Dear God. Something about the tone makes me want to be such a good girl. I shake my head. It's just the fearful lust trying to break through.
I scratch the dog's ears and put her down on the forest floor, still holding her by the collar. I'd let her go find the owner of that sexy voice, but part of me is worried she's going to take off again, and the other part of me—the one between my legs—wants to see who's coming around the corner.
"She's over here," I call out, my voice husky with desire and a tinge of worry that the dog's owner might be a serial killer, which has my nipples hard as well. What if this is part of the plan? To lure me in with an adorable puppy. Even Buffalo Bill had a little dog.
"Cleo?" The man's voice is closer now, and I take a deep breath as his sexy timbre wraps around me like warm honey and a hot shower. By the time Mr. Tall, Dark, and Handsome comes into view, my panties are already as soaked as the rest of my clothes. His broad shoulders and beard are my type, hands down, but there is something else about him that has me practically panting with need. His dark eyes lock with mine, and I suck in a sharp breath.
Well shit. If this man has a van, I'm climbing right on in.
Chapter 2
Jett
Mine. Mine. Mine. Mine. Mine.The word pounds through my head to the rhythm of my heartbeat.
"Hi." The woman eyes me with slight suspicion and a whole lot of interest, and my cock swells. She has a right to be concerned. I have never understood men who talk about claiming their women... until today.
In an effort not to ruin my sister and brother-in-law's life by losing their brand-new puppy, I've been tracking Cleo through the woods for the past hour. She got spooked back by my cabin and took off, but she doesn't know this area. It's my first time dog-sitting. My calm characteristic is almost non-existent. I've been worried that if the hawks don't get her, something else might. I have to say, a sexy raven-haired bombshell wasn't on my bingo card of how I'd find her, but I'm certainly not complaining.
Cleo whines, pawing at the ground to come to me. The woman lets go of her collar, and I reach down to lift Cleo into my arms.
"Hello," I finally manage to grumble about two minutes too late, but the woman doesn't seem to mind. She quirks a smileat me, and I find myself grinning like a dumb robot, mimicking human responses.
"She's adorable." The woman gestures to Cleo, and then her eyes travel the length of my body before snapping to my face. Her cheeks redden like she didn't mean to be so obvious about checking me out, and I wish I could tell her the feeling is mutual. She clears her throat. "I think she got into some mud, though."
I glance down at Cleo and shake my head.
"No, it's from the rain." Okay, speaking in full sentences is a step in the right direction. I clear my throat. "It's dirty rain. From the forest fires."
"Forest fires?" The brunette knockout hefts her pack higher on her shoulders and lifts her eyebrows in surprise. "The ones thousands of miles away?"
I nod. "The ash ends up in the clouds and then comes down with the rain." I try to keep my gaze on her face, but she is soaked through, leaving absolutely nothing to the imagination. I swallow hard as my eyes dart down to the see-through fabric clinging to the two pink circles on the swell of her tits, before bouncing back to her face.
Mine. Mine. Mine. Mine.
"You learn something new every day." The woman grins and then places a hand on her chest. Damn it if it takes me ages to pull my eyes away again. She definitely saw me checking out her rack this time. "I'm Lulu."
"Jett."
Lulu nods at me again before she swivels her head around.
"Do you live nearby? You don't have a pack." She points to me, her cheeks heating as her eyes drop to the front of my pants. My cock presses against the zipper of my jeans uncomfortably. Nothing I can do about it now, and truthfully, I think my cock might rebel if I try to hide it from her.
"It's about a mile from here." I glance up at the clouds, which are darkening with each second we waste talking. Wild horses couldn't pull me away now. "Do you know where you are?"
Lulu clears her throat as she assesses me and then sighs heavily. "No. I don't. And I know that's stupid to say to some stranger in the woods, but you have a puppy and kind eyes, so I'm going with my gut on this. While also hoping you don't have a strangulation fetish."
The thought of anyone hurting this goddess has me clenching my jaw.
"I don't." My gruff tone is certainly not doing a lot to reassure her of my friendly, non-murderous intent. "Come with me. We need to get going," I say, glancing at the clouds again. "This storm's just getting started."
My eyes settle on her muddy, wet tennis shoes. "Do you have other shoes in your pack? The path is going to get slippery, and I don't want to let this one go again." I nod toward Cleo who seems content to be carried as she tries to burrow against my chest. Damn dog is going to fall asleep.
Lulu glances down and shakes her head. "No, just these. I didn't plan to hike today. I'll keep up, though."
"Alright, follow me."
The rain opens again about two minutes in, and we move slowly. Lulu's foot catches on every tree root we come across, her impractical sneakers slipping on the wet surface of the forest floor. Every bone in my body screams to throw her over my shoulder and carry her off to the safety of my cave, but I'd have to put Cleo down. I have no interest in losing either one of them.
