Page 41 of Wild Promise

“Hey, my sexy little firecracker,” he growled. “Don’t worry, I’ve been picturing you all hot and bothered for most of the day, anyhow.”

Oh my. “Good to know.” Ugh. And now I sounded like a bitch.

“I didn’t mean to interrupt time with your family, but since I’ve got you…” He paused, his voice wavering with uncertainty. “My neighbor, Mrs. Walker—she’s the lady you met last night—she made me this batch of cookies, and it’s the third one she’s given me this week. I was hoping you’d come over tomorrow after work and help me eat a few before I start giving them away.”

“What kind are they?” I asked, biting my bottom lip to stop myself from saying more.

“I’ve got shortbread, oatmeal chocolate chip, and she called these ones snickerdoodles?” He chuckled. “But I don’t know what that is.”

“You’ve never had a snickerdoodle?”

“No. I’ve never had anyone bake me cookies before.” A trace of dejection seeped into his tone, and even though I’d been trying to guard my feelings, just that one quiet admission cracked something open in me.

What kind of life had he lived where no one had ever baked him cookies? Not his mother. Not a girlfriend. Not anyone. For a man who seemed to know everyone, and who everyone seemed to love, there was something deeply lonely underneath all of it. Something I recognized.

Ignoring my steadily growing desire for him, I teased, “Well, it would be my pleasure to help break your snickerdoodle virginity.”

Because why not? There were no rules that prevented me from being friends with my colleagues, and he didn’t say it would be a date. This was Zane, after all—one date was all he’d wanted.

But I couldn’t fool myself into believing I could resist him, even if it was.

Chapter Fourteen

Zane

“Hey,” Nate greeted as I joined him on the outdoor patio of the resort restaurant where he stood like a sentinel.

It wasn’t a planned meeting, and he was still on the clock, but Nate worked harder than anyone I knew—other than Melina. If anyone deserved to take a break, it was him.

“Want to go for a quick hike to the Bay and back?”

He looked out over my shoulder, the newly fallen snow reflecting off his aviators. “Sure, there are a few things I should check out that way, anyhow.”

We trudged side by side up the road in silence, veering off toward our favorite path that led to the Bay and its surrounding cabins. The snow was still fresh and pristine, making me feel almost guilty for disturbing it. But this walk always helped clear my head, and Nate was the only friend I trusted with the things that were on my mind.

“Something’s bothering you.” It wasn’t a question. It was just Nate, cutting through the bullshit.

“Yeah,” I agreed but couldn’t find the right words to explain myself.

It was getting late in the day, and we’d be walking back to the hotel in the dark, so I turned my face up to the sun and basked in its dwindling warmth while I could. Nate allowed me the moment, but my thoughts wouldn’t cooperate. My mind was just a swirl of feelings and fears I couldn’t untangle.

“I like her,” he offered when the words wouldn’t come to me. “I think she’s good for you.”

I took a deep breath of fresh winter air before agreeing, “I think so, too.”

“Then what’s the problem?”

Shit, where do I begin? “You’ve had a serious girlfriend before, right?”

He nodded, his face as solemn as always. “A couple, actually.”

“But you’re not with them now. How come?”

“Is this about me or you?” he complained half-heartedly, his usual gruff tone filled with something comforting. Something that told me we were on the same page.

“Sorry, man. I’m just trying to wrap my head around this whole relationship thing. I know people do it. I know some of them are even successful. I’ve just never been able to figure out how. I’m wondering if there’s a secret to it.”

“Well, shit. If there’s a secret, I sure as hell don’t know it. I’m as single as you are,” he said through a laugh. “But I guess if you want my opinion on what makes a relationship work, I’d say honesty and good communication. If you have those things, then you can trust each other, and any other obstacles can be worked out.”