Free A Flame To Bear (Fire Bear Shifters 4) by Sloane Meyers Page A

care of, and I didn’t want to wake you. As soon as I’m done running errands, I’ll stop back by. Maybe I’ll even get back before you see this note! Xoxo, Trevor.
    Bailey couldn’t keep a foolish grin from spreading across her face as she read the note. He had called her sexy! Bailey had no regrets about sleeping with Trevor. She liked him, she’d wanted him, and she’d decided to just go for it. She went to the bathroom to take a shower and get ready for the day, smiling at her reflection in the mirror. If things kept going the way they were going, then maybe she’d never go back to D.C.

Chapter Nine
    Trevor killed the engine on his SUV, and put his hands on the steering wheel. He took a few deep breaths before opening the door and climbing out of his vehicle. He’d just told the Fire Chief at the Red Valley Fire Department that he was resigning from his job as a volunteer firefighter. The fire chief hadn't seemed surprised. In fact, he’d almost seemed relieved. It was no secret that Trevor's somewhat hotheaded personality had grated on the Chief’s nerves. Trevor felt a little guilty for quitting, but, mostly, he just felt relieved. The job had never been a good fit for him. Despite his relief, though, Trevor worried about the next few months. He'd have to find something to fill his time.
    He hoped one of the ways he’d be filling his time would be with getting to know Bailey better. He could hardly believe how well yesterday had turned out. When he’d planned out the day, he'd hoped to kick start some sort of romantic feelings between him and Bailey. But he’d never dreamed that things would go quite as far as they did.
    Now that they had, though, Trevor had a whole new set of worries. Bailey had no idea that he was hiding a bear within him, and he hadn't given much thought to how he would handle that. In fact, he’d often watched with amusement when his fellow clan members struggled with how to tell the women they were dating that they were shifters. Trevor had always thought that, when he finally found a lifemate, he’d be smart enough to let her know that he was a bear before things had gone too far. So much for that plan.
    As Trevor walked into the Red Valley Inn, and headed for Bailey's room, he pushed away thoughts of confessing his shifter status. He had a fun day planned for them, and he didn't want to ruin things by freaking her out. He understood now why his clan members always waited until women got to know them better before revealing that they were shifters. Trevor felt like Bailey needed just a few more days to get to know him better, and then she’d be more accepting of who he was.
    He felt a little guilty for deceiving her, but he told himself to relax and see how the day went today. If things seemed to be headed in the right direction, then he would tell her tonight. Trevor furrowed his brow as he knocked on Bailey's hotel room door. He had some pretty good brownie points built up with her, right? He’d saved her life, after all. And yesterday had been a resounding success. If today was successful as well, then he would just bite the bullet and tell her. She’d probably be upset at first, but once she’d had a little time to process everything, she would see that he wasn't really all that different from full humans.
    Trevor put his musings on hold when the door swung wide open. Bailey stood in front of him, grinning from ear to ear.
    “Hey,” Bailey said. “How do I look? This is one of the outfits I got yesterday.”
    Trevor took a moment to look Bailey up and down. She wore a dark pair of blue jeans that hugged her curves just right. Her long-sleeved V-neck sweater was simple, but also did a good job of showing off her figure. And the sweater’s hunter green color did a beautiful job of bringing out the flecks of green in her eyes. She had pulled her hair back into a tight, sleek bun, and her face had just a hint of makeup on it. The lip gloss she had on gave her lips just a