7. Bear-ly Breathing
* * *
Loneliness overcameme in a huge wave. Our coffee mugs sat there side by side on the little table, a symbol of something I couldn’t have right now. It might be nice to drink coffee by the lake every morning with someone special.
Just as fast as that wave overcame me, I huffed and muttered to myself in disgust. “You’re getting too close.”
I retrieved the cleaning supplies wagon, bringing it nearer to Wyoming’s porch, and got to work. With the fast efficiency I’d developed since I took over as caretaker and general manager, I went about cleaning his cabin. I could hire someone to do this, but it was easier to take care of it myself.
The fewer people hanging around here regularly, the better, anyway. Wyoming being my only long-term guest for the summer, I just needed to hang in there, get through that. Then he’d be gone.
I found him to be neat and organized, maybe too much. Or maybe it embarrassed him I’d clean up after him, so he did things for himself. Regardless, I swept the floors, then gave the kitchenette and bathroom a wipe down with disinfectant cleaner.
You could tell a lot from someone’s trash. As I gathered his, I found he sure liked his meat, given the packaging from hot dogs, bacon, and burgers, as if carnivore was his diet of choice.
With a dusting cloth, I went over the surfaces in each room. My curiosity about him took a stronger hold, as each of his things provided another clue. In the wardrobe, a sports coat and a light jacket hung there. I brought the sleeves to my nose, and inhaled spices, wood, and leather, something not cheap.
Board shorts, jeans, t-shirts, and tank tops folded neatly on the shelf below the hanging bar. Sneakers, athletic slides, and a pair of nice leather loafers lined up along on the floor as well. All decent brand names. Maybe scientists made more money than I gave him credit for.
He’d already made his bed, complete with hospital corners tucked in and pillows propped up against the headboard. Impressive. On the nightstand, his e-reader charged, the screen dark. It reminded me of the Arnault biography he’d been reading the day before, and I cringed a little.
I knew every word of that biography, including what was fact versus fiction, but I wouldn’t be bringing that up with Wyoming again if I could help it.
On the small writing desk in the main room, a laptop and a tablet sat arranged at right angles to the corners of the desk. A few books stacked by size order were far from the pirate smut that I’d become familiar with in my cabin: one about golf techniques and a couple about lightweight metals.
A notebook laid open with a design schematic of a golf club. In his oddly perfect penmanship, he’d jotted some mathematical equations around it. What did he do for a living?
I fingered the page, then flipped it to the next, and there he’d written one heading at the top.
Mysteries of the Lake.
Below that, he’d sketched a map showing almost the entire lake, noting the shoreline and mansions and businesses there, special trees, floral fields, and trails, but a small part of it was missing. Upon closer look, I realized it was the section around my campground.
“Hm. Rather detailed.” A weird hobby maybe, but fascinating, and I couldn’t help but picture him as the sexy pirate in my fantasies, going forth on adventurous voyages, mapping out the world.
“Shit. Stop that.” I quickly put the journal back the way I’d found it.
Each little piece of him I found made me more curious about the man, but those distractions could cost me if I let them linger any longer. I sauntered outside with the small bag of trash I’d gathered from his cabin, my mind reeling from being in his personal space.
A feral grunt shook me out of it. Almost too late, I realized there was a bear in front of the garbage enclosure, thrashing through spilled bags. One of the other campers must not have deposited their junk properly in the bear-proof bins.
I froze, afraid to move, although the bear hadn’t noticed me yet. Then I heard Wyoming whispering behind me.
“Back away slowly. Don’t turn around or make any quick movements.”
Panic welled in my chest and I did as he said without question, the bear oblivious.
Finally, close enough to his door, Wyoming grabbed me, pulling me through the entrance of his cabin and into his arms. He closed the door quietly and locked it, then backed me to the far wall, away from the window, his body the barrier between me and the door in case the bear were to bust it down.
I remained there with him, barely breathing, silent and listening for any sounds of the wild animal. When none came, my chest heaved against his.
“Oh my god, you saved my life!” I whispered in his ear. “What if that bear had attacked me?”
“Then I would have done everything I could to save you.” His face shifted, eyes burning into mine, intense but tender. My heart fluttered. Dammit, the connection grew between us, whether or not I wanted it to.
Hyper-aware of his body pressed against mine, we aligned so well. The heat radiating off him, the smell of lake water and fresh pine mingling with his masculine musk, went right to my head; I’d fall over if he wasn’t holding me up.
Whatever consumed me, facing life or death, with a tilt of my head, I leaned up and brushed my lips against his stubbled chin. His arm tightened around me and his hand trailed up my back and tangled in my hair. He hovered his lips over mine, so smooth and sexy, feeling the longing for each other without touching. His tongue darted out, licking his lips. I bit mine.
I could stop this any second, but didn’t, too safe and comfortable in his arms. His attention warmed my soul, wet my panties, and filled an empty place inside of me. For too long, I lived with the pain of missing Mom and my brother, then Dad became someone I no longer recognized.
The ache and loneliness I’d suffered could all disappear with one kiss from Wyoming.
As if he knew, instinctively desiring to soothe me, he leaned in, landing his full lips on mine in a gentle, electrifying kiss, sending goosebumps across my skin. My eyes fluttered closed, losing myself with him, like time ceased to exist. There was nothing before, and nothing would come after. Just this one perfect moment where I let Wyoming in to kiss whoever I was right now.
If I thought this sweet kiss would be enough, Wyoming didn’t get the message. He pursued me skillfully, deepening our kisses, each more urgent than the previous. His body pressed against mine, desire thickening his cock, and a moan escaped my chest.
My thigh rose high on his, every touch and movement racing my pulse as I gave in, the overwhelming passion between us too much to resist.
His hands lifted my ass; he pulled me up, and I wrapped my legs around him. Was this really happening now? Yes, I needed him. Any hesitation I had before melted away... Until the sound of children laughing outside jerked us back to reality.
“The bear!” We both said and remembered at the same time.
Wyoming took swift action, setting me down, and grabbed a canister of something from his backpack. As if it were a gun, one finger on a trigger, the other hand supporting his wrist, he held it steady before him.
“Stay here,” he ordered. He flung the door open, stepping through, swinging the canister side to side, looking for the creature.
“Hey, kids? Freeze in place,” he yelled. They did, but I figured they might have been more frightened of Wyoming’s bark and whatever he pointed from his hands.
I ran to the window, watching him disappear around the corner to the garbage area, straining for a sign of him. The entire time, the only thought in my head was at least I gave him one helluva a kiss before a bear ate him. What a send off. And, oh my God, what would I do if I lost Wyoming today?
A minute later, he reappeared, and my heart surged, happy to see him alive. He rushed to the kids, ushering them quickly back to cabin three. The mother shrieked, probably single-handedly scaring any other bears away.
Then the door flew open and Wyoming stepped in. “No sign of the bear now, and I put all the trash into the bin properly. The mother is a little shaken, but the kids are indoors and safe.”
“Oh, thank you. You acted fast, so brave. What is that stuff?” I pointed at the can, now lodged in a special belt Wyoming snapped around his waist.
“Bear spray. I take it you don’t have any?”
I shook my head. The last thing I thought of when I ran away from New York City was ‘Oh, I should grab a can of bear spray.’
“Here. I have an extra can, and I’ll teach you how to use it. Then I’ll call the ranger’s office to report the sighting.” He took charge and I couldn’t be more grateful.
The rest of the day was a bit more exciting than I’d like. Between calming down the family so they wouldn’t cut their reservation short, cleaning their cabin and cabin four, and keeping my eyes out for the bear, by late afternoon I was spent.
As I trudged through the campground, my eyes darted back and forth, searching for any signs of bears, my trusty can of spray in hand like my new best friend. The cleaning wagon rattled behind me, making enough noise to probably scare off wildlife, anyway.
Relief washed over me as I approached Wyoming’s cabin and saw him reclining in his chair, pencil and journal in hand.
“Don’t worry about the bear,” he chuckled. “I’ve trekked around the campground twice while you worked and haven’t seen another sign of it. But I’ll drive you back to your place just to be safe.”
“Sure, works for me.” I’d taken self-defense classes before and was pretty certain I could handle a mugger in the streets of New York, but a bear in the woods was an entirely different matter. It might take a few days before I calmed down from this scare.
He loaded my wagon into the back and I climbed into his Jeep, my heart still pounding from both encounters today—the bear and Wyoming. The thought of his kisses kept me company all afternoon, but this couldn’t go any further, for a hundred reasons. Most importantly, all I was to him was Eve.
We drove to my cabin in comfortable silence, taking a minute to get there. As he unloaded the wagon and started towards the front door, I quickly stopped him. “Just leave everything by the door, thanks. I’ll bring it all inside later.”
He raised an eyebrow in confusion, but I couldn’t have him seeing my elaborate security system.
“Seriously, it’s fine. I’ll keep the bear spray handy.”
“Okay, I won’t argue.” He crossed his arms, flexing his muscles. “Now, what about that kiss?”
“What about it?” I laughed nervously, the magic of the moment long over, back to my reality. “Consider it a thank you for saving me from being mauled by a bear. Adrenaline can make us do crazy things. That’s all it was.”
He nodded. “Right. No problem. Feel free to thank me like that anytime.”
“I’ll take that under advisement.” Our eyes met again, and I could see him trying to figure Eve out. I couldn’t even if I tried.
“Listen, I might go get a bite to eat later, and maybe stop to play pool at a bar down the road. Would you like to go out with me?”
“Oh, um... Sorry. I’m tired. Cleaning days are like this.”
He chuckled, scrubbing his chin with his finger and thumb, showing off the phoenix tattoo on his forearm again. “That’s twice now you’ve turned me down. Should I try again?”
Say no.I smiled mischievously. “Take your best shot.”
“Maybe I will. Goodnight, Eve.”
I watched as he drove away before rolling the wagon inside my cabin, grateful for his help and secretly hoping he would try to ask me out again. But I had to face facts.
He’d only shown interest in Eve, the version of me I had fabricated. She’s not me. Chances were he wouldn’t like the real me, anyway.