Page 9 of Driven Wild By The Grizzly

He makes sure I’m safely on my feet again, then he scans me up and down, his eyebrows furrowed. “Are you okay? Any scrapes or bruises?”

I examine my arms. Miraculously, there’s not a mark on me. “Don’t think so. Still in one piece, I think.”

“Good.” He looks relieved. “We should get going. I think the storm’s gonna get worse.”

“Uh, sure.” I look around wildly. “Where’s the trail?”

“Over there.” He points in the opposite direction from the fallen tree.

“Great.” I roll my eyes. “Looks like I was even walking in the wrong direction when I almost got taken out by the tree-pocalypse.”

His frown deepens, then he breaks into a smile. “You have a great sense of humor, you know?”

“Gotta look on the bright side,” I mumble, but I’m secretly pleased by the compliment. It drives my brother crazy how I’m constantly joking about serious things.

Something passes across Ethan’s eyes—something tender but heated at the same time. He insists on carrying my backpack, then he takes my hand and starts to lead me through the sodden woods.

Yes—he takes my hand.His big thick fingers envelope my much smaller ones. Despite the deluge, his palms are warm and dry and comforting, and…

It’s like an electric current is running between us. Does he feel it, too? For a moment, I can’t breathe for the tingles spilling through my body.

All I can do is stumble after him.

* * *

In a few minutes,we’re back on the trail. It’s a sea of mud now, channels of water running down either side.

Ethan pauses under the shelter of a monster pine tree. “Wish I had a waterproof shirt I could give you.” He indicates his tank top with a wry smile.

It’s completely soaked and clinging to his incredibly buff torso like a second skin, outlining every rippling muscle. He’s as wet as I am, but somehow he looks hotter than ever. His hair has come out of its man bun and it hangs loose around his shoulders. He’s a sexy wild man; like some awesome god of the storm. Heat pours through me. I might still be recovering from my near-death experience, but I’ve never felt more alive. Just the sight of him is doing all kinds of things to my body.

“Oh, you’ve done enough, trust me,” I say. Then I frown as my brain finally catches up. “But how did you find me here?”

“I followed you. I wanted to make sure you got home safe,” he says, as though it’s obvious.

I stare at him. If these were the words of a stalker, I’d run screaming into the wilderness right now, deadly thunderstorm be damned. But somehow I know they’re not. I can’t explain it, I just know, deep in my soul, that I can trust him. I understand he’d never hurt me.

“Thank you,” I say instead.

“It’s my pleasure, believe me.” He gives me another one of those long, intense looks, like he can hardly tear his eyes away from me.Like he’s falling for me.My heart beats fast. That can’t be right, can it? We only just met.

But… I also feel this crazyconnectionbetween us. It’s like we complete each other, or something. Like he’s a part of me that’s been missing all my life, and now that I’ve found him, I’m finally whole. I’ve never felt that way before. Heck, I didn’t even know it was possible to feel that way. I glance at him through my lashes. Is that how he feels, too?

Gooseflesh breaks out on my arms, and I rub at them.

Ethan’s eyes darken with concern. “Let’s get you inside,” he says.

“But where?” I scan the densely packed trees in both directions. If there’s a cave nearby, I definitely don’t see it.

“I’m taking you back to my cabin. It’s a half-mile away.”

“You live in the forest?”

“We’ll be safe there.” As if he can sense my hesitation, he says in a softer tone, “I’d never do anything you’re not comfortable with. I just want to take care of you, Jessica.”

Take care of me.I blink. He’s the opposite of every other guy I’ve met in my life. They’ve all wanted to take thingsfromme. I’ve spent the last year on high alert, always ready for my ex’s googly eyes to appear, for him to make good on his threats and manipulation. But Ethan… He’s come looking for me in the middle of a storm, abandoning his grandad’s broken-down bus in the process, then saved me from being squished by a tree…

I’m coming home.I don’t understand the thought exactly, but it swirls around me like a hot bubble bath.

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