Page 3 of The Beast of the Mountain
“Look, I have the listing right here.”
I pull out the printout from my purse and hand it over to him. His fingers brush mine as he grabs it, sending off a chain reaction in my body. Tingles radiate all over my body as air leaves my lungs. I clear my throat, blinking up at him as he glances at the paper.
A snort. A grunt. He hands it back to me and says, “Like I said, you were scammed.”
“How do you know?”
“That address is mine, but there are no cabins around that look like that. The only place to rent cabins is on the other side of the mountain. Aiden builds them but none like that. I’m sure someone grabbed a random address in the mountains and added some fake photos.”
It feels like the ground opened up beneath my feet as the realization sets in. It was too good to be true. So now I’m lost in the middle of nowhere with a Norse god.
So… not that bad? Maybe?
“You’re sure?”
He nods. “I am. I’m taking you back to my cabin. You can see the address for yourself.”
“You’re what?”
He takes a step forward and I take a step back as he smiles.
“I’m not sure why you’re confused. We’re not going anywhere in your car, and my truck’s back at my cabin. The only way we’ll be able to get you back to town and set up a tow is if you come with me.”
“Oh, right.”
My body relaxes after that, although a part of me kind of wanted him to whisk me off to his cabin and have his way with me.
Crazy.
“I’m Bear, by the way.”
“Bear?”
He nods. “Bear Adams.”
“Not related to Grizzly Adams by chance?”
“Who?”
I shake my head. “Never mind.”
“And what’s your name, city girl?”
“I might be a city girl, but I’m tough. Riley,” I add after a beat.
Bear’s eyes travel the length of me as he says, “Riley. I like that. It suits you.”
I don’t usually like men openly checking me out, but my body is craving Bear’s attention. And when he offers me his hand, I leap at the chance to touch him again. A brush of fingertips was not enough.
“Let’s get you home,” Bear says in a tone that makes me wonder if he’s talking about his cabin.
“Thanks,” I say, our hands finally dropping.
As we head back to my car, my body feels on edge. It feels like I’m balancing on a steep cliff, adrenaline shooting through my veins. It doesn’t abate when we reach my car.
“Take what you want. I’ll carry it for you.”
“You don’t need to,” I say, reaching for my suitcase. “I packed light.”
