Page 11 of Snowed In With the Grizzly

He takes a sip of his drink, and I watch, captivated, as he raises the mug to his full lips.

“Thank you for what you did back there—” He breaks off, rubs at his beard. “I swear to you, I haven’t done anything wrong. Nothing illegal. I just can’t explain right now why they’re on my case. So, thank you, so much for having my back.”

I wave my hand in embarrassment. “Oh, it’s nothing—”

“No—” His tone gets extra serious. “It’s not nothing. I was a stranger to you, but you chose to protect me against some men with badges. That means a lot.”

I blink, unsure how to respond. “I just did what came naturally,” I say at last. Which is the truth. I feel like he’s a good guy, beneath that scary exterior. And I should know; I’ve spent a ton of time around bad men. Some of them are my own relations. “Besides, one of them was a real dick.”

His jaw juts out and a sound bursts from his lips—a feral, growly sound that belongs more to an animal than a human.

“Huh?” I yelp. “What was that?”

His eyes are blazing with a strange light. “Nothing.” He coughs into his fist, shakes his head impatiently. “He didn’t do anything to you… try to touch you or something?”

“No, nothing like that.”

“Good. He ever bothers you again, you tell me, okay, and I’ll deal with him.”

I nod cautiously, getting the distinct impression Jaxton is offering to rip his head off for me.

And god knows, I shouldn’t like that, but I do. Somehow it connects with a little spot between my thighs, which is already aching like crazy.

He wants to protect me, look out for me. Is that all he wants?

Jaxton leans back against the fireplace and gives me a long, appraising look. “Now, tell me, Rowan. What brings you to this frozen little place in the middle of a blizzard?”

“Uhhh…” A nervous laugh bubbles out of me. Because anything other than the truth is going to sound so ridiculous now.

“I could ask you the same thing,” I manage to say, and I’m amazed at how strong and sassy my voice sounds.

He folds his arms. “A fair question, I guess. I live here year-round. I’m used to the elements.” He looks me up and down, taking in my clothes. “How about you, city girl?”

I stiffen, imagining he’s mocking me. But there’s only good-natured teasing in those deep, dark eyes of his.

“I-I needed a vacation. Some time to myself,” I say at last.

He frowns. He’s not buying it. I hate the way I’m being cagey with him. But I can’t tell him the truth. I couldn’t stand to see the disgust on his face when he understood what I’ve agreed to do.

I swallow hard. “This was my Grandma Jo’s old cabin. I’ve been meaning to come back here for years.”

That’s true at least.

His expression softens. “Were you close to your grandma?”

I nod. My throat is tight and suddenly, I’m close to tears. “I still miss her so much,” I get out.

He looks… startled… pained? It’s hard to interpret the shift in his expression. “I’m so sorry for her passing,” he murmurs.

“Did you ever meet her?”

“A few times,” he says. “She was a real special lady.”

I kind of laugh and sob at the same time. “She was. I didn’t see a lot of her when I was growing up, but the times I spent here with her were some of the happiest days of my life.”

A smile tugs at the corners of his lips. “That’s what I thought—” He breaks off.

“Huh?”

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