Grizzly Flying Home by Sloane Meyers Page A

so close to her ear that she could feel his hot breath tickling it. She shivered in delight, and then he let her go. She stepped back, her cheeks reddening even more when she realized that Charlotte had just witnessed their odd, awkward hug.
    “Well, looks like you two have some logistics to discuss,” Charlotte said. “I’m going to get back to work on repairing my parachute, but I’ll be in the hangar if you need me.”
    Then, with a wink, Charlotte turned on her heel and disappeared.
    “I think she misread that,” Emily said quickly, trying to smooth over the awkwardness she felt at having just thrown herself at Chance. “I’m just excited that I’ll know someone in Alaska. A friend, I mean. It’ll be nice to have a friend.”
    Chance opened his mouth like he was about to say something, but then he quickly shut it again. He put his finger over Emily’s lips, sending a fresh wave of excited shivers down her spine. “Stop explaining,” he said. “Come on. Let’s head to the bunkhouse and start making some plans for you. I can give you a lot of recommendations on the best cities to live in, and the best spots for nature photography. I worked as a tour pilot there for more than a decade. I know all the secret places.”
    Emily nodded, and followed Chance, forcing herself to stop talking. She couldn’t keep from bringing her fingers to her lips for a moment, though, as she fell into step behind Chance. The spot where he had just touched her was tingling and hot. She hadn’t realized until now what true passion felt like, but she was catching up quickly.

Chapter Nine
     
    Chance glanced over at the passenger seat and took in Emily’s pale, drawn expression. Her green eyes were staring straight ahead at the road, unseeing. She was chewing on her lower lip, rubbing off the soft pink lipstick she’d been wearing. Her hair was pulled up into a neat bun on her head, and her classic black skirt and white button down shirt made her look like a polished professional on her way to the office. Simple gold jewelry completed the outfit. She looked absolutely lovely, and absolutely terrified.
    “Hey,” Chance said, reaching over and squeezing her shoulder. “You did amazing, and now it’s over. The cops said they shouldn’t need anything else from you now that your statement is done.”
    Emily looked over at Chance and cracked a small, grateful smile. “Thanks. I didn’t realize how hard it was going to be to relive all of that. And saying it all out loud made me realize how foolish I must have sounded all this time, trying to claim that Scott wasn’t violent. You must think I’m an idiot.”
    “No, I don’t. I think you are a very caring woman who tried very hard to protect the person she once loved. There’s no shame in that. The important thing is that you’ve realized now that it’s not okay for someone to treat you the way Scott did, and you’ve found the courage to move on. Be kind to yourself, Em. The last few days have been rough. It’s okay to feel exhausted.”
    “Thanks,” Emily said. She returned to staring out the window, but her face looked a little less pale.
    Chance smiled. She was so beautiful, even when she was scared and stressed out. Alaska was going to be good for her. She could relax and enjoy getting back into photography. The time in nature would be healing. Chance could hardly wait to see what she looked like after a week or two of her new life.
    Chance also couldn’t believe how lucky he was that Emily had decided to move back to Alaska at the same time as him. He was a practical guy, but he couldn’t just pass off the timing as coincidence. He also couldn’t ignore the rumblings of his bear within him every time Emily was around. He suspected that she might be his lifemate, and he could tell that she felt attracted to him to, at least on some level.
    But as much as he wanted to throw her up against the nearest wall and kiss her with abandon, he held back. She had been