Page 10 of Sheltered By the Surly Forester

All the while, Emie's mind is racing on the one problem I was hoping to get an answer to on this trip – where the bird watchers can stay if we get more of them to visit our town.

By the time we get home, she's still asking questions. I take her over to the couch and place a finger over her lips. "Beautiful, I never want to silence you. But I do want you to rest. Is that reasonable?"

Her grin is cutely saucy and I drop my hand to kiss her gently. "Yeah," she finally murmurs against my lips. "I'm just wired from all the adrenaline. That was so unbelievably cool."

Her soft, graceful body feels so good in my arms as we sprawl across the couch. Emie is rather short, and curvy in all the right places. She's so graceful as she moves, her fingers trailing through my hair, her foot skimming up my calf.

"I need to make you dinner," I mumble, not wanting to break our kiss.

"I want to cook," she says. "It's the least I can do." I growl, but she rolls her eyes as if I were a kitten trying to roar like a lion. "Fine. I'll let you help."

"No way. My kitchen, my rules."

"Try and stop me, buddy." Emie jumps up, tossing her hair at me. Before I can even get to my feet, she's tied her hair up in a clip and is pulling things from the fridge.

I stride in, then my hands circle her waist. "I'll never stop you, Emie. But I might…distract you."

She looks up at me, eyes blazing. "I dare you."

6

EMIE

Josh really is a master of distraction. He's very careful to stay a step away when I'm wielding a knife or dealing with anything on the stove. But every time I reach for an item in the cupboard, thick fingers slide up my rib cage to "help me". Or when I grate cheese, my hips are gripped so that I can "get my whole body into it."

With all the distractions it's never taken me so long to make simple beef fajitas, but Josh doesn’t seem to mind, constantly making comments about how delicious I am as he nuzzles the side of my neck.

Even though it's just dinner at his house, Josh behaves as if it’s a date. Pulling out my chair. Pouring sparkling water for me. Placing the napkin on my lap. There's an elegance about him that suggests he's been raised from a very young age to use proper manners.

It kind of points out yet again how ridiculously wealthy his family must be. But I don't want to think about that. Or if it turns out I'm not suitable girlfriend material, and this is just temporary.

By the time we're fed and lounging on the couch, we don't even use the pretense of a movie to snuggle together under the blanket.

"You were truly brave coming up in that plane with me today." His deep eyes are bright as he smiles. "You should have told me it was your first flight, though."

"Why? What would you have done differently?"

His hand circles my hip, pulling me closer. "Well, I would've held your hand from the very beginning, for a start."

"You think your magic lumberjack hand would magically take my fears away?"

I expect him to laugh. Instead, his thumb runs gently along the side of my face. "Forester. Not lumberjack. And yes… I really do want to take all of your fears away, Emie." He leans in to kiss the tip of my nose. "And your stress. Your problems. Like…not having a home." His head shakes quickly. "I know. Too early to think like that."

My heart had been racing from him being so close to me. Now it slows down with a hollow, dull thud. He's actually thought about that? Of me…living here? I must not be understanding him. There's no way that a man like him would take in a girl like me that he literally found on the side of the road.

I've read about people becoming incredibly lonely and taking in a shelter dog because playing with it for a while makes them feel more alive. Then it turns out their life isn't set up for a pet so they return it. Usually they make a huge donation to the shelter to assuage their guilt.

Pretty sure that’s what’s going on here.

Which sucks. But on the other hand, if I'm now positive this situation can only be temporary, maybe I can let myself enjoy it while it lasts?

"I'm so sorry I freaked you out earlier, baby." Josh's thumb trails gently across my lower lip.

Nodding, I let myself get lost in his eyes again. "I'd rather concentrate on right now," I murmur, trailing my fingers around the back of his neck, then along his sculpted shoulder. "Like, it's pretty windy and cold tonight. I hope the wind doesn't whistle past my window again."

He smirks. "Whistling wind, huh? Did that frighten you, baby?"

My entire body melts. No man has ever called me baby before, and certainly not with this kind of intensity in their eyes. "What would you do if I said yes?"

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