Free Lover Bear (Paranormal Werebear Erotic Romance) by Jessica Swallow Page A

in sync with each other. I really pushed myself, willing my legs to run faster and my lungs to keep pulling in ragged breaths. I was running as fast and as hard as I had ever run in my track days, but I was still barely keeping up with Mark. He was making sure to stay with me, but I got the feeling he could go a lot faster without me next to him. Given how fast we were going for such an extended period of time, I wasn’t sure how that was possible. Still, he seemed to be enjoying himself and I was greatly enjoying watching the stretch and pull of his large muscles as he ran. At the end of our run, I was sweaty and winded, but Mark somehow still looked perfect. He walked me to my car like a real gentleman too.
    “This was great,” he said as we walked through the parking lot. “I can’t do tomorrow or the next day, but how about we meet again in three days?”
    “Sure,” I agreed. “I might take the next two days to train so I can catch up to your abilities.” He laughed.
    “You are really a great runner, but I totally respect your desire to get even better. Just make sure to train during daylight hours only. It isn’t safe here at dark, especially on your own.” I nodded. We had reached my car and it was time to say goodbye.  I felt unreasonably sad that I wouldn’t be seeing him again for two days, but Mark leaned over and gave me a quick hug, despite the fact that I was dripping with sweat. My heart skipped a beat and I could barely mumble out a farewell before blushing and ducking into my car.
    I spent that night dreaming about Mark. In my dream, we were in the woods running. He was running so impossibly fast and I needed to catch him. I ran faster and faster until I was flying, soaring over the treetops. I found him in a clearing and he flew up to meet me and kissed me in the clouds. I woke up feeling sweaty and turned on and realized that I had slept through my alarm clock. There was no time for me to go running this morning, so I would have to go after work.
    The day dragged on slowly, and it was even harder knowing that I still had more than a day before I could run with Mark again. I was relieved when the clock hit five o’clock and I could finally leave. I drove home and quickly changed into my running clothes before heading to the park. I still had almost an hour left of daylight so I could fit a decent run in before heading home. I started out slow, jogging up the trails and taking in the natural scenery as I went. My muscles were finally feeling the effects of pushing myself so hard the day before, and it took a while for them to warm up and be ready to push. When they finally did limber up, I decided to really push myself and run as hard and fast as I could. I ran further than we had the day before, pounding the packed dirt trail as I would my way through the woods. I lost track of time until I realized that it was slowly starting to get darker. I paused and glanced at my watch. I had somehow been running for over an hour and I hadn’t yet turned back. There was no way I would make it back to my car before dark at this point. I heard Mark’s warning in my head, but quickly reminded myself that he was just being sweet and cautious and that there was really nothing to worry about. There was no one else around, and I could outrun almost any attacker.
    I turned around and started running back down the trail towards the park entrance. I was trying to race the sun, but quickly losing. Within half an hour, the sun had set and I was alone in the dark. I used the light on my watch the guide my way, but I could no longer run because I couldn’t make out the rocks, branches, and roots that blocked my way in the dark. I was making slow progress down the path when I heard a sound. I stopped to listen. The noise was faint and muffled by distance, but it sounded like a chorus of growls. A shiver ran down my spine. Maybe wild animals were the real reason Mark had told me to be careful at night. I really wished