Page 1 of The Bear's Chosen Mate
1
June 21, Yellowknife, Northwest Territories
Damn bear.
Kaylee Banks stared out the second-story window as the most beautiful man on the face of the planet, at least in her humble opinion, strolled toward the massive building that housed Borealis Gems.
He’d parked his private plane on the company airstrip, and she bit down on her lower lip to keep from moaning as, muscles flexing, the object of far too many dirty daydreams stripped away his jacket and loosened his tie, a patch of dark hair appearing on his chest when he undid the top buttons of his shirt.
The traces of civilization being cast off as James Borealis returned to the north.
She slipped out of the office space onto the balcony as she pulled out her phone.
Kaylee:You’re back early
It was fun to watch the message arrive in real time.He fished his phone out his pocket.The smile that crossed his face was real, wiping away what had been a far-from-typical James expression as his fingers moved over the screen.
James:Kaylee Kat.Where are you?Or are you a fortune teller now?
Kaylee:Look up.
She waited until his glance rose far enough then waved.
He waved back.What’re you doing here at the office?Come to visit Amber?
Kaylee:Your grandpa hired me to take publicity shots over the next week so Borealis Gems can update its brochures.
James glanced at his watch.He tapped a few buttons and checked the screen before shaking his head:If you need outdoor shots today,you’d better work fast.There’s a big thunderstorm rolling in this afternoon.
Great.She let out a long breath.James was one of the few people who knew how uncomfortable she was during storms.They’d been friends for long enough; he knew a lot of her secrets.
A lot of her secrets, but definitely not all.
Kaylee:Trust me,I’ll make sure I’m hidden away somewhere safely before all the crashing and banging begins.
He resumed walking, chin dipping in agreement even as he ran a hand over the back of his neck and down his chest.
His big hand distracted her in the wickedest of ways.He’d rolled up his shirtsleeves, and his thick forearms were right there, mesmerizing.
She couldn’t take her eyes off him, and maybe because she was watching so intently, it registered that something was wrong.He rolled his shoulders and stretched his neck, while that very unenthusiastic and untypical frown had returned to his face.
Kaylee:You okay?
James:It’s nothing
Kaylee:My BS sensor is pinging…
James:Fine.Don’t know why, but I’m beat.A standard publicity run shouldn’t knock me out like this.Kind of sore all over.
Oh, the places her brain went.And the speed it went there—shocking, really.
I could rub out the kinks,Kaylee thought with a sigh.Please and thank you.I could rub your shoulders, your back, oranythingyou need rubbed.
Instead she went with something more logical than creepily offering to be his personal, private masseuse.
Kaylee:Maybe you caught that summer bug that’s going around.Why don’t you go home?
Kaylee:Hop in the tub before the storm hits.That’ll help work out some of the kinks left after being trapped in the Cessna for hours.
