Page 2 of The Bear's Chosen Mate
For a moment, James seemed torn before he nodded firmly, staring up.He now stood directly below her, feet away from the side entrance.Close enough they could talk without raising their voices too much.
“You’re right.I don’t think there’s anything dire I need to take care of in the office.”His deep voice carried up to the balcony, brushing across her skin like a caress.
His hands moved quickly to undo the rest of his buttons, and a moment later he was draping his suit jacket, shirt, and tie over the handrail to the side of the entrance.
Her breath got stuck in her chest, and then, oh my God, it was a good thing she wasn’t breathing because she would have moaned loud enough for him to hear.Right there, with her in front-row seating, he’d undone his belt, button and zipper, getting ready to drop his trousers.
Something of her stupor must’ve carried on the air because as he toed off his shoes, James paused.He met her gaze again, offering a boyish grin.“You don’t mind grabbing my stuff, do you?I’d go tuck it in the clothing stash, but that’s all the way back at the far edge of the airfield.”
He stood there only partially clothed with the typical casual shifter attitude toward nudity, and she was one step away from fainting like some Victorian heroine.
It wasn’t the getting-naked bit making her flush.As shifters, there was nothing innately sexual about stripping off clothes to make a shift to their animal sides.It was ordinary and simple.Natural and normal.
ButJamesgettingnakedequaledoh my God.Her reaction tohimwas not normal by any stretch of the imagination.Thus, the blush, the shortness of breath, and the other physical reactions she was having in spades.
Her inner bobcat rolled her eyes.
The feline that was Kaylee’s other self wasn’t very vocal.The cat tended to stay silent, but that didn’t mean she didn't haveopinions.
Other shifters seemed far more in touch with their animal sides.Kaylee wasn’t sure if it was because she was a cat and most of her shifter knowledge came from bears and wolves, but unless she was in feline form, her cat remained mostly aloof and let Kaylee run the show.
It was good in some ways—no flying off the handle and having a hissing fit when something went wrong.But bad because there were times it would be nice to utilize her cat’s assets.
The feline wasn’t shy, not by any stretch of the imagination.
Please.Why should I be shy?The world exists for cats’ pleasure.Everyone knows this.
Kaylee snickered, briefly distracted.I wish you’d loan me some of your kitty mojo.
Her cat sniffed daintily then went silent, obviously bored with the conversation.
No help there.Shifters might be two in one simultaneously—human and animal—but many of them found one half better at certain things.
Watching James Borealis get naked was not a thing human Kaylee did well.
Worse, there was no hiding the fact she reacted.The Borealis brothers had caught her blushing up a storm years ago and Alex had assumed her bashfulness was fair game to tease about.It was kind of sweet, in a twisted way, because Kaylee didn’t have any siblings and getting teased was a form of family connection she’d craved.
Cooper had teased the least, turning his back when they shifted in larger groups, but James had jumped right in and followed Alex’s lead.
Lately James’s teasing seemed to hold erotic overtones—but that had to be Kaylee’s feverish imagination playing tricks.
Wishing that he really was interested in her was wrong, considering she knew the two of them were an impossibility.Nope.He teased like any friend would, but they were never going to be anything more than that for so many reasons.
Which is why, while she didn’t wish ill-health on him, she really hoped he was feeling out of it with his head cold or was far enough away to not notice how hard her heart was pounding.
“Earth to Kaylee.Did you hear me?Can you grab my stuff?”
Oops.Good grief, how long had she stood there daydreaming?“No problem.”
She’d answered as if she wasn’t panting from admiring all the nakedness appearing before her.
“Thanks, Kaylee Kat.”
Watch?Or look away?
It wasn’t really a question.Kaylee stepped a foot to the right to get a better view.She could blush while enjoying the show.
He went on speaking as he stripped.“Can you tell Amber I’m back but that I’ve gone home for the day?”
