Read Online Polar Bared by Eve Langlais - Free Book Online

place her in a deep repose while she was in camp? Alone. Defenseless in her tent.
    Vicky was attractive. What man in their right mind wouldn’t want to touch her soft, caramelized skin? Kiss those luscious, full lips? Hold on to those plentiful curves as he…
    A growl rumbled from him, and not just him, his bear.
    No touch. She’s mine.
    Such a possessive declaration, which held no grounds. Yes, she’d kissed him. Probably a thank you, which he’d exploited— because I’m such a greedy a-hole.
    But that’s all it was. A kiss. A kiss that still burned his lips. A kiss that tasted of innocence, which was foolish. Vicky had admitted she was married. So she was definitely not a virgin. Yet, something in the way she embraced, the hesitation and uncertainty screamed of inexperience.
    I’d love to teach her.
    But he wouldn’t. And he wouldn’t let anyone steal that sweet innocence from her either.
    Given someone had already made on attempt to incapacitate her, chances were they’d make a second. He should get her away from the camp. His bear agreed and took it one step further and suggested they bring her back to their den.
    Bad plan, on so many levels. For one thing, with him attacked, Gene could only assume his hut was compromised. The other reason his bear’s plan wouldn’t work was he didn’t trust himself alone with Vicky. Especially if there was a bed nearby. A man had only so much restraint when it came to an attractive woman, and with her having shown such willingness in her kiss, his resistance to her charms was debatable.
    What to do then? He couldn’t trust himself alone with her, yet he couldn’t leave her unattended and defenseless.
    Big sigh. Again. It seemed he had a never-ending supply of those where she was concerned and to think he’d known her only twenty-four hours.
    With no clear plan other than the one that insisted he offer her protection, Gene gave in to his bear’s idea.
    Stashing his gear in a hollow he dug in the snow, he swapped shapes and lumbered to a promontory that gave him a nice view of the camp. If he couldn’t be around her as a man, then he’d watch over her as his beast.
    He’d blend in better that way.
    And probably scare the piss out of anyone who might try and broach her tent if he went charging in full polar mode at them.
    A bear’s got to have some fun.

Chapter Ten
    It still miffed Vicky that no one seemed to have noted her absence. Not even the tour guide. Was he so lax in his responsibilities that he didn’t bother to keep even a general eye on his charges?
    The only person who really seemed interested in her reappearance was one of the creepy guys, the one she’d labeled Mullet—yes, the hair style was still alive and well, at least on this dude. It wasn’t the most attractive style, but it wasn’t as awful as how he made her skin crawl.
    When she exited her tent to swap her empty water jug for a full one, his gaze followed her. She kept her eyes averted, got what she needed and scurried back. The fresh water wasn’t to make coffee though. Gene’s assertion that hers was drugged still bothered her, and she still wasn’t entirely sure she believed him.
    Who would want to drug her? And how had they done it? She’d made the coffee herself from her jar of coffee crystals. No one had a chance to tamper with it, or so she thought. Yet, given her loopiness and fatigue, which, while possibly attributable to her almost freezing to death situation, did seem odd given she didn’t recall being particularly cold when the drowsiness first set in.
    Whatever the reason for her glacier nap, she was steering clear of the instant crystals in favor of sealed juice-flavored sugar. In a cup she rinsed out beforehand, just in case. If it’s good enough for astronauts, it’s good enough for me. It didn’t make it taste any better, though, she thought, making a face at the sweet concoction.
    With nothing better to do, she sat down on her cot and proceeded to dump out her