Flawless River (Grizzly Bear Lake #2) - Ruby Shae Page 0,24

good.

She just hoped he wouldn’t hold it against her later.

The news of their “date” was about to spread fast, and that information would either seriously help or seriously hurt his chances to hook up with another perfect woman in the future. Not that she wanted to think about him hooking up with someone, but he might not have thought the situation all the way through.

Once all the windows were closed, he shut off all the fans, and then returned to her side. The cash register needed to run a final report before they would be free to leave, so she waited until the final button had been pushed, and then she cleared her throat.

“I can’t believe you just did that,” she started.

She could hear the nerves in her voice, but she didn’t let them stop her from confronting him.

“Why? Because it was harsh?” He nodded. “I get that. Most people don’t get to see me angry, but they disrespected you, and even if they hadn’t, they were on my last nerve anyway.”

He’d done that because they’d disrespected her, which was incredibly sweet, and yet, she still worried about his reputation.

“Aren’t you worried now, though? I mean, those women are going to talk, and people are going to start thinking we’re together.”

“Do you have a problem with that?” he asked. “Because, I sure as hell don’t. In fact, I hope they do think it because it would make my life a whole lot easier. I can’t stand those women hanging around here all the time.”

He felt that way now, but he might change his mind later, and the damage would be done. She wasn’t sure how to explain it so he would understand, but she had to try.

“But…,” she took a deep breath, “it might ruin your chances later. Like, if they think you’ve dated someone like me, even if it’s not true, they might treat you like a leper, and never come near you again. Of course, it could go the other way, too. It might make them more interested, and they could try to save you or something. I don’t know for sure, but it’s something to think about.”

God, she was babbling, and she sounded like an idiot. Why was she even talking about this? He was a grown man and could make his own decisions, and she’d ruined a fun moment by worrying about him instead of herself.

Something she’d vowed to change when she started her new life.

“You know what,” she said. “Forget I said anything. I’m sure you know what you’re doing. Do you want to see what’s in the bag now?”

Once she’d started talking, Lael had turned from the register and studied her with an unnerving intensity that made her want to run. She hated that she had no idea what he was thinking, but she could guess, and she had a feeling that their “date” was now cancelled.

“No,” he said, “but I want to kiss you.”

“I…what? You do?”

Lael wanted to laugh at the confused look on Stacey’s face, but he didn’t dare. Something had taken away the teasing girl who had walked into the shed a few minutes ago, and as much as he wanted that girl back, he knew he had to take things slow.

But, god damn!

The way she had strolled into the shed with seemingly all the confidence in the world had made his dick rock hard. He knew she wouldn’t always be that way—she needed time to heal from her past—but he liked seeing that side of her.

The side she was showing him now—the side that doubted he really wanted her and worried over his reputation—was sweet, but he knew her words stemmed from something negative in her past. He’d seen it on her face the night before when she’d mentioned her parents, and it had popped up in a few other instances, too.

Whatever it was, she didn’t like visiting that place, and he definitely didn’t want her living there. Eventually he would get her to share everything, but he knew that it had to be on her own terms. He’d learned that lesson from his brother, Liam, and he would respect her boundaries.

But that didn’t mean that he wouldn’t make some boundaries of his own, and if those lines crossed, well then… She’d have to get over it, because he didn’t plan on going anywhere.

“Yes, I do,” he said, “but first I want to make some things clear, okay?”

“Okay.”

The word barely escaped on a whisper, and he knew he needed to