“Get a grip, girl,” I mumble, but quicken my pace.
The uneasy feeling won’t go away. I can’t put my finger on it, but something is terribly wrong. My intuition is screaming at me to get out of these woods.
A slight breeze ruffles my hair before everything goes still. I glance over my shoulder, hearing heavy thudding behind me. Two huge Dobermans bound straight toward me, and my knees nearly buckle from fear as my heart rate picks up.
I take off without a second thought.
The rule of thumb is to stand your ground when a dog charges, but that’s easier said than done—especially with two dogs snapping at your ass.
Stumbling, I lose my footing and almost topple to the soft dirt. My ballet-style shoes aren’t made for running. Sticks and rocks dig into the thin soles, making it a struggle to remain upright. The slippery leaves aren’t helping either.
Climbing a tree is next to impossible because the branches are too damn high. Stopping is too risky anyway. Those rabid beastswill be on me in an instant. My best bet is to make it to the street and yell for help.
The pounding grows louder, but I don’t dare look back. That would only slow me down. My breathing soon becomes erratic, my chest tightening painfully.Asthma attack.Fuck, I haven’t had one in a long time.
Gasping for air, I trip over a root and crash to the earth with a resounding smack. My tote bag flies from my hand, sending my groceries, purse, and laptop scattering across the ground.
That’s it. I’m dead.
The Dobermans circle me, snarling and barking. I curl into a tight ball, waiting for sharp canines to rip me apart.
God, please let me live through this.
Just then, a loud whistle rends the air, and the beasts fall back, answering their master’s call. My gaze collides with blazing blue irises.
“Sam,” I gasp.
He prowls toward me, his animal companions flanking him.Beautiful. It’s not a word typically used to encompass an attractive man, but it suits him.
By no means does my chosen adjective diminish his masculinity. Samuel Hendricks is alpha male incarnate. His flaxen mane was left unfettered this morning, but now the silken strands are piled into a topknot, granting me an unimpeded view of perfectly sculpted features.
“Go,” he commands the four-legged duo, and they disappear into the thicket, paws thundering through the dirt.
I swallow over the lump in my throat. “Sam—”
Hard fingers twist into my hair, yanking me to my feet.
“My name is Sandman,” he growls in my face.
My eyes lock onto the patch with his biker name. In my excitement to see him this morning, I completely missed it.
“Please,” I wheeze and point at my purse. “Asthma. Medicine.”
He cocks his head to the side, studying me like I’m an insectunder a microscope. “Maybe I let you die,” he taunts, placing a feather-soft kiss on my lips. “Abandon you, like you did me.”
“Please—”
“Shh.” A calloused hand snakes across my mouth. “You cost me the hearing in my left ear. Tinnitus. Ever heard of it?”
I shake my head, tears spilling down my cheeks.
“It’s a constant ringing in the ears.” He falls quiet, a faraway look in his gaze. “I drove myself crazy thinking about hurting you… about burying my cock deep inside your body,” he rasps, unbuttoning my blouse. “And now here you are.”
I try again, “Sam—”
“That’s not my fucking name anymore!” he bellows, slamming me into a tree.
“Sorry,” I sob, fire burning a hole in my lungs. “I’m sorry.”
