A Christmas to Bear Read Free Page B

victim before him recoiled in something like terror.
    Good, he thought . She should be afraid.
    He’d seen her out there, on the chair lift and again heading down the hill on her alluring, unstable legs. Something about her appealed to him; maybe it was her face, which was an expressive mixture of beauty and emotion. Or maybe it was the curvaceous body which no amount of winter clothing could conceal. Hips and breasts on a woman were a joy to behold, even for a man who didn’t get to enjoy the sight very often. Perhaps even more for such a man.
    He watched now as her head pushed itself back against the tree and her eyes closed, as though she were resigning herself to the notion that he was about to tear her throat out. She even raised her head as if to offer herself to him.
    Oh, come on, he thought. Really? I’m not a goddamn vampire.
    “Oh God, oh God, oh God,” she muttered. “I have the most stupid life on the planet.”
    If bears could laugh, he would have done so in that moment. Yes, he supposed that this was the last thing on a young woman’s fantasy list. But why was she sitting under a tree so far from the ski hill? More importantly, why had she wandered onto his land? Yes, she was a crappy skier. But so many others were, yet no one had entered this part of the woods in ages. And he liked it that way. It was best for him, but more importantly, for them. Only an idiot would dare come close to his domain.
    She really was pretty, this errant, foolish young woman. That at least he could admit to himself, taking pleasure in admiring her physical appearance as she sat as still as a painting. Her hair was long and dark, a little wavy. Her skin was light, the sort of ivory shade that one had to protect from the sun. And her lips, sealed shut as though in some sort of protective stance, were full and pink. He’d always had a soft spot for pouty lips.
    The woman’s eyes still shut tight, the bear backed off a few inches and shifted into human form.
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    The huffing ceased, and the hot breath that Aria had felt seconds before seemed to recede. She allowed one blue eye to pry itself open.
    Well, now she knew without a doubt what had happened: she was dead. The collision had killed her. And now she was on her way to heaven. A naked man–a large naked man whose body was coated in a series of muscles that could only be likened to those that might belong to a bronze statue of some sort of warrior god–stood in front of her. As her other eye opened she thought of pinching herself. Pinching him might have been nicer, though.
    The man crossed his arms in front of his chest. Clearly he felt no need to hide what was between his legs, and Aria could see why; if any part of her looked that good, she thought, she would have been naked all the time.
    “What are you doing on my land?” asked the man, his deep voice breaking the cold stillness and sending a chill through her.
    “I…your land? What are you talking about? This is a ski hill.” Aria’s eyes, which had been fixed between the man’s legs, shot to his face.
    “No. That,” said the man, pointing behind him towards the bare bit of white that still seemed miles away, “is a ski hill. This is my territory. And you should not be on it.”
    “Tell that to my ski. It brought me here.” Aria looked around for the solitary plank that she’d left behind, betrayed by its mate.
    “Your inability to perform an incredibly simple physical task doesn’t excuse you from invading my space. Please leave now.”
    Now Aria crossed her arms. Who the hell did this guy think he was?
    “Listen, buddy. I suppose you think you’re Mr. Fantastic because you can shift into a giant white teddy bear and hang around the woods all naked and buff. But I have as much right to be here as you do. Besides, I can’t leave. If I could, I would have done so some time ago.”
    “My profound apologies. I didn’t realize that you’d been attached to the tree with a length of chain.” The man