A Spark to Bear (Fire Bear Shifters Book 2) Read Online Free PDF Page B

on one of the bags open, probably so he could replace the sleeping bag she was currently using.
    “Sorry for waking you up, but we should get moving. I want to take advantage of the early morning daylight hours as much as we can. Once the sun comes up, the heat is going to be brutal. Especially since all of the shade in the forest has been burned away.
    The last thing Riley felt like doing right now was hiking, but she couldn’t really argue with Hunter’s logic. Besides, he had saved her life, so the least she could do in return was make the hike out as pleasant as possible for him.
    “Alright, alright. I’m up,” she said, groggily rubbing the sleep away from her eyes. Hunger pangs hit her stomach sharply, and she looked hopefully at Hunter’s knapsack. He saw the direction of her eyes, and figured out what she wanted before she could even ask for a snack.
    “You must be hungry, huh?” he said. “I’ve got protein bars or Spam. Take your pick.”
    “Ugh, I’ll take a protein bar. I don’t know how anyone can eat Spam. That stuff is disgusting.”
    “It’s not that bad,” Hunter said, tossing a protein bar at Riley. “It’s especially good when you pour a little Gatorade in the can and let the fruity saltiness of the Gatorade mix in with the meaty saltiness of the Spam. So delicious.”
    Riley looked at Hunter like he had lost his mind. “You’re going to make me barf,” she said. He shrugged and started stepping into his jumpsuit.
    “You should try it sometime before passing judgment. It’s very good, I promise. Do you wanna pack the flame retardant clothing you’re wearing? It’s gonna get pretty hot soon, so you might be more comfortable in just the shorts and t-shirt you were wearing yesterday.”
    “Oh, yeah,” Riley said, shoving a huge bite of the protein bar into her mouth. “Why are you wearing all that gear? Doesn’t it make more sense to just leave it and replace it later? It can’t be that expensive, can it?”
    “It’s all very expensive, and the jumpsuits are custom made. So if I lose this one, it takes a while to get a new one. Besides, I’m already in enough trouble for the stunt I pulled yesterday, jumping off the rescue helicopter. If I lose my gear that might push Ian over the edge.”
    “He sounds mean,” Riley said, motioning to Hunter to turn around so she could change in privacy. She actually didn’t care that much if he saw her in her bra and panties, but he had seemed so careful to respect her privacy last night that she thought he might think it was weird if she just changed in front of him.
    “Ian’s not mean,” Hunter said, his voice slightly muffled since his face was turned away from Riley. “He’s a pretty awesome guy, and a super nice alpha—I mean, a super nice chief. But I really went against protocol by jumping off that helicopter. I could have died, and Ian would have had to explain what happened to the higher ups. That would have been really unfair to him.”
    “Makes sense,” Riley said. “Although I do have to say that I’m quite glad you bucked protocol, because I’d be burnt to a crisp right now if you hadn’t. Alright, I’m done changing. You can turn back around.”
    Hunter turned around and reached over to take the fire retardant clothing as Riley handed it back to him. As she passed it off to his waiting hands, their fingers brushed against each other. Riley’s eyes flew up to Hunter’s as she felt a shock that felt like hot electricity during the moment they touched. He held her gaze for a few beats before turning his attention to putting the clothes back into his gear bag, and Riley could have sworn she saw a flicker of desire in his eyes. But the moment ended almost as soon as it started, and Hunter abruptly zipped his bag of gear closed.
    “Alright, let’s get moving,” he said, turning to start their hike.
    They walked for a few hours, making small talk and discussing little bits and pieces of their backgrounds or hobbies.