Onto Henry’s lap, into his arms.
The bear veers to the side, taking several steps back.
“He knows we’re here and he’s wary. Stay still,” Henry whispers into my ear, the words skating across my skin.
“No problem.” The fact that I’m in my boss’s lap hasn’t escaped me, but I’m temporarily distracted. Thankfully, he hasn’t pushed me off.
Yet.
“See?” Henry’s hand sits on my trembling thigh, rubbing it soothingly, but I only have eyes for the side mirror, where I can see the bear now approaching the truck, where my vest and sweatshirt hang off the side. “He’s curious.”
“Oh, shit,” I mumble, realizing what he’s after. “I have turkey jerky in my vest pocket.”
“Turkey jerky?”
“Yes. I always get hungry midmorning and I didn’t know what I’d be doing today.”
“But, turkey?” Henry mutters something about beef but I’m not listening, too focused on the bear.
Sure enough, the bear tips his head to sniff the air around it. Then he’s up on his hind legs, his massive front paws landing on the side of the truck, rocking us and earning my nervous yelp. His nails drag along the side in a scraping sound that can’t be good for the paint. He starts rubbing his nose along my vest, leaving a trail of wet against the soft pink.
“Do you think he’ll take it?”
The bear drops to all fours, and my vest vanishes with him. Seconds later, I hear the sound of material tearing, and then he’s swaggering away, putting about twenty feet of distance between us and him, with his prize and pieces of pink fabric dangling from his mouth.
My initial terror has abated somewhat as we watch him hunker down on his rump and work away at the wrapping. “That must be hard for him, with those giant paws.”
“He’ll manage just fine,” Henry whispers, chuckling softly.
Heat on my thigh reminds me that his strong hands are resting there. Quite provocatively, too; halfway up, his fingers splayed. I glance down at them, deciding if this is okay.
“We should get back,” he murmurs. “We won’t be getting any more wood split today.”
“Right.” I’m disappointed and I don’t do a good job of hiding it from my voice. The morning with Henry was fun and therapeutic, and exactly what I needed to ease my conscience about how I acted with him that first night. Maybe that’s why he invited me to tag along.
I need to climb off his lap before I do something to add to my track record of inappropriateness around this man.
I make to move but his hands tighten their grip, pulling me back a touch, until I can feel something hard press against my ass.
My heart begins racing, pumping adrenaline into my veins.
I may be inexperienced, but I’m not stupid.
Is this happening?
Henry has an erection. Is it simply because I’m sitting on him? Or is it for me? Maybe his cool exhales against my neck aren’t intentional, either. I feel the urge to grind myself against him. Would he be okay with that? No, I don’t think so. He made a point of saying that he trusted me not to try anything when I’m sober.
But now he’s pinning me down in his lap and his erection is digging in to me, and his shallow pants fill the truck to compete with my own.
“Did you tell anyone about the other night?” Henry’s deep voice has turned soft and seductive.
I’m shaking my head before I can manage any words. “No. I mean, Tillie figured out that something happened with someone, but I didn’t tell her that it was you.”
“Why not?”
My eyes dart to the rearview mirror and I find myself pinned down by his gaze, the look dark and daring. “I don’t know. I was embarrassed, I guess?”
“What exactly were you embarrassed about?” His voice is so melodic, as if coaxing me to respond.
A strangled sound escapes me. “I don’t know. That I was drunk. That I said all kinds of stupid, crazy things about my ex-fiancé and... other things.”
“Other things, like when you asked me to fuck you?”
I struggle to form a coherent answer. He must know this makes me uncomfortable, that I’m mortified. So why is he tormenting me? Does he like making me squirm? Or is he punishing me for my behavior? Or did he bring me out here because I asked him to have sex with me and now he wants to deliver?
What would a man like Henry Wolf do to a girl like me?
He did promise me that I wouldn’t be inexperienced for long with him.
He also said that I should spend the next four months fucking someone in every position imaginable. Is he offering to be that guy?
Would it be four months? Or one night? If it’s true that this guy goes through women like underwear, why would I want to give away my virginity to him, to be used and tossed aside?
I wouldn’t. Of all things, that I’m sure of.
And this is the owner, I remind myself. He could have me on the next flight back to Chicago if I do or say the wrong thing here. Or worse, Pennsylvania.
I finally free myself from his gaze to stare ahead.
“You look perplexed. Why?”
“Because this feels like a test.”
A ghost of a smile passes his lips. “Maybe it is.”
For five pounding heartbeats, with his grip on my thighs tightening, and his body leaning in until his mouth is a hairsbreadth away from my neck, I make myself believe that I’m not delusional, that his hard dick is for me, that Henry Wolf has invited me here for more than to simply help him stack wood, and that I could actually deliver on that.
My breaths turn ragged, waiting.
“Watch this,” he whispers, reaching for the ignition. The bear has finished my snack and is now on all fours, eyeing us. With one flick of Henry’s wrist, the sudden, loud rumble of the engine sends the bear bolting for the tree line at speeds I can’t fathom for a body that big.
“And that’s why you should never try to outrun a bear.”
He leans back and releases a heavy sigh. His hands slip from my legs, one reaching for the heat dial, leaving my thighs cold and me instantly missing his touch. Warmth blasts out from the dashboard.
I slide off him and shift to my spot in the truck. The air is still tense and I can’t stand tension, so I clear my throat and say the first thing that comes to mind. “I’ve changed my mind. I don’t want to plant trees. Leave the land barren.”
The truck fills with his deep laughter and I instantly relax. His laugh is beautiful and it reminds me that, above all else that he may be, Henry Wolf is still human.
“Should I leave my vest here?” I stare out at the tattered remains lying in the mud.
I feel his gaze on my chest before I even turn back. It sits there for five racing heartbeats, intense and probing, until my nipples begin to tighten. I’m sure he can see them poking out of my thin cotton sports bra. “For now. I’ll get you a new one,” Henry promises, as the truck lurches into motion.
The drive back goes much faster than on the way out, and I find myself wishing we were still stacking wood. “How long will you be staying in Alaska?” Is this it? Will I see him again before he leaves? Wolf Cove suddenly feels lonelier with the idea of him not being here.
His fingers strum the steering wheel. “I’m staying for the season.”
“Seriously?”
“Yeah. Why?” He glances over at me, curiosity in his eyes.
“Don’t you have other hotels to open, or something?”
“I have a lot on the go, but I’ve decided to focus on Wolf Cove for now and work remotely on everything else. It’s important to me that it succeeds.”
Inexplicable happiness fills my chest. Does that mean almost four months with Henry? Will we be doing any more of these private little trips? Or is that just wishful thinking?
“Why are you smiling?”
“No reason.” My cheeks flush.