Northern Bears (Box Set)

Northern Bears (Box Set)
Jade Buchanan
All rights reserved.
Copyright ©2014 Jade Buchanan
Excerpt from Bear With Me

Theo frowned at his ticket before glancing up to look at the lady behind the counter. He wondered if there was enough time to change his seat or if he'd missed the chance already. It looked like he was definitely going to be at the back of the plane with seat 13C. Shit, why did he always have to get the crap seats?

"We'll be boarding flight 1076 to Edmonton now. If I could have all passengers please line up at the front with your boarding pass and photo ID, we can get you onto the plane."

Definitely too late to change his seat. Oh well, at least he should have more leg room on the flight up to Inuvik. He hoped.

Unfolding his 6'5" frame, Theo stretched in place before bending to pick up his bag. It was carry-on only for him this time. He couldn't be bothered to try and check anything. He'd just have to wait for it to come off the plane on the other end of the flight, and after the flight north he'd want nothing more than to get in the car of whoever was going to pick him up and go to his parents' house.

Not bothering to look around him, Theo quietly got into line and waited his turn to go through.

"Thank you, sir. Have a nice flight."

Theo nodded at the lady and took out his wallet to put his driver's license back in. He made his way down the extra long hallway, counting off the gate numbers as he walked past. The short hauls that went through the Calgary airport were tucked back here away from all the other gates. A few doors were propped open, giving him a hazy view outside. A frigid blast of air greeted him every time he walked past a door. Great, they'd have to de-ice the plane before they'd be able to take off. He shouldn't complain now; he'd be a hell of a lot colder in a few hours. Good thing he liked winter. A lot.

He should have gotten another cup of joe and he knew it. Flying at 6:30 in the morning was not something he relished. Add in the fact it was definitely winter, and he wanted nothing more than to lie in bed with the covers pulled over his head.

Stifling a yawn, Theo glanced up just in time to see his gate looming in front of him. Taking a bracing inhale, Theo stepped outside and made his way toward the small plane. He wished he could linger outside, but he didn't want to hold anyone up. Dropping his bag on the checked baggage cart, Theo climbed the short flight of stairs and handed his ticket to the flight attendant at the top.

"Good morning, sir."

Theo grunted a response.

"13C is right up here, sir. Enjoy the flight."

Theo frowned, glancing to the left and the seats facing each other. What the... He'd never been on a plane like this before. It looked like the first twelve rows faced front like normal, but seats 13 A and C were arranged at the front of the plane, facing backward. It reminded him of the setup on a city train.

"Where's the rest of row 13?" he asked.

"At the back, sir. They had to reconfigure the plane because of the washrooms. Half the planes have the washroom at the front and normal seating, but the rest have the washroom at the back which means you get to sit up here instead."

Hmm. Well, could be worse. At least it looked like he'd have more leg room this way. He just hoped whoever was in 1F didn't have long legs.

Slumping into his seat, Theo closed his eyes.

"Shit, don't push!"

"Sorry, it's cold out."

"I know it's cold out. I was just out there with you."

"Okay, seriously. Attitude."

"Oh, here we are. Row one."

Theo cracked open his lids and ended up staring right at the most delectable ass he'd ever seen. A growl slipped out of his throat before he could stop it.

"Oh, hello there." Mr. Nice Ass turned around and presented Theo with an even better view.

Theo grunted. He barely stopped himself from licking his lips, but his mother had tried to instill civilized behavior into him. Some of it must have stuck. He finally dragged his gaze away from the denim package he was eyeing to glance up at the face that went with it.

Huh, that was just as nice.

Mr. Nice Ass was short and compact. His skin was pale, and a shock of curly brown hair capped his head. Hazel eyes gazed down at Theo from an elfin face. Thin green metal frames completed the scruffy, innocent intellectual look and nearly made Theo growl again. Besides the jeans, he was kitted out in a thick brown and white sweater. That was definitely a Cowichan design, if he wasn't mistaken. A real one, not the knockoffs he saw everywhere. His aunt had started to make them for his family when she married in, so he recognized the Salish style.

"Looks like we're going to be travel partners today. I'm Chris, Christopher Walls. And you?"

"Are the most handsome thing I've seen in a while. Hi, I'm Rob, Robin McKenzie, at your service."

Glancing over at Robin, Theo had to prevent himself from licking his lips again. Damn. Robin was nice to look at. He appeared a few years older than Christopher, but the extra years had turned what was probably cute when he was younger into just fucking hot now. Theo most definitely liked.

Robin's hair was cropped closer to his head and lacked the corkscrews Christopher had. Nut-brown eyes stared at him with more than enough heat to de-ice the plane alone. He was dressed in a pair of jeans and a creamy gray sweater.

As Theo watched, Robin unwound a rainbow-striped scarf from around his neck and stuck it into the small bag at his feet before glancing back up with a naughty grin.

"Theodore Kisoun," Theo replied.

"Ohh! Theodore. I like. Can I call you Teddy?" Robin practically bounced in place.

"Theo."

Full lips turned down into a pout. Theo had to firm his own lips to stop himself from smiling.

Christopher finally got himself settled into the seat across from Theo. Their feet brushed against each other, and Theo refused to move them. He wanted to see how the little man would react. If he wasn't mistaken, that was a definite blush covering the pale cheeks. Interesting.