Free Bound to the Bachelor by Sarah Mayberry

registering Beau’s amusement when she’d finished chewing and swallowing.
    “You weren’t kidding about the dainty thing, were you?” he said.
    She managed to give him the finger without losing her grip on the burger.
    “Very elegant,” he said dryly.
    She concentrated for a second and managed to produce a creditable burp. He laughed, the sound low and sexy and appreciative. Even though she knew it was foolish to buy in to the buzz of attraction crackling between them, she couldn’t stop herself from smiling.
    They locked gazes, and for a second Lily got caught in the banked heat in his steady regard. She remembered how good he looked in his tight black boxer-briefs, how hard his flat, muscular belly was, how her body had lit up when he touched her.
    They both broke the contact simultaneously, focusing on their individual meals, fussing with their drinks.
    “I’m not sure a cease-fire is a good idea,” she said, carefully not looking at him this time.
    “Yeah, you’re probably right.”
    She shot a quick glance at him. He looked disgruntled. As though he was annoyed with himself for not being able to control his response to her. She guessed that, like her, he didn’t relish admitting that something had gotten the better of him. One thing they had in common.
    That and the whole mutual fiery-dangerous-lust thing.
    “Tell me about your house renovations. Andie tells me you’re thinking about knocking your cabin down and starting from scratch…?” she said brightly, determined to move on.
    “That’s the plan, yeah…”
    She let out a silent sigh of relief as he took up the conversational baton. A few more hours, and this date would be over.
    Hallelujah.

Chapter Six
    ‡
    F orty minutes later, Beau watched Lily as she raved about the dessert she’d ordered to the waitress who was clearing away their plates.
    “That was so good. I haven’t had apple pie that good since forever. And that cinnamon ice-cream…” Lily crossed her eyes to convey how much she’d enjoyed the sweet treat. “Unbelievable, out of this world, insanely good.”
    He bit back the urge to smile. Unlike a lot of the beautiful women he’d known, Lily didn’t seem hung up on how she looked or how she might present at any given moment. She hadn’t checked her hair or make-up once since they’d arrived at the resort, and she’d just devoured her burger as though someone had announced there was a zombie plague and this was her last meal. She didn’t seem to care if she looked goofy or foolish, and she certainly didn’t go out of her way to preen or pose – and yet half a dozen of the men dining around them had kept her under covert surveillance during their meal, checking her out.
    Lily just had that thing that drew men like bees to pollen. He didn’t have a name for it. Sex appeal was too crude and obvious. It was more than that, a sort of magnetic pull, and the amazing thing was she didn’t seem to be aware of it. Or, if she was, she didn’t seem to want to capitalize on it, the way some women did.
    “You want another coffee?” he asked before the waitress disappeared.
    “Thanks, but I’m pushing maximum density here already,” she said, patting her belly.
    “You ready to hit the trails again?”
    “If I say no will you think I’m a wimp?” she asked.
    “It’s okay. Women don’t have the same stamina that men do,” he said, knowing it would provoke her.
    As he’d predicted, she pushed her chair back and stood, challenge glinting in her eyes. “Okay, let’s go, hot shot.”
    He hid his smile and settled the bill, and for the next two hours they swished their way down various mountain trails. It was only when he caught Lily massaging her thigh when she thought he wasn’t looking that he realized he’d pushed her too hard. She’d told him she hadn’t skied for years. He should have taken that into account when he structured the day’s activities.
    “We should probably think about heading back to Marietta,”