Chapter Nine

She'd reacted too slowly. When it came to wildlife that could kill you, any reaction was always too slow.

Now the grizzly stood right in front of Chris, close enough that he could reach out and touch it, and he was frozen there, staring up at a thousand-pound brown bear.

For its part, the grizzly just stood there. Stood and considered, nostrils twitching as it processed the data its nearsighted eyes didn't provide.

Daphne kept her gaze fixed on the grizzly's face. Chris was too close to turn and run—and was making no move to do that, thankfully, because unless you were Usain Bolt, you were not outrunning a grizzly.

What mattered now was the bear's reaction. So far, it had none.

Daphne was watching but also listening. Alert for signs of agitation. A curled lip, a huff, a licking of the lips, a popping of the jaw.

The grizzly just stood there, towering over Chris.

I don't have my bear spray.

Her mouth opened to say exactly that, but she shut it fast. Do not tell Chris what she didn't have.

Everything. I damn well lack everything. It was a walk around the property.

Tika didn't even have her bell on. Daphne had removed it so it wouldn't clang in the background while filming, and she hadn't bothered putting it back on this morning.

Daphne wasn't sure that would have mattered. They'd been talking. The bear should have heard them. It must have been focused on its scratching post and maybe on the sound of the crew's truck.

As for the crew, thankfully, they must not have heard Chris and headed for the house.

"Don't do anything." That was what she said, when she finally found her voice.

Chris gave a shaky laugh. "Not planning to."

"You're okay. It isn't showing any signs of aggression."

"And if it does?"

She swallowed. What did she say to that?

You're three feet from a grizzly, Chris. Unarmed. Even if you had a gun, you're too close.

"The eyes," she said. "Go for the eyes."

Which was bullshit, but she had to say something.

She cleared her throat. "I'm going to come closer."

"What? No. Take Tika and get somewhere safe."

If she could have laughed at that, she would have. Very noble, but yeah, that wasn't happening.

"I want it to see you aren't alone," she said. "It's considering the situation, and it doesn't feel threatened so far, which is good. It's the wrong season for it to be hungry—plenty of food around and too early to be preparing for hibernation. We just need to politely show it that you aren't alone, in case it gets any ideas."

Chris didn't answer. He kept looking up at the grizzly, but his stance was firm and solid, and that helped.

"Think tough," she said. "Think Zane."

Still no response. He was busy focusing instead of talking. Good. She tapped her leg, telling Tika to follow, though the dog was already glued to her side. Tika was growling steadily, which was good. Growling was a calm warning, meaning she didn't see immediate danger, either.

As they moved forward, the bear's nostrils widened. Daphne tensed, but the bear didn't huff or lick its lips. It smelled Daphne and Tika getting closer and assimilated the data. Its gaze shifted, just enough to take them in as Daphne drew within a few feet of Chris. She stopped. The bear swung its attention back to Chris, and she tensed again.

"Step back," she murmured. "Ease in our direction and give it room to leave."

He started to move, and the bear began twisting away. Good. It just needed a clear exit route—

"Oh my God!" a voice squeaked.

Everything in Daphne clenched. The film crew. They must have been coming through the forest, not realizing what was happening, and now they were going to spook the bear into attack.

Except the bear did no such thing. It thumped down onto all fours and began walking in the other direction. Not exactly running off in terror, but ambling purposefully, like Daphne spotting a threatening figure in a dark parking lot.

Fleeing? No, I'm just making my way in this direction, which is where I was headed anyway.

She exhaled in relief and turned to Chris, who stood frozen in shock. Then, seeing her, he put out his arms, and she didn't think twice. She fell into them, exhaling as she whispered, "You did great."

He gave another shaky laugh and patted her back. "No, that was all you."

"Oh my God!" Sofia said again, closer now, and Daphne jumped out of Chris's arms.

Sofia gaped at him. "Did you just stare down a grizzly bear?"

"What? No—"

Daphne shot him a quick look and mouthed Take it.

Chris still hesitated, but when she firmed that look, he gathered his Zane cloak around him and straightened.

"Are you all right?" he said to the crew. "That must have been quite a shock for you."

Daphne bit the inside of her cheek, but Sofia only gazed up at him, doe-eyed.

"You saved our lives," she said. "All of us. You stared down a grizzly."

A hearty laugh with just enough false self-deprecation. "Oh, I wouldn't say—"

"You did. We saw it. You were between Dana and the bear, and you scared it off by just staring at it."

Chris hesitated, and Daphne realized how it must have looked from Sofia's angle, coming up behind them. Daphne nodded for Chris to take the credit.

"We frightened the poor creature," he said. "It was curious, and it only needed to be told—with a firm and unflinching look—that we were not easy targets, should it be a bit peckish. It is breakfast time after all." He laughed at his own joke. "And on that note, what do we all say to breakfast? I, for one, am starving. Early-morning bear encounters will do that."

"You feel like you could eat a bear?" the female camera operator said with a smile.

"Exactly. But I would settle for coffee and Dana's fresh-baked muffins."

Chris was in the bedroom dressing for the first video segment. Earlier he'd been wearing comfortable lightweight pants—suitable for outdoor rambles—and a form-fitting T-shirt, suitable for showing off his assets to Daphne. If she was interested in seeing them, that is. He still wasn't sure on that part.

For the shoot, he'd wear expensive cargo shorts and an even more expensive flannel shirt. Who knew flannel could be expensive? He wasn't even sure anyone watching would know the difference, but the clerk at the trendy "gorpcore" store assured him it made a difference. Of course, given that the store catered to young Vancouverites who only wore their gorpcore fashion to the office, he suspected it wasn't actually suitable for climbing mountains. In other words, Daphne wouldn't wear this shirt. Even Zane probably wouldn't. But it was what people would expect a guy like Zane to wear, so he'd bought it.

He was shaking out the shirt, wondering if he should iron it—do you iron flannel?—when a knock came at the door. The crew was outside eating their morning meal, with Daphne having added egg sandwiches to the menu.

She must be clearing plates and checking on him while she was inside. They hadn't had time to talk since the bear encounter, and he really wanted to. His heart stuttered every time he thought of it.

A grizzly bear. Right in front of him.

"Come in," he called.

The door opened as he gave the flannel shirt another shake, assessing.

"Good timing," a voice said… and that voice was not Daphne's.

He wheeled to see Sofia.

He started to apologize for welcoming her in when he wasn't dressed. Then he realized Zane would not apologize… and she really didn't seem to mind.

"Hello there," he said, taking his voice down an octave as he offered a lazy smile. "I'm trying to decide whether this shirt will work on camera." He lifted it in front of him.

"Is there an option for leaving it off?" she said.

He laughed his hearty Zane laugh. "Sadly, I fear I have little excuse for walking around bare-chested for this morning's shoot."

She moved closer. "On a more serious note, Zane, I wanted to thank you for saving my life."

"Er…" He coughed and gave a solemn nod. "It was nothing. Really."

"No, it was. I keep trying to focus, but all I can think about is that bear. It was"—she shuddered—"huge. And those claws."

"The danger, truly, was minimal. I surprised it."

"So you aren't still freaked out at all? Your adrenaline isn't still pumping?"

He hesitated and went for some honesty. "It was nerve-rattling."

She stopped right in front of Chris, and he had to cement his feet in place. Stepping away was definitely not a Zane move.

Maybe she was just getting close to say something she didn't want the others hearing.

Her hand touched his hip, and she moved up against him, face lifting to his.

Oh shit.

Chris Stanton would gently remove her hand, step back, and make an awkward joke. Zane… well, Zane would go for it, but that was out of the question. He needed to refuse without any risk of insulting or embarrassing Sofia. Make the wrong move, and she could retaliate by ruining the segment. Which was Daphne's segment. Her book. Her career.

A laugh sounded beyond the door. The male camera operator's booming laugh.

Chris straightened fast, eyes going wide. "Did you hear that?" he said.

Sofia's hands slid up his bare sides.

"Bear!" he said, stumbling out of her reach. "The bear is back."

He didn't hear what she said. Didn't see her expression. He was already running.

He yanked open the door.

And Daphne was standing right there. In the dining room area. Walking to the kitchen with a stack of dishes. She turned and saw him coming out of her bedroom. Running out, half naked, with Sofia following.

"Bear!" he said, because it was all he could think to say. "I heard the bear. We need to get the shotgun. Now!"

He grabbed the plates from her, clattered them onto the table, took her arm, and ran for the patio doors.

Daphne didn't remember going onto the deck or down the stairs. All she saw was that moment when her bedroom door flew open, Chris standing there, shirtless, with Sofia reaching for him.

Chris must have heard her come into the house. He'd been in the bedroom with Sofia, heard the dishes rattle as she carried them, and he'd panicked and ran out.

Ran out yelling something about… a bear?

It was so absurd that she wanted to laugh. Instead, she felt as if she was going to be sick. Chris had been in her bedroom with Sofia.

Her stomach lurched.

Sofia was a beautiful woman who was obviously attracted to Chris, and what they did was none of Daphne's business. She wasn't thirteen, seeing the boy she liked kissing another girl and wanting to let the air out of their bike tires. In the adult world, "liking" someone is a million miles from a relationship.

Grow up.

Except she was grown up, and part of being grown up was that you didn't fool around in your host's bedroom. You didn't fool around with the woman who was interviewing you for a segment about your host. A segment that was a huge deal to that host, which you could destroy because you wanted to get in a little—

Oh God, she was going to puke.

Well, at least you didn't walk in on them while they were—

Definitely puking.

The world went dark, and for a second, she thought she'd actually doubled over. Then she realized they were in the shed. Chris turned her around, lightly holding her wrists.

"Nothing happened," he blurted. "I know what it looked like, but nothing happened."

Because you heard someone coming and realized you hadn't locked the door.

"It's fine," she said coolly. "I wouldn't have walked in."

"What? No. Nothing was going to happen." His words spilled out almost too fast for her to keep up. "I was putting on my shirt, and I thought it was you knocking, only it was Sofia and she…" He took a deep breath, and even in the dim light, she could see him going red. "She came on to me. I said I heard the bear and ran."

"Bear?"

He threw up his hands. "It was the only thing I could think of."

She looked up into his face and burst out laughing.

He mock-glared at her. "I blanked, okay."

"And then dragged me out here to get the shotgun?"

Another wild toss of his hands. "I don't always think well under pressure."

"You could have turned her down gently. No need to drag in the poor grizzly."

"Yeah, I turn her down, and she gets embarrassed—or pissed off—and suddenly the show doesn't have any usable footage, because the film somehow fell in the lake."

"It's digital." She lifted her hands. "But yes, I get what you're saying. I believe she's too professional to retaliate through the interview. But we don't know her well enough to be sure."

"And it's your promo. Your book."

"Thank you. I'm sorry you were put in that position."

"It's fine, but now I don't know whether she'll realize the bear was an excuse and be offended or accept the temporary excuse and make another pass at me. I need a real reason—something she can't take personally."

"It's not you, it's me."

"Exactly. I know you didn't want to pretend we were a couple, but maybe, if we could just hint at it?"

"Are you asking me to be your fake girlfriend, Chris?"

He blushed. "If that's okay. Or we can come up with something—"

Footsteps sounded outside the shop. Running for the shop.

"Zane?" Sofia called. "Dana? Is there really a bear? Do you need help?"

"We need to—" Chris began.

"I've got this." Daphne reached up to stroke his cheek, let Sofia see her touching Chris in a way that said they were more than author and assistant.

"Good idea," he said… and kissed her.

The first second was shock. The next second was panic.

Did he think she'd been going to kiss him? He must have.

And then she forgot shock and panic and pretty much everything else in existence because Chris was kissing her and… Oh, wow.

His mouth was firm and somehow also teasing, his lips barely opening. A confident kiss that said he knew what he was doing, but also that he wasn't doing all he could, respectful of the fact that this was a charade, while making it such a damn good charade that she wished it wasn't a charade.

And you call yourself a writer? What kind of nonsensical blather is that?

The nonsensical blather of a brain too untethered to form rational thought beyond Oh God, Chris Stanton is kissing me, and he is such a good kisser.

Yep, obviously she really was thirteen again.

She didn't notice where his hands were. Didn't even notice where his body was in relation to hers. She was entirely caught up in—

"Oh!"

The voice came from behind her. Who the hell was that? Whoever it was needed to leave and let Chris keep kissing—

Shit! Sofia!

The whole point of this kiss was standing behind them.

Daphne whirled in shock that was only half feigned. "Oh my God." Her hands flew to her lips. "I'm so sorry. I thought we closed the door."

"It's okay, babe," Chris said, putting his arm around her.

"Babe"? Really? That better be Zane speaking.

Chris pulled her to him as if she might scamper off like a spooked fawn. "I'm sorry, Sofia. I needed to talk to Dana." He cleared his throat. "I reacted poorly earlier, and I made a silly excuse. Then I realized how it looked to Dana—me shirtless in my room with you—so I had to get her out here and explain. You both deserved better, and I apologize."

Far from looking angry, Sofia stared as if she'd seen a unicorn. "Oh! Yes, of course. I had no idea you two…"

Chris's arm tightened around Daphne. "We're very private people. No subterfuge was intended."

"I understand." She looked at Daphne. "Now I'll apologize. To both of you. If I'd known he was in a relationship, I'd have stayed away."

Chris nodded and then cleared his throat. "You know, I just realized that I missed my morning dip."

"Morning…?" Daphne murmured, too low for him to hear.

"A swim. In the lake."

"It's kind of…"

"Cold?" He smiled. "Exactly how I like it. Refreshing and ice-cold. The perfect way to start my day."

Chris strode past them. "Let me get my bathing suit, and I'll meet you at the beach."

Daphne tried not to stare after him. He did know how cold it was, right? He'd been in the water last night when they capsized.

"I'll tell the crew," Sofia said with a smile. "We wouldn't want to miss this."

So freaking cold.

He focused on his strokes, taking him out across the lake, the speed warming him as he went while the cold water cleared his head.

Clearing your head is the reason you decided to go swimming in a glacial lake, buddy.

True, but it wasn't the entire reason.

Daphne kissed him.

Okay, he kissed her, but it'd been her idea. Fine, she'd been doing him a favor, fending off Sofia's attention, but it had been a kiss. A real kiss. Daphne in his arms, pressed against him, her lips parting under his. That little noise she hadn't seemed to know she was making, a noise that slid into his mind and hit Replay on the bedroom scene, except instead of Sofia, it was Daphne.

Daphne coming into the bedroom. Daphne telling him how frightened she'd been, how magnificently he'd scared off the bear, how her heart was still thumping, primal urges awakened, desperate for an outlet. Daphne whispering what she wanted to do to him—

Keep swimming, buddy.

Just to the island and back. That'd be enough.

He touched the shallow waters of the island and turned around. In the distance, he could see Daphne waiting on the shore, and when he blinked, his brain slid in the image from last night, the one he'd been too worried to process at the time.

Daphne in his arms, drenched, clothing clinging to her as she looked up into his eyes.

Her lips parted. "You saved my life."

She reached for him, arms going around his neck, mouth going to his, warm and pliant and hungry—

Need another lap, buddy?

Maybe just one more.

Chris was on his third lap from the island, which was damned impressive, and Daphne would be in awe if she wasn't too busy staring at him, arms rising from the water in powerful strokes that rippled down his muscular shoulders and back. She swore even from this distance she could see the sun glinting off his tanned arms, turning him a Greek-god shade of bronze.

There were worse ways to spend a morning.

"You're a lucky lady," Sofia said beside her.

Daphne made a noise Sofia could take as agreement.

"I really am sorry for hitting on him," Sofia said. "I had no idea he was in a relationship."

"We were keeping it quiet. You couldn't have known." Daphne paused. There was something else she could say. Did she dare? If it were her, would she want it said? Yes.

Daphne cleared her throat. "He just… he found it awkward because you're in charge of this interview. I know his response wouldn't have affected that, but…"

"Shit," Sofia said. "I never saw it that way. Okay, good to know. Thank you."

"I know you didn't mean it like that."

"I didn't, but having been on the other side of that equation, I never want to be on this side of it. On the topic of workplace romance and power dynamics…"

Sofia pointedly looked out at Chris.

"Oh, he's not really my boss," Daphne said. "I'm just playing his assistant to help with the shoot. Like he said, we're private people. We weren't comfortable having our relationship on-screen." She realized how that could sound and added, "That's my choice, not his."

"Good. I've interviewed a couple of authors who had, shall we say, mentees? Young writers drawn into their circle, expecting mentorship and getting something entirely different. This didn't seem like that."

"It's not. At all."

"Good. He's not what I expected. Debut author with a number one bestseller. He has good reason to be pleased with himself, and he obviously doesn't have any ego deficiencies, but he's more than that."

"He is."

They both watched as Chris emerged from the lake, the sun lighting him just right. His hair glinted, and water ran rivulets down his body, grabbing the eye and leading it over perfect pecs, down his stomach toward drenched bathing trunks that left remarkably little to the imagination.

Sofia leaned in to whisper, "I might hop in that glacial lake myself for a little cooldown."

And I'll be right behind you.

While Sofia conducted the second part of Zane's interview, Daphne sat on the porch with a coffee and the video footage.

At her feet, Tika let out a low grumble. After the bear incident, the dog wanted to be out there, patrolling the property.

"None of that," Daphne said. "I'm working."

Another grumble.

"It is work. Sofia asked me to check it over."

All right, maybe Sofia had winked when she suggested Daphne look at the footage. And maybe she'd queued up two particular clips. One showed Chris coming out of the water with Daphne in his arms after they'd capsized. He was soaking wet, shirt and trousers clinging to every line of his body. He had her in his arms, and his face was shadowed with concern.

Now that was book-cover worthy. Oh, sure, a little voice might tsk at her for the knight-in-shining-armor trope, but screw that. There was a time and a place for every fantasy, including this one.

The second clip was Chris coming out of the water after his swim, and sure, Daphne had seen that live, but there was nothing wrong with replaying it… and replaying it… and replaying it. Just making sure the lighting was right. That's all.

When footsteps slapped up the steps, she ALT-Tabbed so fast he might think she'd been watching porn.

Well, PG-rated porn, at least. Fodder for late nights and—

"Good footage?" Chris asked.

She jumped again as he slid in beside her on the bench.

"All good," she said, slapping the laptop closed.

"Great. I came to tell you they'll be leaving after lunch."

Daphne made a show of exhaling and collapsing on the tabletop.

Chris chuckled. "Right? And I'm sure you're in a hurry to get rid of me, too."

"No, not at all."

Did that come out too quick? A little too eager? If so, he didn't seem to notice, but only continued with "I wanted to talk about flights. I shouldn't be seen getting on the same one they do."

"Good point."

He could pretend he was jetting off to another interview, but she wasn't giving him any excuse to leave earlier than necessary. Yes, even with that kiss, she had no idea whether she stood any chance of a fling with Chris, but she realized it didn't matter. Okay, it mattered in the sense that she wanted it—really wanted it—but even if she knew it wasn't going to happen, she still wanted to spend more time with him.

"I know the crew is flying out tonight," he said. "I'll go in the morning. I could get a hotel room tonight…"

"Don't be silly. Tomorrow is fine."

Or the next day. Maybe the next after that? Or "never" seems good. Does "never" work for you?

Where did that come from? If he wanted anything, it would be short and sweet, which was perfect.

"Tomorrow would be good," she said firmly. "The morning flights are super early, but if you need to get back to Vancouver…"

"I don't."

"Then there's a midafternoon departure…"

"Perfect."

"Zane!" Sofia called.

Chris straightened and lifted a hand, as if she might not see him there.

Sofia came jogging up the steps, the two camera operators following.

"You need to see this," Sofia said. Then she spun on the operators. "Show him."

The female operator set her phone down between Chris and Daphne. On the screen was a still photo of Chris. That was all Daphne saw at first. Then she noticed the hulking brown bear.

The shot was taken from an angle where all she could see of Chris was his profile, jaw tense, gaze lifted to the bear's. The grizzly stood there, looking down at him.

Holy shit, had he really been that close? Daphne had kept telling herself she'd underestimated the distance.

Chris and the bear were close enough that they could have been slow-dancing in middle school, barely a ruler's length between them.

"That was…" Daphne breathed, feeling stunned. "Wow. You were close."

"It's the angle," Chris said.

The camera operator flapped her hand, as if telling them that part wasn't important. Then she hit Play, and Daphne realized it was a video. The sound had been scrubbed. You couldn't hear Daphne giving instructions. Nor Tika growling. Nor Sofia freaking out. None of them were in the shot, either. It was just Chris and the grizzly, locked in a stare-down.

Then the bear backed up, dropped to the side, and loped off.

As the bear left, words scrolled across the screen: #1 NYT BESTSELLING AUTHOR ZANE REMINGTON ("AT THE EDGE OF THE WORLD") FACES DOWN GRIZZLY AND WINS.

"I made sure to include the book title," the operator said. "And the number one bestseller part. They're also in the post, along with the hashtags and the show name and Sofia's name. All the metadata for the bots."

"Nice." Daphne patted Chris's back. "Impressive."

"Uh, no, you're the one who—"

She patted his back harder. "Damn impressive."

He got the message. It didn't do her any good to take credit.

Daphne looked at the camera operator. "The clip looks great. Thank you."

"Oh, that's not why we're showing you," Sofia said.

Sofia pointed at the stats—the likes and shares and comments. Daphne glanced at them, blinked, and looked again. The numbers weren't just climbing—they were zooming up so fast she felt dizzy watching.

"A hundred thousand likes?" she said, not sure she was seeing right.

"And that's only one website," Sofia said.

"I know a few influencers," the operator said. "I gave one of them an exclusive."

"Your bear stare-down is going viral, Zane," Sofia said. "Welcome to your fifteen minutes of fame."