Page 6 of Wrong Turn, Right Bear (Beartastic Summer of Love)
SIX
ASH
I was a mixture of fury and relief.
I’d envisioned the worst outcomes when I couldn’t find Theo and when I did, a brave smile on his face, injured hand in his pocket, my first thought was to wrap my arms around him.
I worried that it was a little forward. In his mind, he was my client.
But instinct told me to hug him and I held him close.
I was also furious that one of my shifter kin scared him. There were no wild wolves in this area. Humans had done their worst in the last hundred or so years and no actual wolves roamed these forests. There was the occasional wild bear but they tended to stay away from humans.
Our woods teemed with wildlife but there were few large mammals, so if a wolf was eying Theo, the beast had to be a shifter. If he’d accidentally stumbled on him, he should have withdrawn. Or he could have shifted if his clothes were nearby and returned Theo to the hotel.
Theo grabbed my arm. “What did you mean by ‘I’ll take care of it?’”
Damn, he’d picked up on that. “I’ll make sure there are no wild animals in the vicinity of the hotel.”
“Please tell me you’re not going to kill the wolf?” He gulped. “Yes, I was scared but that animal was just guided by instinct.”
“I can assure you I will not kill it.”
“Or trap it?” His frantic voice had me wondering what else was going on in that head of his.
“No.”
“Then what?”
Gods, he was like a dog with a bone and he wouldn’t let it go. It was my fault for saying what I did.
“The wolf might have ventured out of its territory.” I jangled my keys and turned toward my pickup as a way of ending the conversation.
“Okay.”
I hated having my back to him, especially as he’d been traumatized.
He’s human. Be nicer . My bear was peeved at my attitude.
“But I suggest you take a relaxing hot bath, eat dinner, and get an early night. ”
“About tomorrow?”
I had other clients in the zip lining class and couldn’t cancel but I was free for a few hours in the early afternoon.
“I propose an activity where there is no physical exertion, only a great view and it includes yummy treats.”
“Okaayyy,” he said slowly. I could almost see his mind whirring as to what I was suggesting.
“A picnic.”
“Will it be with a large group?”
“Nope.” I popped that P hard. “Just us.”
And me , my bear added.
Theo’s cheeks flushed and the pink bloomed down his chest, disappearing behind his shirt. How I longed to discover where it ended.
“It’s a date.” His face crumpled and he slapped a hand over his mouth. “Not a date date just a…”
“Rendezvous.”
“Yeah.” Relief slid over his features as I saved his ass. His gorgeous ass that I longed to slide my hands over and squeeze.
I arranged to collect him at one tomorrow and said he had to rest in the morning, not so much for his blisters and scrapes—those wouldn’t be a problem by tomorrow thanks to the salve I’d applied—but for the terror he’d experienced after being confronted by a wolf.
Shit. I shouldn’t leave him alone this evening. He might curl up in a ball and cry all night.
“On second thought let’s make that a two-fer.”
“A what now?”
“I owe you an apology for what happened to you. Let me try and make it up to you. Dinner?”
He sniffed under one arm. “I probably stink.”
He does but I like it. I’ll like it better when he’s our mate . My beast wanted Theo to stay close.
“We both need to shower.” I checked my watch. “Is one hour enough time to get cleaned up?”
He grinned. “I think I’ll manage. I don’t have that many dips and curves to wash.”
Now it was my turn to blush. My cheeks burned and my bear complained I should be doused with cold water.
How I wished I could explore Theo’s secret places with my fingers, lips and tongue.
Goosebumps spiraled over my skin as I inhaled his unique aroma and imagined how much more potent it would be when we were skin to skin.
Theo peered at me, a furrowed line ceasing between his brows. “Are you all right? You don’t have a fever, do you?” He touched my arm. “Oh gosh, you’re hot.”
“I am.” Okay that was awkward. Now my thoughts were tumbling over one another as I squirmed and concentrated on how to get out of this dilemma.
He offered a tentative smile, as if he wasn’t sure whether to expand or delete it.
“What I was trying to say was?—”
“You’re hot.” Theo giggled and I joined him.
“One hour.” That was all I could manage to get out. But tonight wasn’t just a date, I should counsel him on the aftermath of being confronted by a wild animal.
How do you do that ? my beast asked.
Not sure . If Theo was ever to be my mate, I would have to show him my bear.
But I pushed that out of my head. Tonight we’d dine together and tomorrow we’d picnic. I’d consider how to reveal my true self after that.
Fifteen minutes later and I was in the shower, scrubbing off the dust and grime. Before meeting up with Theo, I had to call Chuck, and ask who might have been in the woods. That shifter needed a telling off.
But I spent too much time deliberating on what to wear and took off for the hotel before making the call.
Wow! Theo scrubbed up well. He wore a pair of dark slacks and a button down shirt with a blazer. And he smelled amazing. I couldn’t detect any cologne, it was just him, his natural scent and his magnetism. It took all my strength not to jump him.
His scent filled the inside of the car, making it hard to concentrate on the winding road.
We made small talk until we reached the restaurant, perched close to the lake.
“This is lovely.”
It was a warm night but I’d booked a table inside, unsure if Theo could tolerate the temperature.
We ordered. Theo was an omnivore like my bear, whereas I was a vegetarian.
While we waited for the food, I attempted to ask him how he was doing in the aftermath of what happened on the hiking path.
“I’m okay.” He shrugged. “I’ll tell you again tomorrow morning because I might have nightmares.”
We have to watch over him . My bear was worried about Theo tossing and turning in the night. But while I could stay outside the hotel all night, there was little else I could do.
I can’t break into his room. I’d be arrested .
“If it makes you feel any better, the wolf was probably curious. And wary. Instinct tells them to beware of the unknown.”
“That’s an excellent life skill for a wolf. And there are times when humans should follow that rule. We’re always being told to embrace the new and exciting. Jump in with both feet.”
Hmmm that didn’t bode well for introducing him to the world of shifters.
‘Is that what you’ve done regarding work?”
“Mmmm and my personal life. Got burned a few times.” Theo fiddled with his cutlery.
Fingers of jealousy curled into a knot in my belly.
Him being with another alpha was similar to waving a red flag in front of a bull.
The emotion bubbling out of me was unreasonable because he was a grown man.
Of course he’d had relationships before.
I had too though not exactly relationships because I was waiting for my fated. They were more liaisons.
“Let’s hope that’s in the past.”
He stared at me, his lips parted, making me think he was going to say something. But he clamped them shut and gave me a shy smile.
“Me too.”
I didn’t want the night to end but I had to be up early and my bear had to find the wolf who’d been out of bounds. It couldn’t be left until tomorrow because whoever it was had broken the rules of the local wolf shifter pack.
After dropping Theo off at the hotel entrance, I waited until he’d waved and entered the building before parking.
After texting Chuck, I dashed behind the building, disrobed, and waited for my friend.
I’d arranged to meet him in the woods just behind the hotel.
Though my bear was clamoring for a proper shift and an amble through the forest, picking berries, I promised we’d do it the following evening.
Chuck’s wolf almost crept up on me he was so quiet. But his scent gave him away. But there was another, not so potent aroma further away.
Chuck’s huge black beast with the white-tipped ears padded toward me and following was a smaller wolf, his head bowed. This was the culprit who had broken the shifter rules, one that had been handed down from the local shifter packs since the first humans moved in.
He would have to be punished.