Page 13 of Sunshine for the Grumpy Grizzly

I sigh. “It’s just how things happen in offices. You have to put up with a little teasing when you’re junior. It’s how you work your way up the ladder.”

His eyebrows get even lower. “And that’s what you want? To get up that ladder?”

I giggle. Because he’s looking at me like he cares, and for the life of me, I can’t understand why. “Notexactly. But I’ve got to have a career.”

“A career?”

“Yeah, for paying the rent and stuff.”

He folds his massive arms. “What do you want to do?”

“Ohh, I-I…” I stutter. Those mesmerizing eyes of his are boring into mine, like he really wants to know the answer. No one has ever looked at me like that before. I’ve always been happy-go-lucky Lucy, who can fend for herself.

“Tell me.” He raises his arms and lays his fingertips on my shoulders.

Oh, god. The heat from his hands pours into me.

I feel like he’s holding me. Like every bit of his attention is focused on me. “I-I’ve always wanted to be a yoga teacher,” I say at last.

Wow. I’ve never said those words out loud before. Not even to myself.

Those thick, dark eyebrows tug together. “Yoga? Stretches and shit?”

I burst out laughing. “Yeah, that’s part of it. But it’s more than that. It’s real good for your soul, your spirit?—”

“You mean it keeps your animal calm?”

“Animal—?”

And that’s when I see it—a little flash of cherry pink in my peripheral vision.

Crap. My jeans are still undone, and my pink panties are on display.

He must’ve seen because they’re darn obvious. And we’re standing real close, the king-size bed only a foot away…

I flip around and hunch forward, trying to yank up the zipper without him seeing. “I should probably get going,” I mutter as it finally shoots closed. “Lot of stuff to get ready before everyone turns up.”

Preston grabsthe bags and leads me through the resort to the area where the fire pit is. It’s almost dark now and I make sure to follow close behind him. I’ve always been scared of the dark, but the sight of Preston’s broad shoulders beneath his white T-shirt is reassuring. Funny, I feel safe when I’m with him. He might be a wild mountain man, but I’d rather be alone with him than with all my team combined.

We pass through a bunch of pine trees, then he comes to a stop and puts the bags down. The only things I can see clearly are his T-shirt and his eyes, which burn through the dark like an animal’s.

I put on my phone torch.

We’re in a large clearing, surrounded by trees. In the center is a big hollow scattered with charred logs, and off to the side is a stack of bricks.

Preston looks around, rubbing at the back of his head. “Sorry it’s not better,” he mumbles.

“Oh, I think it has… potential. It’s just a little dark, maybe.”

He raises a finger. “I can fix that.”

Before I can say anything else, he dashes off into the night.

I stare into the trees and a shiver goes through me. Itisvery dark here. I got turned around on the way here, and I’m not even sure where the lodge is. What if he never?—

There’s a white flash among the trees, and he’s back.

My stupid heart beats faster as he approaches. He’s carrying some more bags and a giant cardboard box. He dumps it on the ground, pulls out an electric cable and gets to work.

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