Free Bear With Me: Bear Shifter Paranormal Romance by Zoe Chant

you the last week has, I don’t know, concentrated things a bit. I’m sure it isn’t usually this intense.”
    “Tell me about it. No offense, Mark, but you are the worst crush I’ve ever had.”
    Mark opened his mouth, then closed it. Then opened it again.
    “About that…”
    God, his voice was so sexy. Jamie found herself starting to babble, just to block it out.
    “That’s—that’s why I need you to leave, after this. I’m not used to having anyone around, let alone someone as … distracting as you.” She grimaced. “I mean, today has been fantastic, but it’s all very … strange. Nice-strange, but still…”
    “Still strange,” Mark completed. “I understand.” He squeezed her shoulder. “Really, I do. And I should tell you—”
    Jamie took a deep breath and closed her eyes. “I’m not saying this to be mean, but if we could have this conversation without the compassionate touching, that would be appreciated.”
    Mark pulled his hand back. “Understood,” he said, hurt clear in his voice.
    Jamie cringed. But if she was going to hurt him either way, she might as well be completely up-front with him.
    “To be honest, I’ve spent every day since the wedding trying to—well, trying to ignore what happened. But now that I’ve met you again, and you actually, you know, seem like a nice guy, I would like to spend more time with you. Just not here .” She spread her arms. “Not when we have to literally perch in a tree to keep from macking on each other. Not in the one place in the world where I have literally one thing to do, and it’s not you.”
    Mark rested his chin on his hands. He didn’t say anything for a few minutes, and Jamie felt her stomach tighten, certain she’d offended him.
    “I understand,” he said at last. “And … I don’t think there’s anything I can say that would make your decision any easier.”
    Jamie twisted on the branch and looked town into his eyes. There were no hidden flickers of secrecy now—just honesty, and a deep compassion.
    Remember that you are hanging onto a tree twenty feet above the ground , she told herself sternly. No make-outs allowed. Make-outs = SPLAT.
    Then Mark blinked, and the sad compassion in his eyes was replaced by the familiar adventurous sparkle. He tipped his face up to hers.
    “Though, if our self-control was the only issue, I have to say … we do have all these ropes…”
    Jamie snorted with unladylike laughter. “That is too tempting in the absolutely wrong way, and you know it.”
    He grinned wryly, and in the end, they both made it back to camp without any further distractions.
    * * *
    MARK
    It didn’t take Mark long to pack. Actually, given he had never ended up unpacking anything, what with how the previous evening had gone, it took no time at all. He tried to spin cleaning up the breakfast dishes as long as he could, and burying the remains of the fish away from the camp, but eventually the time came.
    “I just realized I never told you what brought me out here,” he said, hefting his pack over his shoulders. “Or where I’m heading.”
    Jamie looked up at him. She had been quiet since their conversation in the tree, and he wanted more than anything to cheer her up. The trick was, doing that without ending up rolling in the hay with her.
    Not that there was any hay around. But he was sure they’d find some alternative.
    Jamie tipped her head back. “Do I want to know?” she asked the sky. “Do I want to lie in my sleeping bag at night, thinking, Ooh, there he is, only a few days’ walk that-a-way, and if I start walking now…” she trailed off. “Seems a bit risky.”
    “What if I told you you’d be the only person who knew?”
    That got her attention.
    “What? But—” She saw his grin, and narrowed eyes. “Oh, preying on my sense of responsibility? Real nice.”
    She smiled. He smiled back—and just managed to stop himself from pulling her into his arms.
    Concentrate! What were we talking about?
    He