Page 65 of Protecting Mr. Fine

SIXTEEN

RYAN

Bears have an eye for natural beauty, pausing to take in the scenery while they search for snacks, but when they get their sights set on honey, all bets are off. They’ll climb, claw, and bulldoze right through obstacles for that perfect treat, completely ignoring the view if it means they can get their paws on something sweet. Nature’s nice and all, but there’s no time for sightseeing when there’s honey in the air.

—Bear Facts for Insomniacs, Episode 30

I was pretty sure Zane had been hoping we’d spend the entire next week naked and in bed, and if it had been up to me, I would have gladly indulged him.

But whether the man wanted to acknowledge it or not, he did actually have a multimillion-dollar set of vocal cords. I couldn’t, in good conscience, keep him away from his job while also potentially dehydrating and damaging his voice box.

“I want to take you skiing,” I said a few mornings later. Yes,we’d spent the bulk of those few days in bed, sucking, jacking, and frotting until we were both hollowed-out shells with more desire than stamina remaining. But being the voice of reason still wasn’t easy.

Zane stood in front of the bathroom mirror with a towel around his slim waist, getting ready to shave his face. He’d just gotten out of the shower, and I knew he had plans to lure me back into bed as soon as he downed his first cup of coffee.

The man was insatiable, and I couldn’t blame him for wanting to make up for lost time when god knew I wanted the same. If our hands and mouths weren’t exploring each other’s bodies, we were pretending to work in separate rooms. In reality, I carried my laptop into the sunroom several times with the lamest excuses of “needing more light” or “keeping an eye on him” while he worked on his songwriting.

More often than not, we’d end up making out on the sofa until finally orgasming and forcing ourselves back to work for a little while. It had been amazing… but exhausting.

And then Lou had texted to ask what the fuck we were doing?—

Lou

You’ve missed your long run for three days. You okay?

—and I’d panicked.

Zane wanted to try cross-country skiing, so we’ve been training in the home gym. Can you help me arrange for an outing?

Thank fuck the first heavy snow had fallen the day before. Both of us needed some fresh air… and I needed to cool my fucking jets.

It wasn’t that I was falling too hard and too fast for my principal. No, that had already happened months ago.

It was that I’d fallen into the silly daydream that we were meant to be together. That Zane reciprocated my feelings and would beopen to turning our physical “practice” sessions into an actual emotional connection.

Just last night, as I’d carried a sleeping Zane from the sofa, where we’d fallen asleep in front of the fire after a heavy make-out session, into his bedroom, I’d imagined slipping into bed with him and pulling him right back into my arms.

Instead, he’d done what he’d done each night since our first kiss.

See you in the morning, Bear.

And I’d left him there. Alone.

Which was probably for the best. I’d needed the reminder this wasn’t an actual relationship. And he seemed to be sleeping well without me in there. I’d kept an ear out for any cries of distress, but I hadn’t heard any. It seemed I was at least tiring him out enough to sleep through any nightmare disruptions.

So that was good.

“Skiing?” he asked, staring at me in the bathroom mirror.

“Yes. Lou and the locals have arranged for us to go to a local trail. A guy just came by and dropped off some rental equipment. You up for it? Let me show you a few things?”

“I’ve never been on skis before.”

“Lie. I happen to know you went one time in college with your friends.”

“Skiing in Connecticut doesn’t count. Everything was so numb from the cold I bailed out to the avant ski lodge as soon as the other guys hit the lift.”

I let out a huff of laughter. “Aprèsski, not avant.”

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