Page 9 of Holly's Grizzly

Or, maybe more accurately, I wake in thearmsof a furnace.

Irving is dozing beneath me, still with both arms cradled around me, keeping me held steady in his lap. I’m warm, so warm, and it takes a few long, hazy moments for that last bit to fully register.

In his lap.

As soon as it does, more memories come rushing back in.

Falling in the river. Dragging myself out. Being carried through the woods by a bear who’s actually not a bear to the most picture-perfect little cabin.

And then…

Oh.

Oh, god.

I got naked in front of him, didn’t I?

Which, I mean, was probably necessary considering I was drenched and about to freeze to death, and I do remember there being a blanket involved, but still.

Doing my best not to wake him, I prop myself up a little and glance down to find I’m still wrapped in that blanket. Irving’s gotone draped over him, too, and another memory rushes in at the sight of it.

A big, broad male body dusted in coarse dark hair. How easily he scooped me up. How careful he was in bringing me back here and making sure I was alright.

I glance up.

My face is just a few inches from his. His eyes are closed and his face is relaxed in sleep, but he’s still just as ruggedly handsome as I remember, with his big bushy beard and his thick brown hair.

And he’s still just as impossibly warm.

I’m no longer half-frozen from my idiotic dunk into the river, but the memory of it still lingers deep in my bones, and I can’t stop myself from savoring that warmth as I take a deep inhale.

Irving smells like the mountains. Rich pine and crisp snow, fresh air and something deep and earthy that’s almost as calming to my frayed nerves as his warmth is.

I close my eyes and take another whiff.

“Holly?”

They snap back open, and I’m met by Irving’s deep brown, very concerned gaze. He shifts me in his arms, helping me sit up and putting a few inches of distance between our torsos.

I barely bite back a groan of protest at losing even a little bit of his warmth, then give myself a mental slap.

Get a grip, Holly.

The man single-handedly saved me from freezing to death. The very least I can do is not be an absolute weirdo, losing my mind over his body heat and his freakingscent.

“Are you alright?”

Am I?

Aside from the unreasonable, scattered-brained attraction that I’m absolutely going to blame on my dunk in the river andmy subsequent thaw, I think I am. My limbs seem to all be in working order, and I reluctantly put them to use as I wiggle my way off Irving.

“Yeah. I’m alright.”

Settling on the sofa beside him, I clutch at the blanket, way too aware of the fact that I’m completely naked beneath it.

I’m way too aware ofeverythingall of a sudden.

I’m in a stranger’s house.

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