Page 23 of Hot Winter Nights (Bear Mountain Rescue 1)

They paused at the door, and while Allie searched through his key ring for the house key, she felt his breath rustle the top of her hair. “Is that an invitation?”

As his meaning sunk in, her head flew up and both of them cried out when her temple connected with his chin.

“Ow. No, that was not an invitation, you pervert.”

“Why am I a pervert? You say something like that, what am I supposed to think?”

Finally, she found a key that worked. “I was trying to find this so I could get you inside instead of leaving you on your porch.”

The man actually pouted at her. “You’re cranky.”

Allie counted to five, trying to find her patience. As she unlocked the door, both of Dex’s arms wrapped around her shoulders from behind and he leaned against her, his face buried in her hair. Her skin tingled at his proximity, and she told herself she didn’t like it—loathed it, actually—but she couldn’t deny that the feel of Dex’s hard, lean body pressed against her back made her heart skip with excitement.

“You smell so good. Why do you have to smell so good?”

God, he was practically moaning against the back of her neck, and her hands began to tremble.

“I guess I could try not bathing,” she said, trying to lighten the mood.

“Hmm, but you’d still be you.”

What the hell did that mean?

Bluebell bellowed. Allie shuffled across the living room, Dex still hanging on to her.

“Where’s your bedroom?”

“End of the hallway.” His speech was really beginning to slur and Allie, afraid he was going to pass out on her, picked up the pace. Opening his bedroom door, she angled him toward the bed and loosened his arms.

“Here you go, big guy.”

Dex flopped across the bed, the back of his head hitting the pillow with a groan. Allie lifted first one foot and then the other, untying his boots and dropping them to the floor. Then she placed his feet on the bed and moved up, trying to get him to lie straight.

While she leaned over him, his hand shot up, cupping the back of her neck. Before she could make a sound, he’d brought her down and his soft, full lips met hers, moving coaxingly. Her mouth parted instinctively. The kiss was over too fast for her to fully process it, but as he flopped back on the bed, he mumbled something.

“What is it, Dex?” God, why did her voice have to sound so husky?

Louder, this time, she heard him. “You taste better.”

Better? Better than what?

But before she could ask him, he let out a deep snore.

Chapter 14

A little over a week later, Allie flopped into her office chair with a moan. It felt as though she’d been running around nonstop, and her sensible heels had become torture devices. Kicking them off under her desk, she cracked her toes and flexed the arches, wincing at her sore muscles.

Every inch of her hurt, and while some of it was from being on her feet to oversee the hospital updates, most of it was due to stress.

For the last week, she’d been out with Hunter three more times. They’d gone to a movie, and grabbed dinner twice. He was the perfect gentleman and she liked him a lot.

But she just couldn’t stop obsessing about the things Dex had said to her. Or that kiss, which she’d replayed again and again. It was so quick she’d hardly had time to realize what was happening, so why couldn’t she forget it?

Not that she’d seen much of Dex since then. Either he remembered everything and had been avoiding her, or he had just been feeling lazy these days. He didn’t start work on the cabin until she was gone, and he was never there when she arrived home. Still, he’d gotten the railing up on the front porch and there had been no more raccoons terrorizing her kitchen. She had to give it to him; every time she came home, the cabin looked better than when she’d left.

“How’s my favorite hospital administrator?”

At the sound of Hunter’s voice, Allie smiled warmly. She couldn’t help it. She genuinely liked him.

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