Beauty & The Bear

7

Kaine

“Because I like you Hayley” I say bluntly.

Her eyes snap up to meet mine, her pupils dilated.

“You don’t even know me” She whispers, her voice suddenly hoarse. I can hear her heart beating faster than normal.

“I know enough to know I want you, and I’ve never wanted anyone before so that’s saying something” I open the bag and pull out a burger handing it to her but she just stares at me.

“Hayley…” Great, now I’ve opened my big mouth and scared her.

“There’s so much about me that you don’t know Kaine” A tear slides down her cheek.

I wish to God I could just take away all her pain, harness it and use it as fuel to give her pleasure instead.

“So tell me”

She shakes her head, “I can’t.. It’s too dangerous”

She keeps avoiding me at every turn, no matter how hard I try. I don’t know what it will take to show her that she can trust me.

“I can handle whatever you throw at me Hayley.. Just answer me one thing… Do you like me? Be honest”

“Kaine.. I-”

“Honest” I repeat

“...Yes.. I feel… Safe and there’s something else but I don’t know what it is to be honest” She looks away, her heart picks up even more. She is excited but also scared.

Good, she is finally telling me how it is. Being real with me.

“I think I know what it is” I lean forward, gently lifting her face towards mine, bringing my lips down onto hers placing a soft kiss on hers. She doesn’t pull away, allowing me to kiss her a bit deeper after a moment. Her lips part slightly and a soft moan escapes her, my tongue dashes across her bottom lip, making her gasp. She breaks the kiss sharply, pulling back, her eyes are wild.

I straighten up and clear my throat, her breathing starts to even out slowly.

“I’ll wait as long as it takes…” I say, “When you’re ready to talk I’ll be here”

I’ll be here for the rest of your life, is what I really want to say. I’ll never let you go. But I know I need to take this slow and let her call the shots, let her come to me. When she’s ready.

Don’t push her, I tell myself.

After we eat I help her clean up, I notice a bright red burn mark on her left arm, “What’s this?” I ask

“Today hasn’t been my day. I burnt myself with my lye mixture” She shrugs, “It’s not a big deal, it doesn’t hurt that badly”

“You don’t wear gloves?”

She shakes her head, “I know I should but I don’t like the idea of single use gloves, it’s wasteful. And I haven’t gotten around to getting a pair of reusable ones”

She doesn’t use any safety equipment, it’s dangerous from what I read. Just the chemical reaction alone the lye gives off is hazardous to breathe in let alone getting it on your skin.

“Well thanks for lunch, I should clean up and call it a day” She stands

“Right.. I’ll see you tomorrow then”

I check to see if Mrs. Gorsley’s rocker is dry, I decided to sand it down and restain it for her and load it into my truck. Making the short drive to her old house I knock on her door, she takes forever to answer, she’s wearing a worn out robe with curlers in her hair and slippers.

“Oh Kaine dear... I forgot you were going to stop by. I’m sorry I’m not dressed… Please come in”

I pick up her rocker and carry it inside, she shows me exactly where she wants it and I set it down for her.

“I have one more thing for you. I’ll be right back” I say as I head back to the truck for her new cane, she waits by her front door as I climb back up her porch steps.

“I noticed your old one was a little worse for wear”

“Oh that was very thoughtful of you dear, thank you. Make sure you send me the bill and I’ll come around your shop next week to pay” She tests out her new cane, putting some weight on it to make sure it will support her. I tested it myself and I am nearly twice her weight so I am not worried.

The next few weeks go by in a blur, I try to get as close to Hayley as she will allow me which isn’t very. I’ve stolen two more kisses from her in that time, each one better than the last. I can still taste her on my lips, everyday when I wake up I feel her softness on me and wish she were beside me.

I’m restless, needing to go for a run desperately to get her from my mind. I walk out my backyard and shift into my Bear form and charge into the forest. The animals run in fear from my presence as I charge past. I run for a few hours, feeling free, I can smell hunters nearby and change course, heading back home. Don’t want to get caught up in any accidents today, last thing I need is a misguided bullet.

Once I get home I shower and head for town, stopping at the market for a bouquet of flowers. Today is the grand opening of her shop, I want to surprise her.

I’m walking towards her shop and I see a crowd gathered outside, she’s created a buzz around town, everyone’s been talking about her shop for the last few weeks. The excitement in the air is electric.

I stand my place in line and wait for the doors to open, and within a few minutes the crowd is allowed inside the shop. It’s all women, the store is bustling. I find Hayley at the till, ringing up Charlie Mcnaley a mother of three, she is thanking her as she grabs a bag from Hayley and hurries from the shop.

“My first sale” She smiles at me

“That was fast”

“She had contacted me a month ago, when I first got here and she heard I was opening a soap shop and asked me to make her a custom order. She wanted some breast milk soap made. She was picking up her order” She explains as she places her first receipt in a binder.

“Oh that’s awesome.. These are for you. Congrats on your big day”

I hand her the flowers, her eyes light up with delight as she accepts them from me, our hands graze.

“They are beautiful, thank you!” She brings them to her nose and sniffs deeply.

“Excuse me. If you’re done flirting I’d like to pay!” Someone says from behind me. Hayley goes bright red and I turn to see Gloria Freeds, one of the nastiest women in town standing behind me, tapping her foot. Her arms are loaded to the brim with candles, which surprises me. I didn't take her for the type of woman to light up a candle and relax.

“Forgive me” I step off to the side, letting Gloria access the counter. She huffs and drops her items down as she sends me a glare, Hayley just pretends it never happened and begins checking her out.

I take advantage of the opportunity and sneak off, checking out her store. I pick up a candle, pulling the lid off and sniff it, it’s a mixture of cedar and vanilla. I tuck it in my elbow and continue looking around, finding a few other candles of similar scents, all very woodsy. I make my way over to the soap selection and find the same scents and grab two of each. My arms are getting too full and I go to get a basket, dropping everything inside.

Something catches my eye on a shelf and I b-line to it, she has a line of beard oils, I pick up the tester and open it, giving it a smell. It’s a subtle orange and clove scent, not too strong. I put a few drops in my hand and massage it into my beard, it feels nice. I grab one and place it in the basket along with my other goodies, she has lip balms as well, I grab a few just to be safe.

Her craftsmanship is high quality and from what I’ve seen so far I’m impressed.

I head to the till which now has a line up, Hayley doesn’t seem bothered by it. In fact she has a huge smile on her face with every customer she deals with. While I wait I listen to her make conversation with everyone, explaining her processes and how she came to make soaps and candles.

Once it’s my turn I step up to the counter and place my basket down, her eyes go wide.

“You don’t have to do this Kaine” She says flatly.

“Do what?”

“Buy this… buy anything.” She gestures to my basket, crossing her arms over her chest. She looks so adorable when she is frustrated with me, which seems to be often.

“I handpicked these items, I am excited to try each and every one of them. There is no way you can talk me out of a single thing”

“Alright…” she sighs and starts to remove the items from my basket.

“You ready?” She asks after totaling everything up

“Lay it on me” I wink at her

“With a friends and family discount, your total is $122.35” She smirks

“No problemo. Although next time, don’t bother giving me a discount. I would happily pay full pop” I take my wallet out and hand her some cash, her till opens and she gives me some change. She hands me two bags,

“Have a great day, thank you for shopping at ‘Mountain Aroma’” She smiles

“Love the name by the way” I say as I head out the door

First thing I do when I get home is place one of my new candles on my bedside table, and the soaps in the bathroom along with the beard oil. Once I’m satisfied with the placement of all my new items I head back out, going back to her store, there’s still quite a few people coming and going, I wait for a quiet moment before I make my move.

“I was wondering if you’d like to come to my place for dinner?” I lean against the counter

“Dinner?” She c***s her head to the side

“Yeah, the meal after lunch, before you go to bed, is typically a bit heavier. Often times romantic in nature” I explain with a smirk.

“Do you cook?”

“I don’t like to brag but I can cook a meal pasta”

“Alright, what time would you like me to stop by?”

“I’ll pick you up, around six thirty? That should give you enough time to get ready?” I offer

She nods, a customer comes up to the till and draws her attention away from me.

“I’ll see you tonight then”

I go home and get things ready for my date with my Mate.

After showering using her soap which is surprisingly moisturizing. I lay out a pair of dress pants and a nicer button up shirt. I comb through my hair and trim my beard before applying more of her beard oil.

I make sure everything is perfect for tonight before getting dressed and going to pick her up, I stop at the liquor store for some wine to go with dinner before heading to her house. She has done some improvements but it still needs a lot of work.

The porch is still in really rough shape, I worry my weight alone will cave it in. I climb up the steps and knock on her door, within a few moments she answers, pulling the door open wide.

A big smile on her face as she greets me, “Hi” She looks stunning, her hair is in loose curls around her, she’s wearing a green dress that hugs to her body in the most appetizing way. My throat goes dry for a moment, I have to remember how to swallow.

“Hi beautiful.. I mean, you look beautiful… I mean.. Hello” I feel tongue tied suddenly.

Hayley blushes deeply before inviting me inside, “I’ll just be a minute, I’m almost ready. Make yourself comfortable” She turns and runs back upstairs

“Take your time” I call after her

I sit down on the couch and wait, she’s back in a few minutes, wearing a pair of short black heels and carrying a small black purse. Her hair is now half pulled up just enough so it is not in her face, creating almost a halo effect. Somehow she looks even more beautiful than before, I quickly stand and make my way over to her.

I drive us back to my place and she seems surprised that I have her candles laid out around the living room. I put on some soft romantic music to set the mood,

“I didn’t think you’d actually use them for some reason” She laughs

“Why wouldn’t I? They smell so good”

“So.. what’s for dinner?”

“We will be making chicken fettuccine with sundried tomatoes and mozzarella with bread sticks and for dessert we have chocolate lava cakes. '' I announce like a head chef at a five star restaurant.

“By we you mean…”

“We.. you and me”

“I can promise you right now you do not want me in the kitchen with you. I'm a horrible cook. I will burn it” she laughs and puts her hands up in defense.

“Oh but the fun we'll have. Come on now, all you will have to do is sit right here” I reach for her waist and hoist her up onto the counter top with ease, she squeals in surprise, her hands gripping my forearms tightly. “ and drink wine while you watch me cook '' I hand her a glass and the bottle and I searched for the corkscrew.

When I look up at her she has a sheepish grin on her face, she's having a good time. Thank god. Once I open the bottle of wine I let her pour our glasses and I begin cooking.

Our conversation is effortless, I do most of the talking while she asks me questions about my life here, my childhood, likes and dislikes. When I forward the questions back to her she answers but deflects anything deep. I don't get too many personal details from her, soon I hope to change that.

What I do learn is, she is a Libra, her birthday September 30th, she hates conflict, typical for her sign. Her favorite color is green, like the forest, second favorite purple.

Her favorite movie is Lord of the Rings, which is great but puts a kink in my plans for later. I had expected it to be a cheesy romantic chick flick. I was going to ask her what her favorite movie was and put it on for us to watch under the stars. Now I have to think of a new movie on my own.

She loves heavy metal and punk music. She graduated High school with honors, she wanted to go to college to become a teacher but couldn't afford it and wasn't able to get a scholarship due to some unexpected reasons which she did not go into detail.

Her family is all gone, died in a house fire when she was nineteen. She was at a boyfriends House when it happened otherwise she probably would be dead too. It's just her now, all alone.

I told her I can relate, I'm by myself too. I didn't go into details on how my family was killed by hunters.

Once dinner is finished cooking, she sets the table, lighting candles and brings our wine over while I carry the plates. I decided to set up on the patio, overlooking the lake.

“It's so beautiful out here. Your so lucky to live here” she whispers as she takes in the view

“It's nice alright, but I can think of a few things that are nicer” I say coyly, coming up behind her and pulling out her chair.

I lean down and kiss her cheek as I push her chair in, feeling the warmth spread across her skin.