Page 8 of Sheltered By the Surly Forester

The wind outside gets even louder, but is mostly drowned out by the henpecked hitman's wife and mother loading their respective machine guns. Josh chuckles, then casually stretches his arm across the back of the sofa to run his fingers along my shoulder. "I've always liked tough chicks." He gives me a sideways glance. "I mean, this is clearly over the top, but I do appreciate when women take care of themselves."

He pauses the movie, then turns to face me, looking serious. "But it's also okay for people to accept help and take some time to recharge."

"I've just always worked really hard. It's part of who I am."

"And I respect that, but I need you to understand something." He leans closer, his vivid, deep green eyes fixed on me. "Emie, I want you to stay here for as long as you like, even if you don't do a lick of work." A faint smile. "Okay, it's amazing to have your help in the kitchen. You're really talented. But more in a roommate way, not an earning-your-keep kind of way."

"I really love cooking. So please at least allow me to do that." We're shifting closer, as if drawn by a magnet. I cannot believe this is actually happening.

"Okay, we can fight about that later," he chuckles. Then his gaze drops to my lips. "I also want you to know that I will completely keep my distance, if you want me to. If you say no, I will never ask again." His fingers move from my shoulder to the back of my hair, stroking gently. "I know I shouldn't ask this for at least a week or so until you're better settled, but you're beautiful and sweet and I can't wait and I'm averyimpatient man."

Our eyes are both flicking back and forth to each other's lips.

"May I?—"

"Yes."

The nanosecond the word leaves my lips, his mouth is on mine, my body pulled against his.

Oh my… My hands escape the blanket to clutch at him, and suddenly I'm sitting in his lap. The kiss deepens, our mouths moving slowly, gently, as we explore each other. His fingers tangle in the back of my hair, tilting my head slightly to bring my lips to his. His other palm skims along my thigh, caressing gently.

It feels like a dream. This luxurious sensation of total comfort. This feeling of connecting with a sexy mountain man who holds me as if he wants…everything. I can feel his heat. His lust. The bedroom is steps away and I can't help wondering what would happen if we ended up there.

Then I feel a deep groan rumble through his huge, hard body. Yeah, we're going to end up in the bedroom. I need to know what it would feel like to…

Josh pulls away, blinking as if just waking from a dream. "Emie." His voice is rough. "I'm sorry. Too much too soon?"

My head shakes. "Not at all."

He grins, rearranging the blanket, lifting me slightly so that my butt is on the couch and my legs are across his. His lips brush the tip of my nose, then he grabs the remote again.

We snuggle throughout the rest of the movie, taking breaks now and then for slow, sultry kisses.

When it's over, Josh takes my hand, kissing the back of it. "That's your kiss good night, Emie. Please, sleep in. We can get groceries after breakfast." A thick eyebrow raises. "WhichIam going to make."

"We can fight about that later," I giggle, parroting his earlier threat.

As I curl up in bed ten minutes later, I wonder how long is an appropriate length of time to wait before suggesting we sleep together to…you know…conserve heat.

There's no question in my mind that he is perfect for a first… My train of thought stops in its tracks. First time? First fling? First real relationship?

I have no idea what Josh might be interested in. But whatever it is, my answer is already yes.

5

JOSH

It feels like I'm coming out of a long coma. As if I've been half-asleep for years, but now that Emie is here, everything is stretching awake.

Even though I asked Emie three times to sleep in and let me take care of coffee and breakfast, I'm not the least bit surprised when I walk into the kitchen at six-thirty in the morning to see her scrambling eggs.

"Good morning!" she chirps brightly. "Please don't get mad. I don't sleep well my first few nights in a new place, and I was up early. Deal with it."

My exaggerated grumbling makes her laugh as she pushes me into a chair and sets a coffee in front of me. I’ll let it slide. I want her to be incredibly comfortable here until it becomesourspace. Plus, I can see from a quick glimpse into the pantry cupboard that she is an organizational fiend. How do you create so much extra space just by moving things around?

Also, I'm a pretty healthy guy, but if she manages to keep sneaking in vegetables, like the spinach and orange pepper in these scrambled egg English muffin sandwiches, I'm going to live to be a hundred.

During breakfast we chat about everything under the sun, including her passion for organization and interior design, and how she seems completely fixated on usability and the way people move through spaces.

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