“Have you met Lucan?” Atlas sat down a few seats away from me.
My brow furrowed in confusion. “No?” There was a brief flicker of surprise across everyone’s faces. “Should I have?”
Lucan cleared his throat, drawing my attention to him. “I’m in forest management, and I am always out on the trails.”
“He makes himself very comfortable out there.” Atlas hid a laugh by taking a drink of his beer.
Lucan’s smile faltered for a second. “You must be Liz.”
I nodded, not trusting myself to speak while something in me refused to settle. My heart was racing like I’d sprinted up a hill. What was wrong with me?
Lucan took the seat across from me, his movements slow, as if he were trying not to startle a wild animal. Which was ridiculous because I wasn’t a wild animal. I was a grown woman having dinner with new acquaintances.
New, unusually attractive acquaintances who lived together in some kind of... what, exactly? I realized I had no idea what the relationship dynamics were here. Kade and Reese were clearly a couple, but where did Atlas and Lucan fit in?
They didn’t look related. Were they?—
“Steaks are up,” Kade announced, breaking my increasingly confused train of thought.
Clearly, I needed food before I embarrassed myself any further with whatever malfunction my body and brain were experiencing.
I was tired. And hungry. And overwhelmed by kindness after days of solitude and stress.
That was all it was.
It had to be. Because the alternative was that I was having some sort of visceral reaction to a complete stranger, and that made absolutely no sense. I wasn’t the type for instant attractions or whatever this bizarre feeling was.
Kade set a perfectly cooked steak in front of me as Reese brought out a large tray with sides. Everything smelled amazing, and I picked up my fork, convinced that the food would reset my nervous system.
It didn’t.
Lucan’s gaze had been locked on me since the moment he stepped onto the deck. And I couldn’t break away from it, no matter how much I told myself to.
Chapter 7
Lucan
Liz didn’t recognize me.
I didn’t know whether to be offended or grateful for the second chance.
My dragon wanted to announce that we were her mate and be done with it. But I was happy to have escaped the humiliation of her remembering me and running away screaming that I was a stalker.
I watched her from across the table, trying not to stare too obviously. She was even more beautiful than she had been in the glow of her campfire. Her short brown hair caught the light when she moved, and her eyes were warm and intelligent despite the exhaustion clear in the shadows beneath them.
My dragon rumbled with satisfaction.
She was perfect.
The string lights flickered on, creating a warm glow that made Liz look like something out of a dream.
I purred like there was a motorcycle idling in my chest. The vibration hummed through my ribs, and I grabbed my beer and took a long drink to cover the sound.
“So, Liz.” Atlas leaned forward with a grin, and I was instantly wary. “What exactly drove you to camp alone in ourwoods? Running from the law? A bad breakup? Or really into bears?”
I choked on my beer, spraying a fine mist across my plate. Kade’s head snapped up, his eyes narrowing on Atlas.
“I needed some peace and quiet.” Liz’s cheeks flushed slightly. “Though I got more excitement than I bargained for.”
