A Spark to Bear (Fire Bear Shifters Book 2) by Sloane Meyers Page B

Hunter smiled, and then sighed heavily as he stripped down to his underwear as well. He waded out to her, dunking his head underwater for a moment to let the river’s refreshing coolness run over him. When he came back above the surface, he was met with a huge splash. Riley was running her fist across the top of the river to send a wall of water in his direction.
    “Oooooh, I got you!” she said, splashing around in delight like a little kid. Hunter chuckled. Her smile was infectious, and it only added to her beauty as the sun made her wet skin glisten. But when she realized he wasn’t trying to splash her back, her smile faded.
    “What’s wrong?” she asked.
    “Listen, Riley, we need to talk,” Hunter said. Her face fell at his words, and the look of anguish she gave him made his heart tighten up.
    “Really?” she asked, her voice sounding distressed. “Are you about to break up with me? Because it’s been less than twenty-four hours since you first kissed me. Are you tired of me already?”
    “No, no. It’s not what you think. I don’t want to break up with you. Far from it. But, I’m falling hard for you Riley, and, if I’m not mistaken, you’re falling hard for me, too.”
    A look of confusion registered on her face. “I’m not seeing the problem with both of us liking each other. That’s pretty much the ideal way for a relationship to work, you know? Both parties sharing mutual affection for each other.”
    Hunter took a deep breath. “I know. But before we take this any further, there’s something about me I have to tell you. And it’s kind of a big deal. A really big deal. I’m going to trust you with a very, very personal secret. And if you don’t want to be with me anymore after that, I understand. God, I hope that’s not the case. I hope you can accept this part of me. But if you can’t, I’m pleading with you, begging you, to keep this secret for me.”
    The look of confusion on Riley’s face only grew. “Okay,” she said uncertainly.
    Hunter bit his lip and paused before continuing. He looked at Riley’s face one last time before he started speaking. He wanted to remember what her eyes looked like when they were filled with affection for him, in case he never saw that look again.
    “Riley, have you ever heard of shapeshifters?”
    She raised an eyebrow in his direction. “Yes,” she said, her voice sounding somewhat amused. Whatever things she might have thought he was about to say, that clearly was not on the list.
    Hunter took a deep breath, and decided to spill everything in one big, quick confession. “Riley, I’m a shapeshifter. A bear shifter, to be exact. I know it sounds insane, but it’s true. I can switch back and forth between human and bear form at will. The rest of my smokejumping crew, except for Charlotte, are all bear shifters as well. And even when I’m in human form, I retain my keen bear sense for hearing and smelling. That’s how I was able to smell you and find you when you were in trouble the other day.”
    Riley stared at him, her left eyebrow frozen in a questioning arch above her eye. She seemed to be trying to decide whether he was certifiably crazy or just attempting to pull her leg. Or both. Hunter met her gaze, trying to keep as sincere of an expression as possible on his face.
    After a few moments of silence, he saw a look of fear cross her eyes as she took a step backwards. “Oh my god. You’re serious,” she said.
    The frightened look in her eyes tore at Hunter’s heart, but he resisted the urge to step toward her and put his arms around her. He knew she needed a bit of space right now, and reaching for her would only make things worse.
    “Is it contagious?” she asked, her eyes widening.
    “No. It’s genetic. It’s not something you can catch, so don’t worry about that. And I’m fully in control of my actions even when I’m in bear form, so I would never hurt you. There’s nothing for you to fear.”
    She kept staring at him