Page 5 of Bearly Frosty

Thank God she stumbled upon me before something bad happened. The thought of something harming my mate sends chills down my spine.

“And you’re unharmed?” It’s my main concern. Her eyes meet mine for a brief second, and she starts fidgeting and looking around again.

“Yes.” A blush moves across her delicate skin. “I’m just not used to being questioned by a naked penis,” my mate blurts out, causing my eyes to widen. “I mean…” She gives her head a shake and starts again. “A naked man. Can you please put on some clothes before we discuss my situation?”

“I didn’t expect to run into anyone out here, so I didn’t bring any clothes with me.” Shifters don’t have the same hang-ups about nudity that humans do.

“Oh. Makes sense.” She nibbles on her juicy bottom lip and looks up over my head. “Can you point me in the direction of the parking area at the park entrance? That’s where my rental car is, and I’ll get out of your way.”

“The parking lot is about a hundred yards over that ridge.” As I point in the direction of the parking lot, I realize my mistake. I should be finding a way to keep my mate close, not showing her how to get away.

“I can’t freaking believe I was that close,” my mate mutters under her breath before turning to rush off in the direction I pointed. “Well, thanks so much for your help,” she calls over her shoulder and hightails it down the trail like her ass is on fire.

As she disappears from view, my polar bear gives me an internal slap to the side of the head. I snap out of my frozen state, realizing I just let my soulmate walk away. And I didn’t even find out her fucking name.

Meeting my little goddess must’ve fried my brain circuits. It’s the only excuse I can come up with for my own stupidity in letting my mate escape while I stand here like a naked bump on a log. Fuck me. I follow her delicate, floral scent all the way to the parking lot until I find the spot where the smell completely disappears. Fuck.

After shifting back to my bear, I make my way home in a stupor. I spend the rest of the night kicking my own ass for letting my mate slip through my fingers. The next morning, I wake up exhausted but with a new purpose. Sometime during the night, I realized my human soulmate will stick out like a sore thumb in this tiny, mostly shifter town. How hard can it be to track down a gorgeous human visitor in Glacier Pass?

Turns out luck is on my side, and finding my girl isn’t difficult at all.

Chapter 4

EMILIA

You can dothischants through my mind on a continuous loop as I walk up the brick steps leading to the gorgeous plantation-style home that houses Bearly Frosty Snow Removal. When I pulled into the driveway, I realized this house is about a mile from the spot where the hot polar bear shifter saved me yesterday. There’s no stopping my thoughts from flashing automatically to my unexpected savior.

Darn. I can’t seem to forget about Mr. Tall Dark and Naked. I spent all evening yesterday replaying my crazy afternoon, wondering if I made a mistake by running away before I even found out his name.

After a long, sleepless night, I woke up tired and irritated, which is unfortunate since I have my interview this morning.

Luckily, a long hot shower seemed to revive me some. Plus, I stopped at Rise & Grind for an extra-large mocha before grabbing a honey bun from Honey Buns II. The extra sugar and healthy dose of caffeine helped improve my mood significantly. The out-of-sorts feeling I’ve been experiencing since I escaped my naked rescuer went away the second I pulled up this driveway, so I’m hopeful my interview will be successful. Taking a deep breath, I ring the doorbell and wait.

The door opens and Gianna Bearly smiles at me. “Emilia.” She takes my hand and pulls me into the large foyer. Darn. She’s even more beautiful in person and way the heck taller. “I’m so glad you made it.”

Professor Thomas introduced me to Gianna months ago when she contacted him looking for someone to fill the open office manager position at her brother’s company. I already feel like I know her from the few times we talked via video conferencing while setting up this interview. “Thank you for the opportunity to interview for the position.” What can I say, I’ve been practicing my whole interview spiel.

“Of course.” Gianna smiles and leads me through the massive modern kitchen and out the back door. I follow her down a short, covered pathway that leads to a large white building behind the home. “My brother set up his office in one of the apartments above his extra garage.”

It must be nice to work from home, I think to myself as I follow her up the metal stairs.

“There’s another apartment around back, which he’s willing to let you live in temporarily until you find a permanent residence in Glacier Pass.” She points at the second set of stairs at the far end of the large six-car garage.

“That’s great.” I smile, realizing this job is sounding better by the moment.

Gianna throws open the door and steps in. “Dillon, I’d like you to meet Emilia Golden.”

I glance around her and feel the floor drop out from beneath me. Holy cow. The polar bear shifter who saved me yesterday looks yummy in his navy blue polo shirt and well-faded jeans. Almost as good as he looked naked. Before I’m able to stop myself, my eyes automatically roam straight down to the front of his jeans, which I know are hiding a very impressive cock.

As my face heats to bright red, I drag my eyes back up to meet his laughing dark eyes. “Hello, little goddess.”

My heart races while I struggle to find the words I’ve been practicing for my interview. “At least you’re wearing clothes today.” I’m mortified when my mouth runs away without consulting my brain.

Gianna’s mouth falls open as she looks back and forth between us. “Uh… have you two met?”

“Emilia got lost in the park trails yesterday and I found her.” I can’t believe my prospective boss is explaining this crazy situation to his sister. Hello, can the ground open up and swallow me?

“Naked?” she asks, and I can see she’s biting the inside of her cheek to keep from laughing.

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