Page 19 of Squatch Out!
Against my will—or at least my better judgment—I unzip the door of the unassuming green tent. It’s nothing fancy, just a basic dome tent. The kind you can buy just about anywhere.
Pulling back the mesh panel, I crouch down and stick my head inside. Everything is neat and tidy. Her sleeping bag is laid out on the left side, zipped up and resting on a blow-up sleeping pad. Her carry-on and a small electric lantern take up the other side, leaving a narrow space between the two.
Before I can stop myself, I crawl inside.
It’s far too small to stand up in, so I’m forced to stay crouched as I snoop like a freaking creep. My nose twitches as I make my way over to her bed. When I run my hand over the silky sleeping bag material, a low rumble rolls through my chest. At the top of the bed is a small pillow that I pick up and bring to my nose.
It’s saturated with her sweet scent. Peaches drizzled in honey and the flowery scent of her shampoo. My eyes slide closed, and I bury my face deeper into its softness as my pulse starts to pound in my dick.
I’m not sure how long I stay like this, but while I’m distracted, the sun sets, and darkness descends over the campground. But it’s the sound of voices that jolts me from my—whatever the fuck I’m doing.
Shit! What the hellamI doing?
I toss the pillow away from me and turn to flee the tent, but it’s too late. I can see the campers filing into their campsitethrough the mesh—which means there is no chance of sneaking out without being seen now.
Double shit!
Then I seeher. Olivia is walking beside the bearded man. My eyes narrow.Tony.
A jealous snarl makes it way past my clenched teeth at the easy smile she gives him as they talk quietly. I can’t look away as they come closer and closer. I can’t stop analyzing the comfortable way she acts with him. She isn’t trying to impress or flirt with him. Maybe they really are just friends.
When they reach the fire, they part ways. Tony heads toward his tent, and Olivia—my breath catches when she turns toward hers.Toward me.
I’m frozen. Completely taken by how beautiful she is. Her shoulder-length hair is tucked behind her ears, and she’s wearing a lightweight jacket instead of the soft hoodie she had on last night. Her cheeks are rosy from her hike and—then I remember where I am.
How the fuck am I going to get out of this mess? She’s almost to the tent, and I’m trapped with nowhere to hide.
Then my skin starts to itch, and the familiar tingle of my shift rolls over me—through me.
Oh no. No no no… this isn’t happening!
The shift is seamless, shredding my clothes as I try to curl my hairy seven-foot frame into the small space. Ducking down so I’m roughly the same shape as the dome tent I’m taking up space in.
On the other side of the nylon, Olivia pauses when she reaches the doorway, and her long fingers fall through the mesh I left open. “Huh, I swear I closed this,” she says quietly to herself before pushing through the opening and into the dark tent, where I blend well with the shadows.
She keeps her back to me and flips on the lantern. I blink against the sudden brightness, wondering how the hell she hasn’t noticed me yet. Biting down on my bottom lip, I watch as she shrugs out of her jacket. Today she’s wearing a pink t-shirt with a rhino that says,Save the Chubby Unicorns.
She turns around and freezes. Her brown eyes flare wide, and a soft gasp is the only sound that makes it past her lips before I lunge. Clamping my hand over her mouth, I swing her around so I can press her back against her soft bedding.
CHAPTER NINE
OLIVIA
Everything happens so fast.
One minute, I’m getting ready to have a little post-hike lie-down before dinner. The next, the tent is shaking as I’m swept off my feet and tossed onto my sleeping bag. Landing flat on my back, I blink up to find a monster hovering over my prone body. His shoulders are hunched so he doesn’t bust out of the ceiling, and when I suck in a sharp breath to scream, his giant palm wraps around the bottom half of my face, leaving room under my nose so I can breathe.
I’m helpless as I stare up at him in shock.
Melted chocolate-brown eyes framed with thick, dark lashes stare down at me. His face is both animal and distinctly humanoid, with his wide brow, flat nose, and thick lips. My mind is spinning as I take in the long strands of reddish-brown fur, streaked through with strands of everything from blond to sable.
I recognize him immediately as the bigfoot that carried me up to the cave and…left.
A hot blush creeps into my cheeks, remembering exactly what else he left in the cave. And that the hand covering mymouth is the same one he used to stroke himself. Suddenly, my cheeks aren’t the only part of me that’s getting hot.
Bigfoot's nostrils flare.
Oh, God! He can’t smell me, can he?I squeeze my eyes shut with embarrassment when another rush of heat coats my panties.
