Page 5 of Bear to be Wild (Moonlight Siren #5)

MARIBELLE

S hame swarmed through me. I’d screwed up—badly. And now I was stuck with this bear shifter unless I could figure out a way to fix it.

So far, Roan had surprised me. He hadn’t been furious when I’d revealed what I’d done and the unfortunate repercussions with our temporary predicament. His reaction had thrown me off.

As well as the way he looked at me now. His amber-brown eyes held mine with a focused intensity that left me flustered. And his scent—it wasn’t eau de testosterone à la perspiration, but an alluring woodsy musk with a hint of honey. A flicker of heat burned through me.

I forced my chin up. “So now what do we do?” I placed a hand on my hip. “I have to treat clients in the spa, and you have to—” I motioned toward him—“do whatever you do with all that grunting.”

A young couple walked down the hall toward the gym.

“Let’s talk inside the fitness studio,” he said to me.

Good idea. We shouldn’t be discussing our predicament out here.

I stepped back into the room with gleaming pine floors, floor-to-ceiling windows, and the mirrored wall that separated our workspaces. Sunlight poured in through the tall windows, spilling across the polished wood. Outside, the endless expanse of blue-green ocean stretched out.

This was the same spot where I’d entered yesterday to chew him out for being loud, which had led to my ill-thought-out decision today. Perhaps I’d reacted a bit too hastily.

He glanced around the room and then toward the mirrored wall. “If I train my clients in here, will that give you enough space to work with your clients in the spa?”

My jaw twitched. Was he really adjusting his entire schedule to work around my mishap? To save my ass. “Yes, that should work. It’ll give us both room to work.”

“Okay, let’s start there. We can figure out the next step as we go.”

He glanced toward the other wall. “But I’m going to need to set some things up in here.”

“What can I do to help?”

“Walk with me to the gym.”

We entered the space I avoided. Cardio machines lined up like torture devices in front of vast windows facing out to the sea, as if a spectacular view would distract someone from excruciating physical activity.

Countless more weight racks and fitness machines lined up to increase the unpleasantness of the space.

So different from the calming ambiance of the spa.

The air carried a faint tang of iron and rubber beneath all the perspiration. Who would willingly spend time in here?

Roan grabbed a barbell with weights on the ends.

His biceps strained, muscles tensing as he lifted the weight.

I never thought muscular men were attractive—until now.

My heart stuttered before I forced myself not to look at him.

That lasted all of three seconds before my curiosity won out.

His shoulders bunched beneath his snug shirt.

He moved with an ease that made the barbell look like a prop.

A faint woodsy scent drifted from him when he passed me—comforting, grounding, and annoyingly distracting.

He motioned with his chin toward the weight rack. “Can you grab the lightest one up top?”

“Sure.” I reached to grab it and pulled it off the rack. Oof. “It’s heavier than I thought.”

He cocked his head and gave me an amused grin. “Maybe we should get you into a training program.”

“Ha ha. I’d rather give birth to a kettlebell, bear.”

He smirked. “Let’s carry these next door.”

The glass door swung open, and our boss, Tia, stepped inside. Tall and lean, with silver-streaked black hair pulled neatly into a bun. Her sharp eyes traveled from Roan to me.

“Maribelle, what a surprise to see you here.”

I bit my lip, searching for an excuse, but Roan stepped up.

“Maribelle volunteered to help me move some weights here,” he said with a nod. “Very welcoming.”

Tia cocked her head. “Why do you need to move the weights?”

“Customizing a plan for my next client,” Roan replied without missing a beat.

I blinked, startled by how he was covering for me, and then forced a bright smile. “He has some great ideas, very client-focused. They’re going to love his style.” I nodded. “Very motivating.”

His warm eyes fixed on mine.

“Glad to hear it.” Tia studied us for a moment, then nodded her approval. “I like to see this collaboration. Wellness for the body and mind.” She twirled her hand and walked toward the door. “Keep it up.” She strode out, leaving a jasmine-scented silence in her wake.

I exhaled hard and my shoulders slumped. “Thanks for not ratting me out.”

“Of course,” Roan replied. “We have to work together, right?”

“Right.”

I mustered up words I never thought I’d say to the bear I’d been cursing out since before we even met. “Roan, I appreciate everything you’re doing.” I glanced at the floor. “Considering it’s all my fault.”

“Hey, I get it. You were trying to do your job, and I was being a little too loud.”

My lips twitched into a lopsided smile. “You’re very enthusiastic so early in the morning.”

He chuckled. “No one wants to train with a bored trainer. They want—someone who will encourage them.”

“True.”

Once we moved some equipment into the fitness studio, I returned to the spa.

Charlotte greeted me and asked, “How did he take it?”

I pressed my lips together, still flustered by the entirely unexpected reaction.

“He was understanding.” I grimaced. “And infuriatingly helpful.”

She chuckled. “So, now what?”

I huffed. “We get through this very trying day, and I figure out how to undo the spell.”

“And if you can’t?”

I shot her a look. “Let me just get through one horrific hour at a time.”