Page 1 of Indiscretion

Chapter 1

DAWSON

What the hell is my buddy thinking?

I stood on the rickety porch of the cabin I’d rented through Airbnb and looked around. Trees. Dirt.Smack.Great. Damn mosquitos, too. Maybe things would look better after a good night’s sleep. Lord knows I needed one.

The twelve-hour drive from New York to Michigan had taken fifteen because everyone and their mother was traveling on Fourth of July weekend. It was two in the morning now, and I hoped to hell this shitty shack at least had a decent mattress. The front door was supposed to need a numerical code to enter, but when I reached for the handle, it was unlocked.

The inside was smaller than it had looked in the pictures, but at least it seemed clean. Ben’s fiancée had described the area as rustic and quaint, but all I saw was a cabin that might’ve been featured in a horror movie last year, and a refrigerator so old that I thought it might need an ice block to keep things cold. I sighed and scanned the galley kitchen for an outlet. Finding one next to an antique toaster, I was surprised there was already an iPhone charger plugged in. That must be themodern conveniencesthe house had boasted about in its description.

Whatever.I was desperate for some sleep. Though before that could happen, I needed a shower, so I took one last look around the living space and headed down the only hall. There were two doors. The first one I opened had a full bath with folded towels stacked conveniently on a shelf. I stripped out of my clothes and stepped into the bathtub.

Soon warm water sluiced over my knotted shoulders. I took a few deep breaths, grateful for good water pressure, and let myself relax into the pelting shower. This trip was definitely not my idea of a vacation, but I needed a few days away from the office. Away fromEmily—and my life.

No criminals telling me their bullshit tale of woe.

No green, newbie public defenders coming into court completely unprepared and requesting a continuance to mess up my packed calendar.

No ex to see all day long.

Nature wasn’t my thing. Ideally, a few days away from the office would involve a five-star hotel on a Caribbean island, sipping cocktails at the in-pool bar, and waking up to a sexy naked woman next to me. And I’d thought I was going to get exactly that when my buddy had announced he was having adestination wedding. But instead, it looked like I was going to need bug spray, hiking boots, and quite possibly a banjo. Fuck my life.

The hot shower actually worked to relax me a bit, or maybe I was just that tired. I’d driven after a morning court appearance and two conference calls, so either way, sleep was next on the agenda. Suddenly too lazy to deal with opening my suitcase, I dried off and wrapped a towel around my waist. There wasn’t another cabin nearby, so I could skip the underwear and freeball all I wanted. Hell, maybe I’d have my coffee naked on the porch tomorrow morning.

There was only one other room in this little cabin, so it wasn’t too difficult to figure out where the bedroom was. The door creaked open, and I felt around the wall for a light switch, but there wasn’t one. I managed to feel my way in the pitch dark and make it to the bed without stubbing a toe, so I decided seeing where I was sleeping wasn’t a priority and climbed in. Unlike the rest of the cabin, which smelled sort of mildewy, this room smelled nice, almost floral. They must’ve washed these sheets with a decent brand of laundry detergent. That was a welcome surprise. The scent relaxed me even more than the shower had. That is, until I rolled over and something walloped me in the face.

“What the fuck!”

I jumped out of bed, reaching for my right eye.

A dog barked and a woman’s high-pitched voice screeched, “I have a gun!”

Quickly forgetting the pain radiating from my face, I held my hands up. “You don’t need a gun. I’m not armed, and I’m not going to hurt you. I’m holding my hands in the air.”

A light suddenly flicked on, and I found a five-foot-nothing woman wearing hot pink lacy pajamas, holding a dog that couldn’t weigh more than five pounds. The runt was in one hand while she pointed something at me with the other.

Is that…a pair of readers?My brows knitted. “Is that yourgun?”

She waved the glasses around. “I’m a green belt, too!”

My eyes widened. “What is that, like two up from white? Did you take three lessons?”

The blonde’s eyes narrowed. “Leonardo bites.”

As if on cue, the dog growled and showed me his gums. But that wasallhe seemed to have in his mouth. I pointed. “Does that thing even have teeth?”

The woman scowled. “Shut up. He has a few, and periodontal disease is prevalent in chihuahuas. What do you want from me, and why are you wearing only a towel?”

“Uhh… Because I just showered. And what I want is a good damn night’s sleep, for starters. What the hell are you doing here? I rented this place.”

“Yourented this place? I don’t think so.Irented this cabin.”

All of a sudden, the bone beneath my eye started to throb. I reached up and felt the top of my right cheek. “What the hell did you hit me with?”

She dropped the glasses on the bed and flexed her hand open and shut. It looked as red and swollen as my face felt. “Oww. My knuckles really hurt.”

What the fuck is going on here?“You must be in the wrong cabin, lady. How did you get in?”

---