Truly Madly Mine

1. Dani

Chapter One

Dani

My hand slipped just as I brought down a bag of flour from the shelf above my head. The heavy bag bounced off another shelf and exploded, sending a cloud of flour all over me.

I opened my mouth to provide a choice curse—only to inhale a breath of flour. A coughing and sneezing fit ensued. When I finally caught my breath, I leaned against the wall with a sigh, not even bothering to deal with the torn bag of flour on the floor.

“Bless you,” a voice said from the doorway.

Fuck my life.

Opening my eyes, I glanced down to see my apron and my hands and arms dusted white. Lifting a hand, I patted my hair, sending another cloud of flour into the air. I only hoped the flour I felt on my face obscured my blush when I lifted my eyes to meet the teasing gaze of Wade Ellis.

“Thanks,” I said, instantly wishing my tone didn’t come out so sharp. “Remind me whose idea it was to store the flour above my head.”

Wade’s grin stretched wider, and my pulse—rather disobedient, by the way—took off at a fast gallop. Meanwhile, a funny spinning feeling happened in my belly. There were many things I could control. The state of my body when Wade Ellis teased me was not one of them, despite my best efforts.

“Now that, I don’t know for sure. But, this entire kitchen is definitely your domain, and you can be bossy. I’m bettin’ it was your idea.”

A little laugh broke loose. Because I couldn’t help it. Even if I hated that Wade happened to find me in this state, I knew he was right. I was bossy and didn’t mind owning it. I was certain I’d had a good reason for storing the flour there, but it seemed foolish now.

“What are you doing here so early this morning anyway?” I asked, glancing around for a towel.

My eyes landed on a stack of clean dish towels just by the door, and I pushed away from the wall to reach for one.

“I’m leading a long hike today,” Wade replied. “Came by to stock up on some first aid supplies.”

When I lifted my hand to brush the towel over my flour-covered hair, my bracelet caught on the elastic holding my ponytail in place. “Dammit,” I murmured as I moved too quickly, almost yanking the elastic out.

Wade’s low chuckle sent heat chasing over my skin like little licks of fire. “Hang on, let me help,” he said, stepping closer.

My pulse went absolutely wild, my breath hitched in my throat, and a rush of heat blasted me from head to toe. I spent a lot of time not getting too close to Wade.

All that effort was wasted. He stood right at my side, his presence intense. He exhibited an easy strength and grace, no matter what he did. When I moved to try to untangle my bracelet, my elbow bumped into his muscled chest, and I almost cried out. Dear God, his chest was truly nothing but muscle.

My mouth did what it always did when I was around Wade and started babbling. “Geez, dude. Working out enough?” I asked, my tone sarcastic.

I felt his hands carefully untangling a few curls in the elastic around my bracelet. “You know my job keeps me in shape,” he murmured in reply. The contrast of his hard body and having this massive bear of a man carefully untangling my hair made my heart squeeze a little. “It’s going to be easiest if I take it out.”

I lowered my arms and waited, my curls falling in a wild tangle around my shoulders as he extricated the hairband. Wade finally stepped back, holding up the elastic. When I took it from him, my fingers brushed against his, sending a hot jolt of electricity up my arm.

We stood there, staring at each other. The normally busy staff kitchen at the lodge restaurant was quiet as dawn hadn’t arrived. It wasn’t even 5:30 a.m. yet. It felt as if Wade and I were all alone in the world, caught in this little bubble. The air felt as if it were firing sparks around us.

The usual teasing look in Wade’s eyes faded as he searched my face. His espresso gaze darkened. A stillness fell over me as I looked at him, letting my eyes travel over the strong, clean lines of his face. Wade was all man, and tall with broad shoulders. His dark brows angled up slightly. His cheekbones were a thing of beauty—bold, sculpted curves that served to amplify his intense gaze. His perfectly straight nose was centered over his full lips. His square jaw had a shadow of stubble on it.

My fingers tingled with the urge to lift my hand and cup his cheek. I didn’t know what the hell was going on with me. I couldn’t seem to move. I was frozen, my breath coming in shallow little pants as I stared up at Wade. The space in the pantry was quiet for several long beats, but all the while, I could hear the rush of blood in my ears with every thump of my heart.

“Dani.”

I heard my name on Wade’s lips, but it had been years since I’d heard that tone in his voice. It was rough and laced with need.

I felt caught in a current that spun into itself. The need to finally give in to what I’d been denying myself for years was so overpowering, I couldn’t seem to call upon my snarky self and push back against it.

In a hot second, my head tipped back just as Wade leaned down. His lips brushed across mine when he murmured my name again, the whisper of his voice sending an electric tingle over my lips that raced through every cell in my body. I felt it course through me, sparking from the inside out.

A frayed sigh escaped me. Then, Wade fit his mouth over mine. One fiery second burned into another, everything going up in flames.

This wasn’t the first time I had kissed Wade. Not even close. Our young, messy kisses in high school didn’t hold a candle to this one. It was quite clear Wade had some practice in the years since then. He kissed me like he was born to do it—sensual strokes of his tongue against mine, his hand lacing into my hair as he angled my head to the side and devoured my mouth.

I wasn’t passive. Oh no. I wanted this too much. Denial might’ve worked for a while—hell, even for years—but once the gates fell, all hell broke loose.

I was lost in the kiss. The feeling of his hands holding me against his strong, hard body was heady, and the taste of him was intoxicating. Sweet Jesus, his kiss set me on fire, inside and out.

“Hey Dani, do you—” The question stopped abruptly. “Oh! Oh my!”

The sound of footsteps hurrying away from the pantry echoed as Wade and I broke apart, our breath coming in sharp heaves.

Our eyes collided. Oh my God.