Aaron: Mating Fever (Rocked by the Bear Book 4) Read Free Page B

me. I nod. “What is it?”
    “Something you can’t control, Olivia. We have a connection that is making you be attracted to the last guy a good girl should date. It’s not surprising that I piss you off.” He squeezes my hands, and I gaze into his face to see in his eyes that I affect him the way he affects me. That glow in my heart blooms into something more that makes me woozy.
    I ask, “What do you mean I shouldn’t want to date you? Are you dangerous?”
    “Yes.” He must notice me stiffen because he adds, “But not in the way you think. I would never hurt you. I can’t.”
    He can’t? I shake my head to clear the fog. Is that supposed to charm me? I’m not sure what’s going on, and I know this is the point where I should say no thanks and call Courtney to pick me up before I do something I’ll regret. But something in me thinks what Aaron is saying is true. We have a strange connection that makes me want to know more. Even if I decide not to see him again after today, I need to understand what that is.
    I stand up and say, “Let’s go for that swim.” Although he’s about to get naked for this, I think I need the cold water to sharpen my thoughts.
    Aaron says, “You can go change behind those bushes, and I promise not to peek.”
    I grab my pack and walk away before a stupid comment escapes my mouth. I’m not used to someone telling me what to do, and my natural reaction is to defy the order, but the way things are going so far, I might end up letting my temper make the rash decision to skinny-dip too. When I finish dressing I walk back to the clearing to discover Aaron has removed his shirt but left his jeans on. His chest and arms are covered in tattoos, and I can’t help but stare in amazement. I say, “Wow. That’s a lot of ink. Did it hurt?”
    “Naw. I’m addicted to the pain.” He waggles his eyebrows at me. “An ‘it hurts so good’ kind of thing.”
    He takes in my appearance too, and I hug my rolled towel in front of me as I say, “If that’s your attempt to get me to whip you, you’ve got the wrong girl.”
    Aaron grins at me. “I misjudged you.”
    I roll my eyes as I hold out my towel. “If you want to take your jeans off, here, you can wear this.”
    “I’m not shy.” Aaron tilts his head at me for a moment before he holds out his hand.
    While he undresses I begin to pick my way down the path to the water. Small pebbles hurt the soles of my feet, and I move slowly. Aaron catches up to me quickly and asks, “Do you dive right in or go slowly?”
    I glance over my shoulder to answer, but huff when I notice he’s only carrying the towel. I catch a glimpse of his quite capable equipment and hesitate a second before I whip my head back around. “When it comes to cold water I dive right in.”
    I step onto the dirt beach, and Aaron comes up close behind me. His breath makes the hair on the back of my neck stand up as he leans toward my ear and says, “I think you have a wild side, Olivia.”
    My body’s reaction is to hum with desire for Aaron. The urge to turn around and slide my hands over his chest to explore his tattoos is strong. I run into the water before I do. When I’m immersed in the icy temperature I swim as fast as I can to warm up, but the heat pounding through my veins doesn’t chill. I don’t do wild, so the fact that I’m tempted to throw caution to the wind and enjoy Aaron Lindquist has me more than flustered. It’s as if something primal in me wants to get out, and I recall Courtney saying I’m a fortress. I wonder if maybe the walls I’ve built are a barrier from other people, or for something in me.

Chapter 5
    W hen my muscles begin to ache I stop swimming and turn to face the beach. Aaron is closer to me than I expected, and he treads water by my side as he says, “You’re a strong swimmer. I suppose I shouldn’t be surprised. There’s not much you aren’t good at, is there?”
    “Of course there is.” Water splashes as I swirl my