Page 18 of Bear to be Wild
Roan eyed the interaction with keen eyes and called us back to the floor. I slid away from the tiger, and Roan paid particular attention to me with one-on-one instruction, more than he had before the break. I stifled a laugh from all this sudden shifter attention, yet was grateful that Roan helped keep the big cat away. Tiger guy had moved on to “help” someone else.
By the time Roan dismissed the class, I flopped onto the mat, lying on my back and breathing like I’d climbed three mountains. Sweat dampened my skin and my curls stuck to my temples. My thighs screamed, arms burned. Pride? Shredded.
Tiger guy approached, but fortunately Roan stepped over quicker and crouched beside me. The big cat looked about to say something, but then turned his attention to another woman in class.
“Kill me now,” I mumbled to Roan.
“You did great, Maribelle,” he praised. His amber eyes glowed, catching the morning light streaming through the studio windows.
“Nice job today,” the tiger praised the woman as they walked out of the studio.
“I think I’m dead,” I said dramatically. “You’re just speaking to the spirit of the witch formerly known as Maribelle.”
Roan chuckled. “You’ll thank me tomorrow. Though your body might be a little sore.”
“My body hates you today,” I shot back, but my lips twitched into a hint of a smile.
“Haven’t heard that one before,” he teased. “Come on.” He offered a hand to help me up.
When I took it, the heat of his large hand wrapped around mine stole my breath. I rose and caught his eyes, still breathing hard but in a way that had nothing to do with the workout.
His gaze dropped to my mouth. And mine to his.
Heat coiled low in my belly. I turned away and stammered, “I’m sweaty and gross. I need a shower.”
The shower hadto be quick since he only had a short break before his first client. With my body already spent from the workout, I yearned to stay there under the hot stream until it soothed all the soreness from my muscles.
But Roan was in my cabin, and I couldn’t stop thinking about the eye contact upstairs—again.
Don’t respond to the bear,I told myself.
Right. That was the smart thing to do. After all, I had my rules and I had them for a reason.
Besides, maybe what I was feeling wasn’t even real. Perhaps it was a side effect of the spell.
Right, maybe that was it.
When I headed up to the spa, I asked Charlotte, “Do you think that the spell might’ve…maybe tricked us into being attracted to each other?”
She scrunched her nose. “I don’t think so. You mixed up two spells, but neither of them was designed for that purpose.” Her face broke into a wide grin. “Does that mean what I think it means?”
“Oof!” I shooed her off with a wave. “No, the bear is still as annoying as ever. You won’t believe what he put me through this morning.”
The Moonlight Sirenwas docked for the day, which meant we had a lighter schedule at the spa. Most of the passengers haddisembarked hours ago, in pursuit of tropical cocktails and souvenir trinkets.
“Do you have some time off this afternoon?” Roan asked, appearing in the spa.
“Yes.” I glanced up at him. “Food?”
“Sure.” His eyes gleamed with more mischief. “And then, come with me.” He leaned against the spa doorway.
I arched a brow, skeptical after this morning’s outing. “Where to? A dungeon?”
“The island,” he clarified. “I’ve never been here before and want to explore. See everything. Beaches. Forest trails. Fresh air.”
“Don’t you ever sit still and relax, bear? Especially after this morning’s marathon.”
“Come on, Maribelle.” He cocked his head and his eyes gleamed. “Weren’t you excited the first time you got to explore a new place?”
