Bearly Hers: A Paranormal Bear Shifter Romance Read Online Free Page B

went to voicemail, only to immediately ring again. Parking at the end of her driveway, Gia took the call, with an irritated, “Hello?”
    Silence met her greeting. About to hang up, a voice through the line stopped her. “Ms. Santos? It’s Mack Campbell, from After Hours.”
    She remembered him with distaste, how his eyes had been glued to her breasts the entire time he’d spoken to her at the mixer. She wondered briefly how he’d gotten her number, and then recalled the form she’d had to fill out to attend the event.
    “Hi. What can I do for you?”
    “Oh, this is just a follow up call. Did you happen to make a connection at the mixer on Saturday?”
    “Sort of, yes.” Shaking off a sense of unease, she looked in the rearview mirror to check her lipstick.
    “I see.” He sounded disappointed. “May I ask with whom?”
    She wanted to say no, but didn’t see what matter it made, either way. The sooner she could get this follow-up over with, the better. “Trey Cross. We’re actually meeting for the weekend at his ranch to see how it goes. So if you’ll excuse me, I really need to head out.” Maybe a little haughty, but the dude gave her the creeps.
    He made a disapproving sound. “I… I see. Actually, Ms. Santos, I’d love to meet with you when you return—“
    Nope. That was a whole lot of nope. “I really have to be going. Have a nice day.” She clicked off and tossed the phone onto the passenger seat. Mack Campbell had that ass hat vibe, the one some men wore like bad cologne. Though he hadn’t done anything to outright offend her, the mere sound of his voice or his presence set off her asshole-alert. Unlike Trey, who set her off but in other, delicious, ways.
    Double-checking the map on her GPS, Gia set out. Soon, the scenery and beauty of the day robbed away the last of her nerves about doing this… until she turned down a long dirt road and followed it along a purple and gray mountain range. A driveway veered off to the left, a tall, arching sign with ASPEN RIDGE carved into it. She followed the drive down a small hill and then up. Before her, the ranch seemed to bloom out of nowhere. Excitement uncurled in her belly.
    A huge, brown log house sat just off to the left, with a sprawling porch wrapped around the front. Farther off to the right, outbuildings sat here and there, some large, some smaller. Beyond them was flat grassland as far as she could see until the mountain range impeded her view.
    Parking in front of the house, Gia wiped her palms on her jeans and tried to steady her nerves. This was a bad idea. Yet, even as she thought it, she knew it wasn’t true. A warm sense of rightness chased her apprehension away, as if she was exactly where she was supposed to be.
    Suddenly, her car door opened and a large, tanned hand slipped inside. She looked up into a flat abdomen covered in a tight tee shirt. Heart pounding, she peeked higher to Trey’s smiling face. Her breath caught at the rugged lines of his face and the dusting of dark blonde stubble on his jaw. She took his hand and let him help her out of the vehicle, wanting to say something but her mouth was too dry.
    “Gia. I’m so glad you could make it.” He kissed the back of her hand, and it wasn’t lost on her how incredible he looked in his dust-covered jeans and worn tee shirt.
    She licked her lips. “Me, too.” A small silence passed between them, giving her the urgency to fill it up and make this less awkward. Movement to her left caught her eye. A large black bear ambled across the lawn toward the house, paused mid-step and shook like a dog flinging off water. In two blinks, the bear twisted and arched, its form taking on a human shape. Caught in the scene, she couldn’t look away as the last vestiges of animal seemed to fall away and a man -- a very naked man -- resumed walking until he disappeared into the house.
    Trey grimaced and shook his head. “Sorry about that. That’s my younger brother Xander. He’s not shy