“That’s why I’m camping this weekend,” she explains. “This is the three weeks of the year where work is the quietest. So I’ve been taking long bike rides, and camping, and just… you know. Soaking up the fresh air.”
“Yes, but you’re soaking it up alone,” I grumble. “Why don’t you at least drive?”
“I don’t have a car, and Carl needs his for work.”
My jaw tightens so much, I’m surprised my back teeth don’t crack. What kind of jerk would allow a lovely young lady to traipse around the mountain alone without a vehicle?
“He should have reshuffled his work so you could have the car,” I fume, looking down at my clenched fists. “This mountain can be dangerous if you didn’t grow up here watching the clouds and feeling the way the wind shifts. The weather is unpredictable. This is no place for a sweet young lady to be on her own.”
Joy grins, gripping my forearm. “I think that’s the most words you’ve spoken in a row. So, the secret to making you chatty is to piss you off?”
My scowl dissolves into laughter. “No, the secret to making me chatty is to be a gorgeous blue-eyed camper named Joy who is lost in my woods.”
She bursts out laughing, then picks up her second burrito and dives in.
If this were a date, I feel a goodnight kiss might be in my future. But it’s not. Joy didn’t ask to be stranded here with me. My focus must be strictly on caring for her. Not making her fall for me.
Even though that’s the loudest thought hollering in my mind.
4
JOY
The screech of metal on metal fills my ears. I smell the fire before I feel the heat. It's creeping over my skin, slashing me like shards of glass. Then I'm falling.
There's a thud, and a stabbing pain through my elbow. A dull ache in my hip. Why am I so cold? There’s fire all around me.
I can hear myself screaming but I can't stop. It's pitch black. Unnaturally dark. Why didn't my night light go on?
Wait – where am I?
The screaming keeps coming from all around me and won't stop.Why won't it stop…
Now the screaming is muffled, and I begin to feel a comforting warmth surrounding me.
"Joy, you're okay.” The voice is deep, right against my ear. “Shh, I've got you. You're safe. Whatever it is, it can't get you. I won't let it. Please, try to wake up."
My entire body spasms as I yank myself out of the dream state. "What…" I murmur.
"It's okay, sugar. You're safe. Nothing can hurt you."
Gradually, I realize it's completely dark because my face is tucked right into Bear’s chest. We're lying on the floor, his arms wrapped tightly around me.
"I'm so sorry." My breath stutters as I fight back tears.
His hand strokes slowly up and down my back. "No apology necessary, beautiful. We've all had nightmares. I just hate that you fell out of bed. Some guest room I’ve got."
He sits us up slowly, until the dim light of the hallway reaches our faces. “Are you hurt? That was a hell of a thump. I'm sorry I didn't get here fast enough to catch you."
I sit cross legged on the floor. His arm remains firmly around my back, as if he's afraid I'm going to fall again.
"I'm the one who should be sorry. I woke you up. Please don't feel bad for not catching me. It’s my fault for doing something so stupid."
"Shh. Not stupid." He lifts my chin with his finger, staring deeply into my eyes. I suddenly realize that Bear is shirtless. I try not to stare at his shoulders, thickly muscled arms, the broad expanse of his chiseled chest… The man is huge. At the same time, he’s so gentle with me. The contrast sends a shiver running up my spine.
I've never been so close to an undressed man before, and certainly not one this sexy. Everything about him, from his powerful thighs to his square jawline, is somasculine. He’s wearing nothing but a pair of loose black boxers and seems completely fine with it.
Meanwhile, he's seeing me with my hair tied up in a sloppy knot, wearing his baggy clothing, and probably pale as a ghost. How embarrassing.
