Free Bare Instincts: A BBW Paranormal Bear Shifter Romance by Vella Day

don’t. Look to your left and you’ll see a waterfall coming off the mountain.”
    She stepped closer and squinted. The urge to cup her breasts nearly undid him. Patience had always been his strong suit, but it wasn’t when he was around her. It was as if she knew where to stand to distract him the most.
    “I see it now!”
    He chuckled. “That stream? It feeds the lake. We can fish there or go up the river a bit. You might have better luck higher up with fly-fishing.”
    She shook her head. “I prefer the calmer water.”
    “Works for me.” He set down the basket, and she handed him his pole. From her small backpack, she pulled out a set of beautiful lures. “Those are yours?” Now it was his turn to be impressed.
    “Yes. My dad taught me how to make them. I know most young girls play with dolls, but I spent my time fishing with Dad.”
    He had a new appreciation for her. “Maybe you can show me how to make one sometime.”
    “Really? I don’t see you as the fishing type.”
    That stung a little. “What type am I?” She ran her gaze up and down his body, making him a little uncomfortable.
    “I’m thinking you’d take a woman to a fancy restaurant before you’d bring her to a place like this to enjoy the outside.”
    Burke really had made a bad impression on her. “You’re wrong. Let me ask you then, why did you ask me to come here?” It shouldn’t matter that he’d asked if he could come—she’d agreed.
    Her cheeks reddened. “I’m trying to figure that out. Other than our parents being good friends, along with the fact we grew up together, we have nothing in common. You like to drink and have a good time while I prefer to sit home and read a good book.”
    “I hope I hear a but coming.”
    She nibbled on her bottom lip, looking sexy as hell. “It’s just that when I’m around you, I feel different.” She rubbed her palms down her thighs.
    His pulse raced. She must feel the attraction, too. He stepped closer. “Describe different.”
    She shrugged. He slipped her pole from her hand, joined it with his, and set down both. “Look at me.” He cupped her face. Inhaling her scent let out his inner bear. “You feel it, too, don’t you?”
    “Feel what?”
    He wasn’t sure he could describe it. “A connection. I know we don’t really know each other—at least, not as adults—but when I’m near you, something happens inside me. Don’t get me wrong, you’re beautiful and perfect in every way, but it’s more than physical. I get the sense that we’re meant to be together.” When she didn’t say anything, a piece of him seemed to dissolve. “You don’t feel it?”
    *     *     *
    Tasha was dumbfounded. Never in a million years had she expected Burke to say something like that. She wanted it to be true, but she didn’t see how it could be. He was suave, sophisticated, and oh, so slick. She was just a small town librarian.
    “Tasha?”
    She’d practically frozen in her spot. Tell him . “Yes.”
    “Yes, what?”
    He leaned over, his lips near hers. “Yes, I feel something.” His presence was messing with her mind. “I mean, I feel a lot. Every time I’m close to you, it’s as if I can’t breathe or think, but I don’t even know whether I can believe you. You’re so sure of yourself and have had hundreds of women. Are you just trying to get laid?” Oh, God, she couldn’t believe she’d let that slipped out. She needed to think before she spoke.
    “I’m going to choose to hear only the first part of what you said and ignore the second. Believe me when I say nothing like this has ever happened to me before. This joy. This confusion. This freedom.”
    It all sounded so wonderful that she wanted him to clarify every word, but she didn’t know if she could trust him. “Are you saying you like me?”
    He laughed. “Like you? I can’t even put into words what I feel. It’s all so new. Before Tom died, I won’t lie; I partied a lot. I had sex with a bunch of