Page 13 of Awakening the Wild
"It's about technique, not strength." I moved behind her, my chest against her back, my arms coming around her to cover her hands on the axe handle. "Feet shoulder-width apart. Balanced."
She was so small in my arms, so soft and warm. The top of her head barely reached my chin, and when she leaned back slightly, she fit against me like she'd been made for this exactspot. Her ass pressed against my groin, and it took every ounce of control I had not to grind against her.
"Like this?" she asked, adjusting her grip. The movement made her wiggle against me, and I bit back a groan.
"Perfect." My voice came out rougher than intended. "Now, let gravity do the work. Guide the blade, don't force it."
I guided her arms through the motion several times—up, down, follow through. Every movement pressed her closer against me, every adjustment had her body rubbing against mine. My cock was hardening rapidly, and she had to feel it pressing against her.
She had to know what she was doing to me.
"I think I've got it," she said breathlessly.
"Try it solo." I forced myself to step back before I did something that couldn't be undone.
She lifted the axe, followed through with the motion I'd taught her, and split the log clean in half.
"I did it!" She spun around, face bright with triumph, and before I could react, she threw her arms around me.
The hug was spontaneous, grateful, completely innocent. But with her pressed against me, her soft curves fitting perfectly against my hard angles, innocent was the last thing on my mind.
"Kevin," she whispered, looking up at me with those hazel eyes that seemed to see straight through to my soul.
I should have stepped back. Should have put distance between us before this went somewhere we couldn't come back from. Instead, my hands settled on her waist, spanning almost completely around her narrow middle. My thumbs brushed against the bare skin where her sweater had ridden up, and she shivered.
So soft. So fucking perfect.
"Tonya..." I said her name like a prayer, like a claim.
She went up on her toes, her face tilting toward mine, lips slightly parted. For a heartbeat I thought she was going to kiss me. Thought I was going to let her, thought I was going to take her mouth and claim it as thoroughly as I wanted to claim the rest of her.
The sound of engines grinding up my access road shattered the moment.
We sprang apart just as three machines crested the hill, carrying my foster brothers. Neil was on his massive Polaris, Sam on his modified dirt bike, and Shane bringing up the rear on his medical response quad.
Perfect fucking timing.
TONYA
The three men who climbed off their vehicles looked like they'd stepped out of an adventure magazine. Tall, broad-shouldered, moving with the easy confidence that came from living in the wilderness. They were clearly Kevin's family in every way that mattered. The had the same watchful eyes, the same way of moving like apex predators in their natural habitat. The same way of looking at me like they weren't sure what to make of the city girl in their brother's territory.
"Boys," Kevin said, and I could hear the resigned affection in his voice. His hand settled possessively on my lower back, warm and claiming. "Meet Tonya Lorenzo. Mary's granddaughter."
The tallest one—a redhead who had to be at least six-foot-six—stepped forward first. "Neil Parker," he said, offering me a hand that engulfed mine completely. "Sorry about your grandmother. She made the best maple cookies on the mountain."
"Thank you." I said, guilt twisting in my stomach. 'I wish I'd known her better. I didn't even know she was sick. My ex-fiancé had been intercepting her letters. I only found out about the inheritance after I left him."
“He sounds like a real piece of shit,” Neil said.
I nodded. “He is.”
But I didn’t want to talk about Michael. "Kevin told me you all chose this place together."
"Different properties, same mountain," said the blond one who looked like he'd just finished climbing something dangerous. He held out a hand for me to shake. "Sam Edwards. I run wilderness guide services from Eagle's Peak."
The dark-haired one with intense silver eyes introduced himself as Shane Wolfe. He carried himself like former military, and I noticed the medical kit strapped to his ATV.
"We hadn’t heard from you in a few days," Neil said to Kevin, but his eyes kept flicking to me with curiosity. "That storm ripped up a bunch of things."
