Page 1 of Burly and Possessive

CHAPTER 1

LEESA

Where are you?” my best friend Clara asks, her voice filled with alarm. “Derek is in a state, but won’t say what happened.”

I take a deep breath. I shouldn’t be on the phone while driving, but Clara has been calling me non-stop for the last hour.

“He cheated on me.”

“WHAT?” Clara shrieks and I pull the phone away from my head.

I pull over to the side of the road, and slump back in my seat. “I can’t talk about it right now. There was no mistaking what I saw.”

“That fucking bastard. I’ve never liked—”

“I know, I know,” I say, already exhausted. I don’t need to be reminded that she never liked Derek—especially right now. “Look. My phone is about to die.”

“Where are you? I’ll come to you and we can create a revenge plan.”

“I don’t—”

Great.My phone dies. Clara is about the only person I could handle seeing right now, though truth be told, I’d be perfectly happy tonotsee anyone I know for a while.

I reach for my purse…only to find it’s not on the seat beside me. “What the hell,” I mutter, undoing my seatbelt and turning to look in the backseat.

Dammit. No purse, means no phone charger, means no wallet or money. I am so screwed.Calm down, Leesa,I tell myself. All I need to do is get to a store, explain the situation, and surely someone will help me charge my phone. Then I can call Clara back and have her bring my purse and come get me.

I take a moment to collect myself. It’s not going to do me any good if I start crying again. I’ve been afraid to look in the mirror, because I’m scared of what I’ll see.

I turn the key…and nothing happens. I’m in the middle of nowhere and close to a mountain. Without my GPS, I have no clue where I actually am. When I left the church, I didn’t care where I was going or planned a destination—I just drove. The only important thing was to put space between me and my cheating ex.

It’s not like I know much about how to fix a car, but my body is thrumming with nervous energy, so I get out and pop the hood. The problem could be staring me in the face, but I have to admit I’d probably not know what to do even if I could identify the problem.

I am well and truly stranded, and it’s going to be dusk before too long. While I’m debating how far I could walk in these heels,a truck passes me, then slows down and pulls to the side of the road.

“Hey there.”

The voice startles me, a low rumble that cuts through the stillness of the mountain air. I turn to take a good look at the source of the voice, and I forget to breathe. A sinfully handsome rugged man is walking toward me. My heart slams against my ribs as I clutch the layers of my wedding dress tighter around me.

My pulse races, a mix of fear and confusion surging through my veins. The man stops a few feet away from me, his broad figure framed by the headlights of a truck. He has a muscular body that unexpectedly sparks a fizzy reaction in my body, and a beard that my fingers itch to reach out and stroke.

What the hell, Leesa?

I’m clearly in shock, because how in the world could I feel any attraction to another man, when just a few hours ago I was about to walk down the aisle and marry another man? I open my mouth to respond, but no words come out.

The man’s voice comes again, deep and gravelly but not unkind. “You alright?”

Am I alright?No, I’m not. I’m standing on the side of a mountain road in a wedding dress, mascara running down my cheeks, and my car just died—because of course it did. I have no purse, no idea, no money.Why not accept help from a hot stranger?The day couldn’t get worse.

“I…” My voice cracks, and I try again. “My car broke down.”

He steps closer, his eyes never leaving my face. “I guessed as much. Not many people pull over here.”

The man’s gaze shifts from my car to me, and I feel his eyes moving over me, taking in the wedding dress, the tangled mess of my hair, the ruined makeup smeared under my lashes. I’m not sure I even want to know what I look like in his eyes.

“Can I take you somewhere? Or are you waiting for someone to pick you up? Did you call a tow?” His tone is casual, but his eyes reflect a seriousness that makes me pause.

“No. No one’s coming. My phone died.”

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