A Blaze To Bear (Fire Bear Shifters Book 1) (6 page)

“We can just tell everyone a bear came by,” she said, keeping her tone light and watching Ian’s reaction closely. She thought she saw a dark shadow pass over his eyes, but it was gone so quickly that she couldn’t be sure. He slapped her rear and pushed her playfully in the direction of the bunkhouse.

“Very funny,” he said. “We’ll worry about the table tomorrow. For now, let’s go get some shuteye. Chief’s orders.”

They tiptoed back into the bunkhouse, and he gave her a light squeeze on the ass before they headed to their separate beds. Charlotte slipped between the sheets and couldn’t keep the silly grin off of her face. Sleeping with Ian was either the stupidest or best decision she had ever made. She couldn’t be sure, but she was going to believe for the best.

Ian woke up late the next morning. Bright sunlight streamed into the bunkhouse through the one open window, and he knew he had overslept.

“Shit,” he said, sitting up quickly and looking around. The bunkhouse was empty, and the smell of bacon and eggs wafted in from the crew kitchen one room over. Ian quickly changed into jeans and a t-shirt, and paused to look at himself in the mirror before heading out to the kitchen. He looked exhausted, and no wonder. He had been up way too late with Charlotte, and after they came back to the bunkhouse he had tossed and turned for a good hour before falling asleep.

His bear had bonded with Charlotte. Ian had known from the moment he first saw Charlotte that if he mated with her, he would bond with her. He had also known that his desire for her was too strong to put off for long. It’s part of why he had initially been so insistent that Charlotte couldn’t stay with the crew. Ian ran his fingers through his hair nervously as he stared at himself in the mirror. The responsible, logical part of him wished he had fought harder to have Charlotte reassigned, but a bigger, stronger part of him was glad that he hadn’t.

He was hers now. Whether or not she would be his was still unclear. Until he found a way to truly tell her who and what he was, he couldn’t expect her to make any commitments to him. For a split second last night, when she made a joke about a bear breaking the picnic table, he had considered jumping on that offhanded remark and using it as a chance to just let the truth spill out. But he had chickened out and let the comment go. He hadn’t wanted to shake things up so soon after the best sex of his life.

And, holy cow, that had definitely been the best sex of his life. Her body moved with his like they were performing a finely choreographed dance. There had been none of the awkward unfamiliarity that usually accompanies your first time with someone. Ian felt his body warming at the memory of it, and he smiled at his reflection as he thought of her. He just had to have faith that he would find the right time and place to explain his shifter side to her. He had to trust his bear and the bond that had been formed. She was his destiny.

Ian sauntered into the kitchen, where Zach and Hunter were cleaning up from breakfast. The rest of the crew had eaten all of the bacon and eggs already, so Ian settled for a large bowl of cereal with some milk. As he passed by Zach on his way to sit at the large table, Zach furrowed his brow and smelled suspiciously.

“You smell like sex,” Zach said to Ian.

Ian concentrated on pouring cereal into his bowl. “You smell like old socks,” he said, trying to defuse the situation. But Zach did not look amused.

“No, I’m serious. Charlotte came in here this morning smelling like sex. And now you smell like sex, too. Did you mate with her?”

Ian’s silence as he poured milk over his cereal was all the answer his second in command needed. Zach let out an exasperated sigh.

“Boss, seriously? I thought you were campaigning to have her reassigned. And now you mated with her?”

Ian still didn’t answer. He scooped a large spoonful of cereal and milk into his mouth and chewed slowly. Zach spoke in an accusatory tone, that Ian would have called disrespectful and reprimanded if it had been any of his other men. But Zach got a lot of leeway as his second in command and best friend, and Ian felt a little guilty about mating with Charlotte. It could cause a conflict of interest on the firefighting missions, and his men didn’t deserve to be anything except absolutely safe. Still, the deed had been done, and Ian honestly couldn’t say he regretted it. Charlotte had been amazing, and he wanted her to be a part of his life from now on.

“Great. Just great. Did you bond with her?” Zach asked, his voice full of frustration.

“Yes,” Ian said, finally looking up from his bowl of cereal. “And I’m actually very happy about it, so I’d appreciate it if you could be happy for me as well.”

Zach didn’t cower at all at the sharp edge in Ian’s voice. Instead, he crossed his arms and narrowed his eyes at Ian. “I would be happier if you hadn’t done something that endangers the crew. We all went through a lot to make it through training and get placed on this crew together as smokejumpers. Does she even know that you’re a shifter?”

Ian shook his head no. “Not yet,” he said, his voice defiant. “I’m waiting for the right moment to tell her.”

Zach slammed his fist on the table. “The ‘right moment’ would have been before you slept with her. Now you’ve just made the situation even worse. What if she’s angry at you when she finds out you mated with her without telling her you’re part bear? She’ll have more motivation than ever to blast our secret around. Even the U.S. Forest service can’t keep our shifter status undercover if an angry woman is determined to get the word out.”

“She’ll be understanding,” Ian said confidently.

“Oh really? If you’re so sure, then why haven’t you just told her already?”

“You know as well as I do that it’s not something you just blurt out in everyday conversation, regardless of how well you think the human is going to receive the news. Like I said, I’m waiting for the right moment.”

Ian and Zach stared each other down while Hunter cowered in the corner, looking awkwardly at the door and no doubt wishing he could escape from the room. Before the staring contest could end, though, Luke and Trevor burst into the room.

“You guys, the picnic table is destroyed!” Luke exclaimed. “It’s totally split in two. There are splintered wood pieces everywhere. I have no idea how that could have even happened.”

Zach smirked at Ian. “On the picnic table, huh?” Really classy, boss. I wish you would have gotten a splinter in your ass.”

Ian smirked back at Zach. “As a matter of fact, I did. She pulled it out for me.”

Trevor and Luke looked on in confusion as Zach glared at Ian and Hunter tried to slip even further into the corner.

“What’s going on?” Trevor asked cautiously.

“Oh, nothing much,” Zach said, his voice full of sarcasm. “Just, you know, Ian and Charlotte mated on the picnic table last night and broke it.”

Trevor’s eyes widened and he looked over at Ian. “Really? Is he serious?”

Ian sighed. This was not how he had planned to break the news to his crew that he and Charlotte had mated and bonded. “Yes, Trevor, he’s serious. I mated with Charlotte on the picnic table.”

Trevor and Luke exchanged a glance and then burst out laughing.

“Right on, Boss,” Trevor said, reaching over to offer Ian a high five. Ian halfheartedly high fived him, while Luke did a little dance that looked like what a football player does in the end zone after scoring a touchdown.

“Looks like the chief scored!” Luke said, dancing around.

Ian couldn’t keep himself from chuckling at Luke’s antics, but Zach was not amused.

“Alright, everyone move it. Don’t you guys have work to do?” Zach asked, his voice a roar. Trevor and Luke scurried off, but their laughing, jovial voices carried back to the room for several moments after they left. Zach made his way to the door.

“You have to get her reassigned, Ian. As long as she’s here, infatuated with you, and unaware that you’re a bear… she’s a ticking time bomb. She’s not going to be happy when she finds out the truth. It’s better if she never does.” Zach left the room on those ominous words, storming off with angry, blazing eyes.

Hunter finally moved away from the corner. He tiptoed toward the door silently, but paused just before leaving the room.

“I’m happy for you, Boss,” he said shyly. “She’s a great person. Really kind and open-minded. I think if you explain everything to her, she’ll be understanding.”

Ian reached over and fist-bumped Hunter. “Thanks, buddy. I hope you’re right.”

Alone at the table, Ian put his head in his hands for a moment before scooping up another giant spoonful of cereal. The wheat flakes were getting soggy, but Ian didn’t even notice as he downed bite after bite. His mind had wandered elsewhere, wondering how to explain his shifter side to Charlotte and what to do about Zach’s protests.

Zach’s strong opposition had stung a little. Ian knew that Zach had a point. If Charlotte reacted the wrong way when she found out he was a bear, the whole crew would suffer for it. As much as it pained him to do so, Ian realized that he needed to be fair to his crew. This shouldn’t just be his decision. It affected them, and they had a say in it, too.

With a heavy heart, Ian walked out to the hangar to find his crew, who were all busy inspecting their jumpsuits. The suits were custom-made, and were intended to last each man the whole fire season. After every mission, each smokejumper had to make sure the suits were in good shape and didn’t need any repairs. Everyone who went through smokejumper training had to learn to sew, so they could repair their own suits. The sight of big, burly men at a sewing machine never failed to amuse Ian. Since the crew didn’t have their own airplane, the large hangar had become a makeshift repair room of sorts, with the sewing machines lined up against one of the side walls.

As Ian walked into the hangar, Zach glanced up from his sewing machine and scowled, then went back to concentrating on his work. Ian sighed. He hated that Zach was pissed at him, but there wasn’t much he could do about it. Hopefully with some time, Zach’s anger would subside a bit.

“Where’s Charlotte?” Ian asked. He hadn’t seen her at all this morning.

“She went for a run not long after breakfast. Said she needed to clear her head,” Trevor answered.

“Alright then, let’s have a quick meeting. My office, now,” Ian said.

“A meeting? Without Charlotte?” Luke asked.

“The meeting’s about Charlotte, dumbass,” Zach said, his scowl deepening. “This better be quick. I have a lot to do.”

Ian let Zach’s attitude slide for the moment. He just wanted to get his men upstairs and have a chance to talk to them before Charlotte came back from her run. After everyone had crowded into Ian’s office, Ian took a deep breath and looked around the small room.

“Alright, guys. As you all obviously know by now, Charlotte and I mated last night. We bonded, although she doesn’t know yet that I’m a shifter. Or that any of us are shifters. I realize that this has the potential to affect all of us. I have to admit that Zach makes a good point—if Charlotte gets angry when she discovers I’m a shifter, she could end up making things really difficult for all of us. If she tells Boise and they get mad, we might lose our status as smokejumpers. There might not be a lot the U.S. Forest Service could do to protect us.”

Ian paused and made eye contact with each of his men, except for Zach who was staring angrily at the floor.

“I’m sorry if this situation has put you all in an awkward position. I’ve been very drawn to Charlotte since the moment she arrived at our base, and last night I let my feelings get the better of me. I have to find a way to eventually tell her that I’m a shifter, but I don’t want to put your jobs in jeopardy. So, if the possibility of her outing us makes you uncomfortable, just say the word and I’ll resign. No hard feelings, I promise. Zach is completely capable of taking over for me, and Charlotte never has to know that any of you are bear shifters.”

Zach’s eyes flew up in shock at Ian’s words. Alphas almost never offered to step aside, so Zach definitely hadn’t been expecting this. The other crew members, predictably, swore their allegiance to Ian.

“No way, Boss. You’re not going anywhere,” Luke said. “Zach is awesome, but you’re our alpha.”

“I agree,” Trevor said. “You deserve to be happy. We all do, after everything we’ve been through. And the only way we can all find happiness is if we stick together.”

Hunter nodded his agreement, and Zach sullenly let out a sigh.

“I don’t want you to leave, Ian. I just think this has the potential to end very badly,” Zach said.

“Most of what we do has the potential to end very badly,” Ian said gently. “And usually it doesn’t. I’m just asking you to have a little faith in me, and in Charlotte. If it makes you feel better, we can wait a bit longer on letting her know we’re shifters. Give her some time to get to know you guys as people first.”

Zach shrugged. “Fine. I guess I feel better about that than about just blasting out our secret.

“Alright, we’ll keep it a secret through the next mission. Which could be any day now, by the way. The heat is ramping up, and we’re bound to be getting a call soon. I’ll let you guys get back to your repairs. Thanks for supporting Charlotte and me. It means a lot.”

“Sure thing, Boss,” Luke said. Trevor and Hunter made similar comments, but Zach left the room in a silent huff. Ian knew his second in command was going to take a while to come around, but, surely, he would eventually get to know Charlotte better and trust her a little more. Ian had a sinking feeling in his stomach when he thought about how he had just promised Zach that he wouldn’t reveal himself as a shifter until after the next mission. Now that he had slept with Charlotte, he knew the longer he waited to tell her the truth, the angrier she was likely to be when she found out. But he had to balance the wishes of his men with his obligations to Charlotte. He could only hope that she would understand when the time finally came to tell her.

“Just hang on, Charlotte,” he said aloud to the empty room. “I’ll tell you everything soon enough. I promise I’m doing the best I can by you and the crew.”