But should he just sit here and watch her? That seemed sort of creepy. He knew he wouldn’t be happy to wake up with a relative stranger standing over him. It would be better to do something besides stare at her while he waited for her to wake up—the problem being that he didn’t carry a knapsack full of books and puzzles on his back when he was riding around town. And his phone had no signal, which meant Words With Friends was out.

His stomach rumbled, reminding him that he’d only had ham steak, fried eggs, hash browns, grits, and coffee for breakfast that morning. He knew a pretty good hive, just over the bend, near a huge patch of honeysuckle. The bees wouldn’t begrudge him a little honeycomb at this time of year. He could faint away without a mid-morning snack.

But his debate of the merits of honeysuckle infused-honey over Dani waking up to find his bike near her and possibly scaring her was cut short by Dani’s eyes snapping open. She seemed a bit out of it, as if waking up from a wrestling match with Jim Beam. And Zed was glad that he’d stuck around after all. Jillian wouldn’t have wanted Dani left all alone and feeling like she couldn’t remember whether the day ended in Y.

Zed was filled with a rush of relief so profound he actually felt his heart give a little. He sprang forward, throwing his arms around Dani’s body, damn near knocking his head into the tree. Tucking his face into her neck, he squeezed her tight until he felt her wheezing for breath. A guilty expression pulling at his mouth, he leaned away from her ever so slightly to let her catch her air. This put his mouth just level at hers, breathing in her exhalations, lips nearly touching. She tipped forward, meeting him in the middle for the softest, most tender brush of a kiss Zed had ever experienced. He cupped one massive hand around her jaw, gently pushing her back against the rough bark of the tree.

Her tongue darted out, easing along his lower lip, until he parted his mouth and allowed her to taste him. Her long fingers slipped down his shoulders, caressing the warm skin of his arms, leaving agreeable little trails of sensation wherever she went. The urge to possess, to claim and mate and make her belly full of cubs, was almost over-whelming. He felt a little spark of embarrassment under all the delightful charms of discovery, to leap so far from the affectionate warmth she was offering him. He liked this girl. There was a lot to like about her. He wasn’t about to treat her like a plaything here in the dirt, when she deserved the comfort of his cave and proof of his devotion.

Also, he was still kissing her, which might be a problem.