Total pages in book: 20
Estimated words: 18302 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 92(@200wpm)___ 73(@250wpm)___ 61(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 18302 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 92(@200wpm)___ 73(@250wpm)___ 61(@300wpm)
I looked at each one of them, narrowing my eyes toward the males. The thought that one of them was the brunette’s boyfriend pissed me off, and I didn’t know how I felt about that. I shouldn’t give a shit who she was with, who she took to bed, but the very thought of one of those little motherfuckers putting their hands on her enraged me.
I felt territorial in that moment, as if I wanted to reach out and take hold of her, yanking her toward me and placing my claim on her so each one of them knew she was mine.
But she wasn’t mine. I didn’t know her name, didn’t know anything about her. But I wanted to change that.
I would change that. I knew it with such certainty that it took ahold of every part of me until it was undeniable.
I looked back at the asshole who’d said the smart-ass comment. “You’re trespassing on my property,” I growled out. I watched as he swallowed, his nervousness clear and thick as the cold air this high up the mountain.
Nobody said anything, and the sound of the fire crackling and popping echoed off the tall trees.
“We, we didn’t know, sir.”
I slowly looked back at the female, and my heart jerked in my chest at the sound of her voice, at the way it instantly lit me on fire from the inside out.
I held her gaze and felt something softening in me. My demeanor and attitude couldn’t be called anything but hard and rough, but being this close to her, knowing what I wanted for her—with her— had something shifting in me.
The silence stretched as I just stared at her, and I could see that made her anxious. She started shifting on her feet and glancing at her friends. I heard a couple of them clear their throats, clearly sensing the shift in the atmosphere. Or maybe they were just scared. They should be. I wasn’t known as a nice, understanding man, especially when people trespassed on my property.
“We didn’t know. We’ll pack up and leave right away,” the asshole said, but I didn’t take my gaze off the woman.
My woman.
Mine.
I couldn’t have even if my life depended on it. This possessiveness filled me, and I actually found myself taking a step toward her.
“You didn’t see the hundreds of No Trespassing signs posted in these woods?” I looked back at the male I’d grown to really not care for. Was he the boyfriend? Did he touch her, kiss her, make her feel good?
I growled again at the images those thoughts conjured up.
He ran his hands over his jeans and shook his head. “It was starting to get dark when we headed up. We didn’t see, honest.”
I made a deep sound within my chest and looked back at the woman. And as I stared at her, something in me switched. “Leave in the morning. It’s late and dark, too dangerous to be traveling down the mountain.” I was speaking to her, although my invitation stretched out to all of them if she so deemed it.
I took another step toward her and watched as her breathing changed, her pupils dilating and her mouth parting. My presence affected her, and not just from fear. From something deeper, more primal… more arousing.
Good.
Chapter Three
Charlotte
The next morning
I closed my trunk after putting my packed-up tent in it. I could hear Ashley and Jax talking. Jax’s friends already left, wanting to leave as soon as the damn sun rose no doubt after last night’s incident. I was surprised they’d stuck out the night but figured they didn’t want to look like little bitches in front of each other.
“Are you just going to follow us down?” Ashley asked, and I thought about her question for a moment.
“No, I—I’m going to hang out here for a bit, I think.” Ashley knitted her brows and looked at me with confusion on her face. Jax just shrugged and pulled his keys out of the front pocket of his jeans and opened the driver side door.
“Cool. I’ll see you later, okay?” he prompted and winked before climbing into the car and shutting the door.
Ashley walked around the back and stopped a few feet from me. “What’s up, Charlotte? Really?” Her tone told me she knew something was going on.
I shrugged. “What?”
She lifted an eyebrow and crossed her arms over her chest. “You’re not the type to like middle-of-nowhere shit, so… what’s up?”
I didn’t have a response, because she was right. I wasn’t exactly the wilderness type, and aside from the few times we went camping as a group, I tended to stay in the comfort of my home with electricity, running water, and working Wi-Fi.
She stared at me for a second, and then I saw the realization cover her face. “Please tell me you’re not going to go talk to him?”