Total pages in book: 24
Estimated words: 23191 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 116(@200wpm)___ 93(@250wpm)___ 77(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 23191 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 116(@200wpm)___ 93(@250wpm)___ 77(@300wpm)
I stand up and back away with my hands up, trying to let her know that I’m not a threat. She’s glaring at me with her fists on her hips and a stern look on her face. Her jaw is clenched tight and she’s shaking with anger.
“I think you’re in the wrong house,” I tell her in a soft voice. “I’ve lived here for six years and I’ve never rented it out before.”
That tight jaw loosens a little and she suddenly doesn’t look so sure of herself.
“You haven’t?”
I shake my head. “No.”
“Stay right there,” she demands, pointing at me as she walks around the room to get to her purse beside the door.
She grabs it and yanks her phone out.
“Isn’t this your place?” she says as she thrusts the screen at me.
I slowly walk over and look at it.
“That’s my house, but it’s the wrong address.”
“Are you Kyle Kline?”
“Duncan Dove,” I tell her. “I’ve never heard of a Kyle Kline before in my life.”
Her face drops as she looks at the phone like she can’t quite comprehend what’s happening.
“I paid good money to rent this place,” she says. “Is there another house on the mountain or something? Maybe the same builder built two?”
“I was the builder and I only built this one.”
“But the address…”
“Is for the abandoned house up the road. I think a family of raccoons lives in it now. Although, they might have moved out over the winter.”
“No, they’re still there,” she says with her shoulders slumping down. “I saw them.”
She looks so defeated as she shoves her phone into her purse.
“I got scammed.”
“Looks like it,” I say as my eyes roam down to those lips. They look so soft and luscious. I want to feel them. I want to taste them. I want them to be all mine.
“Are you still going to have me arrested?” I ask her.
She looks apologetic as she looks up at me with those big blue Bambi eyes. “Are you going to have me arrested for breaking and entering?”
“Don’t forget the indecent exposure.”
She drops her head into her hands and groans. “Oh my god, this is so embarrassing.”
Embarrassing? This is the most fun I’ve had in years.
“I’m sorry,” she says as she suddenly rushes to the door. “You’ll never see me again.”
“Whoa!” I say, panicked at the thought. “Where are you going? I didn’t see a car in the driveway.”
“I’ll walk to town.”
“It’s going to take you all night,” I say, desperate for her to stay. “And once the darkness comes, the hungry bears do too.”
“Bears?” she asks with a gulp.
The threat of bears always gets the city folk all riled up. They think a ravenous bear is hiding around every tree up here just waiting to try and catch a tourist wandering by.
“Yeah,” I say, laying it on thick. “It’s going to be dark soon and you don’t want to be out there in the dark.”
She gulps. “Can I… use your phone? To call an Uber or something?”
“This isn’t New York City,” I tell her. “You can’t expect someone out here to pop up anytime you need it.”
Her eyes drop to the floor. “Do you know how I can get to the Greene Mountain Lodge?”
“I’ll take you.”
“You will? After what I did?”
The only thing she did was give me the view of a lifetime and steal my heart.
“Well, I can’t exactly let you walk now, can I?”
“Thank you so much. If you had a listing, I’d give you five stars!”
“Give me a second,” I tell her as I head into my bedroom. “Grab something from the fridge if you’re hungry.”
Her sensual smell is still lingering in the hallway making me all lightheaded and woozy.
I can’t let this girl go.
No fucking way.
I quietly close the door and dial the number.
“Greene Mountain Lodge, Tina speaking,” the voice on the other end says. “What do you want?”
“Do you have any rooms available for tonight?”
“We have nine rooms,” she says in a tone that makes her sound like she’s bored beyond belief. “Do you want one?”
“I want all nine,” I tell her with my pulse racing. “Put them all on my card.”
Chapter Three
Vivian
“How did you know I’m from New York City?” I ask as we’re driving down the mountain.
Duncan looks at me with confusion in his brown eyes. “What do you mean?”
“At the house when I asked about an Uber, you said ‘This isn’t New York City.’” I give my best deep gruff sounding voice as I imitate him.
He grins in amusement. It makes my heart flitter.
This guy is seriously hot.
I love his beard. It’s so thick and manly with the perfect shade of brown. The hair on his head is a little darker with a few thin streaks of gray mixed in. He’s older than me, I can tell, but that doesn’t matter to me at all. I guess I have a thing for older men now.