Page 33 of The Bear's Forever Mat
Amber had watched him as closely in his human form as she’d examined his animal side, and now she pushed his hands aside and took over the fish. “I’ll work on teaching you later. Now we should have something to eat quickly and then hit the trail again.”
“But there’s no fire,” Cooper growled, annoyed with himself on so many levels.
“We don’t need a fire now, and if we don’t manage to get one going tonight, that’s okay. You’ll just have to keep me warm,” Amber told him. “I’m pretty sure between you and that set of high-quality sleeping bags, I’m going to end up toasty warm.”
She’d been working quickly while she spoke and now handed him a plate covered with beautifully sliced ribbons of salmon sashimi.
Cooper pretended to be shocked. “I can’t eat that. It’s raw.”
She stared at him in horror. “You’re kidding me, right?”
How he kept his expression straight, he didn’t know. “Raw food? That’s for bears.”
Don’t mind if I do.His animal side poked him eagerly.
Amber slid into his lap, one brow raised as she examined him. Then she shook her head and grinned. “You’re a tease.”
He let a smile come as he used his fingers to pick up one of the delicate morsels. He lifted it to her mouth. “Eat.”
Her lips closed around his fingers. Her tongue stroked hot and wet against him until she pulled back and began chewing.
Cooper took the next piece for himself and commanded his body to behave until the food was gone, because then there would be no reason for them to continue to sit there in the cold. Not when she was looking at him with those eyes that said the sooner they got to where they’d set up for the night and they could get truly warmed up, the better.
Travel fell into an easy rhythm. They woke, ate, packed, and traveled. Through it all, they chatted when they could, headsets buzzing with shared stories and hopes and dreams.
It was lonely out on the tundra, the landscape changing only minutely once they passed beyond the tree line. There were sections with more rocks, or more hills, or the occasional lake with scraggy brush clinging to the shoreline. But whiteness and blue skies and small bushes covered with more whiteness were pretty much it.
The fuel caches were in good repair, but with each one they reached, Cooper scented less activity in the recent past.
They were going through their supplies at a steady rate, so whenever possible, he shifted to fish. Amber didn’t seem to be at all upset by his animal presence.
They were setting up for the third night when he caught her tossing a rope over one of the scarce trees in the vicinity.
“What are you doing?” Cooper asked.
“Hanging our food, same as usual.”
He knew he was staring. He’d had no idea she’d been doing that. “Why?”
“To keep it from wild animals.”
“You’re adorable.” The words slipped out before he could stop them.
She paused. “Um… Thank you? But why?”
He caught her chin in his fingers. “The biggest, baddest predator out here is me.”
She blinked. “Oh.” Another pause, then she nodded.
Cooper hesitated. If she looked horrified…
A sharp sound escaped her lips. Cooper checked carefully to discover Amber was laughing.
“Oh my God, your face. I cantotallysee why Kaylee and Lara say that polar bears are cute.”
“Oh, honey, no. We’re the scariest of all the beasts.”
“But cute… I think it’s the winking.” She gave him an exaggerated example, and he snickered in return.
