“Where the hell do you think you’re going?”
She’d made it an entire block before that deep, slightly-roughened bass was rumbling through her again. Since his pursuit wasn’t wholly unexpected, that odd little tingle in her core had to be from some other instinctual response to that particular sound.
“Excuse me?” Taryn whirled around to find him right behind her. How had the man managed to get so close without her hearing his footsteps? She must be even worse off than she’d thought, because she never allowed anyone to sneak up on her.
He looked down at her, a towering mass of brawn and muscle that smelled far too good, a heady mixture of spice and clean male sweat. Heat rolled off of his body in the cool air; for one crazy moment she had the urge to take a step forward into it and let it envelop her. How long had it been since she’d felt the warm embrace of another human being?
Far too long, answered a tiny, wistful voice deep inside her head. It was countered immediately by a much stronger one: Don’t even think about it.
Taryn ruthlessly shoved those thoughts aside for later, when she didn’t have a large, dominant alpha-male looming over her, talking to her as if she was some recalcitrant child. As stunning as the view was, she had to be on her way. The little bit of fire he’d unintentionally managed to stoke would not sustain her for long.
“I asked where you were going,” he repeated, though he had obviously made an effort to make his tone calmer, less aggressive.
“To get some rest,” she sighed, resuming her forward progress. Not surprisingly, he fell into step beside her. She rolled her eyes. She shouldn’t have stopped; she should have just ignored him and kept walking. Given the man’s tenacity it probably wouldn’t have mattered, but at least he wouldn’t have taken their brief interaction as encouragement for more of the same.
“It’s Homecoming. There’s not a vacant room within a fifty-mile radius of this place, not for another two days at least,” he said matter-of-factly.
This time she did ignore him. She had no intention of trying to find a room. She needed to save every penny she could for important things like food and water. She could rest anywhere, but she’d be damned if she was foraging for food in a dumpster.
Apparently the guy had a functioning brain to go along with all that appealing brawn, because he put two and two together pretty quickly. “So what – you’re going to crash under a tree somewhere in the woods?”
She kept her eyes forward and her pace brisk, neither confirming nor denying his baited question with a response. Maybe he was joking, maybe he wasn’t. It didn’t really matter one way or the other.
“There are bears in the woods, you know.”
Despite her resolve to remain annoyed with him, the corners of her mouth actually twitched a little. “I’m not afraid of bears,” she grumbled. Actually, curling up with a big, furry, warm bear was sounding pretty good right about then as the cold dampness of the early morning seeped through her clothes. She thought back once again to the heat of Jake’s body and shivered.
“What are you afraid of, Taryn?” His voice was much softer this time.
Taryn didn’t even hesitate before answering with a fierce edge to her voice. “Overly large Irish men with an inflated sense of chivalry.”
He barked out a laugh. “Fair enough. But what if I offered a solution that benefitted both of us?”
She didn’t stop, but she did slow her pace. He used those long legs to place himself in front of her, then turned around to face her. Eyes glittering with challenge, he walked backwards with far too much grace and ease for a man his size.
“I’ve got a couple of extra rooms at the Pub,” he continued as if she’d expressed an interest in hearing more. “They’re not completely remodeled yet, but I’ve got the plumbing done and the water heater works.”
“No,” she said immediately, but without much conviction. A hot shower and a bed sounded heavenly. Hell, a warm washcloth and a dry floor would work, too.
“You didn’t let me finish,” he chastised. “You need a place to stay while your car is being fixed. I need a skilled bartender for the next two nights to carry me through Homecoming.”
Taryn did stop then and gave him a doubtful look. “I work for you, get you through the Homecoming crush, and you give me a place to crash?” The idea actually had its merits. If the next two nights were anything like the last, she could pocket enough in tips to allow her to really stock up for the upcoming winter if she was careful. Plus she wasn’t crazy about the idea of picking pine needles out of her underwear for the next few days, warm furry snuggly bears or not.