“Good point.” The wide, manicured trail they walked on split into three directions. Keller led her down the most overgrown path on the right. The land was mostly flat and even, so Holly didn’t find the trek taxing at all.
Fresh air filled her lungs. She lingered in patches of sunlight that managed to break through the canopy. The whole forest smelled like rain and Christmas.
“Thanks for getting me out of the house,” she said. “I was going a little crazy.”
“I could tell. Sudden, elaborate craft projects are always a red flag.” He laughed.
“Hey, my chart is beautiful, and that mini pie was clever.” She snorted.
Keller came to a sudden stop and removed his shirt.
Holly’s jaw dropped in both confusion and admiration. “Not that I’m complaining, because goodness gracious I am not complaining,” she said, letting her eyes drift over his chest, “but what are you doing?”
“I told you, you aren’t going to have to work too hard on this hike. Have you ever ridden a horse before?” he asked.
“Um, no.” Holly’s mind went blank as he unbuttoned his jeans and tugged them off. He kicked off his shoes as well. “Why do you ask?”
“Because riding a bear is absolutely nothing like riding a horse.” He grinned and turned his back to her before slipping out of his boxers. Holly was somewhat disappointed, though she’d be more so if the sight of his backside wasn’t a damn nice view.
“Isn’t shifting outside of that stone circle tiring?” she asked, forcing herself to look away from him. It was rude to stare, even though Keller didn’t seem to mind. In fact, he encouraged it.
“Yes, but I’m used to it. It makes a damn good addition to a workout regime.” Keller closed his eyes and concentrated. Within seconds, he began to shift. He didn’t glow like he did last time. That glow must’ve been the magic of the stone circle giving him a helping hand.
A golden bear stood before her, his blue eyes twinkling.
“Wow.” She gasped. “That was amazing.”
Keller grunted at her and moved closer. She reached out and touched his fur. It was thick and bristly, but not too rough. He sunk down and stared at his back, his meaning clear.
“What about your clothes?” she asked.
Keller shook his head. He wasn’t worried about it, apparently. With a shrug, Holly swung her leg over his back and settled her weight on top of him. “You’ll tell me if I’m hurting you, right?”
Another snort.
“I’m going to take that as a yes,” she said. She wound her fingers into the thick fur at the base of his neck. He started off at a walk, allowing her time to adjust to the rocking movement of his body. When she figured out how best to balance herself, he picked up the pace. Immediately, her balance was thrown off all over again. As he ran, she figured out it was best to press her chest to his back and hang on tight.
With her cheek resting against the back of his neck, she took in the forest as they zoomed through. Keller quickly peeled off the trail, but the terrain didn’t get too rough. Holly felt herself smiling against his fur.
They didn’t run for long. As much as Holly wanted to continue their sprint, her legs started to ache. She used muscles she didn’t even know she had to grip his sides. As they walked through the forest, Holly heard the gentle babbling of running water. There must be a river nearby.
Keller turned sharply and began a steep uphill climb through much rougher terrain. Holly clutched him tightly, doing everything she could not to slip off his back and tumble down the mountainside. When he came to a stop, he grunted at her and jerked his head forward. Holly followed his gaze and gasped.
Before them was a small, but full and stunning waterfall feeding right into a beautiful spring. The deep teal water glittered in a perfectly placed patch of sunlight. Slowly, Holly slid from Keller’s back. She was so entranced by the picturesque sight that she didn’t notice Keller shift back until she saw him streak by her. He jumped into the spring with a loud whoop! The impact of his jump sent silver droplets of water splattering everywhere, including onto Holly. The water was icy. She yelped and skittered backward.
“How are you not freezing?” she called, clutching her jacket close to her body.
“Bear!” Keller called back.
“Right.” Holly closed her eyes and sighed. She scoped out a flat, mostly dry rock beside the spring and took a seat.
“Aren’t you coming in?” Keller asked.
Holly shook her head and pointed to herself. “Not bear.”
Keller tipped his head back and laughed. “I can stop you from getting too cold,” he assured her. When she still hesitated, he smiled. “Come on! I thought you were anxious to do something different.”
“Hypothermia isn’t what I had in mind,” she replied even though she was already sliding out of her jacket. The sight of Keller, handsome, smiling, and naked in the most picturesque little spring was too good to resist.
“You won’t get hypothermia if you stay by me.” His voice took on a husky quality that made Holly slip out of her clothing all the more quickly. When she was down to her underwear, she hesitated. It didn’t take long for her to start shivering. Keller watched her, his gaze burning like blue fire.
Fuck it, Holly thought and undid the clasp of her bra. I might be having his child anyway. What’s the point of hiding anything? She wiggled out of her underwear and tossed all of her clothing away from the spring. With a little luck, that would help it stay dry. She realized as she dipped a toe into the chilly spring, that there were no towels
