Page 5 of Protected By The Polar Bear

“Heads up! Doors will be opening in one minute!” One of the organizers announces and Tessa straightens in her seat.

“Nervous?” I ask her, and she nods slightly.

“Yeah, I always feel kind of awkward at these. I guess because I’m more of an introvert.”

“I’m sure that it will be fine.”

She nods, looking around the room. Then, the doors are opened and the signing starts.

I spend the next six hours helping Tessa out in any way that I can. I pass her books, put out more swag stuff when the table starts running low, go grab us lunch, and do my best to keep an eye out for anyone who looks like a threat.

The doors close and Tessa sags back in her chair.

“We did it,” she says with a tired smile, and I smile back.

Somewhere over the last few hours, my resolve to keep my distance from her has wavered. It’s so easy being around her. We have so much in common, and she’s so nice to everyone. There’s something about her that just draws me in, something besides the mating bond that calls to me.

My polar bear is that happiest that he’s ever been. Probably because we’ve spend the last twenty four hours with our mate.

“What do you need help with now?” I ask as she stands.

“I just need to pack everything up. We sold most of the books, so I should be able to just pack the last of the books and swag in my suitcase. I need to figure out where they want us to put trash and the boxes.”

“I’ll go ask,” I volunteer, and she smiles in thanks at me. “Be right back.”

I head off to find an organizer and ask about the boxes and leave Tessa at the table to organize all of the stuff still on the table.

We pack up the table and I help her carry everything to the front desk.

“I’ll go grab the bags from the car while you check us in,” I offer, and she nods.

“Sounds good.”

I leave her in line and head out to the parking lot. I grab both of our bags and try to remind myself that we can’t have Tessa as I turn and head back inside. Tonight is the full moon. I’ve been trying to ignore the mating heat all day, but as night approaches, the feeling only gets stronger.

No big deal. I’ll just lock myself in my room and ignore Tessa until tomorrow when we leave.

My polar bear doesn’t agree, and I spend a few minutes trying to get him under control before I head back to the check-in desk.

I know as soon as I walk in that something is wrong. Tessa is frowning at the lady behind the desk and I see her rub at her temples as they talk. I head over to her and stop next to her.

“Is everything alright?” I ask her, and she smiles weakly up at me.

“No, there’s been a mistake. We only have one room,” she tells me.

That’s not ideal, but I’m sure that we can make it work.

“With only one king-size bed,” she finishes, and my stomach drops.

Yeah, I’m screwed.

FOUR

Tessa

I try to ignore the sound of the shower running as I stare out the hotel window. It’s dark out, but all of the streetlights are on, and I take a moment to admire how pretty downtown Denver looks like this. Snow twinkles in the light, and I smile. It reminds me of Alaska, even if it is about forty degrees warmer here.

The full moon is tonight and I stare up at the moon. I’m kind of glad that I’m not in Alaska right now. If I were, I’d be stuck in my little apartment and forced to listen to my neighbors going at it all night long. I couldn’t even hang out with Elle because I know she’s busy with her mate, Niko, right now.

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