She pauses, letting that land.
“So. Are there any other rules about your chair that don’t involve insulting me? Because I have a lot of groceries to put away.”
I stare at her.
No one talks to me like this. Not the cleaning staff. Not the townspeople. Not even Derrick, most of the time. The only people who don’t shrink from my temper are my mother, my brother, and that sparky woman at the school—Merit.
But this woman. This curvy, beautiful, sharp-tongued woman.
She’s not afraid of me.
“The bathroom is down the hall,” I say finally, my voice rough. “I need to wash my hands before I make my delivery.”
I don’t wait for her response. I just turn and walk away, shutting the bathroom door behind me with a click.
The mirror shows me exactly what I expect. A scowling bear of a man with a scar across his face and frustration in his eyes. A man who was just put in his place by a woman half his size.
I turn on the cold water and splash it on my face, trying to shock some sense into myself.
What is happening?
My bear is practically purring now, pleased as hell about the whole exchange. He liked her standing up to us. He liked her bright eyes, the set of her jaw, the way she refused to back down.
And my body liked her too. Liked her way too much.
I grip the edge of the sink and stare at my reflection, willing my blood to cool down. Because for a moment there, watching her lecture me in my own kitchen, all I could think about was bending her over the table and showing her exactly how particular I can be.
This is a problem.
A serious problem.
I promised Derrick I would behave. I promised myself I would get through this weekend without running off another employee. But I didn’t account for this. Didn’t account for a woman who looks like that and talks like that and makes my bear lose his goddamn mind.
Maybe I need to run her off after all. For both our sakes.
Or maybe I need to get control of myself and act like a civilized person for once in my miserable life.
I splash more cold water on my face and take a deep breath.
Two days. I just have to survive two days. I’m not worried about the storm I’ll figure out how to get her down the hill.
How hard can it be?
6
IMANI
The bathroom door opens, and I keep my back to him, focusing on the canned goods like they’re the most interesting things I’ve ever seen.
I can’t believe I just said all that.
I came here with one plan: keep my head down, do my job, survive the weekend. And within the first twenty minutes, I’m lecturing the grumpy bear shifter about manners in his own kitchen.
So much for not engaging.
His footsteps are heavy on the hardwood floor. I hear him grab keys from somewhere, the jingle of metal sharp in the quiet cabin. Then he’s standing in the kitchen doorway, and I can feel his eyes on my back.
“I’ll be gone a few hours,” he says. “The clan’s shed is about thirty minutes from here, but the roads are bad and getting worse.”
