“Fuck!”

This was not going the way he planned.

He didn't know if he wanted her to like it here ornotlike it here. Her not liking it here would mean that she'd get her gorgeous ass out of here sooner versus later.

He knew that's how the story ended. She wasn't going to stick around. Not only was she a City Girl, but she loved to travel. He'd overheard enough of her conversations to know that she loved her job because she loved visiting new places. Hotel and resort management had been on her list of dream jobs, along with airline attendant.

She wanted to see the country.

He wanted to stay right the fuck here.

Even if he didn't know personally how it went when you tried to take a pretty City Girl and make her into a small-town girl, he knew he and Savannah were a bad match long-term. She was mouthy and sarcastic and always thought she was right and loved pushing buttons.

At least Kelsey had been sweet. She’d wanted roots. Family. She’d been wrong about where she wanted those roots to dig in, but she’d wanted to settle down.

Savannah didn’t.

The sun was going down, so he stepped out onto his front porch to watch the pinkish-orange glow fade into deep blue. Yes, he glanced in the direction of Savannah 's cabin. So what? It was his cabin, and it was good to make sure she hadn’t set the damn thing on fire or something.

Everything seemed intact.

He wondered if she was exfoliating or walking around naked yet.

Of course, those images and words wouldn’t leave him alone either. That was certainly part of the reason he couldn't stop thinking about her.

And he suspected she knew that.

It was one thing to be attracted to her, to realize he hadn’t put her in a shack overnight after all, but it was another for her to know that he wanted her in a way he hadn’t wanted a woman inverylong time. There was chemistry between them, there was no denying it. In fact, because of her sassiness, her self-confidence, her button-pushing, he had a feeling that taking her to bed would be a hell of a good time. He wouldn’t have to be sweet and romantic with her. He could be dirty. He could push her buttons right back. Hard.

Yeah, sooner or later, he and Miss Lee were going to need to scratch this itch, or it was just gonna keep getting worse.

He took a seat in one of the chairs he had on his porch and kicked his feet up onto the wooden railing, tipping his beer back.

As dusk settled, and the shadows lengthened, the frogs and crickets started singing louder. Fireflies started winking off in the distance, and he took a long deep breath.

It was still hot, and the air humid, but the nighttime brought a welcome coolness. He loved this time of evening when it felt like the whole area was quieting and settling in for the night. He could let his thoughts settle.

His job could be chaotic. He never knew what was going to happen when he got up and went to work each day. He could be rescuing tourists who got too far out on a boat they didn’t really know how to handle. He could be rescuing a hurt animal. He could be arresting someone who was illegally hunting or trapping. He could be ticketing someone for boat safety violations, fishing without a license, camping or hunting on private property, or building illegal campfires. He could be investigating a report of…well, all kinds of crazy shit.

He dealt with visitors and locals alike. He and his co-workers were outdoorsmen and women. They loved to hunt, fish, boat, and camp too. But they knew that they needed to protect the animals and the environment as well as all of the other peopleliving, working, and playing in the area to keep the outdoor activities safe for everyone and keep the balance between humans and nature.

He had just swallowed another long drink of beer and was feeling some tension leave his limbs when he heard the slap of a wooden door hitting a wooden frame and sat up straight.

He never heard noises like that. He lived out here alone, and the cabin that Savannah was staying in, while sometimes used for guests, and friends, sat empty most of the time.

All the other cabins in this area were too far away for him to hear a simple door open and shut.

Which could only mean that Savannah had left the cabin.

At dusk. When it was harder to see anything. When she’d get eaten alive by mosquitoes.

He sighed. He really should go check on her.

Maybe she was just sitting on the porch. That wasn't going to be a problem. She’d learn soon enough that there were things that wanted to bite that sweet body. Other than him.

He smiled. Here alone in the dark, where no one could read his face or body language, particularly the hardening of his cock behind his fly, he could be honest and say that he would very much like to bite that sweet body. And lick it, and kiss it, and suck on many parts of it.

A moment later, he heard a scuffing noise and then a crunching. That could only be footsteps. On the dirt path that ran along behind the cabins.