As I walked toward where he was, I seriously considered obedience classes. A thorn grazed my skin, and I bit my lip to stave off the pain. I swore I’d never let that cantankerous canine off the leash again.
I stumbled left and tripped over a pile of termite-ridden, moss-covered, rotting logs, then burst through more towering ferns. Max disappeared into the thick vegetation once again. I couldn’t see him anywhere, but I could still hear him barking. Panting, I spun in a slow circle. I was afraid if I went in any deeper, I’d get lost, but I couldn’t just desert my best friend.
The snap of a twig behind me, followed by the unmistakable crunch of dried leaves, halted me mid step, and I strained to listen. Was that...Max?
The snap of another twig drifted through the forest.
I peered around the trees and high grass. “Max?” I yelled. “C’mere, boy.”
Silence.
I swept an uneasy glance around the trees, my senses on full alert, and I whistled. “Here, Max! C’mon, boy. Let’s go home.”
The singing of crickets and chirping of birds was my only reply.
I jumped, startled, as a sudden flash of tan glinted to my left. I flinched. For a split second, I saw amber-colored eyes in the foliage. Panic struck me; I was sure it was some kind of wild animal. I worried that Max might have been attacked, and I knew one bite to the throat might prove fatal. I grabbed a long, sturdy stick. It wasn’t much of a weapon, but I’d be able to poke those yellow eyes out if their owner came after me.
A menacing growl broke the silence. My heart thudded against my ribcage, and a shiver swept over my skin. Running after Max had been a dumb idea. My dad had warned me about black bears, coyotes, mountain lions, and bobcats. He hadn’t said anything about tigers, but it was still quite the oh-my situation.
Whatever the creature was that I’d seen, it had already seen me, so I knew there was no use hiding. I had to call for Max again, as I couldn’t possibly leave until I knew he was okay. “Max!” I yelled, pointing the stick at the eyes peering out from the vegetation, ready to fight with every ounce of strength I had.
Finally, Max burst through the thick plants, and I clutched my heart and let out a sigh of relief when I saw that he was unharmed. He immediately took a protective stance in front of me and starting growling and barking at whatever was in those ferns. Given the fight-or-flight choice, I was sure the best course of action was to slowly sneak backward and get the heck outta there.
When the ferns parted, I gasped. I was face to face with a mountain lion, and when it let out its bloodcurdling signature roar, my heart began to pound in my chest like a high school marching band.
I turned around quickly, only to bump into a guy who looked to be about my age. He was so scorching hot that if I had wet my finger with my tongue and touched him, his chest would have steamed and sizzled. He instinctively pushed me behind him as if to protect me, then started shouting and throwing sticks at the big cat. I joined in with some noise of my own, and in an instant, the mountain lion fled into the grass.
The beautiful stranger eyed me up and down, warmth and empathy radiating from the depths of his glare. “Are you okay?”
Those gorgeous, winter-blue eyes hypnotized me, and I was pulled into his hold with one look. My breath had never literally been taken away before, but I was absolutely suffocating under the power of his stare, and my knees began to shake. “I-I…” The butterflies that had landed in my stomach in fear of the cat were now turning flirty summersaults. My eyes slid up his towering body, gliding over his high cheekbones and the dark stubble shading his sharp jaw. He was definitely tall, dark, and handsome, and even if it was quite cliché of me to be so taken by him, I felt like I’d been struck by lightning. I’d never been face to face with somebody so beautiful and angelic. He was the kind of guy who I thought only existed in movies, as if a Calvin Klein model had stepped down off of one of those big, delicious billboards for a hike through the woods.
“Are you sure you’re all right?” he said when my stutter never turned into a complete answer. He didn’t fidget or stumble for words like I did whenever I was standing in front of a gorgeous stranger. Rather, his cool confidence spoke volumes to me, as if he was used to girls throwing themselves at him, which I was just about to do.
My breath froze in my throat, and my stomach clenched. I’d never been so drawn to anyone before, never so instantly, so madly attracted. I couldn’t stop staring at his messy tangle of dark hair, that tousled, just-out-of-bed look that I loved and found so sexy. From his piercing blue eyes to his strong, chiseled jaw to his handsome face, he was absolutely godlike, even if he was only dressed in a black t-shirt and blue jeans. I took a deep breath to try to calm down, but it felt as if time had stopped.
When our eyes locked, we seemed lost in each other’s gaze, oblivious to anything else. I was fixated on his piecing stare, and the explosive chemistry between us was absolutely undeniable.
My ex had told me that sexual attraction and chemistry couldn’t possibly be planned, that it was something that would just happen naturally. I knew, standing there looking at this new guy, that he wasn’t lying. I had never felt like that with my old boyfriend. I couldn’t even explain the uncontrollable force that was drawing me to him like a moth to flame. When he looked at me with that sexy smile on his face, I’d never felt so desirable, so wanted, and I wanted to jump into his strong embrace. He was a smoldering hot hunk, and I couldn’t believe I had his attention.
“Is everything okay?” he asked a third time, snapping me back into reality.
My mouth dropped, and it took a minute for my brain to function. “Uh, huh? Oh yeah. I’m, um…I’m fine,” I babbled, as if that big cat had my tongue.
He stepped forward and looked off into the vegetation. “It’s gone for now, but you must be careful of predators out here.” He met my gaze straight on. “Predators are always on the prowl. They’ll stalk their prey until an opportunity arrives to pounce, then go for the neck with a fatal bite.”
“I know. The thought of anything biting me anywhere kind of freaks me out.”
“If you are not all right with fangs piercing your skin, you definitely shouldn’t be out here.”
“You’re right. Let’s get outta here before the big kitty comes back.”
He stared deeply into my eyes. “It won’t.”
Max growled at the handsome stranger, then began to bark.
A bit embarrassed that I didn’t have my dog under better control, I patted the furry beast’s head and said, “Don’t worry. He doesn’t bite.”
“Well, tell him that I do.”
We both burst out in laughter; his ice-breaker had worked.
Nevertheless, even with my soothing tone and gentle touch, Max still continued.
“Max!” I scolded. “Knock it off, boy.”
“Don’t blame Max. It’s not his fault. All dogs hate me. It’s their natural instinct.”
“Nah, he’s just protective and loyal, that’s all. You’re still a stranger to him, and he is trying to look after me.” I glanced around, still rattled by the mountain lion. “We’d better go, just in case that snarling menace comes back looking for dessert.”
“Like I said, it’s not coming back,” he said sternly, then shifted his powerful stance. “It caught a whiff of my scent. It fears me, just like your dog does.”
“You mean it’s afraid of shouting humans?”
“The shouting, yes.”
I laughed. “So you’re telling me that big lion is scared of our little voices?”
He stared at me with those dazzling blue eyes and changed the subject. “Do you always hike unprepared?”
“No. It was an unintended hike. My dog took off,” I said, “and I had to find him.”
“At the very least, you should carry pepper spray to ward off bears.”
“I don’t see you sporting a can,” I said with a chuckle.
He smirked. “I don’t need it. I can fight off a black bear with my bare hands.
”
I smiled. “All right, Davy Crockett.”
He grinned right back at me, nearly melting me where I stood. “But all joking aside, you shouldn’t be out here. As I said, these woods are full of hungry predators.”
I shot him a flirty look. “Well, then it’s a good thing I’m safe here with you.”
I didn’t know what had come over me, but something had. Where are these wild emotions even coming from? I’d never been so bold and daring. It wasn’t like me at all, but I couldn’t keep the words and the girly giggles from coming out of my mouth. I couldn’t explain it, but there was some hot, intense, intoxicating connection between us. The attraction was sizzling, but I didn’t have the guts to ask him out or for his phone number. I didn’t even know if I was his type or not, if he even liked brunettes with frizzy, curly hair and chocolate-brown eyes. For all I knew, he was only into boob-job bleach blondes, and that most definitely wasn’t me.
“You don’t know a thing about me,” he said. “What makes you think you’re safe in my hands?”
“Are you saying I should fear you more than that mountain lion?” I asked. “Maybe I should be carrying more than pepper spray, if that’s the case.”
“What I’m saying is that you need to be careful. Seemingly nice guys cannot always be trusted,” he said, glancing down at the growling Max.
I smiled. “Are you a nice guy?”
His face lit up, and he grinned again. “I suppose there’s only one way to find out.”
I took the bait and engaged him. “And, pray tell, how’s that?”
Suddenly, his gorgeous grin faded, and worry flashed across his features. He began to dart his eyes around from tree to tree, shrub to shrub, and he listened so intently that I could have sworn his ears perked up like a dog’s.
Max started to bark and snap at the air, but when I peered into the foliage and thick brush, I couldn’t see a thing.
“They’re back,” he whispered, then pointed to Max. “Please keep him quiet.”
They? I thought, worried that he was talking about more than one mountain lion. As he suggested, I patted Max’s head and tried my best to calm him, but it didn’t help.
Finally, Mr. Mysterious knelt down and petted Max. “Shh, boy.”
Much to my surprise, Max immediately quit barking.
The handsome stranger then placed his hand on my lower back and briskly led me in the direction of our house. He gently tapped Max’s head. “Go home.”
Obediently, Max bolted off.
When the house was in view, I glanced over my shoulder to thank my escort, but he was gone, as quickly and mysteriously as he’d shown up in the first place. I squinted and looked through the dark spaces between the trees, but he was nowhere in sight, as if he’d just vanished into thin air. Who is he? I wondered. Where does he live? Gosh, I’m an idiot. I didn’t even get his name. Shaking my head at my foolishness, I walked to the back door and opened it.
“There you are. What took so long, sweetheart?” my mom asked. “And I know you didn’t stay in the back yard like I told you to.”
I pointed in the direction of where I’d come from. “I saw a mountain lion.”
My dad immediately pulled me into a tight hug, then stepped back from me and began inspecting me from head to toe. “Are you okay?”
I sighed. “I’m fine, Dad. Max ran off, and I just—”
“You weren’t supposed to go in the woods,” he said firmly.
“What was I supposed to do? I had to find Max.”
“You shouldn’t go out there alone. You could have hollered for me, and I would have gone with you.”
“It would’ve only taken a minute to get me or your dad,” my mom said.
“I didn’t know he was gonna go so deep into the woods, or I would have,” I said.
My dad’s brown gaze narrowed. “Are you sure it was a bobcat you saw?”
“Positive. I just took off running and—”
“Taylor,” my father pushed, “if that was a bobcat or mountain lion, its natural instinct would be to chase you. Never run. Just yell, shout, and make yourself look bigger.”
“Yeah, I know, but I panicked, I guess. Still, it didn’t chase me.”
“I don’t want you going out there alone again,” my mom said, as if I was five years old.
Dad handed me a plate with two slices of pizza on it. “Well, you’re safe now, so sit down and eat.”
I tried to calm my breathing. I didn’t have the guts to tell them I’d met a man in the woods and that he had saved me from the mountain lion. My stomach was tangled in knots. “Thanks, Dad, but I’m not really hungry. I think I’ll just go unpack a few boxes.”
“All right. I guess you have had quite a day,” Mom chimed in. “We’ll save your pizza, and you can just microwave it later if you get hungry.”
“Thanks.”
On my way upstairs, I glanced out the window but didn’t see anything unusual.
Later that night, when the moon began to shine and the crickets began to chirp and the wind began to whisper through the treetops, I thought about my mysterious stranger. The entire scene played out in my head over and over again in my dreams, and when I woke up the next morning, his beautiful face was on my mind. I had to find him, to see him again, if only once more, and to put a name to the beautiful face that I knew would linger in my mind for a long, long time.
Chapter 2
“Taylor,” my mother called, “we’re going to the lake to fish and take a paddleboat ride. C’mon, dear!”
“Can I stay and unpack?” I asked.
“No, we’re all going.”
I blew out a breath. “But I don’t want to fish,” I whined, far more interested in reeling in the mysterious hottie from the woods.
“Then you can try to get a tan. It’s supposed to be warm and sunny today.”
I gazed at the leaning tower of boxes that rivaled the one in Pisa. “How am I supposed to find my bathing suit in this mess?”
“I’ve got an extra you can borrow.” She chuckled. “But I must warn you that it has a skirt.”
“Mom!” I laughed and shook my head.
She smiled. “Besides, there’s someone I want you to meet.”
My mouth dropped. “No way. Tell me you’re not trying to set me up, especially not while I’m wearing a swimsuit that makes me look like a nun.”
“Honey, it’s nothing like that. I met a friend, and she has a daughter your age. I was thinking you two could hang out. She’s new in town too.”
“Oh,” I said. “It’d be nice to have a friend around here. But let me look for my own bathing suit. I think I might know what box it’s in, now that I think about it.”
“Great. We’re leaving in a couple hours.”
Knock!
When I answered my door, a guy my age with short brown hair and piercing green eyes looked at me. He shot me a grin, and I smiled back. He wasn’t as built as the guy in the forest, but he was definitely a cutie, dressed like a jock in a t-shirt, shorts, and Nikes. I couldn’t fathom why this guy was standing in my doorway.
“Hi,” I said. “Is there something I can help you with?”
“Your dad hired me to do some yard work.”
I suddenly remembered that my dad had told me that, but I had no idea the landscaper would be so young and attractive; I’d expected a short, balding man in a grubby old flannel shirt and clunky boots. “Oh, okay. Let me get him for you.” I called for him, and he came to the door.
“This is Fred,” Dad introduced. “He’s going to give our back yard a makeover.”
“It can sure use one,” I said, smiling at Fred. “I can give you a hand if—”
“No way,” my father interrupted. “The last time you helped, the yard looked…well, let’s just say that yard work isn’t your forte, honey.”
Just then, my mom opened the door and peeked out. “Fred, would you like to come to the beach with us?”
Not wanting to be rude, my dad just cleared
his throat and looked at her in disbelief. He was paying Fred well to do a job, and he didn’t expect it to be put off. “We’ve gotta get this jungle under control, dear,” he said, looking a bit harshly at her. “I think the sooner Fred gets started, the better.”
“One more day isn’t going to hurt anything,” my mother said. “Let him come with us. He can deal with the yard tomorrow.”
“Is it going to really hurt living in the Amazon one more day?” I asked.
Dad wrinkled his brow at me, then at Mom, refusing to relent. “Taylor, you go on and finish getting ready for the beach. Fred, please come with me so I can show you what we need done.”
Fred’s green eyes sparkled like emeralds. “See ya later, Taylor.”
I waved. “Bye. It was nice to meet you.”
I watched intently as my dad talked his ear off with all his big plans for the yard. Fred sneaked a look over his shoulder and smiled. I grinned back, then watched my dad escort him to the other side of the house. Once they were out of sight, I went back upstairs to my room to finish packing for the beach.
* * *
While I stayed on the beach for some sun and fun, Mom and Dad went fishing not too far away. I spread out a colorful towel, applied plenty of Coppertone, and slipped on a pair of sunglasses, then lay down on my back to soak up all the sun I could. My gold bikini left little to the imagination, including more cleavage than my dad was a fan of, but I figured he needed to face the fact I was growing up and was not his little girl anymore. It didn’t really matter anyway, because there were so few people on the beach that one would have thought shark warnings had been posted. I just enjoyed the solitude and the warm rays and listened to the birds and gulls soaring overhead.
“Taylor?” a girl’s voice said.
I sat up and grinned. “Yep, that’s me.”
A tall blonde in a tie-dyed bathing suit, with a large, striped beach bag over her shoulder, was holding her hand out for a shake. “I’m Julie. I’ve been dying to meet you. Mom tells me we’re the same age, in the same grade. I just moved here last week, and I don’t know a soul.”
Darlings of Paranormal Romance (Anthology) Page 98
