For the umpteenth time, Briana woke up in the warm embrace of the Lord of the Forest. She slept so soundly that she wasn't bothered by Sean’s messy hair that covered part of his face. God, Briana wanted to shave it off, but would Sean still be handsome without his long hair? Briana grinned amusedly at the thought of Sean with a shaved head.

She rested her chin on Sean's hard chest; looking at him on a sunny morning was a gift not to be wasted. Briana's hand reached out to touch the sideburn hairs that grew around his jaw and cheeks, a strange thrill rising within Briana as her palm gently brushed the hairs.

Her eyes accidentally fell on the scratch scars on Sean's face. He had three scars. On his left cheekbone, Briana thought it was an old scar that wouldn't go away. Just as she was about to touch the scars, Sean's black eyes suddenly opened and greeted her faintly. Sean brought Briana up onto his body and said hoarsely, "Good morning, Pearl."

Oh.

"Good morning," Briana replied.

"You have beautiful eyes," he murmured.

Briana smiled shyly, "You're just as attractive, Sean."

Sean returned Briana's smile. He rubbed Briana's now heated cheeks with his knuckles. Briana bit her lower lip speechless. That touch took her to heaven.

"Have you had enough of me?" asked Sean, teasing Briana.

Briana smacked Sean lightly on the chest then grumbled, "I'm not looking at you; you're just overconfident."

"Really?" Sean's one eyebrow shot up, and he looked even sexier when he did that. "So what does Briana Tanner Clooney do before I wake up? Studying anatomy, huh?"

Briana laughed because she could no longer contain her laughter. Sean and his ridiculous jokes, the man teased Briana so badly. She couldn't believe Sean had such a good sense of humor underneath his cold and creepy demeanor. Or maybe he had a split personality like the characters Briana read about in Sarah's novels? Ugh, no.

"I didn't know you had a good sense of humor," Briana giggled.

Sean smiled gently at Briana, "This is the real me, Pearl; you've managed to get rid of the cold and stiff Sean."

Oh...

Briana smoothed Sean's scattered black strands, and then she let my two hands remain on the sides of Sean's head. Both of them looked into each other's eyes without saying anything.
Briana was touched that Sean had become his true self for her. Now the clumsy and cold demeanor that had always been the distance between the two of them would never appear again. Well, Briana would miss his caustic comments a little. She grinned amusedly.

"I wish I had met you long before I escaped into this forest," he whispered.

Briana's eyebrows rose. "What's different?" she asked.

Sean sighed softly, "I used to have a bright future; at least I could give you a more decent life, Anna."

A bright future?

Briana had no idea what Sean did back then; was he not a carpenter? But it didn't matter because she would stay with him no matter what he did. Briana didn't care about money because money couldn't guarantee a happy life. She just wanted Sean's sincere love—a loyalty she believed she couldn't get from another man.

"I only want you, Sean."

"I know," Sean said, kissing Briana's forehead. "You're different, Pearl; you're special."

Briana rested her forehead on Sean's. His large, sturdy arms wrapped tightly around her waist. Once again, Briana's fingers tried to touch his scratch scars.

Sean gave a small gasp as the delicate hand reached it.

"Does it hurt?" She asked, worried.

Sean shook his head. "No, it's just an old scar."

Briana rubbed it as she asked, "How did you get it?"

"The first day I decided to live in this forest, the animals were not friendly to me; a male grizzly bear came to attack my house, and I got this scratch from him. But I was lucky; he left after I gave him my fish."

Briana winced in horror at the thought of Sean facing such a precarious situation.

"Now that grizzly bear is a good friend of mine, he lives deep in the forest, and I give him the name Fred every now and then he comes to collect tribute," Sean continued.

Briana was wide-eyed with fear. "He comes often?!" she squealed.

Sean nodded firmly. "Yep."

Damn, Sean was very calm in the face of a grizzly bear that could snack on them at any time.

"You don't have to be afraid, Pearl." An amused chuckle slipped from his lips. "He's a good bear; he can hurt me if he wants to, but he doesn't because he knows I didn't come to destroy his habitat," Sean said.

Briana finally calmed down. Fred might be a good bear, but she hoped that the creature would not come again to beg for fish in this house. Briana couldn't imagine what would happen if Sean left and she had to feed the grizzly bear alone. Ah, Briana would faint right then and there.

Today the two of them went about their usual activities.

Sean went to work, and Briana cleaned the house. It's a bit ridiculous. Yes, Briana and Sean did act like a married couple all along.

After putting food in Rocco's breakfast bowl, Briana heard the sound of a car engine from the yard. She went to the porch to check who was coming, and it turned out to be Mark, Sean's younger brother.

"Hi, Anna," Mark greeted her kindly.

"Hi, Mark."

"I want to see Sean; is he home?"

Briana nodded and opened the door wide for him. "Please come in; Sean is working in the backyard."

Mark entered the house and went to the backyard, while Briana made drinks in the kitchen for Mark and Sean. After the cold drinks were finished, Briana approached them, who were chatting about a dinner event being held at her parents' house.

"Oh, you should bring Anna. Mom really wants to meet her," Mark said to Sean.

Sean glanced at Briana and asked, "Do you want to come?"

Briana's eyebrows knitted together. "Where?" she asked.

"Dinner, today is our mom's birthday, and we're inviting some of our closest people over for dinner," Mark replied.

"Oh, you should bring Anna. Mom really wants to meet her," Mark said to Sean.

Sean glanced at Briana and asked, "Do you want to come?"

Briana's eyebrows knitted together. "Where?" she asked.

"Dinner, today is our mom's birthday, and we're inviting some of our closest people over for dinner," Mark replied.

Oh, that sounded like fun. After all, Briana was also eager to meet Sean's parents.

"I'll come," she told Mark.

Mark smiled broadly, "Good." He looked back at Sean then said, "I'm going home now; remember it's seven o'clock at night and Anna..."

"Yeah?"

"Don't be nervous; we're all friendly except this jungle man."

Sean swore under his breath.

Briana laughed amusedly, "Okay, Mark."

Mark left after finishing the cold drink in one gulp. The man seemed to be in a hurry. Sean said that Mark had gotten an assignment from his mother to go grocery shopping in town for dinner.

Briana's mind grinned amusedly. A boy willing to go grocery shopping by himself—how sweet. Ah, I can't wait to meet Sean's family; they seem like a warm and welcoming family.
Briana had met Mark and Sarah. What Mark said was true; so far only Sean was different; it made Briana not have to worry.