He couldn’t look away from those glorious eyes. Rich as chocolate, soft as summer. They cut him in half and scooped out his soul. Surely she must be able to see every sinful thought parading through his head right now, yet she held his gaze without flinching. He had never wanted a woman more in his entire life.
Honey let out her breath, sitting back a little. “Okay, your turn.”
His tongue felt thick and clumsy. He desperately grasped for a compliment that wasn’tYou have stunning eyes and I want to lick your nipples.
What he came up with was: “You confuse the hell out of me.”
Her expectant air vanished, replaced by pure exasperation. “Buck, that is not a compliment.”
“Believe me, it is. Ask anyone. I am famously unconfused. I have made a motherloving career out of it. Only two things have ever confused me. One is you, and the other came from IKEA. The only way you could be any more incomprehensible is if you were flat packed with a tiny screwdriver.”
She stared at him in what was either wonder or genuine concern for his sanity. “I honestly can’t tell whether or not you’re joking.”
“Neither can I. See what I mean? We’ve known each other for less than a day and you’ve already got me doubting my own motherloving mind.”
She shook her head, still looking baffled. “How am I confusing?”
Because I want you,he wanted to say.And you don’t want me, and maybe that means that it’s reallymewanting you, not the damn beast. You make me feel alive, and that terrifies me. Because either it’s real, but you’ll never want me in return, or it’s all just fucking magic and I should run for the hills while I can. But I can’t, because Iwantyou. Even though I shouldn’t.
He sat back instead, folding his arms. “If I could answer that, you wouldn’t be confusing. Your turn.”
“You,” she told him, with heartfelt sincerity, “are the most aggravating man I have ever met.”
“Thank you. You are the most beautiful woman I’ve ever seen.”
It slipped out without conscious intent, because most of his blood still wasn’t making it as far as his brain, and damn it, she really was. Fortunately, Honey seemed to take it as a joke.
“We should both take this training more seriously,” she said with prim dignity. “Let’s get back to exchanging sincere compliments.”
“I thought that was what we were doing.”
She gave him an even more aggrieved look, which was good. At least when she was mad at him, she wasn’t dissecting his soul like a frog in science class.
“Mine wasn’t a compliment,” she informed him. “And yours wasn’t sincere.”
“Incorrect on both counts.”
“I know what you’re doing, you know.” Honey matched his posture, crossing her own arms and lifting her chin. “You’re only flirting with me because I made it clear I’m not interested. It’s pure ego. You’re the kind of man who most wants what he can’t have.”
He had to stop to think about that one. “Maybe. Never really had to consider it before.”
She sniffed. “Because your rugged, growly mountain man act has always made women swoon right into your arms?”
“First of all, it’s not an act. Rugged and growly, guilty as charged, and I was born and raised right here on this mountain. Second, if I’ve ever made anyone swoon, it was only due to complete physical exhaustion after a grueling nine hour hike in full gear. And they probably puked first.”
Honey blinked at him, but whatever she might have said next was lost in the shrill blast of Leonie’s whistle, signaling the end of the exercise. A babble of rather relieved laughter and strained jokes filled the room as pairs broke apart. Buck guessed he hadn’t been the only person to find the whole experience excruciating.
Leonie raised her hands, quieting the crowd. “I can see a lot of you found that challenging. It’s okay, itishard to speak from the heart, and sometimes even harder to listen. I’m sure you’re all looking forward to a break, but before we go to lunch, let’s finish with one final exercise. Don’t worry, this one’s easy. You’ll need to be in groups of four, so please find another pair of counselors now.”
Honey immediately brightened. She bounced up on her toes, waving an arm above her head as though trying to flag down a passing jumbo jet.
“Moira!” she called. “Ragvald! Over here!”
A moment later, Moira’s tall, elegant form cut through the crowd, sleek as a battlecruiser. She was followed by… well, Buck assumed it had to be a man, but only because you didn’t tend to see bears wearing leather pants.
“Hi, Moira,” Honey said, then switched her smile to the sea dragon’s hirsute, hulking bodyguard. “Hi, Ragvald. We met at the gate earlier, remember? You jumped out at me with an ax.”
“He did what,” Buck said flatly.
