Chapter 2

two

?. . .?

Ryan

Damn, there's something about her.

Ava Dawson, the curvy, shy-but-not-really bookstore owner. She's different from the women I'm used to. No airs, no games. Just a girl who knows her books and has curves in all the right places.

My mind's in the gutter, but I can't help it. Last thing I need is to complicate my life, but the pull is there, like a magnetic force.

I refused to allow myself to go back to the bookstore today.

Still, I can't shake her from my thoughts.

I tell myself she's off-limits. I'm just passing through, and she deserves more than a fling.

But when my Jeep decides to cough its last on a deserted backroad, of course, she's the one to give me a lift.

Her car is a confined space, filled with the scent of books and sun-warmed leather. Her hair falls in a cascade of chestnut, and my fingers itch to unravel her braid.

We drive in silence, interrupted only by the soft purr of the engine and my own ragged breathing. The tension is thick, like the charged air before a storm.

I look over at her and my cock hardens in my pants.

Fuck, I've got it bad.

Ava

The car ride stretches out before us, an endless ribbon of road winding through the pines. I steal glances at Ryan from the corner of my eye, tracing the strong line of his jaw, the way his hands grip his thighs. Those hands...

"So, what brought you to Pine Hollow?" My voice shatters the silence, too loud in the confines of the car.

Ryan's eyes flick to mine, then back to the road. "Needed a change of scenery. Someplace quiet to clear my head."

I nod, sensing the weight behind his words. "The mountains have a way of doing that. Putting things in perspective."

"What about you?" he asks, genuine curiosity threading his tone. "Have you always lived here?"

"Born and raised." I smile, a bittersweet tug. "I left for college, but the mountains called me home. There's nowhere else I'd rather be."

His gaze lingers on my face, searching. "Must be nice, having roots like that. Knowing where you belong."

The wistfulness in his voice catches me off guard. I wonder what it would be like, to be untethered. Free to roam. The thought sends a shiver down my spine.

We lapse into silence, but it's different now. Charged. I'm acutely aware of every shift of his body, every breath. The heat of him seeps into my skin, settling deep in my bones.

Too soon, we're pulling up to his rental cabin. I put the car in park, my hands trembling slightly on the wheel. This is it. The end of the line.

Ryan makes no move to get out, his eyes locked on mine. The air between us crackles with unspoken words, unacknowledged desires. I'm drawn to him like a moth to a flame, reckless and inevitable.

"Ava..." His voice is low, rough. A caress and a question.

I swallow hard, my heart a wild thing in my chest. "Yes?"

His hand covers mine on the gearshift, calluses rasping against my skin. I suck in a sharp breath, every nerve ending sparking to life.

"Thank you. For the ride." His thumb strokes the delicate bones of my wrist, a whisper of a touch. "And the company."

I nod, not trusting my voice. He lingers a moment longer, his gaze searing into mine. A promise. A challenge. Then he's gone, the car door slamming shut behind him.

I watch him walk away, his broad shoulders disappearing into the gathering dusk. My body thrums with unspent energy, a livewire of longing.

What is it about this man that unravels me so completely? That leaves me aching and raw, desperate for more?

I close my eyes, resting my forehead against the steering wheel. I'm in trouble. Deep, delicious trouble.