Flawless River (Grizzly Bear Lake #2) - Ruby Shae Page 0,22

of it,” he said, putting the rest of her bags on the couch. “Is it the car that’s bothering you? I know this sucks, and it will probably be a few days until you get it back, but it’s not a big deal. You won’t be stuck here. If you need a car before yours is fixed, you can borrow my truck, or I can give you a ride. I’ll even rent you a car if you’re not comfortable driving the truck.”

She kept her head down and pretended to study the bags, but he didn’t miss the way her lower lip trembled.

“Hey,” he said, turning toward her. “Everything will be okay.”

“I know. It’s not that,” she whispered.

“Well, then what is it? You’re killing me, sweetheart.”

God, he hated seeing her so upset, not knowing how to fix it.

“I was supposed to go to the Farmer’s Market tomorrow.”

If she wasn’t crying, he would have laughed out loud. That’s what had her so upset? The Farmer’s Market?

“Lacey and Elle invited me,” she continued, “and I hate that I have to cancel.”

Ah. At least now he understood the problem.

“Come here,” he said, opening his arms. She was only a few feet away, but she needed to come to him, and not the other way around. Not this first time. She hesitated, but luckily, her uncertainty didn’t last long, and a moment later she was pressed up against him with her arms wrapped around his waist.

God, she felt good…perfect…and he loved the way her soft body molded against his hard one. He tightened his arms around her, and then kissed the top of her head because her face was buried against his chest.

“You can still go to the Farmer’s Market, sweetheart,” he said.

“But—”

“But nothing. I’ll take care of calling the tow driver, and getting your car into the shop. You don’t have to worry about it.”

“That’s not fair, though,” she mumbled. “You have to work.”

“I would work if I had nothing going on, but I do have something going on now, and personal stuff always comes first. I know you’ve only been here a short time, but haven’t you noticed that I pretty much make my own hours?”

Her body shook slightly, and though it wasn’t an all-out rumble, he knew she was laughing.

“I actually had noticed that,” she admitted.

He could feel her breath against his collarbone, and his dick started to swell. He didn’t try to hide it—he wanted her to know exactly how much she turned him on—but when she tensed, he immediately let her go and took a step back, putting minimal space between them. He didn’t want to make her uncomfortable, but at the same time, he wasn’t going to hide his true feelings from her either.

Stacey glanced up at him, and her wide, light brown eyes held a question, but she didn’t voice it. She also didn’t move away from him even though her cheeks had darkened to a pretty shade of pink, so he figured that had to be a good sign.

“Thank you, Lael.”

God, the way she said his name made his dick firm up even more, and when she granted him a small smile, he had the sudden urge to kiss her. It would be so easy to lean in and capture her lips, but deep down, he knew it wasn’t the right time. He cleared his throat and turned his attention back toward the bags.

“So…which project are we going to tackle first?”

6

Stacey hurried across the small road that separated the main house from the beach, and when the equipment shack came into view, she only hesitated for a moment before she started crossing the sand.

Her cheeks hurt from smiling for most of the day, and even though the shack wasn’t empty, seeing the lake girls swarming around Lael didn’t bother her like it usually did. In fact, today the sight just annoyed her more than anything.

She wanted Lael to herself, and though she would have that in a few short hours, she was greedy and wanted more. As she moved closer to the shack, however, her confidence started to wane. Lael was surrounded by at least four perfect women, and as she approached the door, another woman hurriedly brushed past her to make it inside first.

After a lifetime of being told she wasn’t good enough, it was hard to accept the possibility of Lael liking her. And yet…she was sure he did. He hadn’t come right out and said the words, but he’d repeatedly shown her with his