Bearly Passing: Saylor and Ryan Read Free Page A

man shifted quickly, the grizzly bear letting out a roar before turning and running back into the forest, far away from where Saylor stood. Relieved, Saylor buttoned her jeans and fixed her shirt. She walked out of the forest and on to the beach. Looking at her phone she saw the time, a quarter to two. Swearing under her breath, Saylor followed the shoreline, wondering if she would tell Jasmine what happened.
    Morning came much too quickly for Saylor's liking. She skipped her first class, choosing to dream of were-bears, sexy professors, and taboo relationships. When her alarm went off again at ten, she forced herself to abandon the warm cocoon of sleep and face the day.

Chapter Five
    S aylor dressed carefully, picking out a violet sweater that brown out the honey brown tones in her eyes and fitted dark jeans. She decided she would go see Professor Paulson during his office hours and tell him, well, tell him that she knew he was a were-bear. The alternative was not to discuss it and hope that he never found out. But, if she had been the one worried about strangers in the forest, she would want to know.
    Once he understood that she would not tell anyone his secret maybe he would be more at ease. And then, well, then maybe he would help put her at ease. Saylor rolled her eyes as she applied her make-up, she wasn't even sure what that meant and she thought it!
    "Come on in, Saylor!" Professor Ryan greeted her as she stood, uncertain, in the doorway of his office. "What can I do for you?"
    "Um," said Saylor, glancing over her shoulder. The hallway was empty, it was now or never. She sucked in a breath, stepped into the office, and closed the door behind her.
    There were pictures on the walls, Ryan laughing and smiling with men his age in front of the sign for the University of Wisconsin – Madison. Pictures of him and an older version of himself, his dad, smiling and holding up big fish. Ryan and a beautiful dark haired woman posing in front of Old Faithful at Yellowstone. Saylor's lip curled up, he loved his friends and family. She turned back to him.
    "I was hoping we could talk about... last night."
    The older man furrowed his brows and pursed his lips.
    "Don't tell me you didn't do the assignment! That's not like you."
    "Um, it's not that Professor Paulson," Saylor paused and collected herself. "I did the assignment."
    "Well how can I help you?"
    Saylor sat down across from the man. There was a window behind him, and the late morning sun left leafy patterns across the desk. The sun shining through Ryan's hair made some of the strands look lighter, more golden. She could see the resemblance to the bear she encountered the night before.
    "When I was doing the assignment," she began, "I got a bit lost and I... I found myself by Lake Superior."
    The professor's expression was frozen, green eyes darkened with... fear? Saylor continued.
    "There was a bear on the shoreline. Or, I thought it was a bear, and I was worried about getting eaten and not being able to finish my assignment."
    Saylor forced a laugh. Ryan laughed too, stilted and too empty.
    "But then... I saw that the bear was actually... um... it wasn't a bear it was..." Saylor struggled to find the words.
    "Me," said Professor Paulson.
    Saylor nodded, focusing on her hands. She didn't feel good about this admission, the tension in the room was too great. She should have kept it to herself.
    "What do you want?"
    Saylor flinched, Ryan's voice was tight and angry. She made herself meet his gaze, she was not a child, and his eyes had gone forest green with anger.
    "I don't want anything," she said, trying to keep tightness out of her voice.
    "Then why did you tell me?"
    "I thought you'd be worried about who was in the woods!" She said, harsher than she intended. "I didn't know what to do, I wanted to wait until you went away, but I made a noise and I thought you might have seen me. I had to tell you it was me and that I don't care. I'm not going to tell anyone."
    The man