Page 29 of Step Brother Bear

Derek runs into the house and grabs the keys to one of my mom's cars—the one she allows us to drive while we’re here, tossing them to me as he hops into the passenger seat.

“Where are we going?” I ask as I back the car out of the driveway.

“It’s a secret spot.” He grins, looking more childlike and carefree than I’ve ever seen him before. It takes the air from my lungs.

“Then how am I supposed to get there?”

He yawns and stretches his arms, resting one on my headrest, softly playing with a coil of my hair. “Just drive. I’ll tell you when to turn.”

I follow his directions as best I can. He’s being a dick on purpose, not telling me to turn until the last possible second, but what's new?

We travel down winding dirt roads, pushing deeper into woods I barely knew existed in Deep River. “Are you trying to murder me?” I ask, once I’m unsure how far civilization is behind us.

He laughs and runs a finger down my chin. “Oh, if I wanted to, I could have disposed of you with far less effort than this.” He runs a knuckle under my lower lip. “No, I’ll keep you around for a while.”

I swat him away.

“Oops, turn here!” He jerks the steering wheel, causing the car to jump into a clearing. I scream, slamming on the brakes.

“Jesus Christ!” I yell, hand over my heart as I assess the damage.

Good news. I’m alive. We didn’t run into anything, but unfortunately, Derek is unscathed too. I plan to remedy that. I slap his arm, the good one. I’m not an animal.

“Ouch!” he yells with a smile, rubbing at the spot. “What did you do that for?”

“You could have killed us!”

“Stop being dramatic.” He opens the passenger door and steps out, nodding at me as a signal to follow. “Take a look around. You’ll feel better.”

Despite my inner rage urging me to do otherwise, I follow his directions, exiting the car and taking in the scenery. “Holy shit. Where are we?” A stream bubbles just a few paces away. Large rocks crowd around the water, trees sway overhead, and plush green grass crinkles underfoot. It’s like a fucking storybook.

“It’s my secret spot.”

“To bring chicks and do drugs?”

He rolls his eyes, walking backwards and unbuckling his pants. “To hunt, clear my head.”

“Hunt?”

“I’m a bear, remember?” He kicks his pants off and charges toward the stream.

Shit. No. I actually forgot and keep forgetting. Before his reveal, I didn’t even know bear-shifters existed. Now I have to face the fact that I grew up with one and didn’t even know. “Grew up” is a generous term, though, as we barely spent any time in proximity. These past few weeks as an adult have been the most time I’ve been around him in my whole life. I remind myself of this as if it makes any of this better.

I pull a towel out of the back of the car and walk toward the stream. Derek dives under the ripples, floating to his back once I’m at the edge. That’s when I notice it. “Are you naked?” Damn him for being impressive even in the cold water.

“Yeah.”

“Why?”

“Don’t want to ruin my pants.” He shifts. One moment, he’s a smoking hot man, the next he’s, well, I guess a smoking hot bear. I’ve never thought bears were hot until now. Wait, ew no. I don’t think bears are hot. But it’s not a bear, it’s Derek. He’s inside the mass of mahogany fur.

Bear Derek dives into the water, reemerging with a fish within his jaws.

I laugh. “Shit, it’s like my own personal National Geographic.”

He doesn’t reply—can bear-shifters talk in their complete bear form? He perches on a rock in the water, devouring his catch, blood clinging to his fur.

I lay out my towel near the bank, pulling Derek's shirt over my head to resume my tanning. I don’t miss bear-Derek’s eyes lingering on my body, as if when he’s finished with his meal, I’ll be the next course on the menu.