Page 12 of Driven Wild By The Grizzly

And I guess I’ll be staying here all night long, because the rain isn’t showing any signs of letting up.

In fact, it seems to be falling faster than ever as Ethan charges to the front door. He shoulders it open, no key required. Guess there’s no one to break into a place this remote. Or, maybe it’s more that nobody would dare.

And we’re in. He kicks the door shut, and… silence. At last.

My ears ring from the sudden quiet. The only sound is water sploshing on the wooden floor at it pours off us.

“Wow, it’s so good when it stops,” I say.

“Kinda brutal, wasn’t it?” He grins at me. I have the feeling that he’s not a guy who usually smiles a lot, and I’m happy if I have this effect on him.

And he’s still not putting me down.

Ethan seems to be content to keep right on, cradling me in his arms. I feel his massive chest rising and falling, hear his breath going in and out. It has a weird rumbly kind of sound, but I like it. It feels like home, somehow.

As he gives me that intense, fixated look of his again, I realize how I must look. Take how I looked on the bus and multiply by ten. Hair all plastered down, red nose, mascara probably smudged panda-style under my eyes.

I swipe at my face, trying to dry it with my wet hands. “Gosh, I’m like a drowned rat.”

He frowns. “Jessica, don’t ever say things like that about yourself. You’re beautiful. A beautiful, strong woman.”

My mouth falls open. Not too darn cheerful; not always getting myself into scrapes, butstrong. I glow inside. I love the way Ethan makes me feel about myself.

He moves in closer. Those gorgeous, firm lips swim in front of my vision. My heart pitter-patters.He’s going to kiss me.My eyelids fall shut and my lips purse, ready to receive his kiss, and—

His breath catches, like he just remembered something.

“I’m so sorry. You must be freezing.” He lowers me to the ground and sets me gently on my feet. “I shouldn’t have let you stand here, cold and wet.”

“It’s okay,” I mumble, trying to keep the disappointment out of my voice.

“It’s not.” He shakes his head quickly like he’s mad at himself. Darn, that’s the last thing I want after all he’s done for me.

“Maybe I could get a shower?” I suggest.

“Yes.” He brightens. “Let me show you where the bathroom is.”

Trying not to feel too much like a deflating balloon, I follow him through the cabin, my wet socks squelching with every step.

I take in a cozy, rustic, living space, with well-loved furniture scattered around. But in the corner, two plasma screens glow above a professional-looking keyboard. It seems so out of place, so not a part of this rugged mountain man’s world that I turn and goggle at it.

Ethan turns back, with a questioning look. “It’s just work,” he says dismissively.

“What work do you do?”

“I’m an app designer.”

My mouth falls open. I’d assumed he chopped down trees or wrestled alligators or something. “That’s so cool.”

He shrugs. “It pays the bills.”

There’s a lot of layers to you, Ethan.”

“What do you mean?”

“Oh, good Samaritan. Fearless forest dweller. Famous app designer.”

He grins good naturedly. “Not exactly true, but I’m happy if you see me that way.”

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