“Hey, I’m headed home for the night. I’ll be back by dawn,” I call as I gather Smokie up to head home. I am meant to stay here for the full four-day shift, which I’ve never objected to. For some reason tonight I do.
Loading Smokie back up in the Jeep, I ignore the questions the guys throw at me. I am in no mood to answer their stupid interrogations. I never should have said something to Jagger about that woman. Not that he told any of the other guys—they just want to know why I seem so different suddenly.
Truth be told, I do not have an answer for them. Pulling away from the station, I consider this. Why did I suggest the fishing trip and having the guys at my place? Been here almost five years and I’ve never had a single person over to the cabin. What was it about that woman that had me asking Jagger about her as if I wanted him to play matchmaker?
“Guess I got tired of being alone,” I whisper to Smokie as if she cares.
Seeing my cabin, I let out a sigh as the tension leaves me. Islump a little behind the wheel, rubbing at the bridge of my nose. Why does every single thing have to be so complicated for me? Is it that hard to make friends with the guys I work with? That hard to be attracted to a woman and do something about it? Nothing is as hard as I make it out to be.
“We might need a vacation, girl,” I tell Smokie, who’s yelp sounds as if she wholeheartedly agrees.
Pulling in front of the cabin, I take a moment to collect myself. As if I can leave this weird feeling that’s been with me all day here in the Jeep. I refuse to take it inside my home with me. It might still be here, waiting for me later, but for now I need to shake it off.
Climbing from the Jeep, I let Smokie down to run her mad circles she loves to run through the front. She figure-8's through some trees, then runs the length of the front porch before she bounds off to do it all again. It’s her routine whenever we come back from being in town. Just as she rounds those trees though, I can sense something is different.
“What is it girl?” I call as she hesitates, tilting her head back, gaze focused on something up high. “Is there a monster up there, Smokie?”
Laughing when she barks at me as if to tell me to shut up, I go to gather her. The closer I get, the more her tail wags. Another bark. Then a sound that does not come from her. It’s soft, startled, and very human.
“Holy shit,” I mutter when I see what has my dog so worked up.
Sitting in the tree is the same woman who has me worked up too.
“Do not laugh. Please.Do not.I came out for a walk. Some creature came after me. I ran to the tree and now....” she trails off as she flushes.
Standing there staring up at her, I understand thedifference I felt moments ago. The same I have felt all day. There is something about her. Her big brown eyes stare down at me, her pretty pink mouth tilted in a crooked grin. Long, thick legs hang on either side of the limb she straddles. Her torso is pressed flat on the limb, arms holding on for dear life.
Her face is even more beautiful than I thought before. Tiny nose, those full lips, bright, smiling eyes, hell even her damn ears are cute. I take stock of the situation. Letting out a curse when I see her knee is bleeding, I march forward. Reaching up, I grab her to haul her down. As if we’ve done this sort of thing a hundred times, her thighs wrap tight around my waist.
“I got you, sweetheart,” I tell her when I feel how she is shaking.
Her arms close tight around my neck as she clings to me. Not that I mind one bit. Her body is all sweet softness, her legs cinching tight at my ribs as I hoist her higher. I rather she not feel how hard my cock is just from seeing her, smelling her sweet skin, feeling her pressed against me so tight.
“Want to tell me what brought you to my neck of the woods?”
I start to set her down, but she refuses. I chuckle as she clings to me even tighter. She can hold me as long as she damn well pleases. Turning, I head for the cabin because I need to get her inside where she is safe. I need to tend to that wound on her knee. Part of me is convinced I need to find a way to keep her here, even though that makes no sense at all.
“Well, I went for a walk. It is so pretty here. Then some wild animal came after me. I am what some call...accident prone.”
All of this is said in a soft, panting breath that warms the skin at my neck. Her face is burrowed there, as if she is hiding from something. My hands drop beneath her backside to hoist her higher and I leave them there when she doesn’t bark at meabout touching her inappropriately.
“It is pretty here. It is also dangerous up here, sweetheart. How did you get up here on your own?”
Kicking the door open, I follow Smokie in, heading to the kitchen. Setting the woman down on the counter, I try to pull back. This sweet little thing has other plans. With a little gasp, she tightens her hold on me. I turn back to her, drawing her closer, cradling her as if she is something precious, I am afraid of breaking. Which is not untrue.
“Need to fix up that wound, sweetheart. Once I do, you can hold me all you want.”
This seems to startle her enough to loosen her hold. Pulling back, she gazes up at me beneath feather soft lashes. There is not a trace of makeup on her face. Still, her lips are pink and perfect, her lashes dark, her cheeks pink. Carefully, I cup her face, brushing her tangled hair behind her ear.
“Piper. That’s....I mean...I am Piper. I live above the Chronicle,” she mutters, hands still touching me, making my heart pound against my ribs.
“Yeah, I saw you earlier. I’ve never seen you before. How long have you been here, Piper? I’m Pace. This anxious little thing is Smokie,” I try to set her at ease as the dog jumps up beside me, as if to be included.
“Oh, you beautiful thing. You saved me. I was stuck,” she sputters, bowing her head. Her hands are still on me, driving me crazy as they trace patterns over my neck, my shoulders, then back again.
“Giving all the credit to the lady, I see,” I tease her. My hands drop to her thighs. They tremble against her smooth, golden skin. Hell, she’s soft. I wonder for a moment if she is soft everywhere. And I just bet she is.
“Oh, gosh, no! You for sure saved me. That...that monster that was out there scared the dickens out of me. I have no ideahow I got up that tree. I just could not get down once I was up there. I am such an idiot.”
