Bear With Me: Bear Shifter Paranormal Romance by Zoe Chant Read Free Book Online

but he’d seemed uncomfortable in them. Here, dressed in hiking pants and shirt, slightly scruffy and with more than a little dirt on him, he looked…
    Jamie knelt down in front of her tent, glad she was facing away from Mike so he couldn’t see the hot blush that blazed across her cheeks. The fact was, he looked great. She’d thought he was hot at the wedding, but here in the mountains? Phew.
    She quickly unzipped the tent and rummaged for her first-aid kit without looking back to check if he had followed her into the campsite.
    He had.
    God, that was weird. She hadn’t even looked, but she knew he was there. And it wasn’t that she was listening out for him—or that she could listen out for him. Now that he wasn’t being attacked by broody vultures, he moved through the undergrowth quietly and confidently.
    She turned around, first aid kit in hand, and gulped. Mark had seated himself on the ground, leaning with his back against the log she used as a bench. He was so tall, she would be able to sit on the log next to him and their heads would be almost the same height.
    The thought of sitting next to him, their bodies warm and close in the cool night, sent a shiver of anticipation down Jamie’s spine. She hefted the first-aid kit and told herself to stop being silly. What had happened at Kes’s wedding had been a, a weird(ly incredible ) one-off. He was probably as uncomfortable as she was about their unexpected reunion.
    Just ignore how hot he is, she told herself sternly. Come on, girl—less than a week in the wilderness and you’re ready to jump the first guy you see? Get a grip!
    Jamie took a deep, not-particularly-calming breath and strode over to where Mark was sitting before she could wimp out. She put the light on the stump-table and sat down heavily beside him—too heavily. The log shifted under her sudden weight and almost sent her tumbling backwards. A strong arm wrapped around her waist and stopped her from falling.
    Jamie looked up into deep, warm eyes.
    “Thanks,” she said briskly, and looked away. Once again, she wished she had lit a campfire for the evening. At least that would give her an excuse for why her cheeks were suddenly burning.
    Mark smiled softly. “I figure one of us injuring ourselves on the landscape tonight is embarrassing enough. Here, I can—” He reached out for the first aid kit.
    Jamie pulled it away. “Don’t be silly,” she said, rummaging through for the antiseptic and bandages. “Just turn your head so the light’s on your cheek, please.”
    He kept still under her hands, not even flinching when she washed bits of dirt and bark from the cut on his face. She moved her hand and felt his eyelashes flicker against her skin.
    Jamie focused, very hard, on the bloody graze under her fingers. But as she gently cleansed the wound with antiseptic, and covered it with a white gauze bandage, it was hard to keep her attention from wandering.
    She could feel heat coming off his body. He would be warm from walking, of course, but this seemed something more than that—like his body was a campfire, warm and inviting. Safe.
    She fixed the bandage in place and smoothed the tape, her fingers lingering just too long on Mark’s face. Her own face was hot. And it wasn’t the only thing. Her whole body felt like it was on fire, caught alight from sitting so close to Mark, from touching him.
    “I, um,” she mumbled.
    She was meant to be giving him the lecture on condor nursery safety. Instead, she couldn’t help thinking that they were still sitting close enough that if she just leaned forwards…
    She stood up. “So, uh … Have you eaten yet? I…”
    Mark was looking up at her with a strange expression. Except it wasn’t strange, just unfamiliar. Jamie had seen lust on men’s faces before—but seldom directed at her.
    Except for that one time, one week ago.
    The electric restlessness she had felt since Kes’s wedding stilled, leaving a feeling of growing bliss in its