Bear Your Teeth (Alpha Werebear Paranormal Shifter Romance) Read Online Free

rough, paper surgical mask.
    For a second, the two just sat there, lips pressed against each other, through a mask, and then Paprika first, Thor second, both of them started laughing. What else was there to do? The choices were laugh, get all embarrassed, or admit the reality that she just grabbed a guy she didn’t know past the twinkle in his eyes and the glint of laughter in the tiny crinkles at the corners of his eyes, and kissed him in the middle of an exam.
    “I’m... I’m sorry, I have no idea what the hell I was thinking, Dr. Melton,” she said. “I guess I just started thinking about being a Twinkie or a cheeseburger or whatever it was, and—“
    Taking off his mask, he was all smiles. “Nothing to worry about. I admit that I don’t usually stroke the necks of my clients. Something came over me,” he paused for a second. “I was staring at your eyes, and your hair, and those beautiful teeth, and—“
    “Wait, did you just say beautiful teeth? That’s, okay well that’s a little weird in any case, but mine are far from beautiful. They stick out like a cartoon rabbit.”
    He shook his head and immediately looked distracted, like he’d gone about four steps too far, which he had, although in this case, it wasn’t really him that took those first steps straight off the edge of appropriate and into possible-court-date town.
    For that though, someone needed to be upset.
    “But they’re you,” he said finally. “They’re nothing to be ashamed about. Looking at you, I—“ He cut himself off. “You know, this is a game I won’t win. I play it with myself, with my heart. And I’m doing it again.”
    “That took a turn for the dark,” Paprika said, still smiling with one corner of her mouth. “Do you wanna, like, get a coffee or something?”
    “I think I’m moving,” he said. “Business is dying down, and I’ve been looking at new places. I saw a job posting online that was vague and weird, but honestly? It sounds pretty good right about now.”
    “Whoa, whoa, wait a second. Stop the press. Why are you telling me this?”
    He scrunched up his forehead. “Because you’re going to have to find another dentist?”
    “No, I mean, why are you telling me this now ? We hardly even know each other, I got all excited and kissed you through a mask and then you said some stuff about me being beautiful and then you announced you were leaving. It’s all kind of fast paced, you know?”
    “I’m sorry,” he said, looking down, obviously thinking about something else and wishing he’d never said half the stuff he said. “I’m not used to dealing with, you know, not-bears. We’re kinda direct.”
    “Yeah,” Rika said with a chuckle and a playful grin. “Yeah, I kinda get that. If my mom knew what just happened she’d probably already be planning a wedding and four baby showers.”
    He cocked an eyebrow. “Four?”
    “Big litters in my family.”
    It was Thor’s turn to let out a booming laugh. When he really got going, he leaned his head back all the way and just roared.
    “I talk when I’m nervous,” Rika offered, like she was extending a sympathetic hand. “And also kiss, apparently.”
    “I do too. Terrible habit. I have the even worse habit of seeing something I want and refusing to let go until it’s mine.” His voice went all growly and gravely and so sexy it almost hurt.
    “Like trashcan Twinkies?”
    He watched her face, his look hungry and intense. “Yeah,” he said.
    She was starting to get so flushed and flustered that if she didn’t do something quick , Paprika was going to take her public display of desperation to a whole new level. A kiss was one thing, but pushing her dentist over and actually jumping on him? Probably somewhere over the line.
    “Hey,” she cut in, “uh, you said something about finding a job ad online? Where are you looking to go?” I’ll go with you, God as my witness, I don’t care where we go, I’ll go with you is what she wanted to