Page 95 of Pretty Little Scars

“I’m being paid twenty-five million dollars to play a superhero. OfcourseI have a big ego. It’s part of the job, you know that.”

I shake my head. “Come on. You’re doing the fucking dishes.”

CHAPTER TWENTY-SIX

DARBY

It’s close to midnight when I get back to the ranch, but at least I didn’t have to work through the night. I’ll get a good amount of sleep tonight.

Which is not something I would have said before. I have never been a good sleeper, thanks to my nightmare of a father, but since I’ve been sleeping with Tucker, I snooze through until morning. And I know it’s because I feel safe with him. I feel content, and I know he’d never let anything happen to me.

It’s awesome and scary, all at the same time.

The lights in the cabin are still on when I pull up behind the house near the back door. Hopefully, Zack is settled in there. I amsoembarrassed that I made the hall-pass comment earlier. But in my defense, I never in amillion yearswould have expected that Zack Prescott was the person ringing the doorbell, and he has been my hall pass since he did a few rom-coms that I fell in love with in my mid-twenties. The man issexy. In fact, I thinkPeoplemagazine has named him the sexiest man alivetwice.

Because he’s that hot.

And now I find out he’s my man’s best friend, which is mind blowing. I hope I didn’t hurt Tucker’s feelings with the hall-passcomment. Because that’s not cool. I’ll have to talk to him about it.

I’ve just stepped out of my SUV and am about to walk inside when I hear ...something. An animal noise, like a huff, that has me pausing in my tracks.

Shit.That sounded like a bear.

I turn in a circle, my eyes wide as I try to see better in the dark. At first, I don’t see anything at all, and just when I’m about to run for the door, I see eyes glowing not ten feet away from me.

Oh God.

“Hi.” I lick my lips and slowly inch toward the back door, fumbling in my pocket for my phone without taking my eyes off the bear. I can’t tell if it’s a black bear or a grizzly because it’s mostly in shadows, but I pray with everything in me to a god I don’t even believe in that this bear doesn’t have babies nearby. Because if she does, this could turn very bad, very fast.

I glance down quickly to dial Tucker’s number, and he answers on the first ring.

“Hey, Duch?—”

“Come out the back doornow. Bear.”

“Don’t you fucking move.” His voice is hard, and I can hear him running. “Darby, how far away?”

“Feet,” I whisper, and I can hear the fear in my voice. But before I can say anything else, the back door opens, and I hear Tucker run onto the deck.

“Hey!” He yells, and the bear huffs again. “Get out of here. Go on!”

I back up a few steps, not willing to turn around.

“I’ve got you,” Tucker says calmly. “You can walk up here. I have a rifle trained on her, baby.”

I spin and run up the stairs, and when I’m next to Tucker, I turn to find that the bear hasn’t moved. And then suddenly, twolittle cubs come bouncing out from under the deck toward their mama, and I let out a gusty breath.

“She would have killed me,” I whisper. “Jesus, I didn’t see them?—”

“Shh.” Tucker wraps his free arm around me and kisses my head, then turns back to the bear. “Go on, Mama Bear. Take your babies and go somewhere else.”

He shoots one shot in the air, and the bear turns and runs away, the babies running after her.

Suddenly, the cabin door flies open and Zack comes running out, dressed only in boxer briefs, and I have to bite my lip to keep from gasping.

They gave him the superhero role for a freaking reason.

“What the fuckingfuck?” Zack demands.