Chapter 7
Lucy
Three days.
Three days of trying to forget his touch, his taste, the way he looked at me like I was the only thing in the world...before his walls slammed back up.
Three days of telling myself I was an idiot for thinking one night could mean anything to a man like Griffin.
Three days staying in Snowberry Creek, the small village at the base of Bearclaw Ridge, pretending I wasn’t glancing up the mountain every time the clouds cleared. Pretending I hadn’t fallen for a grumpy, gorgeous, emotionally constipated mountain man.
And then...
Three days before I found myself driving back up that mountain road.
My little Civic was running like a sewing machine after the guys at Snowberry Garage gave her a tune-up. She was practically singing to me, purring like she wanted to see him again.
Even Beau, the grouchy mechanic with arms like steel cables and a surprising soft spot for stray cats, had cracked a smile when I thanked him.
Could this be a sign?
God, I hoped so.
I had an excuse ready... I’d “forgotten” my phone charger. Weak as hell, and we’d both know it, but I needed to see him. I needed to know if I’d imagined the connection between us or if he was just too scared to hold it.
As I rounded the final bend, I spotted him outside, splitting wood like the walking lumberjack fantasy he was. He’d stripped down to a white tank despite the cold, and every swing of the axe made his muscles flex in ways that made my mouth go dry.
He noticed my car immediately. The axe froze mid-air.
I parked and got out before I could lose my nerve.
"You’re back," he said, his voice carefully neutral.
"Apparently." I walked toward him, snow crunching under my boots. "Miss me?"
His jaw tightened. "Lucy..."
"Because I missed you." I wasn’t going to play games. "I tried not to, but I did."
He lowered the axe, ran a hand through his hair, looking like he wanted to disappear into the forest. "Why are you here?"
"Officially? Left my phone charger." I stepped closer. "Actually? Because you’re full of shit."
That got his attention. "Excuse me?"
"You heard me. You’re full of shit, Griffin. That night meant something. I felt it. You felt it. You’re just too scared to admit it."
"You don’t know what you’re talking about,” he said.
But he didn’t back away when I moved closer.
"No? Then why are you shaking?"
He looked down at his hands...slightly trembling...and cursed. "It’s cold."
"Try again."
"Lucy, don’t."
I reached up, laying my palm against his cheek. His beard was slightly softer than I remembered, and his skin was warm beneath it.
"Tell me you don’t feel this."
His eyes fluttered shut, like it hurt to even pretend. "What I feel doesn’t matter."
"It matters to me."
"You don’t want this." His hand came up to hold my wrist, but he didn’t push it away. "You don’t want me ."
"Pretty sure I do."
"I’m complicated."
"Good thing I like puzzles."
"I’m not good at... this." He gestured vaguely between us. "Relationships. People."
"Could’ve fooled me." I rose on my tiptoes, our faces inches apart. "You seemed pretty good at it the other night."
His breath hitched. "That was different,” he said.
"Why? Because you could pretend it was just physical?" I pressed even closer, heart pounding. "News flash, Grumpy... it wasn’t just physical for either of us."
"Lucy..."
My name came out like a warning and a prayer.
"Tell me to leave," I whispered against his lips. "Tell me you don’t want me here, and I’ll go."
He didn’t tell me to go.
Instead, he kissed me...hard, desperate, like he’d been starving and I was his only salvation. His hands released my wrist and tangled in my hair, and I melted into him like I’d never left.
When we finally broke apart, both of us breathless, he rested his forehead against mine.
"I’m going to mess this up," he said quietly.
"Maybe." I smiled. "Or maybe you’ll surprise yourself."
"I’m still grumpy."
"I’m still annoying."
That made him laugh...a real laugh that cracked something open in my chest.
"Yeah, you are," he said.
"But you like it."
"God help me, I do."
He kissed me again, this time slow and sweet, like he didn’t want it to end.
"Stay for dinner?" he asked.
"Only if you let me help cook.”
"Deal." He picked up his axe again. "Let me finish this first."
I settled on a nearby log to watch him, arms wrapped around my knees.
"Oh no, please. Take your time. The view is excellent."
He shot me a look... half exasperation, half heat. "Trouble. You’re nothing but trouble."
"Yeah," I said, grinning like a fool. "But I’m your trouble now."
And the smile he tried to hide?
That told me everything I needed to know.