going to slip up and give himself away.
Today, they had no flights scheduled, except for some wildlife biologist who Lee had said was going to come by to take a bear-counting flight. A woman, Lee said. Nathan had flown biologists around before, but most of the ones he'd dealt with before were guys. He hoped she wasn't going to be put off by the messy hangar and the small plane. Some women got really nervous about it, and worried about getting grease on their expensive outdoor clothes. It was a pain. But hey, part of the job.
Meanwhile he worked on banging the dents out of the body sections from that plane of Earl Roy's that got cracked up last spring. With Lee gone, he was all alone in the hangar, and it felt good just to let go and work out. Not as good as shifting to his bear form and running on the tundra, but pretty damn good. He could feel his bear rising under his skin, as it always did with hard physical exercise. His senses sharpened, bringing out all the usual oil and metal smells of the hangar.
.... and something else. Something ... female? A tangy warm scent that made his bear leap to the surface with a growl of anticipation. He wasn't alone in the hangar after all.
Nathan lowered the hammer and turned to look.
She looked exactly as good as she smelled. Round and curvy in all the right places, flawless skin, waves of glossy hair that he would have loved to run his hands through ...
He'd never responded to a woman like this before. His mother had always told him: When you meet your mate, you'll know. He'd never quite believed it until now. All he could think of was the way her perfect curves would feel pressed against him, the way her mouth must taste, full lips parted as she stood there staring at him ...
Staring at him. Because he was standing here half naked staring at her like an idiot. Or, more accurately, like a big creepy stalker. She must think he was some kind of rural jerk. "Can I help you?" he asked.
She swallowed. Yeah, great, Nathan, you went and scared her. He was a big guy, and even people who didn't know about the bear were a little nervous around him when they first met him. And here he'd gone and freaked out the woman of his dreams. He'd really like to kick his own ass sometimes.
"Er, I'm a wildlife biologist?" Her voice squeaked a little. Nathan tried to slump his shoulders a bit and make himself look smaller, but that just made her stare at his naked shoulders some more. Yeah, he'd really scared her. Damn it.
"You're the lady studying bears, right?" He managed to say it without giving away his nervousness, he hoped. It wasn't like a bear biologist was going to be any more likely than anyone else to figure out his secret. "Lee said you were coming."
"Yes, that's me." She took a deep breath and put her shoulders back in a defiant kind of way, like she was pulling herself together. However, that just made the luscious curves of her ample breasts stand out beneath her shirt, and Nathan had to force his eyes quickly back up to her face before he freaked her out even more. "I'm April Kline."
"Nathan. Nathan Rivers." He grabbed a rag to wipe his hands and stuck one out. Her small, smooth hand vanished into his big, callused one, and he noticed she was staring at that, too, in a fascinated kind of way. Great, Nate, remind her you're bigger than most guys every chance you get. No way that's gonna scare her at all! No wonder you're single, dumbass.
It didn't help that her wonderful scent was driving his bear crazy. She wasn't wearing perfume, so all he could smell was her floral shampoo and the gentle fragrance of her skin. It filled his senses and made him lightheaded.
In fact, he almost missed that she was talking again. "I was hoping to get out before the day gets too warm. A lot of bears go to ground in the heat of afternoon."
This bear would love to go to ground with you ...
"Yeah. Of course." He snatched his shirt from the old airplane propeller it was draped over, pulling it hastily
Today, they had no flights scheduled, except for some wildlife biologist who Lee had said was going to come by to take a bear-counting flight. A woman, Lee said. Nathan had flown biologists around before, but most of the ones he'd dealt with before were guys. He hoped she wasn't going to be put off by the messy hangar and the small plane. Some women got really nervous about it, and worried about getting grease on their expensive outdoor clothes. It was a pain. But hey, part of the job.
Meanwhile he worked on banging the dents out of the body sections from that plane of Earl Roy's that got cracked up last spring. With Lee gone, he was all alone in the hangar, and it felt good just to let go and work out. Not as good as shifting to his bear form and running on the tundra, but pretty damn good. He could feel his bear rising under his skin, as it always did with hard physical exercise. His senses sharpened, bringing out all the usual oil and metal smells of the hangar.
.... and something else. Something ... female? A tangy warm scent that made his bear leap to the surface with a growl of anticipation. He wasn't alone in the hangar after all.
Nathan lowered the hammer and turned to look.
She looked exactly as good as she smelled. Round and curvy in all the right places, flawless skin, waves of glossy hair that he would have loved to run his hands through ...
He'd never responded to a woman like this before. His mother had always told him: When you meet your mate, you'll know. He'd never quite believed it until now. All he could think of was the way her perfect curves would feel pressed against him, the way her mouth must taste, full lips parted as she stood there staring at him ...
Staring at him. Because he was standing here half naked staring at her like an idiot. Or, more accurately, like a big creepy stalker. She must think he was some kind of rural jerk. "Can I help you?" he asked.
She swallowed. Yeah, great, Nathan, you went and scared her. He was a big guy, and even people who didn't know about the bear were a little nervous around him when they first met him. And here he'd gone and freaked out the woman of his dreams. He'd really like to kick his own ass sometimes.
"Er, I'm a wildlife biologist?" Her voice squeaked a little. Nathan tried to slump his shoulders a bit and make himself look smaller, but that just made her stare at his naked shoulders some more. Yeah, he'd really scared her. Damn it.
"You're the lady studying bears, right?" He managed to say it without giving away his nervousness, he hoped. It wasn't like a bear biologist was going to be any more likely than anyone else to figure out his secret. "Lee said you were coming."
"Yes, that's me." She took a deep breath and put her shoulders back in a defiant kind of way, like she was pulling herself together. However, that just made the luscious curves of her ample breasts stand out beneath her shirt, and Nathan had to force his eyes quickly back up to her face before he freaked her out even more. "I'm April Kline."
"Nathan. Nathan Rivers." He grabbed a rag to wipe his hands and stuck one out. Her small, smooth hand vanished into his big, callused one, and he noticed she was staring at that, too, in a fascinated kind of way. Great, Nate, remind her you're bigger than most guys every chance you get. No way that's gonna scare her at all! No wonder you're single, dumbass.
It didn't help that her wonderful scent was driving his bear crazy. She wasn't wearing perfume, so all he could smell was her floral shampoo and the gentle fragrance of her skin. It filled his senses and made him lightheaded.
In fact, he almost missed that she was talking again. "I was hoping to get out before the day gets too warm. A lot of bears go to ground in the heat of afternoon."
This bear would love to go to ground with you ...
"Yeah. Of course." He snatched his shirt from the old airplane propeller it was draped over, pulling it hastily
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