Bear Fur Hire (Bears Fur Hire #2)(22)

Lena’s face crumpled as another tear streamed out of the corner of her eye. She shook her head and pulled his palm to her lips. A long kiss on his hand allowed her to stall so that her voice wouldn’t come out fragile and small. “I’m happy.”

Jenner let off a sigh, and his eyes softened immediately over the smile that transformed his face. “Good. That was…” He shrugged his shoulders and looked completely lost for words, but she understood.

“For me, too.”

His lips lifted in a bigger smile just as he lowered them to hers. His kiss made her want to cry harder, which was ridiculous. Why did she feel so raw and open right now? This wasn’t what she’d imagined it would be like. It was as if Jenner was welding her broken pieces back together.

She clung to his shoulders as he eased out of her, then he rocked them upward. Hand on the creases behind her knees, Jenner pulled her legs around him, stood, then walked them slowly into the creek and lowered them into the waves. With a gentle touch, he cleaned her in the water. She was in so deep with him now. The well of her emotion was bottomless as he kissed her with sweet, biting pecks.

With a grin, she bit him back, pulling on his lip for a moment before she released him. Hugging him close and resting her chin on his shoulder, she murmured against his ear, “My wild Jenner.”

The soft growl rattled his throat again, and her grin widened. He’d spent so much time with the animals, he’d become one somewhere along the way. And for some reason, that fact made her love him even more. Love? Her heart stuttered, and she hugged him tighter so he wouldn’t see the confusion on her face. Burying her face against his neck, she sighed, unsure of whether to be terrified of the emotion or to be happy she was capable of feeling love for a man at all. Through the years, she’d been afraid that part of her heart had been too damaged.

Lightning flashed closer, followed immediately by loud, rumbling thunder, and the clouds opened up, dumping hard rain down on them, splatting in a stinging cadence onto her bare skin.

Jenner’s laugh was infectious and drew giggles from her as he stood them up. Pulling her hand, he led her toward their clothes where they gathered the blanket and belongings, shoved their feet into their hiking boots, and bolted through the pouring rain toward camp.

And he gave her another gift, another moment—one she would remember for always.

Right as they made it into the circle of lantern light near the tent, he turned and graced her with a smile that stopped her heart. It was devastatingly happy and open. His body was built like a brick house and sexy as hell, but that smile showed the man underneath it all. And he was giving that smile to her. Her. His eyes were vivid blue and dancing, the angles of his face sharp as glass, and right here, in this moment, she got her first glimpse of two shallow dimples that bracketed his mouth. His dark hair was soaked, and tiny drops of water clung to the ends, ready to fall, and when she stumbled, he picked her up like she weighed nothing, hustled her into the tent, and then disappeared back out of the flap.

Shocked at how utterly changed she felt, she stood there naked, dripping into her untied hiking boots, arms full of her belongings. She watched Jenner as he pulled a covered Dutch oven from beside the fire and snatched the lantern.

His wide shoulders blocked out the rain completely as he ducked through the tent opening, and after he’d zipped them safely inside, he turned that grin on her again. “You hungry?”

Was she ever. His abs were flexing with every breath, his body tight like a bowstring, and she’d just been with him. Hungry for food and hungry for Jenner, she nodded.

“Good.”

“Good?”

“Yeah,” he said, the smile slipping from his face. “I want to take care of you tonight. I want to feed you.” His words had gone low and gravelly again, and a delicious shiver zipped up her spine.

“I’d like that.” Did she need a man to take care of her? No, but with Jenner things were different. She didn’t mind being vulnerable with him.

She had one towel in her bag and dried off as best as she could before she got into her comfortable night clothes. Her hair was going to dry wild, but from the way Jenner kept slipping her hungry glances, she didn’t think he would mind au naturale. Which made sense. Only a wild woman would do for a feral man like him.

He slid into a pair of jeans but left his shirt off, thank heavens for tiny blessings. His pants were low enough that she still had a fantastic view of those sexy strips of muscle that wrapped around his hips. And as she spread out a sleeping bag to the sound of the pattering rain against the tent, Jenner loaded up two metal plates with steak, vegetables, and steaming baked potatoes. It all smelled so good, her stomach growled, so she wrapped her arms around her middle with a giggle.

He set up their dinner on the sleeping bag picnic style and sat directly across from her. It wasn’t until midway through the meal that he stopped with a knowing grin and asked, “Was it everything you imagined it would be?”

“No.” Heat flooded her cheeks, so she ducked her gaze to her plate of food. “It was much more.”

Jenner hooked a hand under her chin and pulled her face up to meet his. With a light kiss, he settled back in front of his plate and murmured, “I hate when you hide your blushes from me. I’ve never met a woman who colors up so pretty.” He swallowed hard, his eyes growing serious. “I’ve never met a woman so pretty.”