Page 8 of The Bear's Forever Mat
Cooper reached out a hand to help balance the massive ice block as Amber darted forward, and he ended up with his arms on either side of her body.
She was pinned under him, pressed against the ice. Pressed against his front. He eased off instantly, trying to move away from her, but a loud crack sounded, and another section of ice fell away.
The entire sculpture leaned precariously toward them, a second away from toppling and crushing them both under its massive weight.
OceanofPDF.com
4
Amber had dreamed of being pinned under Cooper’s sexy body far too many times, but to be perfectly honest, her fantasies had never involved a giant block of ice.
A second later, the arms on either side of her flexed and an urgent command rumbled. “As soon as there’s room, duck away.”
With a Herculean effort from Cooper, the block of ice tilted back toward vertical, the pressure easing enough that she could dart to safety, twirling to check no one else was in the danger zone.
More people had rushed over to help, and in the end, the ice was placed firmly and safely on the ground.
“There goes that idea,” one of the teenagers complained, kicking his toe against the unrecognizable sculpture.
“We’ll figure something else out,” the girl at his side encouraged, slapping him on the back and quickly pointing out other options.
Amber and Cooper watched for a moment, but it was clear they weren’t needed anymore. Instead, she twisted toward the big bear shifter, looking him over carefully to make sure he hadn’t been hurt.
She dusted off a layer of powdery ice that clung to his arm. “Thank you for making sure I didn’t get crushed.”
“Didn’t think this activity was going to be that dangerous,” Cooper admitted. “Except for the knives—those I knew could be trouble.”
“And the chainsaws. But don’t worry, I’m fully capable of using those as well.” She glanced around the field to see if anybody was trying to catch their attention. “The only thing I don’t seem capable of is juggling massive ice cubes.”
“I promise to do all the ice cube juggling necessary,” Cooper told her with a laugh. “Tell me more about your foster mom. I assume that’s who taught you to use a chainsaw as well as an electric knife.”
“Her and our dad. They were the best family we ever got placed with. Mason and I were five and six when our birth parents died. We were already in our teens and had gone through a dozen placements when the Jordons got us. That’s the stage when most kids in the system only live with their foster families for a brief time then leave as soon as they age out. The Jordons were different. They really wanted us, and daily living turned out to be an education all in itself.” She followed him to one of the benches that had been placed center field so they could easily observe the action. “We lived in a pretty remote cabin in northern Ontario, and everything was off-grid and homegrown.”
Cooper’s big blue eyes danced with curiosity as he examined her. “I didn’t know that.”
She shrugged. “I don’t talk about them a lot. Kaylee knows the story, but it was pretty much just Mason and me for as long as I could remember. The Jordans were amazing after a long line of not-so-spectacular placements. They were the closest thing to a family we ever had. They went missing about four years ago when their ultralight went down somewhere in the north.”
Sudden understanding lit Cooper’s expression. “That’swhy your brother came north a couple of years ago. He was trying to find out what happened to them.”
Amber nodded. “Their downed aircraft was found, but there was no sign of either of my parents. The fact Mason later vanished as well made everything harder.”
Someone called at that moment, and Cooper rose, reaching back to help Amber to her feet.
The moment of contact felt so very real. Warm and connected. It was an illusion, though. Amber knew that to her core. No matter how much she admired the big bear, she wasn’t going to ignore the truth when it came to their relationship.
Being with him today, having him listen to her as a friend instead of an employee—it was only the start and not the end point she was aiming at.
But simply getting to spend time with him right now had to be a priority.
She glanced across the field to where James was chasing Kaylee across the snow before they tumbled to the ground in each other’s arms.
Lara stood with an ever-present group of wolves at her side, the ones who needed to stick close to their Alpha to feel safe. Alex was a short distance away, helping Dixon and a group of teenage boys lift a large triangle onto a round platform. But even as he worked with the others, Alex’s gaze slipped back to Lara, and they exchanged a wink and a smile that made Amber’s heart pound hard.
Mates.Fatedmates, and they’d found each other this year because the patriarch of Borealis Gems had forced their hands. The boys hadn’t even tried to keep the mating-fever pact a secret from their mates, and what Kaylee and Lara knew, Amber knew.
She glanced at Cooper. She’d bet everything that he had some trick up his sleeve to deal with the ultimatum, but what if…
What if he gave in to the mating fever with another woman? Forget the fact that him getting physical with someone else would make her furious, what if that week of togetherness became the start of a real relationship, like it had for Alex and Lara?
