Page 20 of A Very Grumpy Mountain Man

She’s the only thing that keepsmegrounded.

I can’t lose her.

I won’t.

I take a deep breath, push off the couch, and head outside, already trying to figure out what the hell I’m going to say.

Because Camden’s right.

Meyer’s right.

I’ve got to lay all my cards on the table.

Even if it terrifies me.

Even if I have everything to lose.

TEN

Sienna

I think I messed up.I was so sure it was a fling for Kye, that he would reject me, so I rejected him first. I was scared to lose him and my job, so I told him it had to be a one-time thing.

I hoped he’d tell me I was wrong, that we were meant to be together forever. Instead, I’m stuck in this hell.

Kye has been so quiet and distant since we slept together, and I can’t figure out what I did or said wrong. I thought we were friends. I mean, we were getting along so well, but now… I’m not so sure.

I don’t have any experience with this stuff. Is this how people act after they’ve slept together? Maybe things are awkward for him. Perhaps he doesn’t know how to act, either.

I can’t take much more of this, though. I want things to go back to how they were before. I want to be with him. For real.

I clear my throat and stare at him across the kitchen table. We’re eating lunch in silence, and it sucks.

“The pictures turned out good, I think,” I comment.

Kye nods, staring down at his plate.

I take a bite of my sandwich and try to think of something else to say. “What sites are we listing them on?”

“Not sure.”

He pops a chip in his mouth and chews slowly. He looks almost nervous. I hate that he hasn’t looked at me. I hate how sad he looks all the time now.

I need to fix this. I need to get us back to where we were. But how?

Ask him out,my subconscious whispers.Show him you want him. That you want him to be more than your boss.

I swallow hard and work up the courage to ask out my boss. Grabbing my water, I take a quick sip and do it, blurt it out. “Will you go out with me?”

His head snaps up. He looks so surprised that I almost laugh. “What?”

I wipe my sweaty palms on my pants. I’ve never asked anyone out before. It’s terrifying. “Will you go out with me? On a date? To dinner…” I trail off lamely.

“I thought… I thought you wanted to keep things professional,” he says in confusion, but I see the hope in his eyes, hear it in his voice.

“I don’t. I was scared. I’ve… I’ve never done this before,” I finish quietly.

“Me neither.”

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