A Blaze To Bear (Fire Bear Shifters Book 1) by Sloane Meyers Page A

said.
    Charlotte laughed. “Still want to get rid of me?” she teased.
    “Hell, no! You’re not going anywhere,” he said reaching over to pull her closer against him. The quick movement made the table shake and creak violently, and then, with a sudden snap, it collapsed beneath them. A huge crack down the middle left them plummeting to the grassy ground with splintered wood all around them. For a moment they looked at each other, startled, and then Ian burst out laughing.
    “How are we going to explain this to the rest of the crew?” he asked. As he tried to sit up and help her, he winced. “Ow, I think I’ve got a splinter in my ass.”
    Charlotte started laughing at him. “Oh come on, man up. It’s just a tiny piece of wood.”
    “It’s not funny. It’s really sharp!”
    “Here, turn around,” Charlotte said, squinting in the moonlight at the spot where Ian was holding his rear and grimacing. She saw a large splinter sticking out and deftly pinched it between her fingernails, then pulled at it quickly.
    “There!” she said triumphantly. “All better.”
    Ian grunted in thanks, and rubbed the spot where the splinter had just been. “At least the table waited to break until after we were done with our, um, activities,” he said.
    He stood up and started searching for their clothes, slipping into his sweatpants and handing Charlotte her pajamas. She winked at him.
    “We can just tell everyone a bear came by,” she said, keeping her tone light and watching Ian’s reaction closely. She thought she saw a dark shadow pass over his eyes, but it was gone so quickly that she couldn’t be sure. He slapped her rear and pushed her playfully in the direction of the bunkhouse.
    “Very funny,” he said. “We’ll worry about the table tomorrow. For now, let’s go get some shuteye. Chief’s orders.”
    They tiptoed back into the bunkhouse, and he gave her a light squeeze on the ass before they headed to their separate beds. Charlotte slipped between the sheets and couldn’t keep the silly grin off of her face. Sleeping with Ian was either the stupidest or best decision she had ever made. She couldn’t be sure, but she was going to believe for the best.

Chapter Six
    Ian woke up late the next morning. Bright sunlight streamed into the bunkhouse through the one open window, and he knew he had overslept.
    “Shit,” he said, sitting up quickly and looking around. The bunkhouse was empty, and the smell of bacon and eggs wafted in from the crew kitchen one room over. Ian quickly changed into jeans and a t-shirt, and paused to look at himself in the mirror before heading out to the kitchen. He looked exhausted, and no wonder. He had been up way too late with Charlotte, and after they came back to the bunkhouse he had tossed and turned for a good hour before falling asleep.
    His bear had bonded with Charlotte. Ian had known from the moment he first saw Charlotte that if he mated with her, he would bond with her. He had also known that his desire for her was too strong to put off for long. It’s part of why he had initially been so insistent that Charlotte couldn’t stay with the crew. Ian ran his fingers through his hair nervously as he stared at himself in the mirror. The responsible, logical part of him wished he had fought harder to have Charlotte reassigned, but a bigger, stronger part of him was glad that he hadn’t.
    He was hers now. Whether or not she would be his was still unclear. Until he found a way to truly tell her who and what he was, he couldn’t expect her to make any commitments to him. For a split second last night, when she made a joke about a bear breaking the picnic table, he had considered jumping on that offhanded remark and using it as a chance to just let the truth spill out. But he had chickened out and let the comment go. He hadn’t wanted to shake things up so soon after the best sex of his life.
    And, holy cow, that had definitely been the best sex of his life. Her body moved with