Page 2 of Dirty Whispers

"Pretty much. It's the red phone on the front desk of the City Hall lobby. There's someone there twenty-four-seven, even if it's only Jerry, the janitor. Whoever picks up can connect you to whatever you need. Our town medic Jonah, James our police officer, the volunteer fire department, you name it."

"That's super handy," Jocelyn murmurs. "Thank you."

It couldn't have been eight minutes since Barrett made the call when a blue tow truck with "Valley Automotive" painted in friendly white letters on the side comes barreling into the lot.

Another lumberjack-sized man jumps out, but fortunately this one doesn't seem nearly as grouchy. He's smiling widely as he approaches. His gaze drifts over each of us, not in a leering way, but still reminding me that we're "the new girls in town". We've gotten a few curious glances already when we were downtown.

When his eyes lock on mine, his expression changes completely. The focus of his friendly smile shifts to his eyes as he approaches. He holds out his hand, shaking mine gently. "Hi. I'm Griffin."

There's something about the warmth of his palm against mine. Something in the look in his eyes and his incredible woodsy fragrance that feels even more grounding than the forest. I've never felt drawn to a man before, but right now my knees are literally quivering. He's gorgeous. Stunning. Striking. I study linguistics and communications, yet I'm at a loss for accurate words beyond holy crap.

Finally, I manage to whisper, "Harper."

Barrett clears his throat. "They're staying at Riggs' place. I'll run these two there now. You good?"

"Sure." Griffin releases my hand but doesn't step away for a few more seconds. It feels like time itself is shifting, and every moment our gazes are locked on each other there's some kind of energy passing between us. My entire body is reacting to his presence: my breathing is getting faster. Heat is blooming through my core.

If just one look at this guy produces this much lust, how am I supposed to sit in a truck right beside him?

Finally I break the spell, tearing my gaze away and noticing Jocelyn and Nikki barely able to stifle their giggles as they walk with Barrett toward his truck.

Part of this summer was supposed to be about getting out of my comfort zone and trying new things. I was thinking that would mean hiking, living in a different town, and focusing on work that wasn't directly supervised. Not running into a guy who is so stunning that my ankles are legit stiff from trying to hold myself still. I struggle to keep myself from rocking side to side nervously as I watch him walk, his powerful body moving with such a relaxed gait that I'm kind of envious.

Griffin tries to start my car, getting that sad clicking sound again. He nods. "Yup, she's dead all right." He puts it in neutral and hooks it up to his truck with practiced movements, as if he's been doing this a very long time.

He looks to be around thirty and carries himself with a casual grace that's wildly sexy. That's it! He's wild. Like a panther. Six foot three or so, with thick, sculpted arms and a chest that can barely be contained by his thin charcoal t-shirt. And there's a cocky twinkle in his eyes when he flashes me a grin that isn't just handsome, it's charming as heck.

"All ready." He walks me over to the passenger seat of the tow truck, and my eyes land on the "Valley Automotive" lettering again.

I remember something that I can't help but blurt out. "Yesterday at the diner, someone said something about the tow truck service being run by dirty boys."

He's already pulling out his wallet to show me his driver's license. My throat makes an involuntary snort-laugh as I read his name. Griffin Dirty.

"Yup." His dark chuckle dances straight up my spine. "Our last name mostly died out across much of the country in the early nineteen hundreds, for obvious reasons. But here on the mountain, the Dirty family has kept the name alive."

"I didn't mean–"

"It's okay to laugh." His eyes twinkle as he leans in to whisper, "It's weird. I know."

His strong, rough hand takes mine to help me up into the truck and for half a second we're face to face, barely two inches apart, so close that I'm sure he can hear my heart hammering in my chest.

I've never felt this way around any man before. Lust, intrigue, and some sort of connection that feels like it was always there. Yet I haven't known him for even five minutes.

Is it possible that I'm falling for a Dirty boy?

2

GRIFFIN

Harper. Harper. Harper.

Her name echoes in my mind as we drive toward the edge of Old Hemlock Valley. I'm not sure if she notices that I keep sneaking peeks at her out of the corner of my eye.

Her long black hair is held back in a neat braid, accenting her luminous dark blue eyes. Her figure is a little hard to make out underneath her baggy jeans and thick hoodie, but I can tell she's curvy where it counts. Everything about Harper is delicate, womanly, and fills me with an inexplicable urge to memorize every inch of her pale skin. She has the classically beautiful sort of face that I would be happy to look at every day for the rest of my life.

Her left hand drifts to her mouth, although she stops herself just before she bites her nail. I hope that doesn't mean I'm making her nervous.

For the past year or so, I've been joking…half-joking…with anyone who will listen that they need to send more women to our town. If that was a call to the universe, begging for someone special, I think the universe has answered.

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