Love without a Compass. Lindy Zart

      

      Cover Copy

      Team building takes on a whole new meaning—when work is the last thing on your mind…

      The Illinois wilderness should be a relaxing change of pace for advertising superstar Ben Stitzer. But he has one goal during this company retreat: proving to his boss how far he’ll go to succeed. Even if it means having to team up with the uber competitive, exasperatingly attractive, woman who has tried to undermine him at every turn…

      Being in the great outdoors is Avery Scottam’s biggest nightmare. And hard as she tries, she can’t even hide her fear from Ben. When one of her especially huge freak-outs gets them lost, they’ll have to rely on each other to survive wild animals, sketchy campers, and their mutual distrust. Yet somewhere between a malevolent crow and a surprising confession, they just might end up something more than friends…

      Will returning to civilization make them forget how truly wild they can be together?

      Also by Lindy Zart

      The Map to You

      Table of Contents

      Cover Copy

      Also by Lindy Zart

      Dedication

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      Teaser Chapter

      About the Author

      Love Without a Compass

      A Least Likely Romance

      Lindy Zart

      USA Today Bestselling Author

      LYRICAL SHINE

      Kensington Publishing Corp.

       www.kensingtonbooks.com

      Lyrical Press books are published by

      Kensington Publishing Corp. 119 West 40th Street New York, NY 10018

      Copyright © 2018 by Lindy Zart

      All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced in any form or by any means without the prior written consent of the Publisher, excepting brief quotes used in reviews.

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      Kensington and the K logo Reg. U.S. Pat. & TM Off.

      LYRICAL PRESS Reg. U.S. Pat. & TM Off.

      Lyrical Press and the L logo are trademarks of Kensington Publishing Corp.

      First Electronic Edition: September 2018

      eISBN-13: 978-1-5161-0581-6

      eISBN-10: 1-5161-0581-8

      First Print Edition: September 2018

      ISBN-13: 978-1-5161-0583-0

      ISBN-10: 1-5161-0583-4

      Printed in the United States of America

      Dedication

      To Logan and Dexter:

      Remember to always be true to you, and never give up.

      1

      BEN

      Extreme Retreat’s goal for us is to reach our destination by nightfall.

      My personal goal is for us to make it there without first killing each other.

      I tell myself I can do it. I can endure Avery Scottam for the next however many hours. Haven’t I dealt with her for the last six months? Not well, I admit, but I’ve managed. There’s just something about her that—

      A tree limb whacks me in the face. My eyes snap to my coworker. Avery looks back, innocence etched into her features. I rub my stinging cheek. “What the hell, Avery?”

      “Whoops.” Avery shrugs. “I didn’t realize you were so close.”

      That. That’s the something about her. She’s a menace disguised in sensuous woman.

      I shift my jaw back and forth, tighten my grip on the straps of the backpack to keep my fingers from finding her pale, slim neck, and stride past her. Her grapefruit scent teases my senses and I breathe shallowly, fighting my reaction to the pleasant smell.

      “I’ll lead,” I announce.

      The mountain is cantankerous, full of divots and loose rocks, holes and hidden danger. Each breath of air I take is thick with heat, and the August sun is having a good old time with the back of my neck. Less than an hour ago we walked into a fortress of slanted trees and rocks that don’t appear to have an end. We’ve been marching an uneven path to perdition ever since.

      Avery appears beside me, her jaw set. The sun catches strands of her hair, causing it to shine like gold. “I’ll lead.”

      “You don’t know where we’re going.”

      “Up.” She gestures in the direction we’re heading. “We’re going up, just like the Extreme Retreat employee said to do. It’s not hard to figure out.”

      Everything is a competition with her. I misstep on a twig, and losing my balance, bump into her. It’s completely by accident that my elbow happens to shoot out at the exact moment it connects with her biceps.

      “Ow!” Scowling at me, she rubs her arm. “You did that on purpose.”

      “Whoops,” I say evenly, eyes trained forward.

      Avery hurries past, her perfectly rounded ass emphasized by her microscopic white shorts with each upward lunge of her legs. Who wears white shorts to go hiking through a national forest? Really, I want to know. Turning from the view I wish I didn’t enjoy, I look at another one. Blue skies and green trees have taken over the world. I drop my gaze to the unseen valley below, wondering how far our coworkers have gotten. I’m sure none of them are enjoying their time with their partner quite as much as I am.

      “I hate this,” Avery mutters once we crest a small hill. She sets her