Page 16 of Wild in the Woods
He’d made sure that his mother didn’t have her face all over those social sites and thankfully she wasn’t the kind to want to anyway. He’d gotten so accustomed to him, Ryker, and her living a private life that it felt intrusive, and if he was being honest, scary that anyone could watch them from whatever information they posted online. Sure, he could do privacy settings and all that, but it was just safer to keep their private lives offline.
Dad knows where you live, dumbass.
The thought immediately sparked a bad mood. Yes, his bastard father knew his ex-wife and sons still lived in Estes Park. They were protected by the pack and his father wouldn’t be able to step foot in pack territory without being detected and ripped to shreds after what he’d done.
Still, Fox wasn’t about to spoon feed him anything.
Suddenly very disgusted with himself for snooping at Lulu’s public photographs, he was about to close the laptop when something caught his attention.
It was an image of Lulu in a strapless, glittery gold gown that hugged her curves and fell to her mid-thigh. Her hair was piled high on her head and long, dangly earrings touched the tops of her shoulders. She was beaming, gorgeous. Next to her, a tall, sophisticated looking man with a carefully manicured goatee and slicked back hair had his arm possessively around Lulu's waist. Their body language screamed intimate couple. He checked the date on the post. Six months ago.
A strange emotion lumped in the base of his throat. His face heated and his fingers flexed into fists. Was that jealousy?
Slamming the laptop closed, he slid it onto the bedside table and ran his hands through his hair. Well, that had been a waste of his time. She was a former beauty and fashion vlogger with a shit ton of followers and sponsorships who had ditched that endeavor to work as a junior reporter for a men’s magazine. Why? She’d built something that people clearly loved.
What had caused her to give it up?
Osprey suddenly jumped off the bed, shook herself, and stared pointedly at him.
Ah, yes, breakfast time. She did this every morning. Jump down, shake aggressively until he woke up, paw the bed and whine if he didn’t wake up fast enough. Stare him down until her food dish was full.
Scratching her head, Fox slipped out of bed and went through the motions. Feed the dog. Start the coffee pot. Check the local news on his phone. Once the coffee was done, he took a steaming mug onto the front porch and sat in his sagging rocking chair just as the sun was coming up. This was his favorite part of the day. Once the sun had fully blossomed in the sky, he drained his mug and went in for a shower.
A text chimed on his phone from his mother.
Thanks for the tuition money, sweetheart. I’ll pay you back as soon as I get my first official job.
You’re welcome. No paying me back. We talked about this.
I’m nervous.
He smiled warmly.You’ve got this. It’s your time now. You’ll be great.
Setting his phone down, he got in the shower and was just finishing up when a shift in the air grabbed his attention.
Osprey went ballistic. She didn’t bark a lot, not even at the frequent wildlife in their yard, which was a constant occurrence considering his A-frame cabin was surrounded by forest. The tone of her bark was different. She sounded excited.
Wrapping a towel around his hips, Fox stepped out into the living room and the scent hit him like a fist square in the face. His pulse picked up, his abs clenched and the bear inside him immediately stirred to life.
Shit.
"Easy, girl. It's okay."
Osprey pawed at the door. Grabbing her collar, he looked out the window just as Lulu knocked.
He had one hand on the towel, the other on the dog. Releasing Osprey, he opened the door and ordered the dog to stay. She didn’t. Her sleek body weaseled through the opening, and she burst onto the deck.
Lulu's eyes widened; her fist paused in midair as if she was about to knock again. She raked him from head to toe with a surprised gaze and settled on the towel. Glancing down, he realized he’d loosened his grip and the fabric had fallen very low.
Very. Low.
“Shit!”
He pulled it up.
Lulu watched as if transfixed. "That’s a… that’s a nice towel.”
“Osprey, come here.” He opened the door wider and gestured to the dog to get inside.
