Chapter 8
Chapter
Eight
Mate. Mate. Mate.
The word repeated in his mind like a primal drumbeat. His inner bear roared at him to claim her, yet her hesitance kept him from pushing too hard. After thinking he’d lost Hydro Girl forever, she had literally fallen at his feet.
Max understood timing and fate. His bear recognized her immediately, even before his human side made the connection to the dating profile—that instinctive recognition that shifters experienced when meeting their destined partners.
He composed himself, clearing his throat to maintain a professional tone. The animal inside him wanted to howl with joy at finding her, but the human man knew he needed to respect her boundaries.
“I understand you’re not ready to talk about... us. Tell me more about this water analysis,” Max said, his voice low.
He couldn’t lose his mate after having just met her. The pull toward her felt magnetic, creating an almost physical ache to make her his.
“Yes. Thank you,” she said, brushing a lock of curly auburn hair behind her ear. “I’ve found some trace chemical residue in your sample, and I believe I should do further testing.”
Laney spread out her reports on the table, flipping pages to show lab results. Max leaned in, scanning the data.
“The chemical residues are subtle. But if not addressed, they could build up and potentially cause adverse health effects,” Laney said, her voice soft but focused.
“That makes sense,” he said, understanding dawning. “My brews have been getting progressively worse.”
The timing was catastrophic. It was less than two weeks before thousands of visitors would descend on Fate Mountain to taste their signature beers. He felt a twinge of guilt that he had ignored the warning signs with the first off batch. Max closed the file and squared his shoulders. He looked Laney directly in the eye, his tone shifting from anxious to decisive.
“I understand your holding tank is fed by a spring?”
“Yes. It’s piped in from up the mountain.”
“I should collect samples from the source to pinpoint where the contamination starts.”
“I can take you up there tomorrow morning,” he said, his inner grizzly purring at the idea of spending alone time with her.
Laney bit her lip, looking concerned. “All right. Tomorrow morning, then,” Laney finally said.
Max sensed her lingering uncertainty, noticing the slight tremble in her fingers as she adjusted the pages of her report. Her guarded demeanor intrigued him. What made this alluring, brilliant woman so hesitant to acknowledge what they both clearly felt?
“Meet me here at eight. We’ll drive up to the pumphouse and then hike to the spring,” Max said.
“Okay,” she said, handing him the folder of water data. “Keep these for your records.”
“I really appreciate you bringing this to me,” Max said.
“I’m just doing my job. I’ll see you tomorrow,” Laney replied. She shouldered her bag, preparing to leave.
He couldn’t wait to see her again. His bear sang internally at the thought of spending hours in her company. The situation was serious. Contaminated water threatened everything his family had built, but at least it gave him a legitimate reason to be near her.
Laney made her way to the exit, pausing briefly to glance back. Max watched her move, his body still thrumming with the mate-pull. Through the large windows, he tracked her progress across the parking lot until she got into her car and drove away.