Bearly Breathing (Werebears of New Hampshire #1)(11)

The seizure stopped and Edwin pulled back on the rope. He jumped off the rock and did a perfect dive into the water.

Rebecca’s heart beat faster as Connor grabbed the rope. He reached up to get a high grip and his abs flexed. His stomach was perfect with deep ridges and zero body fat. His triceps were big and full and he had a perfect line down the middle of his pecs. It sure wasn’t like Mark’s body.

He glanced at her with a shy smile before jumping off the rock. He flew up higher than the others, tucked his body in and did a flip and landed in a splash-less dive. It could’ve won him a gold medal in the Olympics.

Rebecca tried to hide her smile but she couldn’t. She grinned. She could feel Grace and Angie’s eyes on her.

This was ridiculous. She had a life back in New York City. What was she thinking that she was going to date some guy in the middle of nowhere and see him once a month if she was lucky? She was better off trying to repair things with Mark. That was the safe thing to do.

Sidney and Edwin swam over to the kayaks and began pulling the food and stove out to make lunch.

Rebecca gasped as Connor swam towards their beach. He stepped out of the water and Rebecca felt every nerve ending in her body tingle. The lucky water cascaded down every inch of his hard body. His hair stuck to his head, except for one clump that stuck straight out. His bathing suit was plastered against his body showing the ridges of his muscular legs and the impressive size of his package.

“Are hamburgers okay for lunch?” he asked.

The three girls nodded. For the first time this trip they were all speechless.

He smiled, flashing his dimples, and Rebecca felt flooded with warmth. And it wasn’t from the sun.

“It won’t be long,” he said.

“Thanks Connor,” Grace said. “Becca really likes you.”

Rebecca could’ve slapped her. “What is this high school?” she asked, feeling her cheeks on fire. “I have a boyfriend.”

Connor’s face looked like he just found out that his puppy died.

“No she doesn’t,” Grace said.

“She definitely doesn’t,” Angie added.

Connor nodded with a sullen expression on his face. He looked to Rebecca for confirmation. “It’s complicated,” Rebecca said, shifting on her towel.

“No it’s not,” Grace said.

“It’s definitely not,” Angie added.

“Okay then,” Connor said, turning towards the grill. “I’ll get those burgers.”

He walked away with his shoulders slumped. His step lacked the skip that it had a minute ago.

“What is wrong with you?” Angie asked.

“He is so hot,” Grace said. “You’re an idiot.”

Angie was shaking her head. “Well you can force a horse to water but you can’t make her f*ck the hot waterboy.”

“What’s the point?” Rebecca said, feeling cornered. “What if I get back together with Mark and then I have to tell him about this. How would that make him feel?”

“Probably the way that he made you feel when he cheated on you,” Angie said.

“Mark is a piece of shit, Becca,” Grace said. “Do us all a favor and forget that he ever existed.”

Maybe they were right but she still didn’t want to close the door on the possibility of getting back together with him.

“Forget him,” Angie added. “And go f*ck the waterboy.”

She glanced over at Connor. He was making three glasses of Sangria garnished with little umbrellas and fruit cut into the shape of flowers.


Maybe her friends were right.





six





Connor let his kayak drift back among the group. He watched the five others ahead of him and exhaled. It felt like he got kicked in the stomach when Rebecca said that she had a boyfriend. Why would his bear bond with someone who was taken?

It wasn’t fair.

Rebecca turned her head back and Connor looked up at the sky. It was hard to look at her now. It hurt too much.

The dark clouds were creeping in overhead. It looked like rain. Who cares now? The weather had been a perfect reflection of his mood today. Sunny and bright this morning and now dark and depressing.

Connor had seen bitter old bears who had been separated from their bonded mates. It wasn’t pretty. They lived with inner bears in a state of constant agitation. Never at rest, never at peace. It was a dark life. And not one that Connor wished to live.

Little waves erupted as his paddle cut through the smoothness of the water. Tomorrow she would be gone, back to the city and Connor would be stuck here. In a deep state of depression.

His paddle jerked forward under a large wave that came from behind. He glanced at the water level against a passing rock. It was raising.

Thunder erupted like a cannon overhead. Little waves smashed into the side of his kayak as the speed of the current picked up. Shit, he thought as the Park Ranger’s warnings of flash floods replayed in his head.

He turned backwards and saw a wave coming at them. A bigger one followed it and a bigger one followed that one.

“Get the girls!” he yelled, as he began frantically paddling to catch up with Rebecca. The dark cloud moved over their head and the sky opened up with rain. Another bolt of thunder hit as the sky turned dark. The light blue water was now a dark gray. Stinging rain pelted into Connor’s face as he paddled.