Bear Naked

“Cyn’s working this morning. Tabby has the night shift with Heather, so I’ll take Tabby’s sandwich.” She was still starving. A woman could not live on fruit salad alone, after all. She grabbed her coat and followed him out the door. “Are you planning on hanging out at the shop all day?”

“I have to go get some work done, so my parents said they’d be in around ten.” Ryan yawned. “Why do you have to go in so early?”

“It’s eight thirty. What time do you usually head in?”

“I’ve been meaning to ask you. You guys are open until eleven, so why do you go in so early?”

Glory gave him her best innocent look. “Business meetings.”

Ryan snickered. “Is that what you call your good morning gossip session?”

“Actually, Mr. Accountant, we do the books, discuss the clients for the week, take inventory, do the orders for ink, needles, jewelry, go over the latest trends, decide if we’re doing any of the cons this year—”

“Okay, geez. I didn’t realize you guys did so much in the mornings.”

“We really need another piercer too.” Glory yawned. Some days it felt like she never left Cynful.

Ryan pulled out of the parking lot and onto the street. “I telecommute so I don’t start until nine. And since we’re now on East Coast time while the main office is on West Coast, I usually don’t start until noon.”

“That’s going to change now that the business is moving here.”

He shrugged. “I can handle it.” He shot her a steamy glance. “You’re worth it.”

Glory squirmed and cleared her throat. “If you say so.”

“I do.”

It didn’t take long to stop off at a local fast food place to pick up some breakfast, and they were pulling up in front of Cynful Tattoos before the sandwiches had cooled. Ryan and Glory made their way to the front of the building, smiling and waving at Cyn through the plate glass window.

“Good morning!”

“Morning, guys.” Cyn stopped polishing the glass on the countertop long enough to sniff appreciatively. “Egg, ham and cheese?”

“Would we bring you anything else?”

“God, I love you.” Cyn reached for the bag and pulled out her sandwiches. “I’m starving. Super Bear decided to work with Alex today.”

“He still worried about deportation?” Ryan settled down on the gray chaise and pulled his own sandwiches out, handing the bag to Glory when he was done.

“Yes, even though Gabe and Max both reassured him that the Senate was working on keeping him in the States.” She sighed. “We’re thinking of pushing up the wedding.”

“Don’t do that.” Glory ripped open the wrapper. “Give yourselves the wedding you want.”

“If it means getting Julian his green card, I’ll marry him tomorrow.”

“If the Senate doesn’t come through or if they take too long, then yeah.” Ryan threw away an empty wrapper and grabbed his second sandwich. “I would move up the wedding. But wait another month or two before you decide, okay? You can always do a courthouse wedding, and then hold your dream ceremony later on.”

The girls both stared at him. “Thought about this a lot, have you?”

He shrugged. “Julian’s family.”

And that was it as far as Ryan Williams was concerned. Julian was family, and the Bunsun-Williams clan would back him one hundred percent.

“Then let’s not worry about it until all this other shit is taken care of.” Cyn gathered her empty wrappers and tossed them in the trash. “We need to get ready to open. Take the trash out for me? I’ll start setting everything out for the day.”

Glory crumpled up her empty wrapper. “Will do.”

“We can’t keep an eye on you if you go out back to the trash bin.” Ryan scowled. “I’ll take the trash out. Cyn can keep an eye on you right here.”

Glory rolled her eyes. “Fine.” Glory picked up the glass cleaner. “I’ll just do the windows, okay?”

Ryan relaxed. “Thanks, sweetheart.” Ryan stole a brief kiss before gathering up the wastebaskets behind the counter and by the chaise.

Glory began cleaning the plate window, trying to ignore the way her lips tingled. She was getting used to those stealthy, sweet brushes of his mouth against hers. She wanted more, though. Deeper and longer, and that both scared and excited her. If she allowed Ryan the type of kiss they both seemed to crave, she doubted it would stop there. Ryan would take her, mark her and make her like he was.

Was she ready for that?

She watched out of the corner of her eye as Ryan headed into the break room. The way his jeans cupped his ass…

Woof. Glory was going to have to use her handful of paper towels to clean up the drool.

“I think that window is clean.” The amusement in Cyn’s voice caught her attention.

Glory rolled her eyes. “I can’t get this hand print off. I think it’s outside.” It wasn’t uncommon. People leaned against the huge window all the time. Some of them were trying to get a better look at the flash—or tattoo art—in the window. Some were fixing something with their shoes, or just needed a second to rest while shopping. “I’m going to head out front and clean it.”

Cyn frowned, but really, there wasn’t anything she could say. Glory would be on a main street, in broad daylight, with other shops open all around them. There might not be any place safer. “All right…”

Glory rolled her eyes. “I’m not going to be mauled by a shifter right on the street, Cyn. Besides, you’re right here. I think, Miss Kodiak, you can protect me. Right?”

“Just stay where I can see you, and everything should be fine. I don’t want to have to explain to Ryan how I lost his mate.” Cyn folded her arms across her chest. “And I don’t want you hurt again on my watch.”

“It wasn’t your fault that I got shot, Cyn.”

Cyn sniffed. “I know that.”

“Bullshit.”

Cyn huffed. “Just go clean the window.”

Glory was shaking her head as she stepped out of the front door of the shop. No matter how much she tried to reassure Cyn, the woman still felt like it was her responsibility that Glory had been shot by a madman. None of them had expected a sniper would take shots at them. That was the kind of thing that happened in the movies, not real life.