Kodiak Moment: Paranormal Bear Shifter Romance Read Online Free

was a sweet torture to have to work next to him, to focus on her photos. There was something about his strong physique and his quiet nature that warmed her.
    And he trusted her, enough to tell her to go into his home. And by the looks that she had caught him giving her, he might feel something for her, too.
    She flicked the stove on as instructed and turned the soup into a low simmer. Still too full of happiness to sit still, she headed back to the porch to wait for James. Just as she stepped out of the front door, from the forest came a huge, furred form. Nessa felt her breath catch in her chest and consciously held it, freezing in place.
    In her line of work, she had a healthy respect for animals, and none more so than the predators. And here, there were no others greater than the bear. It either did not see her, or most likely did not feel threatened by her. It, probably a he, was a beautiful rich chestnut shade, muscles rippling powerfully under his heavy fur.
    Cautiously, moving as slowly as she dared, she lifted her camera. The whirr of the lens extending seemed unnaturally loud to her, but apart from a light flicking of one tufted ear, the bear didn’t seem to mind.
    She snapped and snapped away as the bear walked down to the lake to take a drink. It was almost, she thought facetiously, like it was posing for her, especially as after it finished, it turned and looked right at her for half a minute, before strolling off into the woods again.
    Nessa took in her first deep breath and let it out in a long contented sigh.
    She was still on the porch, staring into the middle distance when James emerged. She automatically raised the camera and took a snap, before starting to pay attention again.
    “Am I that photogenic?” he asked once he got within earshot.
    “Autopilot,” she admitted. “You didn’t run into a bear when you were coning back?”
    “No, why?”
    She flicked her camera to gallery mode and held it up on display as he joined her. He whistled, impressed, she thought.
    “He came out of the woods as nice as you like, down for a drink, and away again. Look,” and she flicked to one of the close up shots. James nodded in appreciation.
    “Nice work,” he said.
    She grinned, pleased by the compliment.
    “Join me for soup?” he asked.
    “I’d love to.”
    The soup was delicious, Nessa decided, but the company was even more delicious. She had managed not to burn it in the reheating, and James had plated it up, and served it along with thick slices of crusty bread. James was a focused eater, devoting his attention to clearing his plate. He wasn’t a messy eater either, taking neat spoons and bites.
    Nessa found herself more interested in watching him than in eating herself, but applied herself after he shot her a brief quizzical look. He really was a handsome man, in a rough sculpted way. You wouldn’t find his likeness in a galley, whether in marble or oils. He might never grace the cover of any magazines. He certainly wasn’t the type of man that she would usually go for.
    But there was something about him. More than just the way that he looked, it was the way that he carried himself, the way that he moved. The timbre of his voice, the way that it sent shivers up her spine even when he was pointing out features of the scenery.
    His eyes were warm but guarded, and she wondered what lay in his past to make him look like that. What made a man like him so eager to live out here, away from everywhere else?
    “Penny for your thoughts?” he asked, as he swirled a final piece of bread around his bowl to make sure he got the last remnants of the soup.
    “Just thinking,” she replied.
    “Nothing bad, I hope?”
    “My curiosity getting the better of me,” she admitted. “Just wondering what brings someone out here. Can’t be just for the quiet life, can it?”
    He frowned thoughtfully. “City girl, are you?”
    She nodded. “Born and bred. I’ve traveled, don’t get me wrong, but I’ve always called