Page 1 of Flirty Situationship

CHAPTER 1

WINSTON

“Finish up outhere and call it a day.” My boss Bear Buckner claps me on the back with a smile.

“Sounds good, boss.” I put on my anti-noise headphones and fire the chainsaw right back up.

Bear is not a man of many words, but it’s obvious how much he loves his sister by the way he’s made her new plant store a priority for all of us. The chopped log runs the length of the building beside it and I take my time carving a seat into a massive bench.

When I asked why a plant shop would need seating for one million people, Bear didn’t have a clue. But his sister mentioned it so he wanted it done before she got back into town, so here I am. It takes me another forty minutes to finish the job.

By the time I’m done, this Stump and Stem Plant Shoppe has enough seating space for the whole town of Lumberjack Lagoon.I walk up the gravel path toward the barndominuim and push open the massive doors. But when I step in, there isn’t anyone here. I use the opportunity to get my first good look at the stunning space.

Bear did one hell of a job in here.

Wooden beams float high in the vault of the main room. Floor-to-ceiling windows paint a picturesque view of the forest. The walls are lined with narrow wooden shelves containing potted plants of every variety.

But it isn’t the plants that get me. My eyes flick to the fat, fluffy, snarling orange cat that hisses at me from beneath a massive green leaf. I’ve always been a sucker for cats. I grew up with them, so I can’t help it. As I get closer he lets his resentment be known with a series of sharp growls that do absolutely nothing to deter me.

“Well hello to you too. Welcome to the neighborhood.” I reach down and pull him out of his hiding spot.

He hisses as I tuck him close to my chest. For a moment, the big guy relents. There’s no purring, but he goes dead weight in my arms and even lets me scratch him behind the ears. I don’t have room in my life for anything else to take care of, but that doesn’t stop the urge to take this guy home from swelling up inside of me.

“There you go buddy, see, we can be friends.”

He looks up at me and his eyes narrow. Something in me tells me our bonding moment is coming to an abrupt stop. But before I can put him down, the little asshole bites me right on the cheek.

“Hey!” I kneel and release him on impulse.

He takes another swat at me on his way down my plaid shirt. Then he darts underneath the bottom shelf and lets out one last hiss for good measure. I reach in for him again, determined to make friends.

A woman’s voice comes from behind me. “You’ve got to watch yourself with that one, he isn’t nice. I found him outside the night I arrived and I felt bad for him all alone out there. Once he came in, he’s been kind of the worst. He needs a home, but he doesn’t like it here and he also doesn’t want to leave. Of course that doesn’t mean he wants me to touch him. Bear?”

I stand up and turn around to face the voice. When I do, my breath catches in my chest. The most striking woman I’ve ever seen stares back at me. She’s got a massive potted tree on a metal hand truck and it falls to the floor with a thud when our eyes meet.

Her long hair is tied into a bun. Her tall body is thick and curvy in the right places. She isn’t from Lumberjack Lagoon, there’s no way. I would remember meeting someone like her. Then another thought hits me.Please don’t be Bear’s sister. Please, please don’t be Bear’s sister.

She stares at me for a moment too long. Then her smile reaches the corners of her eyes as she holds out her hand to mine. “Oh, you’re not my brother at all. Sorry, you guys all look the same in your uniforms. Hi, I’m Kylie Buckner.”

Buckner, dammit.

When I take her hand in mine, heat bubbles low in my stomach and crawls up my arms. I have to shake it out of my fingertips. “Hey, I’m Winston. It’s nice to meet you. I work on Bear’s crew as a lumberjack.”

“And here I thought you just carried around the sawdust for fun.” She winks at me with a playful giggle. Then she brushes the dust off of my shoulders in a touch that somehow sizzles, even through the flannel of my shirt.

I pick up the massive potted plant and maneuver it back onto the hand truck. “Where are you heading with this?”

“Right over there, thanks.” She walks in the direction of the cash register and I follow behind her.

It’s not easy to tear my eyes away from the sway of her round backside. But finding your boss's little sister hot as fuck is not a great career move. Still, my attraction to her is impossible to ignore. “It’s a nice place you’ve got. It looks good in here. But it makes sense, you’ve got a good brother helping you with theproject. He’s been here day and night putting in the work. From the way he’s been acting, I’d guess he really wanted you home.”

“Yeah, I get the feeling he did. I’m really lucky to have him. Bear is the best… It’s Beau you have to watch out for.” She bites back a smile.

A chuckle escapes my lips as I wedge the massive pot between the counter and the window. “I know that’s right. There isn’t a dude in Timber Logging who hasn’t had at least one hell of a night partying with Beau.” I reposition the pot and then turn to face her. “And what about you Kylie, do I need to watch out for you?”

“I watch out for myself these days.” She takes a step towards me and when our eyes meet, all the air in the room disappears. My heart rate ticks up and the tension between us is palpable. But she pulls back in an instant. Her eyes move to my cheek. “It looks like someone needs to watch out for you. You’re bleeding. I think the cat got you pretty good. Hold on, if I know Bear he’s left me an emergency kit with a bandage somewhere under here.”

“That little shit.” I chuckle as I put a hand to my cheek. When I pull it away, sure enough, there’s a dot of blood.

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