Page 20 of The Bear's Second Chance Mate
“You’re doing a great job,” he said.
The words hit harder than she expected. Maybe because no one had said them in so long, or maybe because she wasn’t sure they were true.
June looked down, blinking hard, then startled when Stanley nudged the tin toward her.
“Another cookie?”
She huffed a quiet laugh. “You really are dangerous.”
“You have no idea,” he murmured.
Heat flooded her cheeks at his tone, low, almost playful, but with an undercurrent that made her pulse quicken. She looked up to find him watching her with those dark brown eyes, and for a moment she forgot how to breathe.
“I should probably pace myself,” she said, taking a cookie anyway, her fingers tingling as they brushed against his. The tingling spread up her arm, sending warmth flooding her body.
“Wise.” He smiled, and that smile did dangerous things to her resolve.
Did he have any idea of how he made her feel?
Barb’s words came back to her once more. Was that it? He was toying with her, trying to seduce her?
Did he want to use her as his plaything? Nothing more than someone to warm his bed while he waited for the woman of his dreams, his mate, to enter his life?
But June refused to believe that about the man next to her. He’d been so kind and caring toward Oli that there was no way he would be so cruel to her. Was there?
This was so confusing.
So she should simply play it safe. Protect her heart. Not lose her head to the first man who was kind to her.
Friendship. That’s what she wanted from Stanley. That’s what she needed.
But she knew that was a lie. What she really wanted was to feel his lips on hers, his arms around her waist, his body pressed close.
She took a bite of her cookie and chewed slowly, buying herself time to regain her composure.
Stanley leaned back slightly, and she caught the faint scent of his cologne, something woodsy and warm that made her want to breathe deeper.
“So what brought you to Bear Creek specifically?”
“My Aunt Barb,” she said. “She offered us a place to stay while I figure out what comes next.”
“That’s good of her. She’s always struck me as a woman who likes her own space.”
Did Stanley have any idea of what had happened between his father and Barb?
“She’s just never found the right man,” June said, a little too sharply.
“Ah, I can understand that,” Stanley said, as he turned his gaze on her once more. And once more, she was certain there was something he’d left unsaid. “And have you?”
“Have I what?” June asked.
“Figured out what comes next.”
You, she wanted to say.
But instead, she shook her head and said, “Not yet. I retrained recently. I’m looking for work that gives me the flexibility to be there for Oli.”
Stanley’s expression softened. “That can’t be easy. Finding work that fits around a child’s needs, I mean.”
