I turned to find Leah staring at me, her eyes wide as her gaze traveled across my chest before she caught herself and looked away.
“Sorry.” I couldn’t help the small grin that tugged at my mouth. “Didn’t mean to go caveman on you. But I need to dry my top since it got wet in the rain.”
“No, it’s fine.” Her voice was slightly higher than before as her eyes darted all over my naked flesh. She made me feel like a Chippendale’s dancer or something, instead of just a dude who lives in the middle of nowhere.
I chuckled and gestured at the rain jacket she was still wearing. “You can take that off now and let it dry, too.”
She shrugged out of my parka, and I watched the firelight play across her face as she looked around the small cabin.
Her eyes landed on the narrow wooden bed against the far wall, with its straw-tick mattress covered by ancient woolblankets, and I saw theexactmoment she realized what I’d known ever since she’d told me she couldn’t scale the fence.
That tiny bed was the only place to sleep.
It was bigger than a single, but smaller than a double.
The only way we’d both fit is if I wrapped myself around her tonight. Was I a bad man for looking forward to that? Probably.
But she wasn’t in any danger from me. I was just looking forward to snuggling up against her and feeling those curves of hers melt into me on that bed.
Other than that, I’d be aperfectsouthern gentleman. Pinky promise.
Chapter 5
Leah
I looked away from the bed quickly, my cheeks flushing hot despite the chill still clinging to my damp clothes. Maybe if I didn’t acknowledge it, we could both pretend the sleeping situation wasn’t going to be incredibly awkward.
Instead, I busied myself exploring the small cabin, running my fingers along the rough-hewn logs of the walls while Jameson stirred the soup.
The historical displays were actually fascinating now that I had time to look at them properly. There was old trapping equipment and a collection of hand-forged tools that looked like they belonged in a museum.
“Do you think there was glass in these windows at one point?” Right now, they were just three empty holes leading straight into the outside world. No glass, no screens. They were contributing to the chill in the air.
“Glass would have been a luxury reserved for the rich. They probably kept them open like this in the summer, then put wool blankets or furs over them in the winter.”
Jameson seemed to know everything.
My hand caught on a rough edge of wood near the window frame, and I hissed as a sharp sting lanced through my palm.
“You okay?” Jameson was beside me in an instant, his bare chest suddenlyveryclose as he reached for my hand.
“Just a splinter.” I tried to pull away, embarrassed, but he held firm.
“Let me see.”
He turned my palm toward the firelight, and I watched the muscles in his forearm flex as he angled my hand for a better look.
Now I could see the dark hair dusted across his chest. It trailed down his stomach, and I had to force my eyes to stay on my own hand instead of following that trail lower where it disappeared into his pants. I think I understood why they call it ahappy trailnow.
“Hold still,” he rumbled as he pulled a small multi-tool from his pocket and flipped out a tiny pair of tweezers.
His touch was surprisingly gentle as he steadied my hand against his. I watched his face as he worked, his brow furrowed in concentration, those blue eyes focused intently on the task.
“There,” he held up the tweezers triumphantly, a tiny sliver of wood caught between the tips. “All done.”
“Thank you,” my voice came out soft.
Jameson was still holding my hand, standing way too close for a shirtless mountain beast. Oh, how I wished this were like a romance novel. We could fall into bed together, and tomorrow I’d wake up and realize he was my Prince Charming. We’d go back to his castle and live happily ever after. And I’dneverhave to go back to my job again.
