she managed to lean over and give the other woman a big kiss on her cheek. “You, Gerri Wilder, are a goddess! Go ahead and grab a seat, any seat!” She grinned at the customers in the diner. “I’m putting you all on warning, if she wants your seat… heck, if she wants your meal… I’m giving it to her!”

  Laughter filled the diner and Gerri made her way to Bob’s table. “I’ll save everyone the trouble and sit with Bob.”

  “Bob,” Willa grinned as she set down plates at a full four-top, “you know the drill.”

  “Right,” the older man agreed, “if she wants my omelet, she gets it.”

  Willa gave him a satisfied nod before turning back to her four-top. “Anything else I can get for you folks?”

  They all shook their heads.

  “Just let me know if you do,” she took a step back, “I’ll be happy to get it for you.”

  She
turned to the rest of the diner. “Happy to get whatever anyone wants!”

  By the time she made it to Gerri’s side, the other woman was beaming ear to ear.

  “Good Morning to you, Willa.”

  “And a Good Everything to you, Gerri!”

  The elegant woman swept her snowy white and stylishly coiffed hair back from her temple and Willa sighed, remembering Boone’s fingers combing through her hair.

  “Well,” Gerri’s smiling tone matched the grin on her elegant face, “someone looks like they had a really good night.”

  Willa set her hand on the back of the booth and sighed aloud. “A very good night.”

  Bob’s grin was a little weak underneath his smiling eyes. “Just no details, please.”

  Rolling her eyes, Willa laughed. “No worries. Boone is a gentleman and sweet as they come.”

  “Sweet?” Gerri leaned her elbow on the marble-like laminate table. “He’s a shifter, sweetie. With a smile like the one on your face, I would have thought you’d jumped in with both feet.”

  “Oh, I was tempted… so tempted.”

  Bob hung his head and covered his ears with his hands. Willa crooked a finger in Gerri’s direction and the matchmaker followed her into the kitchen.

  When they were safely in the other room, Gerri started their conversation back up. “Tempted sounds good, right?”

  Willa spun around. “Very very good. Your order?”

  “Surprise me.”

  The blush on Willa’s cheeks made her lift her hand to make sure they weren’t on fire. “That’s what he said when I offered to cook for him last night.”

  “Oh?” Gerri stepped up beside Willa, leaning her hip on the counter. “And did he like his surprise?”

  “Very much.” Willa cracked a few eggs into a bowl and tested the flat top. “I made him something I’ve been working on of my own. It felt… right.”

  Gerri grinned back at her.

  “He ate it and the look on his face,” Willa let out a long sigh, “was just about heaven. I love cooking for people and when I make them happy, it feels like I’m glowing from the inside.”

  Willa set her hand over her chest and again she felt the tremors of her heart under her ribs.