Page 6 of The Beast of the Mountain
“That’s a dog?” Riley asks from a few feet behind me.
“He might look fierce, but he’s a big teddy bear,” Griff says, jogging toward us. “Bear, what are you doing so far away from your cabin?”
“You mean we’re not any closer?”
I turn around, pushing Squeak off me as I glance at Riley. I can’t help but laugh. “I might’ve taken a detour. Thought you might want to see the mountain. A little nature walk.”
Her eyes flare as she takes a few steps toward me. I swallow hard. I think I like my chances better with the mountain lion over a pissed-off Riley. But seeing her hot and flustered isstirring something inside me. I… I like it. The intense gaze she’s leveling at me. The stern voice. Jesus, I want more.
“That was not a nature walk,” she says, arms akimbo. “We were almosteatenby a mountain lion.”
Squeak flops onto his back, begging for belly rubs as Griff and I laugh.
She groans, turning around and walking a few feet away before returning. Riley opens her mouth about to lay into me but instead, she throws her arms into the air, huffs, and pushes past us, stalking down the path.
“She’s exaggerating a little,” I say to Griff, my eyes trained on Riley. “But there was a mountain lion. It was prowling just off the trail but left us alone.”
I stand up, nerves swelling as I see Riley disappearing in the distance. I’ll make it up to her. Hell, I’ll tell her the truth because I’ve got nothing to lose—except for her. I took the looping path through the forest because I wanted to spend more time with her. I didn’t want her to go. It’s that simple.
“I guess I’ll keep my eyes out,” Griff says. “Who is she by the way? Never seen her before.”
Possessiveness rips through me like a wildfire but I keep it a bay. Griff is no threat. He’s like me—sticks to himself and has no interest in love. He’s curious and there’s nothing more to it.
“Her car broke down. Says she’s renting a cabin.”
“Here? I know Aiden’s trying to set something like that up, but he’s still building the cabins.”
“She got scammed. Used my address and uploaded some fancy images. Took a wad of cash from her. Trying to get her back to town and get her a tow for her car.”
Griff looks at me, amused. “Taking your time to get back to your cabin.”
I smile. “Nature walk,” I say. “That’s it. Can’t blame a man for sharing his love for the mountains.”
Griff shakes his head, claps me on my shoulder, and then moves past me. “Not at all. Be careful,” he says. “Storm’s coming.”
I snort. “You too.”
Squeak bounds down the path after Griff, and when I see Riley disappear around a bend in the path, it looks like I need to do the same.
I’m going to do whatever it takes to make it up to her.
Chapter 3
Riley
“Sorry for takingthe long route, Riley, but can you blame a man?”
I snort and then take a deep breath to lay into him but I inhale a bug. Maybe three. I don’t know but I start coughing and gagging and trying to clear it or them from my body as Bear stares at me.
When I’m finally able to look at him again, eyes watering and nose running, he’s scratching his head. “Are you okay, Riley?” he asks, offering me my water bottle.
“I hate bugs.” It’s all I can manage as I snatch the water bottle and take a long drag. Just my luck. The first adventurous thing I attempt in my life and the universe repays me with a broken-down car, a surly mountain man dragging me in circles through the woods, and now, there’s probably a deadly insect laying eggs in my lungs.Grrrrrreat!
“Just take me to town. I’m not cut out for this.”
I’m hunched over, hands on my knees as I try to catch my breath when Bear places a hand on my back. If I was having trouble breathing before, I’m absolutely suffocating. The only good thing about this whole experience is Bear and the way he makes me feel each time he touches me. It’s crazy. My body hasnever reacted like this before and I don’t know what to make of it.
I don’t have time to think about it. I need to get to town and re-evaluate everything. I need to get my money back! That wasn’t a small chunk of change. Sure, I might fudge it as a business expense, but it’s still a month’s worth of rent out of my bank account… in addition to the month’s worth of rent from my actual apartment in the city.
