Bearly Breathing (Werebears of New Hampshire #1)(5)

Angie was a leading theoretical physicist who specialized in quantum electrochemistry. She had been nominated for the Nobel prize last year, and almost won, for some work that she did on an experiment that Rebecca still had no idea what it was, even after Angie tried to explain it to her several times. She was by far the smartest person that Rebecca had ever known. But she wasn’t too smart in the relationship department. She had always been attracted to really smart men, which usually meant nerds with no muscle definition, who put their studies and work before her needs. Her last boyfriend was a one hundred and twenty pound teacher of particle physics. His glasses weighed more than he did. Angie complained about sexual frustration for the whole year that they dated.

They stepped out of the car and Rebecca looked up at the tall trees and breathed in the pine tree scented, fresh air. She had always tried to get Mark to take her out of the city while they were dating but he always refused, preferring to go out drinking at a pub or to drag her to a Yankees game instead of to the forest and mountains which her body had craved so much. Well Mark was gone for now. She would enjoy the time while she could. She was still hoping that he’d come back.

“Where is Alfred when you need him?” Grace joked as she struggled to pull her massive suitcase out of the trunk.

“You didn’t pack him in here?” Rebecca asked, pulling on the handle with all of her strength. “It feels like it by the weight of this thing.”

The three girls managed to pull out the heavy suitcase and it fell to the ground with a thud. Rebecca’s car sprung back up to its regular height.

Grace frowned at her Louis Vuitton bag sitting in the dirt. “I’ll let the bell boy come and bring it to my suite.”

Angie laughed. “The bell boy?” she asked with her eyebrow raised.

Rebecca walked towards the entrance with a jump in her step. This weekend was going to be amazing. Just her girls, some kayaks and mother nature.

Her hand flew up to her mouth and she gasped as she walked through the door. There was a naked man in the lobby with a floral patterned curtain wrapped around his waist. His perfect, muscular chest was bare.

“Oh my God,” Grace said behind her.


Angie broke out in giggles.

“I’m so sorry,” a guy to his right said. “He was just in the shower.”

Rebecca looked at the guy who just spoke and her pulse sped up. She was not expecting to see three hot, muscular, sexy guys in the middle of the woods.

Their eyes met and Rebecca swallowed hard. He gazed at her, his green eyes dazzling and bright. He had short, cropped brown hair that was perfectly messy, like he just got out of bed. His shoulders were large and broad and his army green shirt clung to his tight, fit body. The tip of a tattoo peeked out under his sleeve on his right arm. Rebecca wondered what the rest of his tattoo looked like. She wondered what the rest of his body looked like. You’re not here for that. I just want to go kayaking. The last thing she needed was another guy in her life complicating the confused feelings and emotions that she already had.

This guy was way out of her league anyways. He wouldn’t go out with a girl like her. Grace could have him.

But Grace was staring at the naked guy wearing the curtain. She couldn’t take her eyes off him.

“I’m Connor,” green eyes finally said after a moment of tension. “I’m the owner and operator of Brooke Excursions. Are you Rebecca?”

Rebecca tried to answer but a cough came out instead. “Yes,” she said, clearing her throat, her eyes starting to water. “Yes. I am.”

He smiled wide, flashing flawless white teeth and dimples. Why does he have to have dimples? She was a sucker for dimples. He stepped forward and stuck out his hand. “We spoke on the phone.” Rebecca remembered. He had a deep, soothing voice that vibrated down to her core.

She took his hand in hers and a warm feeling crawled up her arm. A low, primal growl filled the room and he snapped his hand back.

“What was that?” Angie asked, looking around the room.

Connor shook his head and smiled nervously. “We get a lot of animals around here. Nothing to worry about.” He stepped towards the big guy in the room. “This is Sidney,” he said quickly, trying to change the subject. There was something weird about that noise though. It sounded like it was coming from him. Rebecca watched him curiously.

“Sidney is one of our instructors,” Connor explained. “He’ll be coming with us on our excursion.”

Sidney nodded his massive head. He had an enormous chest with thick, black hair creeping out the top of his shirt. His biceps were the size of watermelons. He had blond spiky hair and a soft smile that was shocking to see on a such a large, threatening giant.

He turned towards Angie with a grin. “Hi little lady,” he said. Angie glanced at Rebecca with red cheeks.

“Do you like football players?” Sidney asked. Connor groaned beside him.

“I think it’s a barbaric sport,” Angie said. “Do you know that brain trauma affects forty three percent of football players? And that is only the reported cases. Actual levels may be as high as ninety two percent!”

“Yeah but the average player’s brain damage will heal itself after a few days,” Sidney said with his chin in the air.

Angie looked at him with a look of disbelief. “That is…not even remotely correct.”