A last zip of lusty electricity tingles down my spine to think he desires me so much that he lost control.
It gives me a glimmer of hope that this wild, instant relationship might have the potential to be real.
11
KELLAN
Itry, but I can't stop grinning. My entire body is happy and humming, as if I've been in a warm sauna. Sleeping with Jenna in my arms was like a vacation for my soul.
I shuffle around the kitchen, going through the motions of making coffee and prepping breakfast while my mind spins. Jenna is clearly shy. A bit nervous. Hopefully some stability would be good for her.
It's not at all my place to take over and organize her entire life, but I can’t help but think that if she were living here, she could continue her work with no stress. If she needed to take photos in the city, we could go there anytime. Hell, if she suddenly needed to take photos inItaly, we could go there anytime.
I hear movement and reach behind me without looking until I find an arm. With a quick spin, Jenna and I are dancing around the kitchen.
"I love that you're in such a good mood in the morning," she says, shimmying in her adorable lavender sleep shorts and tank top.
"You would prefer a grumpy old mountain man?"
"Well, that's what I expected. I mean…you’re abitolder."
My eyes narrow as I growl at her, gathering her legs up before carrying her to the dining room. "Just for that, you don't get to help me make breakfast. In fact?—"
I jerk up my chin when I hear noise outside, then I set her on her feet. "Truck in the driveway. Doesn’t sound like any of my brothers. Maybe you should?—"
"Proper clothes? Got it."
"If it's your stepdad, don’t worry, I haven't seen you. Anyone else, I'll holler." She nods, then dashes up the stairs.
A quick glance out the window identifies the dirty old pickup. "Jenna, it's just my cousin," I call out. "He's cool."
"Thanks – should I still hide up here?"
"No way, baby. Come on down whenever you're ready." Someday soon, I was going to be announcing to the whole world that she’s my girl anyway, and I have to admit, my grouchy cousin wouldn’t have been my pick for first on the list, but that’s okay.
I fling open the front door and smile at one of the few men on the mountain who is even bigger than me. Not just taller…wider. Mostly muscle, with a surly attitude thrown in that matches his nickname. No surprise, he doesn’t exactly smile back, although there’s the smallest hint of warmth in his eyes.
"Morning, Bear. Come on in. Coffee?"
He nods, automatically kicking off his work boots and leaving them on the mat in the foyer. "Sure."
I fill a large mug and set it in front of where he's already seated at the kitchen table. “Strong and black, just how you like it.”
“Great.” His head jerks up when he hears footsteps on the stairs. “Crap. Am I interrupting something?”
“Not at all.” I wave Jenna into the kitchen, grinning at how adorable she looks in jeans and a comfy sweatshirt, her hair pulled back in a clip. “Baby, come meet my cousin Emerick.”
“I’m Jenna,” she says, shaking his hand.
He smiles at her warmly, his rough energy instantly softening. “Bear.”
Her eyebrow quirks up. “Bear?”
I chuckle. “Yeah. As in, if they called him Rick, or any other short form of Emerick, it would be like poking the bear.”
He winks at Jenna, then releases her hand and turns to growl at me. “I’m here to help you, asshole. Remember that?”
Over coffee Bear explains how his brothers Knox and Thane are also on board with helping fix the roads. The three of them have construction experience, so they’re already collecting supplies, gear, and trucks along with my brothers. They’re also rounding up workers from Pinesley and organizing them into teams.
