CHAPTERSEVEN
Vicki stomped out from behind her desk and slammed her office door shut. On her tiptoes, she nearly pressed against Adam’s chest. “What the hell happened out there between you two?”
“I told you. We were grounded by that storm, and we spent the night together in my fishing cabin. One thing led to another, and you know.”
“Yeah, I know that part. You slept with her. But what did you do to make her run back to Florida with tears in her eyes?”
Adam groaned. “I shifted in front of her.”
“You what?”
“I shifted.”
“You big dumb bear! You just shifted in front of her? Why in God’s name would you do that? Couldn’t you have just been satisfied with having sex with her?”
“No. I mean, the boat from Seal Harbor was floundering offshore, and I had to shift to jump in and pull them in. She was supposed to be in the cabin, but she came out and saw my bear, then she saw me in human form. It was confusing enough for her. I was trying to explain about shifters, and I ended up just showing her. She passed out. Maybe it was too traumatic.”
“Too traumatic? You think so? Honestly, Adam, I don’t know what reaction you expected. Most likely, the closest paranormal thing she’s ever encountered was written in the pages of a book or on a movie screen. You just flipped her entire view of reality on its head. Did she ever say anything more to you after you got back?”
“She thinks I’m some sort of monster,” Adam said, his voice wavered uncharacteristically.
“Well, you’re not exactly a little teddy bear, but you’re not a monster either. But to her, you are.”
“I wish I would’ve handled it differently,” Adam said, slumping into a chair.
“I’ve never seen you like this over a woman. She’s special, isn’t she?”
“Yeah. She’s the one. I sensed it the moment I caught sight of her. Now, I have a problem.”
“Before you get a wild hair up your ass and go chasing after her, stop. Imagine how she feels. She’s probably scared to death that she knows this secret about you. She might be worried you’ll come after her to make sure that she keeps that secret.”
“I’d never lay a finger on her. And if anyone does, I’ll rip them to shreds,” he growled, his icy-blue eyes glowing.
“Wow, you do have it bad. The only advice I can give you is to put as much time and distance between you as you can for now.”
“You really think that will change anything?”
“I really don’t know. This isn’t just some puppy love that’s going to blow over in a few days. But it might give you a chance to think clearly and consider this from her perspective.”
Closing his eyes, he ran his fingers through his hair. Every feature of her face and her body were perfectly clear in his mind. Her magical allure still lingered, exciting all of his senses. “I’m going to be haunted by her.” He shook his head as if to shake away those thoughts. “I’ve got too much work to catch up on to be sitting here whining about this,” he announced, suddenly rising from the chair.
“Adam, stop. I wasn’t going to bring this up, but there is one more option.”
Adam couldn’t believe she’d even suggest it ... at least not to him. “What, the alpha and his council? You think I’m going to grovel to them and submit to their authority? Besides, what would be the point other than to humiliate myself?”
“They have ways, or so I’m told, to make someone forget about a mate. A reset of sorts.”
“Yeah, I’ve heard those old stories. And anyway, from what I was told, it’s not a reset. It’s amnesia.”
“You could always ask and find out for sure. You know, maybe if you weren’t so stubborn, you might actually know there is a new alpha. Maybe things could be different for you. You don’t always have to be a rogue bear.”
“That’s easy for you to say. You, Ted, Pete, and the other wolves here in Polar Point all have this super tight pack. It’s like one big family that looks out after each other. For us bears, it’s always been a dysfunctional clusterfuck.”
“No. I keep telling you that’s your clan. There are bears out there who are just as loyal and kind as our wolf pack. And maybe with the new alpha, your bear clan has changed.”
“Thanks for the advice, Vicki. But I’m on my own with this. And right now, I’ve got work to do.”
Adam marched out of the office, heading straight for the hangar where his plane was already loaded for deliveries.