Hell, she had to make sure Liana was comfortable with Eddie pursuing her.
“It is, but ignore her. She’s grouchy in the morning,” Eddie lied. She hated speaking untruths, but she didn’t want to let on to Liana what was really going on with her animal. There would be plenty of time later for that.
“If you say so,” Liana murmured.
Eddie moved around the kitchen, gathering what she needed. She felt Liana’s eyes watching her. She could tell the woman was curious about her. There was a slight hint of attraction in the air. Eddie tried to ignore it as she worked. Her bearnipped at her, wanting her to address it. While waiting for the water to boil in the pot, she made both of them a cup of hot tea. With the low windchill outside, they would need to stay warm inside. She had built the fire back up when she awoke to ensure the living space was nice and toasty.
“Here you go.” Eddie handed Liana her mug.
Their fingers brushed each other’s. The contact was brief, but enough. Heat surged through Eddie. She flexed her fingers and resisted the urge to touch Liana or worse—kiss her again.
Right now, she had more things she needed to focus on than kissing this beautiful woman.
“This tea is good. You are going to have to share your recipe. I’m usually a coffee drinker, but this right here, I could drink every day,” Liana admitted. She stared down into her cup.
“It’s a simple recipe. My grandmother actually taught me when I was younger. She used to grow her own leaves to make tea,” Eddie said. She went back to the stove and continued making their breakfast. She gave the oatmeal a good stir to ensure it wasn’t burning and turneddown the flame. She glanced over at Liana and wondered how she liked her oats.
“Well, I want to know one thing about bears,” Liana said. She smiled and set her mug down on the counter.
“And what is that?” Eddie faced Liana and leaned back against the counter. She folded her arms in front of her so she could pay attention to what her mate—Liana—wanted to know. She would be open about her kind. She wanted Liana to know everything there was about her and the clan.
“Is it true that bears love honey?” Liana giggled.
Eddie relaxed and gave a hearty chuckle. Liana’s giggles turned into a fully fledge laughing fit with tears running down her face and all. She made such a cute picture when she smiled. It was good to see that she was in light spirits. After almost dying yesterday, it was nice for her to find humor.
“Well, I can’t speak for all bears, but this one right here definitely has a sweet tooth,” Eddie admitted.
Liana fell into another fit of laughter. She wiped her face and shook her head. “I’m sorry,but I always ask. My friend, who I was going to visit, she’s a bear shifter, and it was one of the first questions I asked her when we met in college.” She sniffed. Her smile and laughter were infectious.
“So that’s why you were out in this storm? To visit a friend. Is she deathly ill or something?” Eddie asked. It had to be the only reason a person would attempt to travel in this weather.
“Um, no. I thought I could make it to Lurton before the storm hit, but boy did I misjudge.” Liana’s smile disappeared.
So she was going to Lurton. Interesting.
“Who is your friend?” Eddie asked casually. As the alpha of the clan, she knew almost everyone by name. Their clan wasn’t the largest one around, but she tried to get to know as many bears as she could.
“Terri Collins. She recently had a baby, and I was going to stay with her for the next week. Henry has been working so much that I told her I wouldn’t mind coming to help her out.” Liana lifted her mug and took another sip of her drink.
“Ah, yes. Terri. I know her and Henry,” Eddie said. The Collinses were longstanding members of the Brown Claw clan. She wasfamiliar with him and his parents. “Junior is a cute little baby.”
“I know. She’s sent me so many pictures. He has the fattest cheeks. That’s why I was trying my best to get to them. His aunt Liana needs a good hug and cuddles.” Liana sighed.
Eddie bit back a groan at the thought of cuddling with Liana again. Last night had been torture. Fantasies of what they could have done kept creeping into her mind. It had made it hard for Eddie to fall asleep, and when she finally had, Liana had been right there in her dreams.
“Well, I certainly see why you braved the weather. I’ll make sure you make it to Lurton safely,” Eddie said. She turned around and went back to the oatmeal. It had thickened up perfectly and was ready. She used a skillet to toast their bread. “Brown sugar, cinnamon, and butter for your oatmeal?”
“How’d you know?” Liana gasped.
Eddie smiled and shrugged while she flipped the bread over. “That’s how I take mine.” She chuckled. She took the toast off the skillet and placed it on a dish and turned off the gas.
“Here, I can get the bowls. Where are they?”
Eddie turned back and found Liana alreadycarefully making her way to the cabinets. She began opening them one by one until she found them. Eddie folded her arms in front of her and stared at her.
Liana turned back around with two bowls in her arms. “What?”
“You are supposed to be—never mind.” Eddie shook her head. This woman just refused to allow her to take care of her. She moved over to her and took the bowls from her. “You are impossible.”