5. Chapter Five
Fifteen minutes later, I bound into the kitchen fresh out of the shower, and I’m treated to an
eyeful of Br—no, Cole he said his name was—Cole’s backside.
Good God, the man looks like he was carved from stone by a master artist. His shoulders are wide, crowding out the view of the sunlit trees outside. His back muscles ripple with every swipe of his hand as he dutifully scrubs out the pile of bakeware I left piled in the sink before I’d abandoned the housework in favor of trying to write last night.
And is there anything sexier than a man doing chores without being asked?
“A girl could get used to this, you know,” I quip as my gaze slips down to his tapered waist and totally pinchable ass.
Pressing my lips together to keep from giggling at the thought of unruffling the sexy grump a bit, I reach up to the cabinet and retrieve a coffee mug to keep my hands busy.
He glances at me over his shoulder. “Used to what?”
“Finding a man hard at work in her kitchen.”
“It’s my kitchen,” he grumbles, nostrils flaring. “That’s my robe you’re wearing, by the way. And my towel wrapped around your hair.”
I smile at his back as he sniffs the air.
“Did you use my toiletries?”
“I used the amenities,” I correct teasingly. I don’t know why I have the urge to touch and tease him. Maybe it’s because he’s so prickly and snarly, and well… fascinating. Because if I’d ever pictured Bruno as a real-life man, Cole would one hundred percent be him.
Maybe I can get Janelle to cast him, or someone who looks like him, as Bruno in the TV adaptation.
I sneak another peek at his ass. High. Curved. Solid.
Good lord, would every part of him look so strong and muscled?
My cheeks redden when he shuts the water off and turns. I glance up to find him looking at me expectantly. Judging by the withering, impatient look on his face, I must’ve missed him saying something, but I’m too distracted by his intense gaze and big body.
“What was that?” I ask, blinking, still unable to stop checking him out.
He’s just so damn big. With striking facial features, dark, longish hair streaked through with sun-kissed highlights brushing against his bulky shoulders. The buttons on his flannel shirt look like they’ll pop open if he makes any sudden moves. As I stand there wondering if he’s got any chest hair or if his happy trail has any of the golden highlights that he sports on top, my gaze wanders south. A sizeable bulge presses against one leg of his jeans, and my heart rate speeds up while my mouth runs dry.
Oh shit. He’s big. Like big, big.
“Tea or coffee?” He snatches away the mug that was dangling dangerously from my slackened fingertips and points at the gleaming, fancy silver monstrosity taking up a chunk of counter space.
Something hot and hungry whirls in my belly as I swallow hard and jerk my head up, rattled. Refocusing on his handsome, frowny face does nothing to quell the desire pooling inside me.
“Coffee, please.”
He glances back at me as I set up my laptop and load my work-in-progress. I should work. Need to funnel all this excess energy into something productive.
“How do you like it?”
“I like my coffee like I like my men,” I answer absently, stabbing the power button on my laptop and shrugging out of his robe so I’m standing in my Bear Shifters Do It Better shirt and shorts. “Strong. Sweet. With a healthy squirt of cream.”
Oh my God.
Cole fumbles the portafilter and nearly spills all the ground beans. He saves it at the last second and shoves a mug in place before growling, “Get a lot of suitors, then, huh? Men. Plural.”
I laugh.
“Nope. Not at all. Never had one, actually, unless you count the fictional ones I dream up.” I watch curiously as the stiffness leaves his hunched shoulders and he looks inordinately pleased to hear this. His mouth tips up half an inch and my heart thuds. How devastating would it be if he turned the full force of his smile on me?
Pretty sure my clothes would just spontaneously melt off my overheated body as I sprawl out on the kitchen table, begging for—
“Here you go.” He puts the steaming mug down in front of me and I reach for it. Before I can touch the mug, our fingers brush against one another for a second, and a thrill ripples through my body.
He must sense it too because he freezes. Only his gaze lifts to mine, and the feeling I’d had when we’d first laid eyes on each other rises up in me.
Like I’m being seen.
For a moment, his eyes flash with the reflective quality that his bear had, and I gasp. The sound snaps him into action as he spins away and quickly drops canisters of half-and-half, raw sugar, and honey in front of me.
“Go on and fix it up as you like.”
He watches carefully as I doctor my cup with a generous helping of sticky honey. Then he reaches into the fridge, retrieves the can of whipped cream, and tops my drink with a hearty, expertly swirled mini-mountain.
“So, have you and your family always run this place?” I ask.
“Yup. My grandfather established it years ago and my parents kept it going. In those days, the grounds were smaller so they could get by with only a few full-time helpers. We didn’t have the holiday village or the lodges. Just a campground and our own lodge on the far end of the property.”
“Ah, so you and your brothers took up the family business then.”
He nods, fixing up his own cup of coffee with equal parts sugar and honey. No cream.
“Clayton, my eldest brother, is the brains behind the operation. It was his idea to make the place a destination spot, build eco-friendly lodges catering to all species, and add a shopping center. Connor’s in charge of the food, Mom does all the hospitality and events, and I lead the outdoor programming activities. Hiking, mountain biking, rock climbing. All the adventure stuff.”
Explains his body and fitness levels, I think, my gaze dropping to his hip.
“What about your dad?”
His gaze slides to the window, and I get the feeling I misstepped here.
“My dad’s been gone for a long while now. It’s just the three of us and Mama.”
“Oh. Sorry.” I press my lips together. “My birth parents are gone, too. I’m adopted. I don’t know what it’s like to be surrounded by blood all the time, but it must be nice.”
He shrugs. “Most of the time, yeah.”
“I meant to sign up for some of those. The hikes,” I say, wanting to steer the conversation back onto safer ground. I lap at the cream mountain unthinkingly. “I want to see more of the forest, find some hidden gems. Explore the grounds. Helps me get a better idea of place and setting.”
“I’ll take you.” Cole’s voice is thick and choked as his gaze locks onto my mouth. “When do you want to go?”
“Shouldn’t you be resting? Maybe wait until you’re fully recuperated before heading back out there.”
“I’m fine.” Cole sets his coffee down and braces his arms against the chair.
I watch with fascination as his muscles bulge with his grip. That curious all-body warming sensation starts up again, making my mouth run dry.
“Anyway, you shouldn’t go wandering out there on your own. Wouldn’t want you to run over any of our other woodland creatures or wildlife, would I?”
“I am sorry about that.” I lift my cup to sip the coffee, scalding my tongue immediately. “Oww!”
In the blink of an eye, Cole’s next to me. He plucks the mug out of my hands and sets it down on the table with a loud clunk before picking me up and depositing me on the kitchen counter so fast that the towel I’d wrapped my hair in flies free. Damp strands fall all around my face while I splutter at the speed of his movements.
“Are you okay? Are you hurt?”
I stop breathing when he captures my chin between his thumb and index finger. Tilting my face this way and that, he swipes away the cream and traces the shape of my upper lip with gentle tenderness.
“Open up,” he demands. “I need to know if you’re hurt.”
I blink. His tone, his touch, his proximity all send heat zipping through me. Something in my belly tightens, and my body temperature rises by several degrees. God, does he smell so good. Like pine needles and wild berries.
“I-I’m fine. Coffee’s too hot.” I murmur, licking my lips and feeling the tingle of my scalded tongue. Couldn’t he just… come a little closer? “You’ve got fast reflexes.”
“Bear shifter traits.” His thumb brushes over my lower lip. Slow. Back and forth, like he can’t help himself. Then, in a choked whisper, he says, “You’ve got to stop looking at me like that.”
“Like what?”
“Like you’re turned on and curious.”
“And what if I am?” I bite down on my lower lip, but still can’t keep the words in. Not everyone needs to know what you’re thinking, Rae. “I can’t seem to help it. There’s just something about you, Cole.”
His eyes slam shut. Then he rests his forehead against mine as I reach up and cup his cheek. His beard is softer than I expect, and I trace his jawline with my fingers.
I may be inexperienced, but I can’t be reading this all wrong. There’s a pull here between us, a kind of magnetism I’ve never felt for anyone before. He must feel it too, or he wouldn’t be gripping me so tightly, pulling me closer to the edge of the counter, and stepping between my spread thighs.
“There’s something about you, too,” he answers, clutching my hips. “But, Rae, if you don’t stop, I’m going to kiss you.”
“Okay,” I whisper, taking his face in both of my hands and tilting it toward mine. “Better make it a good one, then.”
He groans again, then brings his mouth to mine. Time stops the second we touch. Then something kindles between us, roaring to life as his mouth moves over mine. A moan sounds from my throat when his tongue delves to caress mine.
He tastes like honey and coffee and hazelnuts. Layered and delicious.
His beard scratches against my skin, and everything in me reaches a boiling point when his hands slide to my ass, hauling me against him.
Oh my God. A solid ridge rubs against my center, making me gasp. I grind against him, seeking something more as he sinks his teeth into my lip, growling.
“Cole,” I moan against his mouth. My legs wrap around his waist, and his wandering hands slide under my shirt, roam my curves, and brush against my free, bare breasts.
“Fuck, Goldie, you’re so goddamn perfect. Even got a bear claw tattoo.” He traces my ink with the tip of one finger, then drags his fingers to my nipple. My eyes cross with the pleasure that blooms inside me when he gives it a teasing tweak.
“It’s my favorite animal,” I gasp.
Then his mouth is on mine again. Taking and teasing. Testing and tasting.
The hunger I feel takes over and it makes me fist my hands in his shirt. I plaster my soft body against the hard planes of his, and I press my heated core against that thick bulge in his jeans.
When he tears away from my mouth to latch onto my breast, I arch my back and thread my fingers through his shoulder-length hair. With every flick of his tongue, an ache builds between my legs.
I whimper. “Don’t stop, Cole. Please.”
His answering growl rumbles in his chest, but he pulls away suddenly. A ragged breath explodes from him as he lets my shirt fall back into place, and he steps back.
What the hell was that?
“Well, shit.” Cole paces in the small space before me, running one hand through his dark hair and giving it an even sexier rumple.
“That was… that was…”
He slants a look at me. “A mistake. I shouldn’t have done it. I need to go.”
It’s like he’s poured a bucket of ice-cold water over the smoldering fire inside me. I ignore the pang of hurt in my chest and force my smile to stay plastered in place. “Go where?”
“This right here?” He gestures between us. “This can’t happen. I don’t want a mate. And if I don’t go, I won’t be able to keep my paws off you.” He looks at me meaningfully, and every cell in my body tingles.
“I didn’t ask you to,” I say, but he’s already gone.