Page 17 of Rugged

As expected, I lost Lyssa’s scent quickly. She didn’t leave the main house much, then. My wolf didn’t likegetting that far from her, but she was safe in her bed, and I had my alpha’s orders.

As I continued, I found an empty barn. No horses or cattle inside. No fresh scent of humans or shifters. No one’s been in here in quite a while. I searched for hiding places–trap doors or secret basements–but found none. I tracked all around the large fenced property but didn’t catch any fresh scents. Beyond the fence was grazing land. I scented cattle on the wind, and estimated they were at least two hundred yards away. No structures lay beyond the grazing land.

All clear.

I ran back to the property and shifted back to human form. Sweaty and dirty, I couldn’t climb back in bed with Lyssa like this, so I slipped into the pool and dunked myself. I expected it to be cold, but being a billionaire meant heated water. In Montana. In late September.

I grabbed my phone and slipped back inside, grabbing a towel from the laundry room and drying off. Once done, I went off to search the place for clues to Chapman’s whereabouts.

I found his quarters following the scent of shifter. It was faded. He hadn’t been here in a while, as Lyssa had indicated. I picked the lock to his giant bedroom and went through his things. A billionaire’s wardrobe. Fancy cowboy boots that had never seen a speck of real dust. Nothing personal–no photographs or papers.

I found his office and started to pick the lock but found it open.

A neat stack of open mail was on the desk. I picked up the letter on top and sniffed it.

It smelled like Lyssa. This was part of her caretaker’s duties, then.

I investigated the office, looking for a safe or secret panel or whatever other weird shit billionaire villains incorporated into their work, but I found nothing.

Again, no personal photos or papers. Nothing to show the guy ever came to the property, really. It was like a show home. Probably a ten thousand acre tax write-off.

This property wasn’t where he did any of the shit he was accused of. As I texted Rob my findings, I heard Lyssa stirring in the bedroom.

Fuck! I silently dashed down the stairs and barreled toward Lyssa’s wing–

“Johnny?”

I shot into the kitchen, ditching my phone on top of the refrigerator before I opened it. “Oh hey, baby.” I made my voice slow and sleepy, even though my heart was pumping. “Are you hungry? I was just getting a glass of milk.”

“Oh, I thought you were sneaking out or something.”

I turned, carton of milk in hand and looped an arm around her waist. “No chance of that, baby. Flat tire, remember? Besides, if you haven’t noticed, I’m naked asthe day I was born.” I winked, and she smiled up at me, then leaned her head against my chest.

“This is crazy,” she mumbled. “You’re crazy.”

“Yep.” I kissed the top of her head, closed my eyes and breathed her in. “Crazy for you.”

10

EMMA

I woketo the pleasure of a man’s body curved around mine. I was in Montana, in a giant luxurious bed, spooning with a hot cowboy. Johnny had one arm draped protectively around me, and his length molded to my back.

This felt like a dream.

All of yesterday, from the moment Hot Cowboy showed up at my door, felt like a dream.

Like the moment I decided to say I was Lyssa and quit my job, I got lucky, too.

Somehow, things just magically fell into place for me. One minute, I was burning cookies, the next a gorgeous, attentive man stepped into the house and took care of allmy sexual needs. He took care of needs I didn’t even know I had. And boy, did I have them now.

Of course, all good things had to come to an end. He had to go back to the ranch where he worked. I had to stop pretending I was Lyssa and figure out the next steps for my life. I also had to pretend tobeLyssa long enough to climb from the bed, toss him his clothes, and wave him off when he drove away without a second thought. Did she really do this, have a wild and sexy romp with a guy, and with the rising sun, just… move on? Were her feelings for people so shallow? So light? I wasn’t sure I could be like that because I felt something for Johnny and more than insane pleasure.

He’d said he was crazy for me. I was crazy for him, too. And perhaps a touch just plain old crazy.

I sighed and shifted, my ass pressing back against him, and his cock instantly thickened against me. Oh my.

“Good morning, beautiful.”

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