Mated to the Wilde Bear

Chapter 5: Xavier

He scanned faces, feeling like he’d been thrust on a stage. Nerves pulled at him as he watched them pointing at him, whispering amongst themselves. He hated the spotlight. Dreaded what the townspeople said about him, the bear shifter Blue Bear Search and Rescue boss who’d partied so hard he’d killed his father.

But this crowd wasn’t carrying pitchforks. Mostly, they all looked curious. Impressed, even.

All except for Laurel.

She glared at him, not backing down even when he passed right by her and continued over to where the stretcher lay waiting just outside the ambulance doors. He leaned over slowly, careful with his human passenger as he lay the man out on the thin mattress.

The medics followed close, hovering. “We’ve got the gurney all set up,” one of them said for the third time. A younger guy, probably newer, scared to break protocol. His partner didn’t look thrilled, but at least she didn’t argue. Margie had been at this a while. Probably knew better than to argue with him about it.

Xavier waved them both off and walked around them. “I’ve got him,” he said. “I’ve carried him this far, and those wheels aren’t going to roll properly on this terrain. You’ll just jostle his injuries further.”

The man muttered something about procedure, but otherwise fell back and let Xavier do it his way. He felt someone standing over his right shoulder. Another medic, probably. He ignored them.

But then he laid his patient down, and the wind caught a scent, and he knew who it was. He could smell her perfume, mixed with a hot temper, bearing down on him.

“What the hell do you think you’re doing?” Laurel hissed at his back.

He finished arranging the patient and watched as the emergency workers began their once-over. Blood pressure cuffs, heart rate monitor on the pointer finger. Damn, he wished his crew were here to do this.

“Are you going to answer me or just ignore me all day?” Laurel was close enough he could feel her energy over his shoulder.

“Is he stable?” Xavier asked the medic.

He waited until the young one closest to him nodded curtly. Then and only then did he exhale the breath he’d been holding and turn back to the woman behind him.

The moment he rounded on her, he felt the blaze from her glare, but like before, he was drawn to the hardness in her blue eyes. The challenge of breaking down the uptight wall she’d put up against him. To top it off, her damned perfume invaded him. As overbearing as it was, it only filled him more with her presence.

In response, he took a step toward her, invading her personal space. She stiffened, and he hid a smug smile, pretending not to notice the way her mouth fell slightly open at the sight of him so close.

“Is there a problem?” he asked.

“Yes,” she said, her tone acidic. “You ignored the medics and the stretcher provided, choosing instead to recklessly continue with the injured man thrown over your shoulder like a sack of potatoes.”

“Is there a question in there somewhere?”

She huffed. “Why did you ignore the medics?”

“The stretcher’s wheel was loose, and I didn’t want it going sideways on the gravel and pitching the guy, broken ankle first, into another ravine.”

“You don’t know that—”

“Look.” He pointed and watched her eyes narrow and then widen as the medics gave the wheel a shove. With a wobble, the leg collapsed, and they slid the stretcher into the ambulance. But he knew she’d seen what he did. A loose wheel over gravel could have been bad news.

He turned back to her and lifted a brow.

“You could have just said so,” she said coldly. God, why was she wound so fucking tight anyway? He couldn’t be to blame. He didn’t even know the woman. Had never seen her before today.

“Are you new in town? I don’t think I’ve seen you around the mountain before.” He was being vague. He knew he hadn’t seen her. If he had, he’d definitely remember her face. That body. The smug, chilled expression she wore.

“I’ve lived here for almost a year now,” she said. “You make it sound like you know everyone in town.”

“Mostly,” he admitted.

She snorted. “Well, they certainly know you,” she said, and the friendly introduction he’d been about to offer died on his tongue. Of course she’d heard the gossip. And of course she fucking believed it. No wonder she’d been so cold to him.

He did not need this shit. He had work to do. “You need anything else from me for that report of yours?” he asked.

She blinked a few times and finally glanced down at the clipboard again. He waited while she looked over her own notes, and caught himself admiring her long, slender fingers as she used them to keep her place while she read. What would that hand look like wrapped around his cock?

“No, I have everything I need,” she said, her words yanking him out of his dirty daydream. What the hell was his problem?

“See you around then.” He turned on his heel and headed straight for his truck. His destination was already settled. Whether his crew was down at Mack’s Brewery or not, he needed a drink.