Page 36 of Protected By Artemis

“Do you think you can teach me, Daniel?” She bent down to reach for the handle, making sure her ass faced toward him.

“Not to worry, they’ll give us lessons at the beginning, so you should be set.”

He really was sweet. And kinda clueless. She almost hated having to manipulate him. “Er, right.”

The guide called for everyone’s attention, and after about fifteen minutes of lessons, they were off. Artemis maneuvered her ATV so she stayed behind Daniel, slowly accelerating until she was right next to him. She flashed him a smile.

You okay?he mouthed over the roar of the engines.

She nodded and gave him a thumbs-up.

Their tour continued down beaches and trails, with a few scenic stops along the way. Artemis took that time to make small talk with Daniel when she could, trying to get near him, but since time was tight on the tour, she never got to stand less than a foot next to him for too long. The closest she got was when they stopped at a local ice-cream shop, but they had to leave after fifteen minutes. It was obvious she would have to put her original plan into action.

So, on the next leg of the tour, when they reached the mangrove area, she stuck close to Daniel, smiling and laughing with him as they drove through the sandy trail, but slowly decreased her speed, so they fell behind. When the rest of the group was far away enough, she waved her hand at the ATV, killing the engine. As her vehicle came to a halt, she called out to Daniel.

“Help! Oh, please!”

Daniel’s head turned back, and immediately upon seeing her, he slowed and then swung around.

“Artemis!” He dashed toward her. “Are you okay? What’s the matter? Are you hurt?”

“I’m fine, Daniel. Thank you.” She accepted the hand he offered to help her off, stumbling forward so she brushed against his body. “This thing…it just stopped.”

“Oh, let me see…” After helping steady her, he circled around the ATV, bending down to check the engine. “Whoa! This thing’s fried.” He clucked his tongue. “You should complain to the manager. They shouldn’t be letting anyone on this hunk of junk.”

“I suppose I could once we get back.” She let out an exaggerated sigh. “How am I going to get back now?”

“Don’t you worry,” Daniel assured her. “You can ride with me.”

“Really?”

“Of course. I’m not leaving you stranded out here.”

“My hero,” she said sweetly, looping her right arm into his.

And with her other hand, she reached into her purse to activate Hephaestus’s app.

Hopefully, this works.

Chapter 7

Cade

The wolf stalked its prey, hiding behind the sparse vegetation. The heat of the tropical, salty air, and warm breeze felt alien on its thick fur, the coarse sand under its paws an irritation.

It let out a low snarl as it spied the target, crouching low, ready to attack.

No, Cade commanded his wolf.We have to stay hidden.

It was a challenge, trying to remain stealthy as he followed the tour group all over the north end of the island, as there was very little cover, and he had to stay downwind lest any of the other wolves scented him.

And many times, he just wanted to sayfuck itand let the wolf loose on that asshole, Daniel Philipps.

“My hero,” Artemis cried before she hopped on the back of Daniel’s ATV, her body sliding up against the other man’s as she wrapped her arms around his waist.

His wolf roared in protest, and it took all his might to pull the animal back, though this time, he was truly tempted just to let go.

He counted to ten—slowly—waiting for the ATV to speed off and the redness in his vision to fade. Still, the stab in his chestwouldn’t go away, his stomach burning with jealousy at the thought of Artemis being skin-to-skin with another man, having another’s scent all over?—

---