2.
“If he’s not a miner, what’s he doing here?” Adrian asked, turning her gaze back on the incredibly well-muscled man who was roaming the site, his dark eyes serious and pensive as he made sure that none of the men got out of line.
“Who, Kent?” The man who was overseeing her work glanced up at Adrian, his eyes mildly contemptuous.
“Yeah, Kent.”
“Well, Blaine likes to keep him busy. Guy has a lot of things on his mind… kind of a dark side, if you want to be honest about it. So, we do what we can to make him useful. He’s strong, you know, and that’s something we can always use. Makes a good delegation guy.”
“I see…”
The conversation lulled and Adrian took the opportunity to really take a good look at Kent. He was strong, that much was painfully obvious from the way his sculpted muscles rippled as he moved around the mining site, oblivious to her gaze. He had dark hair, wild and untamed, and pensive, mysterious brown eyes that seemed to bear all the weight in the world when he didn’t think anybody was watching. Truth be told, he was ridiculously attractive, and the second she had laid eyes upon him she’d found him alluring. Just the kind of man she wanted to be with, even if not long term.
The day went by quickly, with Adrian soon becoming consumed in her work. Although the enigmatic man managed to catch her eye every now and again, she was able to keep her thoughts on the task at hand so that she wasn’t too distracted by her unwanted feelings of desire.
Finally, the sun began to set in the horizon and a whistle blew. It brought Adrian out of her task and when she looked up she was startled by the dark intensity of Kent’s eyes boring into hers.
“Are you staying on the mountain?” Kent asked her, his eyes flashing with an emotion that was hard for her to pinpoint. “It’s time to go.”
“Yeah… I have a hotel room.”
Her body was electrified by the sheer volume of desire in Kent’s eyes, but he didn’t act on it. Instead, he gave her a small nod.
“Come on. I’ll escort you back. It’s not safe for humans here, but especially after dark.”
“How do I know I’ll be safe with you?” Adrian asked, her heart pounding painfully in her chest.
“You don’t,” Kent said, his dark eyes flashing. He was so close that she could nearly feel him; just his larger than life presence was enough to make her breath catch in her throat.
“I’ll go with you,” she whispered. “But only if you promise not to hurt me.”
Kent grinned, a confident and boyish grin that took some of the darkness out of his handsome face. Again, Adrian’s heart contracted, tight and sharp, and she wondered just what in the hell she had gotten herself into.
“I promise not to do anything you don’t want me to do,” he said instead, his eyes playful and brimming with desire.
Adrian’s body was electrified by his nearness, and she did her best to look away, to hide what she was feeling. But it was clear there were just some things that you couldn’t hide from a bear shifter.
“All right,” she said quietly.
Kent smiled again and Adrian turned away from him, walking to her car.
“You drove up here?” Kent asked.
“You seem surprised,” Adrian said, raising a brow at him.
“Well… most humans don’t like driving on the mountain. It’s pretty steep. Most of the time we shifters just roam around on all fours, you know.”
He cast her another meaningful look and she could feel the heat rise to her cheeks. Why did everything out of his mouth sound like liquid sex? It was ridiculous.
“I’m a good driver,” she said, getting into the car. She unlocked it and shoved the passenger’s side door open for Kent to get inside.
“I’m sure you are,” Kent responded, his voice bemused as he slammed the door shut, filling the car with his rugged scent. It was intoxicating; like being at a bonfire in the middle of the woods.
“You really don’t have to do this, you know,” Adrian said, trying to keep the nervous waver out of her voice. “I can take care of myself. if I couldn’t I wouldn’t be here.”
“Oh, I’m sure you can manage just fine,” Kent said. “But just in case.”
“All right…”
They drove up the mountain in silence, the sexual tension between them nearly unbearable. Adrian managed to keep herself focused on the journey, her mind spinning. How was it possible for this man to be so attracted to her? She had always been a curvy girl and because of it, she’d found it difficult to date men, especially those who had expectations of what dating a big girl might entail. It always turned sour when they realized that she had a backbone and she wasn’t going to tolerate any bullshit. That was usually a deal breaker.
“So, are you going to be at the site tomorrow too?” Adrian asked, turning the engine off once she pulled into the parking lot of the hotel. She was reluctant to leave him for some reason. She knew it was ill-advised and impulsive, but her mind was swimming with the implications of their attraction.
“I wasn’t planning on it,” Kent said with a low chuckle. “I hate working at the mine. All the guys there are a pain in the ass.”
“I think they’re threatened by you.”
Kent looked up at her, surprise flickering in his dark eyes. “You noticed that, huh?”
Adrian smiled and nodded. “I did.”
Kent smirked to himself and shook his head. “Well, they know I could kick their asses and they don’t want to deal with me.”
“Well, you certainly seem capable of handling yourself,” Adrian said.
“I’m capable of handling a lot of things.”
Adrian was suddenly trapped in Kent’s gaze. Her heart began to thud painfully in her chest. Suddenly, Kent’s lips were on hers, hungry and intense, filling her body with a slow, sensual heat.
When he pulled away from her he frowned to himself and drew back.
“Well. Good night then.”
He got quickly out of the car and disappeared into the woods, leaving Adrian tingling in the seat and staring after him, her mind reeling at the possibilities of what Kent’s presence had meant to her and the reality that her desires were going to remain unmet for the rest of the night.