And now I’m stuck in the middle of nowhere with stupid Seth and his neanderthal friends who are about to burn the forest down.
With a sigh, I drop my arms and step toward my step brother as he lifts yet another log to drop on the already massive bonfire. “I really don’t think?—”
“I wouldn’t do that if I were you.”
The deep voice rumbles through my body, directly to something inside me I didn’t even know existed.
With the log still raised above his head, Seth turns in my direction, but he’s not looking at me. He’s looking at someone behind me.
The man that belongs to the sexy voice.
“Who the hell are you?”
It’s one of Seth’s stupid friends who asks as he appears from the shadows with a case of beer in his hand.
I turn at the same moment the owner of the voice, steps into the light. I must have made a sound, because all eyes turn to stare at me. But I can’t help it. The man is huge.
He’s at least 6’5”. His arms are thick around as the trees we’re surrounded by. His beard is thick, but it doesn’t mask how gorgeous he is. Even in the dim light I can see the crystal blue ofhis eyes, like lasers, they’re focused directly on my step brother and his jackass friends.
My stomach clenches and more than anything, I want him to look in my direction. I’m standing so close to him, I could reach out and touch his hard, chiseled chest if I wasn’t so mesmerized by what’s happening in front of me.
“I’m the man who is going to make sure you don’t burn the whole forest down tonight, kid.” The mountain of a man steps forward and without missing a beat, plucks the log from my step brother’s hand as if it’s nothing more than a twig.
I swallow a giggle. It’s not often I see the golden child put in his place, and I’m ready to revel in every moment of it.
“Oh yeah, old man. And I suppose you’re going to make us?”
Without missing a beat, the mountain man turns to look at Seth’s friends who look like little boys next to this incredibleman.True, he’s older than us. Maybe in his mid to late thirties. Not that I’m a good judge of age. Especially when it comes to men, considering I have little to no experience with the opposite sex unless they’re in my study groups at school. And those guys are definitely more boys than men.
I can’t take my eyes off this man as he casually walks toward the boys, and explains to them how they’re all going to go down to the river and fetch buckets of water to put the fire out before he leaves or he’ll drag their asses all into the sheriff’s office himself.
He still hasn’t looked in my direction, but as my brother and his friends scramble to get to work, I have a moment of clarity. There’s no way I’m going to spend one more second with these morons. And the huge mountain man, who although incredibly intimidating, seems like a much better option than bunking down in a tent next to these idiots. If I hurry and grab my things, maybe I can convince him to drive me back to town. I’ll figure things out from there.
Before I can change my mind, I slip away to grab my back pack and the few things I brought with me. I’m only gone a few minutes, but when I return, the campfire’s out and he’s gone.
Seth and his friends sit on stumps around the now smouldering fire, heads in their hands sulking after being brought down a few pegs by the incredible mountain man. If I had time, I would totally take the opportunity to gloat a little. But I needed to focus.
“Where did he go?”
“Why do you care?” Seth hardly spares me a glance. “Make yourself useful and grab us some beer from the cooler.”
I clench my teeth and swallow back a retort. Theres no point. I know from experience anything I say will only be used against me with my dad and step mom. Instead, I move to the edge of the trees where the coolers are stashed. I’m going to do what Seth asked, and everyone knows it.
His laughter as I walk away grates on every nerve but when I hear him open his mouth to his buddies and say, “Stupid cow. It’s the only thing she’s good for,” followed by their laughter, something inside me snaps. Hot tears prick at my eyes, but these boys aren’t worth it. I won’t cry.
Instead, I tighten the straps of my pack and keep walking. If I can’t get a ride out, I’ll walk. It’s better than staying there.
CHAPTER TWO
Griffin
Idip the bucket into the river and hold it in the stream, taking an extra moment to pull myself together.
When I arrived at the camp to deal with the fire, I’d expected a group of stupid drunk kids.
I hadn’t expectedher.
She doesn’t belong there with these idiots. I heard the way they disregarded her as I walked through the trees to the fire, but the moment I laid eyes on her plump curves, silhouetted by the flames in the dark night, I felt a surge of protectiveness toward her unlike anything I’d ever felt before.
