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"Shift?"

She shuddered "Is that what you call it?"

"I have to shift in order to heal" He lifted his arone I had a real bad one here, just above my hip" He leaned to the side to show her

Her eyes widened, then she looked away "I believe you"

"And my cracked ribs are completely healed"

She turned back to him with an alarmed expression "You had cracked ribs?"

"Yes" He ran his hands over his chest and across his abs "I was in a great deal of pain"

Her gaze followed his hands "I’ nearest her "I had solazed look came over her face

"Of course, you saw all my injuries when you hid behind the tree over there like a Peeping Toasped when I pulled asped "I did not! I was very careful not to make any noise - " She winced, and her face turned pink

He grinned

"You have so it sound like I’m some kind of pervert, when you’re - you’re a beast!"

He narrowed his eyes "Maybe you shouldn’t follow men into the woods"

"Maybe you should have warned me!"

"How? For the past week, you refused to talk to me!"

"If you kneas behind that tree, you should have warned lared at hi would have scared you, too" He raked a hand through his hair "Try to see this from my point of vieas in a lot of pain, so I needed to shift I didn’t ask you to co and spy on ht why not shift in front of you? I was going to have to tell you sooner or later, and I thought I could show you how harmless the bear is"

She snorted "Harrizzly bear is harmless?"

"Because it’s me! Couldn’t you see it was me?"

She bit her lip "I was too scared to think very well"

"I’ve been scared since the moment I met you, scared that you would run away from me once you knew the truth" He winced That was rabbed his wet briefs and shook them out

"You cooled down ave her a wry look "They’re clean Reasonably" He’d showered and put theain?" He dragged the cotton briefs up his legs

With a huff, she turned her back to hiain, he stood and pulled his underwear up He was still se to every contour

"You were so big," she whispered

"Thank you I like to think I’ to face hilanced down at his underwear, then away

Histo, but it was tooher "I’rizzlies"

"Great," she muttered

He pulled on his trousers "And in case you’re wondering, I’m proportional"

"Huh?" She slanted a suspicious look his way

"By that Iall over"

She snorted and looked away "As if I’ainst the boulder to pull on his socks "You followed lared at hi chest And big shoulders"

"Thank you" He tugged on the last sock

"Big muscles"

"Yes" He stuffed his feet into his shoes

"An enorrinned "That, too" He slipped on his polo shirt It was ripped in places and still damp

She lifted her chin "But I’ butt"

"I love a wo

She stepped back, her eyes widening "What are you - "

He pulled her into his arms

She stiffened "Your shirt’s wet"

"Relax" He wrapped his arainst her hair "It’s me Whether I’roaned "A er than being a Guardian of the Forest?"

"I didn’t ask for that"

"I didn’t ask to be a were-bear"

She leaned back to look at him "Is that what you call it?"

He nodded "Or a shifter Actually, there are a lot of shifters who didn’t come from Scandanavia, so they’re not berserkers I know soers - "

"What?" She pushed away fros?"

"There’s more to the world than you would normally - "

"I don’t want to hear it!" She lifted a hand to stop hi supernatural overload I want a nice, norht now, I’aze dropped to her chest, which had been dampened by his wet shirt Her T-shirt was molded to her breasts, her nipples clearly defined "And the feelings we’re having are completely normal The attraction The desire"

She sucked in a deep breath "I’m not sure I can handle this"

"I want you" He moved closer "I’ve alanted you"

"No," she whispered, but her body betrayed her Her nipples puckered, the tips growing tight as beads

"You want me, too" He cupped her breast, and she stepped back