Read Montana Wild Bears: Books 1-4 Bundle (BBW Paranormal Werebear Shape Shifter Romance Boxed Set) for Free Online Page B

him before she had to like his bear as well. “I was born near here and have lived here all my life. My brothers left a few years ago, but I stayed. It’s just always felt right. I love the lands and the people here, even if there aren’t that many of them. I don’t think I could handle California.”
    “Why not?”
    “Too hot. Not enough bears.” They both grinned. “I like staying near my roots. This land has given me so much and I want to give back.”
    “Are you sharing it with anyone?” Tess asked, her voice wavering just a little. Jackson frowned, but his expression cleared quickly and he grinned, shaking his head.
     
    “No, it’s just me. The right woman just hasn’t come along yet. Or, well, maybe she has,” he said, keeping his dark eyes on her. Tess’s blush got deeper and she raised her glass to her lips. She had already drunk all of her wine and now lowered the glass awkwardly. Suddenly, she looked like a deer caught in the headlights, confused and stricken. Tess smiled slightly and then stood up, rushing past him to go fill her glass again. Jackson fell back on the couch, grabbing another glance at her shapely body as she pressed past him. He smirked to himself, having caught the twinge of lust that had passed through her eyes. He hoped she wanted him as badly as he wanted her, because he wouldn’t be able to keep his hands off of her for too much longer. The bear knew that they had found their mate. Jackson couldn’t wait to make her his, body and mind.
     

CHAPTER FIVE
     
    For the next few days, Tess was given the opportunity to fall more and more in love with the Montana countryside. The majestic snowcapped peaks, the rolling valleys and thick forests enveloped her with a sense of peace and belonging. She had never been quite at home as she was at Jackson’s side in the wilderness or in his little cottage, cooking dinner and chatting by the light of the fire. The reserved man was beginning to open up to her, and she had even caught a few bears on video thanks to her hidden camera. As quickly as her work was leaping forward, her relationship with the secretive ranger seemed to be growing as well.
     
    It made her positively beam with self-satisfaction. For several reasons that she was finding difficult to explain to herself, his acceptance and friendship mattered a lot to her. His presence made her glow, and the invisible force field he had about him had slowly opened to her, letting the feisty redhead in and closing again tightly behind her. He was the kind of man that did not make connections easily, but she thought that even he couldn’t deny that they had good chemistry that was only getting better. The way he had looked at her when he spoke about finding the right woman still made her stomach twist with butterflies and her knees tremble under her.
     
    The only shadow to her cheer was the confrontation between Jackson and Ryder. The picture of the two men rearing against one another like two bears poised for battle left her feeling uncomfortable and worried. Ryder scared her senseless, but there was heat in danger and she was left shaken in the face of it. Of course, Jackson had been right there, ready to attack the cold, dangerous man and defend her honor. She could just imagine herself thanking Jackson lavishly for coming to her rescue. Every time her thoughts wandered over to that particular recess of her mind, she couldn’t concentrate for a good half an hour before the lustful bubble in the pit of her stomach died down.
    It’s just a silly fantasy, Tess. The curvy scientist does not get the hot ranger.
     
    Yet, every morning when she saw him again, her teeth grazed across her lips and she was overcome with a sense of wanting that bewildered and nearly blinded her. She had never been rendered quite as incapable of controlling herself as she was around Jackson.
     
    By the time the first week of her trip was coming to a close, Tess was feeling rather at home in Montana. She had