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

his like they were performing a finely choreographed dance. There had been none of the awkward unfamiliarity that usually accompanies your first time with someone. Ian felt his body warming at the memory of it, and he smiled at his reflection as he thought of her. He just had to have faith that he would find the right time and place to explain his shifter side to her. He had to trust his bear and the bond that had been formed. She was his destiny.
    Ian sauntered into the kitchen, where Zach and Hunter were cleaning up from breakfast. The rest of the crew had eaten all of the bacon and eggs already, so Ian settled for a large bowl of cereal with some milk. As he passed by Zach on his way to sit at the large table, Zach furrowed his brow and smelled suspiciously.
    “You smell like sex,” Zach said to Ian.
    Ian concentrated on pouring cereal into his bowl. “You smell like old socks,” he said, trying to defuse the situation. But Zach did not look amused.
    “No, I’m serious. Charlotte came in here this morning smelling like sex. And now you smell like sex, too. Did you mate with her?”
    Ian’s silence as he poured milk over his cereal was all the answer his second in command needed. Zach let out an exasperated sigh.
    “Boss, seriously? I thought you were campaigning to have her reassigned. And now you mated with her?”
    Ian still didn’t answer. He scooped a large spoonful of cereal and milk into his mouth and chewed slowly. Zach spoke in an accusatory tone, that Ian would have called disrespectful and reprimanded if it had been any of his other men. But Zach got a lot of leeway as his second in command and best friend, and Ian felt a little guilty about mating with Charlotte. It could cause a conflict of interest on the firefighting missions, and his men didn’t deserve to be anything except absolutely safe. Still, the deed had been done, and Ian honestly couldn’t say he regretted it. Charlotte had been amazing, and he wanted her to be a part of his life from now on.
    “Great. Just great. Did you bond with her?” Zach asked, his voice full of frustration.
    “Yes,” Ian said, finally looking up from his bowl of cereal. “And I’m actually very happy about it, so I’d appreciate it if you could be happy for me as well.”
    Zach didn’t cower at all at the sharp edge in Ian’s voice. Instead, he crossed his arms and narrowed his eyes at Ian. “I would be happier if you hadn’t done something that endangers the crew. We all went through a lot to make it through training and get placed on this crew together as smokejumpers. Does she even know that you’re a shifter?”
    Ian shook his head no. “Not yet,” he said, his voice defiant. “I’m waiting for the right moment to tell her.”
    Zach slammed his fist on the table. “The ‘right moment’ would have been before you slept with her. Now you’ve just made the situation even worse. What if she’s angry at you when she finds out you mated with her without telling her you’re part bear? She’ll have more motivation than ever to blast our secret around. Even the U.S. Forest service can’t keep our shifter status undercover if an angry woman is determined to get the word out.”
    “She’ll be understanding,” Ian said confidently.
    “Oh really? If you’re so sure, then why haven’t you just told her already?”
    “You know as well as I do that it’s not something you just blurt out in everyday conversation, regardless of how well you think the human is going to receive the news. Like I said, I’m waiting for the right moment.”
    Ian and Zach stared each other down while Hunter cowered in the corner, looking awkwardly at the door and no doubt wishing he could escape from the room. Before the staring contest could end, though, Luke and Trevor burst into the room.
    “You guys, the picnic table is destroyed!” Luke exclaimed. “It’s totally split in two. There are splintered wood pieces everywhere. I have no idea how that could have even