I got up early the next morning, eager to get out and about before the rest of the crowd. The sun hadn’t even risen yet, and I dressed warmly before heading outside, glad that the retreat center was mostly empty. I made my way outside and away from the building, down the path that led to a patch of forest nearby. I breathed in the scent of the fresh snow that had fallen the night before, the pine scent of the trees and the fresh air. It had been a long time since I’d really spent any time outside, and it seemed like just being out there was cleansing me as I walked.

“Lily.”

I turned around to see Logan jogging toward me up the path. I kept my eyes on him as he moved toward me, taking the chance to look him over. I’d never seen a bigger man in my life—his arms seemed as big around as my leg, his chest massive and broad. I’d almost drooled when I’d first seen him; along with the fact his body was something to marvel over, he was gorgeous, too. He had green eyes that were darker than usual, with a hint of blue in them, almost turquoise. His features were fine and straight, a short beard growing on his face that only flattered the strength of his jawline. His hair was the color of honey, wavy and kind of a mess on his head.

“Hi,” I said as he caught up with me, standing still. I met his eye and he grinned at me, something that made me feel warm from the inside out.

“Hi,” he said. “How are you this morning?”

“I’m good. I love it out here,” I said.

“I can tell,” he said, studying my face. “You look happy. It suits you.”

I blushed at the compliment. “Did you need something?”

“I actually did need to talk to you about something,” he said, looking almost bashful as he ran his hand through his hair. The look was sexy on his face somehow, charming. I licked my lips as I stared at him, having to tilt my head considerably to do so. I was tall for a woman but still nearly a foot shorter than he was. The brief thought crossed my mind that I would have to stand on my tiptoes to kiss him, but I disregarded the thought and instead looked at him curiously.

“Do you, um—do you want to talk while we walk?” I asked. He nodded and we started down the path, his hands in his pockets.

“Your boss came to talk to me yesterday,” he said.

I nearly groaned in annoyance. “What did he say?”

He was quiet for a moment. “He said he was trying to get laid this week. He asked me to leave you alone.”

“Oh,” I said. I felt the anger growing inside of me, mixed with the embarrassment of being put in this situation in front of a man I didn’t even know, one who had been kind enough to come to my aid. “What did you say?”

“Well, that’s the thing,” he said. “I kind of told him that I was your ex.”

“What?”

“It just came out,” he said, giving me a nervous glance. “I thought that if he thought we were somehow involved, he might stay away from you.”

“We wouldn’t be involved if we were broken up,” I pointed out.

He took a deep breath. “I told him we never really broke up,” he said.

I looked up at him. “That’s actually a good idea,” I said after I’d thought for a moment. “You’re… big. He’ll definitely be intimidated by you.”

“I don’t think that he was intimidated by me,” he said, rolling his eyes. “I’m not even sure he believed me.”

I bit my lip. “Maybe—maybe we could convince him?”

“What do you mean?”

“I mean, I could pretend to be interested in you,” I told him, then quickly added, “You don’t have to pretend to be interested in me, of course, but if I seem distracted with another man…”

He studied my face, then his eyes flickered to my lips. “I don’t think pretending to be attracted to you is going to be very hard at all, Lily.”

“So that’s okay?” I asked. I barely knew the man, but looking into his eyes, I felt like I could trust him. His expression was genuine and kind, and I was desperate for a way to get Michael off my back for the week. I didn’t think I could put up with a full seven days of his persistently trying to sleep with me, no matter how patient I was.

“You’re asking me if it’s okay to be somewhat affectionate with a beautiful woman?” he asked.

I looked at him, unable to keep myself from smiling.

“Are you always up this early?” I asked him.

“Yes,” he said. “I don’t really sleep much, honestly.”

“I’d think your job would wear you out,” I said.

He grinned. “It takes a lot more than that to wear me out,” he said.

I felt a heat spread through my hips when he said that for some reason, felt my whole body grow flushed even in the cold.

“What exactly do you do?”

“I’m a logger and I do construction,” he said. “A handyman.”

“Are you any good?”

He chuckled. “I am pretty good with my hands,” he said. “I’ve never gotten any complaints after the job is done.”

I bit my lip as we walked, listening for a moment to the birds chirping around us. It was quiet as he walked close to me. Once, the back of his hand brushed against mine, and I shivered and moved a couple of inches away. The feeling of his skin lingered on mine even after he’d stopped touching me, a feeling that was almost electric. I didn’t understand why my heart was racing on such a calm morning, but it made me somewhat nervous, worried that my interest in this man was something potentially dangerous. I hadn’t had a good track record with men—I seemed to attract creeps like Michael, men who just tried to get in my pants by any means possible. The thought of even being touched by a man after how much I’d been harassed made me shudder, though I hadn’t felt that way at all when Logan had touched my hand.

We got to the end of the circular path and started back toward the house. I felt somewhat hesitant to part from Logan but had planned to work all day. As we were walking, I caught a glimpse of Michael up ahead. Logan saw him too, because he wrapped his arm around my shoulders, pulling me close to him. I felt my heart speed up as I caught a whiff of his scent, masculine and rich as pine, almost intoxicating. Michael’s eyes found us and they narrowed in anger as Logan lowered his lips to my ear.

“I think I’m supposed to whisper something sexy,” he said softly.

“I think so too,” I said, despite myself.

He grinned at me and brushed his lips over the skin below my ear. I shivered, surprised at the touch, but found myself leaning into him.

“I’m not saying it’s going to happen, but I’m more than willing to kiss you if that’s what it takes,” he said. “Just so you know.”

“I’ll keep that in mind,” I said as he pulled back to look into my eyes. We lingered for a moment, unable to look away from each other before I broke our gaze and started to walk back toward the building. I glanced at Logan when we walked past Michael to see that there was a sexy smirk on his lips. The look on Michael’s face made me grin to myself—I had a feeling he wasn’t going to challenge Logan for my attention, and even if he did, there was no way he would win in a confrontation with the massive lumberjack.

When we got to the retreat, we lingered outside for a moment. He leaned against the wall, giving me that half-grin capable of driving me crazy if I let it.

“So what are you doing today? A spa treatment? Pedicure?”

“I’m working,” I said.

He raised his eyebrows at me. “You’re not supposed to be working out here,” he chided. “This is a relaxation retreat.”

“I have a lot to do,” I said, waving him off. “And I don’t like wasting time sitting around. I like to keep busy.”

He studied me for a moment. “Why is that?”

I didn’t answer. The truth was, I kept busy so I didn’t have to think. I was ambitious, and I worked hard to rise to the top of my game. That was what I wanted in my life, and I wasn’t going to stop until I achieved it.

“I just like my job,” I answered.

“Why don’t I believe you?”

I smiled at him. “I’ll see you later, Logan.”

“See you later,” he said, his eyes on my face before I left. I went upstairs and into my room, preparing to work, hoping it would help take my mind off the sexy man. I found myself fantasizing rather than getting any work done, wondering what it would be like to be with such a large, strong man. I bit my lip, pushing the thought out of my head. I had no business thinking about any man like that, least of all a stranger I was only going to know for a week. I forced myself to work for the rest of the day, not looking forward to the banquet later, hoping it went better than I thought it would.