Bear Cop: BBW Bear Shifter Paranormal Romance Read Online Free Page B

from the GPS, there should be a few houses nearby.”
    “There are no phone lines up here, even if we find one,” Eve said. “The Herberts have a hut, and I sometimes spend a weekend when it’s not rented out to tourists.”
    “I didn’t tell anyone I was taking this road,” Chris admitted.
    Eve’s arm came around his waist in reassurance. She still smelled like vanilla, and Chris had to keep himself from burying his face in her hair.
    Soon , he told his bear.
    “You couldn’t know,” she said.
    “I do know how to make a fire, and I’m a pretty good hunter,” he assured her. “But I’d really rather not make you spend a night outside in the forest.”
    She laughed at that, and Chris couldn’t stop thinking of other ways he knew to keep warm at night. God, he wanted her still. Wanted her enough that he’d make love to her on a bed of fallen leaves, if he had to.
    “Let me see,” she murmured. “I’ve driven along this road a few times. The Herberts’ hut is…” She grimaced. “Probably a few hours walk. And there’s more bridges along the way.”
    Bridges that might have been destroyed as well, Chris realized.
    “I hadn’t thought of that,” he admitted. “You’re right. Let’s not trust our luck with the road. Anytime you think you recognize a place where we might find shelter, let me know.”
    They walked for maybe half an hour. It was eerily quiet. There was only the rustling of leaves and branches, and every now and then a bird sang. To both sides of the road, the trees grew tall, stretching towards the sky where he could see clouds drift by. He hoped it wouldn’t start raining again. Maybe they’d be able to find shelter somewhere beneath a tree or in a cave, but if any other bridges had been carried off by the water, it would make it even more difficult for their rescuers to find them.
    He stopped when Eve tightened her grip on his arm with a sound of dismay. There, before them, just behind the bend the road had just made, another river came rushing down from the mountains, gaining volume from the relentless rain of the past week until it had washed the road away as well. The bridge that crossed the river here still stood, although a torrent of muddy water was roaring past the stone pillars—but the road that led towards the bridge had been swept away together with the bank of the river. Now they stood facing a small precipice that could not be crossed, from beyond which the bridge seemed to mock them.
    “So much for the road,” he sighed. He tried to hide his disappointment, although he didn’t think he was particularly successful, because Eve wrapped her arm around his waist once more and leaned her head against his shoulder.
    “It’s… very romantic?” she suggested.
    He laughed despite himself at her effort to find something positive even in this situation. And she was right. It wasn’t as if they were in danger. They’d get rescued tomorrow, and then they’d laugh about their romantic day getting lost in the wilderness.
    “I suppose so!” he replied. “And I did say that I’d love to take you hiking.”
    “From what I remember, you also promised me a massage.” Eve’s eyes gleamed as she spoke.
    Chris felt distracted once more by the heat of her body and the way her shirt clung to her curves. She looked like one of the nymphs an old master might paint, the way she stood before the thundering river with the wind tousling her golden hair. He really couldn’t wait to uncover her body and show her with lips and hands just how gorgeous she was.
    “Shelter first,” he said firmly. “Then the massage—and anything else you might want.”
    “Mmm,” she purred. “I can think of a few things…”
    She rested her hand on his chest, fingers spreading, and he felt his heartbeat pick up in response as she gave him a slow smile. He couldn’t resist, he had to kiss her once more. With a gasp, she pressed herself against him again, and he threaded his fingers through her