Not Really the Outdoor Type(19)

Standing in the doorway, she surveyed the room and caught sight of the plaid shirt on the back of Jason’s chair. A small smile curved her lips as she realized it was the one he’d worn the day she’d come to the store looking for a job.

She walked around the desk and ran her fingers lightly over the soft material. Taking the shirt off the back of the chair, she held it to her nose, inhaling deeply. Earthy and masculine, it smelled exactly like the man who wore it, and Kendall closed her eyes. On impulse, she slipped her arms into the sleeves, then went over to the couch against the wall and sat down. Hugging Jason’s shirt more tightly around her, she curled her feet beneath her and drifted off to sleep.





Chapter Six



Kendall woke up the next morning to find herself still curled up on the couch in Jason’s office. Running her hand through her hair, she yawned and glanced at her watch. Just after seven-thirty. Since she’d spent the night on the couch, that meant Jason still wasn’t back.

Trying to ignore the worry nagging at the back of her mind, Kendall lay there for a long moment before finally pushing herself into a sitting position. With the store due to open in less than half an hour, she couldn’t just lie there.

She was halfway down the hallway before she realized she was still wearing Jason’s shirt. She hesitated, wanting to keep it on, but reluctantly took it off and put it back where she’d found it.

Desperately in need of caffeine, she quickly freshened up in the employee restroom, then ran over to the diner to grab a cup of coffee. Back at the store, she sat at the counter, sipping the hot beverage and nibbling half-heartedly on the muffin she’d bought while she stared out the front window. It had stopped raining at least, though that didn’t mean it wasn’t still snowing up in the mountains. She prayed it wasn’t. She couldn’t go another day not knowing if Jason was okay.

Business came in spurts throughout day. The store went from being totally empty one minute to packed with tourists the next, and Kendall was relieved when Nicole showed up to give her a hand. It was during one of the lulls that the door opened and Jason walked in, followed by more than a dozen exhausted fishermen.

Kendall stared at Jason for a moment, unable to believe he was really back. Before she could stop herself, she rushed out from behind the counter and threw her arms around his neck, hugging him tightly. He smelled of dirt and pine needles, and a little like fish, but she didn’t care. All she cared about was that he was alive and well.

“Jason, thank God you’re safe,” she breathed, pressing her face into the side of his neck. “I was so afraid something had happened to you.”

Jason held her close, his arms warm and strong around her, his cheek resting against the top of her head. If they weren’t in the middle of a store full of people, she would have stayed there the rest of the day. But they were in the middle of a store full of people. And she was being emotional. As much as she hated to do it, Kendall pushed away from Jason and took a step back.

To see that everyone in the store was staring at them. Great. Face coloring, Kendall tucked her hair behind her ear. “I’m sorry,” she said to Jason. “You said you’d be back that afternoon, and when you weren’t, I…I didn’t know what to think.”

The corner of his mouth edged up. “Yeah. Sorry about that. The storm moved in faster than I thought it would and we had to wait it out in a temporary shelter.”

She nodded. “That’s what Sheriff Atwater said must have happened.”

Jason lifted a brow. “You called the sheriff?”

Kendall’s face colored even more, but before she could reply, one of the fishermen came over to ask Jason to take a picture with their group. Jason hesitated, his gaze still on her.

She gave him a small smile. “Go ahead.”

The fishermen wanted to take the picture outside the store, and as soon as Jason disappeared through the front door, Kendall turned and hurried out the back. Right now, she didn’t trust herself to be near him.

Banishing her sexy employer from her mind was easier said than done. Two hours later, she was sitting in front of the television still thinking about him. Had she been too quick to break things off with him? If she’d been that worried about him when he was missing, that must mean she still had feelings for him. And if she had feelings for him, was she willing to throw everything away simply because he’d spanked her a couple times?

The fantasy she’d had the other day replayed itself in her head like some erotic movie. She hugged the fleece throw more tightly around her and squirmed on the couch. Okay, so maybe the thought of getting spanked did turn her on a little bit. Which still didn’t make sense. Or did it?