I need to climb off his lap before I do something to add to my track record of inappropriateness around this man.

I make to move but his hands tighten their grip, pulling me back a touch, until I can feel something hard press against my ass.

My heart begins racing, pumping adrenaline into my veins.

I may be inexperienced, but I’m not stupid.

Is this happening?

Henry has an erection. Is it simply because I’m sitting on him? Or is it for me? Maybe his cool exhales against my neck aren’t intentional, either. I feel the urge to grind myself against him. Would he be okay with that? No, I don’t think so. He made a point of saying that he trusted me not to try anything when I’m sober.

But now he’s pinning me down in his lap and his erection is digging in to me, and his shallow pants fill the truck to compete with my own.

“Did you tell anyone about the other night?” Henry’s deep voice has turned soft and seductive.

I’m shaking my head before I can manage any words. “No. I mean, Tillie figured out that something happened with someone, but I didn’t tell her that it was you.”

“Why not?”

My eyes dart to the rearview mirror and I find myself pinned down by his gaze, the look dark and daring. “I don’t know. I was embarrassed, I guess?”

“What exactly were you embarrassed about?” His voice is so melodic, as if coaxing me to respond.

A strangled sound escapes me. “I don’t know. That I was drunk. That I said all kinds of stupid, crazy things about my ex-fiancé and... other things.”

“Other things, like when you asked me to fuck you?”

I struggle to form a coherent answer. He must know this makes me uncomfortable, that I’m mortified. So why is he tormenting me? Does he like making me squirm? Or is he punishing me for my behavior? Or did he bring me out here because I asked him to have sex with me and now he wants to deliver?

What would a man like Henry Wolf do to a girl like me?

He did promise me that I wouldn’t be inexperienced for long with him.

He also said that I should spend the next four months fucking someone in every position imaginable. Is he offering to be that guy?

Would it be four months? Or one night? If it’s true that this guy goes through women like underwear, why would I want to give away my virginity to him, to be used and tossed aside?

I wouldn’t. Of all things, that I’m sure of.

And this is the owner, I remind myself. He could have me on the next flight back to Chicago if I do or say the wrong thing here. Or worse, Pennsylvania.

I finally free myself from his gaze to stare ahead.

“You look perplexed. Why?”

“Because this feels like a test.”

A ghost of a smile passes his lips. “Maybe it is.”

For five pounding heartbeats, with his grip on my thighs tightening, and his body leaning in until his mouth is a hairsbreadth away from my neck, I make myself believe that I’m not delusional, that his hard dick is for me, that Henry Wolf has invited me here for more than to simply help him stack wood, and that I could actually deliver on that.

My breaths turn ragged, waiting.

“Watch this,” he whispers, reaching for the ignition. The bear has finished my snack and is now on all fours, eyeing us. With one flick of Henry’s wrist, the sudden, loud rumble of the engine sends the bear bolting for the tree line at speeds I can’t fathom for a body that big.

“And that’s why you should never try to outrun a bear.”

He leans back and releases a heavy sigh. His hands slip from my legs, one reaching for the heat dial, leaving my thighs cold and me instantly missing his touch. Warmth blasts out from the dashboard.

I slide off him and shift to my spot in the truck. The air is still tense and I can’t stand tension, so I clear my throat and say the first thing that comes to mind. “I’ve changed my mind. I don’t want to plant trees. Leave the land barren.”

The truck fills with his deep laughter and I instantly relax. His laugh is beautiful and it reminds me that, above all else that he may be, Henry Wolf is still human.

“Should I leave my vest here?” I stare out at the tattered remains lying in the mud.

I feel his gaze on my chest before I even turn back. It sits there for five racing heartbeats, intense and probing, until my nipples begin to tighten. I’m sure he can see them poking out of my thin cotton sports bra. “For now. I’ll get you a new one,” Henry promises, as the truck lurches into motion.

The drive back goes much faster than on the way out, and I find myself wishing we were still stacking wood. “How long will you be staying in Alaska?” Is this it? Will I see him again before he leaves? Wolf Cove suddenly feels lonelier with the idea of him not being here.

His fingers strum the steering wheel. “I’m staying for the season.”

“Seriously?”

“Yeah. Why?” He glances over at me, curiosity in his eyes.

“Don’t you have other hotels to open, or something?”

“I have a lot on the go, but I’ve decided to focus on Wolf Cove for now and work remotely on everything else. It’s important to me that it succeeds.”

Inexplicable happiness fills my chest. Does that mean almost four months with Henry? Will we be doing any more of these private little trips? Or is that just wishful thinking?

“Why are you smiling?”

“No reason.” My cheeks flush.

He pauses. “Does me staying for the summer make you happy?”

I bite my bottom lip, deciding whether to be honest. I finally settle on, “Maybe.”

He says nothing, turning into the driveway.

“You’re back to being Mr. Wolf when we pass those gates, aren’t you?”

“Yes.” No hesitation.

“Well, then it was nice to spend this time with you.” My eyes drop to my lap.

“I trust you know where you’re going this afternoon.”

“To set the rooms on the fourth floor, and then collect my uniform.” The instructions appeared in my inbox last night during dinner.

A secretive smirk touches his lips. “Don’t worry, I doubt you’ll find it as awful as you expect.”

“We’ll see what your guests have to say. I don’t think I’ve ever actually made a bed properly.”

“Huh.” He mutters something that sounds like, “I’ll keep that in mind,” under his breath. The wheels squeak as the truck rolls to a stop where Henry picked me up this morning. The hotel is alive with workers now, carrying supplies from the docks, raking the beach, and I’m sure a thousand other things I’m not even aware of. Grizzly bear or not, the morning was much more peaceful than what I anticipate the next few days will be. “Do you need me to help you unload the wood?”

“No. I have the Outdoor crew for that.”

I shoot him a glare, earning his smirk.

It quickly falls off his beautiful face, though. “I’m glad I can trust you to keep things to yourself. I’d like to ask that you continue to do so. If anyone does ask, tell them you helped me load wood. If anyone asks.”

I frown. “That’s all I did. Do you mean about the bear? Or...” My eyes inadvertently drift to his lap before I snap them back and swallow hard.

A wicked smirk touches his lips. “You can respect that, right?”

“Yes.”

“I thought so.”

“Maybe I’ll see you around.”

“Maybe.”

I reach for the handle, but then stop, the one unanswered question still ringing in my ears. “You said that you hired me? Why?”

He stares out the windshield for the longest time. When he finally turns, it’s to settle a dark, heated gaze on me. “Because it looked like you really needed this.”

“I did. I do.” I clear my voice to get the shake out of it. Lord, he can be intimidating at the snap of a finger.

“Well then, I wanted to give it to you.”

The mood in the truck has turned dark and palpable, and I feel the sudden urge to escape. I slip out and head toward the main lodge, replaying his words. It would be easy to believe he meant that I really needed this job, or I really needed to get away to the peaceful wilderness of Alaska.