“I didn’t know they were that big!” She stared at the furry brown creature in wonder, it was an amazing sight. “They look smaller when they’re on all fours, I guess.”
“She’s a big one,” Anton noted as Matteo came up beside Marie to look out at the bear. “Has to be 6 feet tall, at least.”
“How much do you think she weighs,” Marie asked quietly. The animal was huge and looked terrifying, but at the same time, playful as she danced around on the panel, scratching her back good.
“Around 300 pounds,” Matteo told her as he looked at the animal.
It was named a grizzly bear, and it was scary to think about an animal so big so close, but Marie didn’t feel in danger. Not with the animal outside. Now, in the living room would be another story, but out there, it was just fascinating to watch.
They all laughed when the panel broke under the bear’s weight and she flounced off as if insulted. She even cast a look back over her shoulder, as if to shout profanities at it, but she kept going and soon disappeared into the darkness. Marie watched her go with sadness, but she was happy to have seen the large bear.
“Anybody want a drink?” she asked as she headed towards the kitchen at the back end of the house.
“No, I’m going back upstairs. Thanks, though, Marie.” Anton waved at them both before he went back up the pine stairs to restart his vigil.
“Maybe a stiff drink would get me back to sleep. When the alarm went off and you weren’t there, I thought I’d have a heart attack.” Matteo admitted as he followed her.
“Sorry, I didn’t want to disturb you, so I came down here.” She poured scotch into two glasses and they took them into the living room. She drank hers down in one gulp and then had a sip of her apple juice to chase the taste away. She still wasn’t used to it, but she liked the way it warmed her up.
“Well, it was just a bear, something I hadn’t thought about. It was nice to see one though, wasn’t it?” Matteo took his time with his drink, savored it as he leaned his head back against the couch.
“It was. I’ve never seen one. Snakes, nutria, beavers, rats, deer, skunks, alligators, ducks, I’ve seen all of those. Never a bear, though.” She took another drink of her juice and pulled the blanket over her legs.
“What’s a nutria?”
“Hmm. Like a mix between a rat and beaver, that’s the best way I know how to describe it. Some people make pets out of them. And end up having to buy new furniture if it’s wood.” She looked at him with a happy tilt to her eyes and took his hand in hers. “Want to go back to bed?”
“Yeah, let’s go up. I guess we’ll have to go into town now, to replace the panels. Can’t have two security breaches, can we?”
“Nope, can’t have that at all.” Marie grinned up at him as they stood up and headed for the stairs. She let him go up first, just to watch the round swell of his ass as he marched up the steps. Fuck, he had a nice ass. Perfect to hold onto, to cup in your hand and caress, and to just look at when you wanted to see a work of art.
He took an hour out of his morning, almost every day, to work on his body, to keep in shape, and ran for half an hour every evening when he bought her the treadmill. She admired his dedication and the outcome of his efforts. She reached out to pinch his left buttock, then stared up at him innocently when he turned to frown down at her.
“Did you just pinch my ass?” His frown turned to amusement almost immediately.
She blinked up at him, innocence oozing from her pores until she grinned wickedly up at him. She winked at him before she spoke. “Maybe. What are you going to do about it?”
“Oh, Marie,” he grinned as he picked her up and carried her into their bedroom. “I’m going to teach you what happens to ladies that pinch men’s bottoms. By making you come for an hour.”
“Oh, promises, promises,” she drawled as a dare, but she knew that was one promise he would most definitely keep.
8
They woke up late the next morning, the incident with the bear and the alarm had disturbed their sleep. Matteo watched her as she left the bed in the early morning light. She was a little hunched over as if her back hurt or her stomach. When she came back from the bathroom, he noticed that her hands shook as she brushed her hair.
“Are you alright, Marie?” he asked; concern a gentle tone in his voice.
“Yes, just a little stiff this morning that’s all. And tired after that scare last night.” She turned her head just enough to smile at him reassuringly. She turned back to the small mirror over a tall dresser and brushed out her dark hair.
He pushed himself up out of the bed and grimaced when his bare feet touched the floor. “I really need to pick up some slippers or something when we’re in town today.”
“Oh, we are going out? Good.” She flashed him a happy grin and he felt his heart thud in his chest with the pleasure of it. If that’s all it took to make her smile like that, theirs would be an easy life. The problem was, she was in danger, so getting smiles like that were more difficult than they should be.
He went out of the bedroom with a slight frown. Maybe they wouldn’t have to be so vigilant out here, especially with Anton there to help keep an eye out for threats. Maybe they could relax a little.
His worries were forgotten after he had a shower and went down to breakfast. Marie had biscuits, eggs, and sausage on the table by the time he got down. Anton was seated at the table, quietly eating his food, his eyes on the plate. She was smirking just a little and he knew she was amused with Anton.
Matteo knew the man was a holy terror to any enemies, a loyal employee, and a man to be feared by his other employees. But whenever he was near Marie he turned into a shy man that might be taken for a simpleton. For some reason, that really pleased Marie and he found her amusement amusing. “Good morning, Anton. Sleep yet?”
“Yes, boss.” Anton flashed his eyes up at Matteo just long enough for their eyes to meet before they skittered back down to the plate. “I’ve cleared the car out, and the road looks clear. We can head out after breakfast if you’d like.”
“Sounds good to me. How about you, Marie?” Matteo sat down at the table and filled his plate. He saw her eagerly nod her head as he did so and hid a smile.
“That sounds heavenly to me.” She agreed as she picked up her last bite of food. She nodded again as she chewed.
She was so ready to get out into the world that she ran up the stairs to change her clothes, and by the time he finished his food she had on her snow boots and a thick black wool coat. A gray infinity scarf was looped over her head to protect her from the cold and she had on matching gloves. She sat in a chair tapping her foot by the door. Anton was nowhere in sight.
“Eager, aren’t we?” He grinned as he teased her, her excitement infecting him.
“I am! Usually, I save that eagerness for you, but I get to be out in the world for a little while, and to see more of the little town we didn’t stop long in.”
“It’s not a big city, a little bigger than your hometown back in Louisiana, but I think there will be plenty to see.” He looped a scarf around his neck, put on a wool coat of his own, and slipped on some gloves. “Has Anton gone out to start the car?”