Chapter 4

Scout

Imust be in heaven. Out of all possible explanations for how I went from being chased by a giant grizzly bear to sitting in a luxurious home, being tended to by the hottest guy in the universe, this seems as good as any.

Well, if this is the afterlife, it seems pretty great so far. I might as well lie back on this comfy sofa and enjoy it.

This room is unbelievable. It's like something out of the movies. Not that I've seen movies for a long, long time. And it has fish. A gianttropical tank fills an entire wall. I freaking love fish. I spot a bunch of brightly-colored species that I recognize, and a whole lot more that I don't. The tank is set up real prettily with beautiful aquatic plants and little rocks and houses for the fish to hide in.

The rest of the room is so elegant, but inviting at the same time—exactly how I'd design my dream house. The complete opposite of my dad's shabby chaos.

Apart from the huge sectional sofa that I'm currently sprawling on, there are two armchairs, all done out in a velvety gray fabric. There's an antique coffee table, a fluffy cream area rug, and a whole row of bookshelves fills the wall behind me.

Directly opposite the sofa is a picture window that looks out onto the dark forest. This is when I realize that I'm on a mezzanine level, and that the window actually continues down to a lower level. And if I'm not mistaken, there's a tinkling sound of water coming from there. If only my knee wasn't busted, I'd go take a look. I'm a sucker for any kind of water feature.

Instead, I lie back against the plush sofa cushions, lulled by the aquarium's soft blue glow. I stare dazedly at the fish as they meander around doing their fishy thing, and wait for my mysterious naked man to come back.

Funny, I asked the universe for a rugged mountain man to come along and ravish me, and here he is. But he's way hotter than I imagined, and he's ready for me.

And when I say ready… I'd never seen a man's cock until today, but I know what it means when it's sticking up like that—it wants inside of me. I was trying not to stare at it, but it's kind of unmissable. Long and as thick as a beer-can.

My pussy clenches. I wonder what it'll feel like when it happens. If it'll hurt. If it'll even fit inside me.

Well, I'm ready to try. Any time now.

All I can think about is how much I want him to take me. That big, muscly body arching over me. Those dark eyes staring into mine. I love the way he stares at me. Like he's fixated on me or something. Like he's falling…

No. That's ridiculous. I'm probably just the only female he's seen in a long, long time, and his body can't help responding to me. I'm okay with that. He can scratch his itch, and I can ditch my purity. Quid pro quo.

A door closes in the distance, and I hear the sound of his feet striding along the passageway. My heart gives a little jump.

Here he is. All six-foot-four of him. All wild dark hair; sexy scrubby beard, and those amazing, chiseled cheekbones.

But now he's wearing jeans.

My heart sinks a little.

His glorious, musclebound torso is still bare, thank goodness, but his cock is now caged behind faded blue denim.

"You didn't have to get dressed on my account," I blurt out.

Sheesh.What the hell is wrong with me? I never thought I'd talk to a man like that. I'm not that kind of girl, at all.

He mutters what sounds a lot like, "Trust me, I did," and something flares in his eyes. Something hot and feral. When they lock onto mine, I feel… caught.

Suddenly, I know what a prey animal feels like when it's fixed in the sights of a predator. A shiver runs right through me. A long, delicious one that ends in a little tingle between my thighs.

He strides over to me, brandishing a bunch of medical supplies. I drink in his magnificent physique, the way his muscles ripple as he moves. Looking at him makes my eyeballs happy.

He kneels beside me.

"Am I alive?" I murmur.

"What?" Those laser-beam irises fix onto mine.

"Oh, just wondered if I was still unconscious, or something."

A smile tugs at his lips. "You're very much alive, trust me." There's a little drag in his voice. A growl of yearning. Fuck, that's so sexy.

Then he turns his attention to my injuries and his thick eyebrows furrow.

"Shouldn't have let that happen," he snarls, like he's mad at himself.

"Oh, your ear's bleeding." He shoved his hair back from his face and now I can see that the tip is torn.

"It's nothing." He dumps some liquid on a cotton swab and presses it against my knee.

"Yeeoww!" I yelp.

He sucks in air, his breath ragged. "I'm sorry, honey. This is the last time I'll hurt you. Ever."

My breath catches. I'm not used to gentleness. And I'm sure not used to being called honey. I'm used to the brutalities of prepper life. I'm used to being called a wuss because I can't chop wood as fast as my brothers. But this mountain man, in the past few minutes has shown me more kindness than I've had in my whole life.

And those eyes are on mine again. Two huge, dark coals, surrounded by thick lashes and topped by a pair of heavy, slanting eyebrows. He's so darn handsome it's hard to look at him up close.

"I'm brave, really," I tell him.

"You've been brave long enough." He strokes my cheek with a callused fingertip. Darn, that feels good.

"How do you know?" I murmur.

"Just a feeling I get about you. A look in your eyes."

I swallow hard. "What kind of look?"

Instead of answering, he traces a line from my cheek, to my jaw, then he lifts his hand and strokes my hair. Every little touch draws trails of stardust with it. I bite back a moan.

"Who did this to you?"

I blink. "I-I fell. You know that?"

He shakes his head slowly. "I don't mean that. I mean, who's been starving your heart all these years?"

My mouth opens and closes again. I hadn't realized that's how I felt. But now he's saying it aloud, I know it's true. I've been feeling hungry for love and care for so long.

But if I talk about it now, all the defenses I've built up might start to crumble.

"I don't even know your name," I say instead.

There's a flicker of mischief in his ebony irises, like he knows what I'm doing. "Orion," he says.

"Orion." I repeat it, drawing it deep inside me. "I've never heard that name before."

"It's the name for the hunter constellation. My mom has always been interested in the stars."

From the softness in his expression, I sense he has a kind mom, and that gives me a warm feeling.

"It's Scout," I say.

"Scout." He smiles like I've handed him something precious.

I shrug. "Never been a big fan of it. Guess my dad was a fan of practical names. Everything's gotta be useful in his world."

"It's perfect," he replies. "A scout and a hunter." He continues. "Meant to be."

I stare at him, trying to grasp what he's saying. I mean, I understand his words, but they seem too huge for two people who've just met.

"Okay, done."

I look down. Somehow, he's also cleaned up both my knees, without me even noticing. "How did you do that?"

"Do what?"

"It didn't hurt."

"Good," he says, like he's not surprised. I watch while he carefully puts a band-aid on each knee.

He leans back and admires his handiwork.

"Thank you so much," I say.

"You're very welcome. Now, you must be hungry."

"Yeah, that rabbit was gonna be my dinner." I laugh. "But the bear beat me to it."

"I'm sure sorry about that."

"Wasn't your fault I got faced down by an apex predator."

He inhales slowly, his massive chest rising. "I felt bad for you though."

I frown. "You saw the whole thing happen?" My gaze drifts to the vast picture window. I wonder how far into the forest the view extends.

Then I remember my backpack. Everything I need for survival is in there. "I need to go get my backpack."

"I saw it. Don't worry, it's safe."

I push myself up to the edge of the sofa. "There's some jerky in there though. If the bear gets hold of it, it'll shred the whole thing."

"Scout, you're not going anywhere tonight."

I reel back. That's kinda bossy. And… uh… sexy.

His eyes are burning into mine again. "I'm taking care of you. This is all my territory."

"B-but the bear?—"

"No one touches my property," he growls.

Property? A flood of heat goes through me. Why do I get the feeling he's including me in that?

"Okay," I manage to say, acting like my pussy isn't throbbing right now.

He gives himself a shake. "I'll get dinner started, and while it's cooking, I'll go out and grab your pack."

"That would be amazing. Thank you, again."

"You don't need to thank me. That's the least I'd do for you, Scout."

I blink at him, unsure what to say. Maybe I could just kiss him instead? My gaze flickers to those full lips again.

He straightens up. "You relax and I'll go whip something up in the kitchen."

"Oh, can I come?" I say, not wanting to be separated from him. "Maybe I can chop veg or something?"

He grins. "You can come, but you're not doing anything."

I start to haul myself up into a standing position, but he's right there, reaching for me.

"Here."

When I slide my hands into his, something incredible happens. There's this intense tingling sensation inside me. I feel like he's drawing me into him. Like our souls are connecting. Like part of me has been missing all my life, and he's finally here.

"Whoa," I mutter as he helps me straighten up.

"Guess your knees are feeling stiff, huh?"

My knees are the last thing on my mind right now, but I nod.

"Need any help walking down the corridor?"

I go still. If I say yes, will he sweep me up in his massive arms again?