Page 8 of Accidentally All Inclusive (Beartastic Summer of Love #5)

Jules

Snorkeling had been an eye-opening experience. No pun intended.

The ocean held wonders I had only dreamed of seeing.

The colors were more vibrant than I expected.

And the fish! Some of them were as big as my paw!

I’d been tempted to shift and try to catch a fish, though we’d been told that was against the rules.

Plus, there was no guarantee my bear would be a great swimmer in the ocean.

It was so vast. Even though we were close to land, the fact that I could look to the west and see only water was crazy.

I had more fun laughing with Westley than I had in a long time.

Though I’d lived next to the ocean for a while now, today was the first time I’d taken a boat out.

Thankfully seasickness hadn’t been an issue for me.

Westley wasn’t a fan. He spent the first part of the trip trying to hold down the berries we’d devoured in our bear form.

Once the boat dropped anchor, his stomach eased and we were able to enjoy ourselves.

For the life of me, I couldn’t seem to get my goggles to stick on my face without letting in a ton of air and water.

Meanwhile, he had taken to the water like a fish.

We’d picked up an underwater camera at the resort gift shop on a whim.

I caught Westley taking more pictures of me than of the fish, though.

We managed to see a huge stingray. In my excitement to show Westley, I managed to scare it away while also dropping the camera. Luckily he dove in to save it.

“Are you sure you’ve never done this before?” I asked when we were on our way back to the dock. Perhaps some friendly conversation would keep Westley’s stomach from revolting.

“Not snorkeling like this, but there’s a river back home,” he’d said. “I swim in my bear form a lot, or rather, I sit in the cool water in my bear form. It doesn’t quite get deep enough for me to have to swim. My bear is a little big for that.”

No kidding. His bear was massive, and he had cuddled around me like he belonged there. I’d never felt so loved and protected. I could have slept all afternoon with him coiled around me like my personal protective bubble. “Do you fish?” I asked.

He nodded. “Yeah, that’s one of my favorite things to do.”

“I love having fish in my bear form.” I said, “I mean, I’ve only done it once, but it was so good.” Or maybe that had been because I had been starving at the time. My father was between jobs, which meant we were between homes living in the woods for a short time.

He grinned, then opened his mouth to say something, but the words didn’t come out.

Was he going to offer to fish with me sometime?

Maybe fish for me, perhaps? But that was something a mate would do, and we were not that.

Even if I wished we could be. My omega instincts were screaming at me that Westley was something special, that he was mine.

But that was impossible. What were the odds?

Besides, he deserved someone so much better than me, someone who didn’t have all the baggage that I came with.

Yet when we were in the woods and he was bringing me berries, I imagined that was what it was like to have a mate.

When I closed my eyes and he curled around me, I did not stop myself from dreaming of that very idea.

Shifting and running together would be a regular occurrence if he were mine.

We’d gather berries together, chase each other through the woods as we let our bears free to enjoy nature.

He seemed to love being in his bear form as much as I did.

Perhaps I’d even cuddle with him as a human when he was in bear form.

His big body would overshadow mine, but his warmth would feel so good.

“We have a fantastic fishing hole in the woods behind my parents’ house. We keep it stocked with fish, and it connects to a river that runs through town. You can canoe down it. It’s a lot of fun.”

“It sounds like it.”

“I’d, um, I’d love to take you sometime. To show you where I like to fish.”

“I’d love that,” I said. I kept my voice quiet, afraid to voice my desires too loud.

The snorkeling adventure came to an end, and we made our way back to the resort. The excursion company dropped us off right at the front steps—another one of the perks of the all-inclusive part.

Westley linked his hand into mine and tugged me toward our—his—cabin. The length of our day and all our activities caught up to me and my eyes were barely open. My limbs grew heavy.

“Are you feeling all right, Jules?” he asked.

I nodded. “Yeah. I just think maybe the sun got to me.” I fought back a yawn, hiding my mouth behind my hand.

Heat prickled under my skin. I’d put sunscreen on, yet now I felt flush and hot, like I was radiating my own heat.

Fatigue weighed me down despite the nap I had taken earlier in the day, both in human form and in my bear form.

“You do look a little warm, but you kept sunscreen on and you’re not pink.”

“Well, that’s good,” I said. The last thing I wanted to deal with was a sunburn.

“Maybe I’ll go straight to bed. Unless you need something?

” As Westley’s companion, this was my job, to provide for all his needs.

It was easy to forget I was working, and I needed to make sure Westley was satisfied with my services.

“You already put in the dinner order, so we should be fine for the evening.”

What a weird week this was. I had slept so much already, which wasn’t like me.

And to think I was being paid for all of this.

It almost didn’t seem fair. I should’ve been doing more for Westley, fulfilling the duties that he actually signed up for, even if he hadn’t realized what he had signed up for.

He yawned when we reached the cabin door. “I could fall asleep also. I’ll make sure to turn the air down while we’re there. Are you hungry at all?”

I shook my head, fighting back another yawn.

When we got to the room, he ushered me to the bed. “Let me get you a bottle of water. If you are getting sun sick, it’s important to be hydrated.”

I didn’t think I was sun sick. I didn’t feel sunburned, but I did burn.

The warmth of Westley’s body next to mine was getting to me.

I should’ve wanted to get away from him, yet I couldn’t drag myself away.

I wanted him wrapped around me again. His arms holding me tight and his breath tickling my neck.

There was comfort to be had in his arms.

“Are you going to sleep?” I asked.

“Maybe,” he said. “I’ll eat my dinner and get a box for yours. That way we have something in the room if we wake up hungry.”

“Are you sure? I can go with you. Or I can get it for you.” That was my job, right? To make sure his needs were taken care of. My limbs were heavy at my sides and the thought of doing anything besides crashing seemed impossible.

Tomorrow I’d do better. As soon as I rested.

“No. You lie down, please. I need you to sleep before you fall over.”

I did not have the strength to argue with him, so instead, I pulled my pillow close to me and snuggled against it.

“If you insist,” I mumbled.

“I do,” he said.

I closed my eyes before I heard the door close. I swore I felt the faintest brush of his lips over my forehead.

But that had to be my imagination.