Total pages in book: 47
Estimated words: 44191 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 221(@200wpm)___ 177(@250wpm)___ 147(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 44191 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 221(@200wpm)___ 177(@250wpm)___ 147(@300wpm)
She didn’t need to think long. “Bears,” she said proudly. “You’re so far off the grid. Do they try to steal your honey?”
He chuckled. “Definitely not.”
“Interesting. You’re lucky then. Unless I’ve just watched too much movies and bears don’t even like honey.”
“Oh, they definitely like honey.”
She finished her food and felt a lot better, that persistent hunger finally sated. He was a good cook. She never would have tried venison on her own.
Poppy took the dishes to the sink and started to wash them. Wilder stood next to her leaning against the counter and just watched. He didn’t try to stop her which she appreciated since he’d done the cooking.
“I love your house, Wilder. It’s like living in a fairy tale.”
He was quiet again. She saw the powerful muscles in his arm in her peripheral vision.
“I like the way you say my name.”
She swallowed hard, feeling the intensity of his words.
As if realizing he’d made her uncomfortable, he stepped back and changed the subject. “I built this house decades ago.”
She took a cleansing breath and wasn’t sure if she was relieved or disappointed. As much as she wanted something to spark with Wilder, at thirty-two years old, she was embarrassingly naïve when it came to men.
“Alone?”
“I’ve been alone since I was very young. I’ve learned to take care of myself. It was either that or give up and die.”
She didn’t like the sound of that. It must be so lonely for him. People were meant to couple off, to find their happily ever after.
“Do you not have any family?”
“Not anymore. It’s just me.” He started walking away, putting an end to the conversation. “I’ll show you the beehives.”
He wasn’t comfortable with the subject and she wouldn’t push him. She wondered what his story was. Why would this hunk of a man leave society to live completely alone out here? Although she could see the appeal in ways, it was unnatural for a person to live so isolated.
She followed him out the back door. The young bear cub was rolling in the grass and weeds. Poppy still felt a bit nervous around him because wild animals could be unpredictable, but Wilder appeared unfazed as he walked past the cub.
“He looks happy,” she said.
“He’ll be safe here until I find him a new home.”
It touched her heart that he cared so much about wildlife. He’d go out of his way to help animals when he didn’t have to. In such a selfish world, it was refreshing.
“Wow, there’re so many.” She walked around the neatly arranged wooden beehives. “Can I get my camera?”
He shrugged, and she quickly ran back to the house to grab her camera.
“So, you do like your job?” he asked when she returned.
“No, not my job. But I love being a photographer. There’s something magical about getting that perfect shot, of capturing a moment in time. Like right now, I want to remember this forever.”
She took close-up photos of the bees as he pulled up a frame. It was amazing. What surprised her was how the bees would land on his forearm but none of them bit him.
He explained step by step the process of keeping bees. She was completely invested, loving his passion in living out here at the end of the world.
“I thought beekeepers used smoke to calm them?” she asked.
“We have an understanding.” He winked at her and her heart did a little flutter.
He removed a chunk of honeycomb, the honey dripping off it as he came to show her. She was absolutely mesmerized by all these new experiences. Without a second thought she leaned over and took at bite off the opposite end of the comb he was holding, the sweet taste flooding her senses. So fresh, so delicious.
Wilder reached out with his other hand to clean some dripping honey from the corner of her mouth. She felt like a child all over again. When he brought his finger back to his own mouth, sucking off the leftover honey, she felt her entire body light up with heat.
Did he feel it too? Were his eyes always that dark?
She licked her lips and he followed the movement of her tongue.
“I never knew bees were so interesting,” she said. “And complicated.”
“The reward is worth the effort, no?”
She nodded with a smile, the sweet taste still in her mouth.
****
Wilder didn’t want to agree with his bear. His animal side insisted Poppy was their mate, but his hatred for humans made him fight the idea. He’d already resigned to the idea of living his live alone, unless the rare chance he came across a female bear shifter.
Things were different now. The mating call was strong, and there was no denying it now. Poppy was perfect. When she had been photographing his hives and bees, he watched her. Her wonder, passion, and innocence kept him in awe. It cemented the fact he had to claim her as his mate. It wasn’t just her lush body, soft blonde hair, and mothering instincts. It was every detail about her inside and out.