Page 9 of Sweet Talker

five

A BEAR IN THE WOODS - SARA

The handsome beast of a man is standing in my room with one hand resting against the bedframe, a glimmer of heat shining in his eyes and a sexy grin curling his lips.

It gives me a thrill to think of him flirting with me, asking me to have dinner with him.

He looks exactly how I imagine a fantasy mountain man written by one of my favorite indie romance authors would look. An ideal lover. The perfect cinnamon roll type of guy. Gruff on the outside, mellow and delicious on the inside. I bet he could make me scream with pleasure.

“How about I let you settle in. I have a few things to do, but I’ll swing by later and pick you up for dinner.” His hand drops from the bedpost, and rests softly at his side.

“I was going to go for a run and explore the forest this afternoon anyway,” I say. Things between us are really heating up and it feels fast. I’m grateful for a short breather.

“You’re a runner? Figures.”

“Yeah?” I glance down at my curves, and he chides me with a swift shake of his head.

“You don’t need to be a stick to enjoy running. Especially trail-running around here.”

He gets it! I agree wholeheartedly. “Exactly!”

“There are well-groomed trails adjacent to the property that run through old-growth forest. Some parts are muddy, so just keep an eye out.” He runs his fingertips over his beard. “I should come with you. God knows, I could use the exercise, but I promised I’d help Annie with a few things.”

“Well, when you’re finished for the day, I’d love to meet up and discuss… things.”

His eyes fill with hunger as I drag my tongue along my lower lip to ease the dryness in my mouth. I’m curious to know what kind of lover he is, though I think I may have some idea already.

“Somewhere quiet,” he says, reading my mind, and I smile. “In fact, I know the perfect place for dinner where we can talk uninterrupted for as long as we want.”

That’s some promise, so I have to ask, “What about your boy?”

Brax drops his weight against the door frame. All trace of playful flirtation is wiped off his handsome face, replaced by a melancholy expression. “He’s with his grandparents for the next few weeks,” he says, with a tilt of his head.

“I’m sorry.” My tone is gentle. He seems really sad.

His gaze snaps back to mine, his expression serious.

“Shit. I didn’t want to dump my drama on you, Sara. It’s complicated, and well, I don’t want to put you off. But I want you to hear the truth from me.”

He pushes off the doorframe, closing the distance between us. “Chase is my sister Tess’s son. She and her husband, Justin, died in a car accident a few years ago. Our parents were in the back of the car too. Chase was the only survivor.”

I gasp, and my stomach flips. The words “car accident” are a trigger for me, one I didn’t expect to be confronted with in this situation. A cold shiver runs down my spine.

“Are you okay?” he asks, reaching out and clasping my arm. His touch is reassuring, and although I’m grateful for his support, this moment is not about me. I try to ease away, but he won’t let go.

He takes my hand, rubbing his thumb over the back of it. I’m soothed by the contact, and when I take a deep breath, the woodsy scent of his cologne comforts me further.

“It was so kind of you to take care of him.” My heart is full of admiration for his strength and kindness.

“I love the kid,” he says, his eyes moist. “But it also honors his parent’s wishes. You see, Tess and Justin wrote a letter, naming me as Chase’s parent in case anything happened to them.”

He blows out a slow breath and continues.

“Justin’s parents weren’t exactly thrilled when they heard about the letter. They want more contact with Chase, but they live in the Chicago, and we live in Canada. They’ve put a lot of pressure on me, and this was the first time I’ve let them keep him for longer than a day.”

Part of me wishes we could return to the lighthearted flirting we had going a short while ago. But another part of me appreciates seeing this side of him and likes him even more.

BRAX

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