She rolled her eyes, but she slid her hands up to the back of his neck, fingers playing with the hair there. The gentle touch sent a shiver down his spine.
“You are ridiculous,” she muttered, then kissed him again, this time slower, more certain.
He groaned, pulling her closer, one hand slipping under the hem of her sweater, his palm pressing against the warm skin of her back.
Joy shivered against him, and it definitely wasn’t from the cold.
“Tell me this is a bad idea,” she whispered against his lips, the words barely audible over the rushing water nearby.
He exhaled sharply, his forehead dropping to rest against hers. “Not a chance in hell.”
Chapter16
Bear couldn’t keep his eyes off Joy the whole way back to the cabin. Had no desire to. And he loved the way she kept glancing back over her shoulder at him with hooded eyes, her lips curving into that secretive smile that was only for him.
“Staring’s rude, you know,” she teased, her voice carrying on the crisp air as they hiked the final stretch.
“Can’t help it.” His voice came out rougher than intended. “You’re worth staring at.”
A flush that had nothing to do with the hike spread across her cheeks, and damn if that didn’t make him want her even more.
The cabin appeared through the trees, smoke curling from the chimney where he’d banked the fire before they’d left. The sight of it—their private sanctuary away from everything—sparked something primal in him. Something possessive.
Inside, the fire crackled in the stone hearth, casting flickering shadows along the wooden walls. The forest had settled into a quiet hum outside—wind rustling through the trees, the distant murmur of the river, the occasional hoot of an owl.
It was as if everything had settled so he could focus on Joy.
Joy went to stand by the fire. Bear forced himself to move, trying not to seem as eager as he felt. He hung his jacket beside hers, all too aware of the domesticity of the gesture. Their things hanging together. Their place. Their time.
Their time. Finally, after all these years,theirtime.
Instead of hurrying over to her, he swallowed hard and forced himself to walk to the kitchen and put on a pot of coffee to brew. But his hands felt too big, too clumsy.
He was trying not to rush this, and it was damned near killing him.
“Been waiting a long time for this,” he admitted, more to himself than to her.
“For coffee?” She raised an eyebrow.
“For you.”
Her expression softened, vulnerability flashing across her face for just a moment before she masked it with a playful smirk again. She watched him from under heavy lids, a small smile playing at her lips. “You nervous, mountain man?”
He huffed out a laugh. “Should I be?”
She shrugged and sat down on the love seat, shifting until she was stretched out, one arm draped along the back. “Depends.”
His chest tightened. She was playing with him, and she damn well knew it.
He set the coffee down on the table, then crossed the room, standing over her. “On what?”
She tilted her chin up, her green eyes dark in the firelight. “On whether or not you’re going to kiss me again.”
The invitation in her voice sent heat spiraling through him. “I’d like to do a hell of a lot more than that.”
She reached for him, curling her fingers around the front of his shirt, tugging him down until he was bracing his hands on either side of her. “Then do it.”
Bear hadn’t realized until right at that moment he was nervous. He held himself back from devouring her lips the way he so desperately wanted to, forcing himself to remember what mattered most.
