Why does my primal mind tell me he's a man who could really take care of me? His strength and capability spark my hormones into a raging furnace.
I clear my throat and drag my eyes away when I realize I'm staring. "Sounds good," I smile.
Bardil sits close to me. His leg is pressed against mine. It's only because the blanket isn't massive. That's all. He just doesn't want to sit on the cold ground.
He hands me a ham and cheese sandwich wrapped in paper.
"It's already got salt and pepper on it," he says.
"When did you make these?" I ask.
"Early this morning," he says, shrugging.
"Thank you," I grin, my heart doing that thing again.
"I love it out here," he says quietly, glancing at me from the corner of his eye.
"Me too," I agree. "How did you find the little waterfall?"
"I've had a good few months alone in these woods with nothing else to do but explore."
"Alone out here? For months at a time?" I gasp.
He laughs. "It's not as bad as you make it sound."
"What about the bear?" I blurt out.
He turns to look at me, his eyes bright with amusement.
"What about the bear?"
"Would it have followed our scent?" I ask thoughtfully, glancing around us.
"Oh yes. Definitely… and he was a young one. You should see the mother. She's massive."
"Really?" I sit up straighter.
"Once a bear catches your scent, it won't ever stop hunting you. They're relentless. I even saw footprints around the cabin because he stalks around there at night, looking for a way in." Bardil's eyes are locked onto mine. The seriousness in them has my heart racing.
"The bear is hunting me?" My voice quivers.
"Oh yes. I'd be very… " He starts laughing when he sees the expression on my face. My wide-eyed panic, the upright straightness of my spine, and how my lips are pulled are tight.
"I'm kidding, Lita," he laughs, full of heart. A loud, deep rumble that vibrates through me as he leans into me and wraps his arm around my shoulder and pulls me close for a moment.
I start laughing too.
"I can't believe you did that," I gasp in relief. "I really thought that damn bear was going to burst out of the tree line any second."
"The look on your face… " He's still laughing, his hand rubbing over my arm. Without thinking, I'm leaning into him, resting my cheek against his chest.
In a second, I realize what's happening and my stomach clenches.
We're acting like old friends, or new lovers, intimate and sweet. Sharing tender moments in beautiful forests.
I take a sharp breath in and quickly move away from him.
"You're mean," I smile, pushing the inappropriate thoughts from my mind.
