Page 22 of Unintentionally Yours

Layla didn’t think she’d ever tire of seeing Finn like this - in his element. Seeing the reverence for the untamed beauty around them. Her heart swelled, full to bursting with the unfamiliar rush of emotion.

Was this what falling in love felt like? Falling, straight from head to heart to core? It frightened her a bit how badly she wanted to just embrace it, propriety and reality be damned. But her mother’s small, insistent voice of duty and expectation held her back.

All too soon, Finn gently touched her elbow, an apology already forming on his full lips. “We should probably start heading back. I’m afraid the rain will start again and I don’t want you getting caught in it.”

Layla tamped down on the keen sting of disappointment, knowing he was right but loath to burst the magical little bubble they’d created together on this mountainside. Finn understood her reluctance. He didn’t want the day to end either. Tucking a flyaway strand of hair behind her ear, he dipped to brush a soft, lingering kiss over her mouth.

“I know, Goldilocks. I’m not ready for it to end either.” He gave her another kiss, this one deeper. “But, if we go back to the cabin, I’ll make good on my promise.”

“Oh? What promise was that?” She smiled up at him, her breath catching as he pulled her to him, his body already hard.

“That I’ll keep you in my bed.”

“All day?”

The word forever was on the tip of Finn’s tongue but he knew it wasn’t the time. Not quite yet. “And all night.” His mouth came down on hers, hard and hungry. She tasted so damn good he knew he’d never get his fill of her.

After a moment, Finn pulled back just far enough to rest his forehead against hers. There was a hint of ruefulness in his half-smile. “What do you say? We can come back tomorrow, maybe spend the night in the great outdoors?

“Mmm,” Layla thought a moment. “Could we do more of a glamping experience? Maybe an air mattress and raid your junk food stash?”

Finn laughed. The first genuine laugh he’d had in a while. “Yeah, I think I can make that happen.”

“Then I think that sounds just about perfect, mountain man.”

They started back down the mountain, taking their time. Finn showed her a few special spots where he’d captured the images of other wildlife. He couldn’t wait to get her back to the cabin and make love to her again. He wanted her so badly. His body burned for her.

But as they neared his cabin, those instincts that had saved his ass a time or two in the military rose fast and furious. He stopped abruptly.

“Hey, now, don’t you have brake lights, big man?” Layla laughed as she almost ran into his broad back. She put her hands out to steady herself, feeling the tense muscles of his back. “Finn? What is it?”

Her first thought was that maybe that big male wolf had followed them. She looked around in alarm but saw nothing.

“We’ve got company.” His voice was low and harsh.

“What?” She stilled, and when she did, she could hear the approaching vehicle. They were still too far away to see the road leading to his cabin.

“Come on.” He grabbed her hand and started to move again. Layla held on tight, following him. He came to another abrupt stop in a few more yards. Now, the road was visible.

Dread coiled in her chest. “That’s my mother’s car.”

Finn stood still as a statue, all sorts of scenarios running through his mind. The one at the forefront was him picking Layla up and carrying her back up the mountain where they would never find her.

She was his.

He’d known the moment he’d seen her in his shower, her curves on full display.

Damn, but he loved this woman. His hand tightened around hers. She squeezed it back. He turned toward her. “We can go back up the mountain and wait until they leave.”

Layla’s mouth curved into a small smile. She placed her hand on his jaw, feeling the muscles tick there. “Thank you for offering, but it’s time I faced the music.”

Finn gave that slight huff of a laugh that she’d come to know so well. “Well, as long as it’s not the wedding march.”

Layla’s stomach churned as they made their way to his cabin. As they neared, Layla caught bits and pieces of what seemed like a heated conversation between her mother and Randall. She had to smile then. It looked as if Randall was losing the argument.

“Stay behind me, Layla.” Finn approached the couple first.

“Who the hell are you?” her mother demanded. “Where’s my daughter.”

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