Chapter 5

Chapter

Five

“ Y ou’re going to poke my eye out with that thing.”

As far as lame statements go, that one was pretty high up there. Still, it’s a massive dong and it’s extending the same way his arm is and it’s only about half the length. Like this dude isn’t just big and beefy, he’s sporting some big beef.

Ok, even I cringed at that one. It’s a coping mechanism, ok?

“I’m sorry. I am unable to tuck it away in this form. Please let me help you up.” His voice still holds that same nearly-grumpy tone, but he also seems sincere.

I thrust my hand out to grasp his and inadvertently slap the head of his penis. He yelps. I yelp. He jumps back. We both stare down at my hand like it’s a traitorous bastard.

I lower my head to hide my embarrassment. “I’m so sorry.”

Thankfully, this guy seems oddly determined to help me. He moves close and extends his hand out again. “It’s fine,” he says between gritted teeth.

I manage to clasp his hand this time without incident and he hauls me up as if I weigh nothing. The quick change in elevation has me swaying slightly and when I try to put pressure on my bad leg, it buckles. My stranger has some quick reflexes though and almost instantly swoops me off my feet and into his arms.

As it seems to be doing quite a bit with this guy, my mouth opens and words spew forth. “What is your name and why are you naked?”

He huffs before gently setting me down again, only this time, his arm stays around my waist to keep me steady. “Matias Agua and I am naked because I don’t have clothes on.”

Shuffling and a grunt pulls my attention away from my naked stranger, only to find… another naked stranger.

What in the fuckery is going on here? Is there some weird nudist colony I stumbled into?

“Don’t let Mat’s gruff exterior get you. Inside, he is really… Wow. I’m sorry Mat, you’re kind of an asshole all around. But he’s my brother from another mother so I keep him around for comedic relief.”

Where Mat is ruggedly handsome and stern, this guy has all the soft sweetness to his features that makes a girl swoon. His short shaggy brown hairs beg for my touch. He’s got a soft build that lacks the definition and six-pack of Mat, but when he moves you can see the muscles flexing. His soft honey eyes pull you in and that one dimple on his right side just makes you melt.

“I’m Ren, or Lorenzo Rivera, after my father. But I definitely prefer Ren.”

Everything goes silent and my brain catches up to the fact that I still haven’t told them my name.

“Tiffany Adler. I have clothes on.” Ok, so clearly it’s been a bit longer than I realized since I have seen a man naked because my brain is short-circuiting.

Thankfully, Ren laughs.

“Yeah,” Ren scrubs his hand up the back of his head, messing up more of his unruly hair. “I guess you could say we hadn’t really planned on being out here.”

My head throbs and I scrunch my eyes at him. None of this makes any sense at all. Why would they be out in the forest with no clothes and…

Ren shifts slightly and I notice that one part of him is covered. His right leg is completely covered by a bandage. A bandage that looks oddly familiar. When I look behind Ren, I confirm that neither the capybara nor the alligator are there anymore. But then, what does that mean?

“You’re right, Mat. She is smart. I can see the answer right there on the tip of her tongue.” My gaze moves back to Mat’s face, before swinging to Ren again. Back and forth. Back and… oh man, I am getting dizzy.

However, I’m not sure if the dizziness is due to the rapid repetitive movement, the probable concussion, or the absolute wackadoodle thoughts that are running through my brain.

“This is ridiculous. I am the alligator. He is the capybara. What is so hard to understand about that?” The moment the words leave Mat’s mouth, I erupt into a fit of laughter. There is no fucking way he actually means that. Right?

How can he be the alligator? He’s a very naked man, but still a man. No scales or?—

When the sunlight shifts across Mat’s face, his dark emerald green eyes sparkle. It’s the same color that the alligator’s eyes shown in the sunlight. But that doesn’t mean. It can’t.

I live in the real world. Where photography feeds my damaged soul and bastards who shoot up schools get away with it. Where my leg is barely functional and strange men do not shift into animals. Where life is… missing something.

Ren hobbles closer and when he reaches my other side, I am able to see the logo for the preserve on his bandage.

“What did you do to your leg anyway?”

Ren smiles and the dimple becomes even more prominent. “See Mat? She’s already accepted the truth even if she doesn’t know it yet.” He adds a saucy wink before he continues, “I found a poacher trap the hard way.”

My brain snags on to the word poacher and he has my full attention. Mat seems to sense my question before I ask. “I disposed of the device so that it did not injure anyone else. I also took care of the poacher that was waiting. Or… my alligator did.”

I nod my head, but the only thing playing through my mind right now is a memory of an animal documentary I watched once, where an alligator swallowed a deer whole. My concussed brain swaps the deer for a human poacher and the sight makes me laugh.

Talk about a choking hazard.

And no, this time I wasn’t staring at their dicks. Mostly.

My thoughts cause me to laugh a little harder and both men simply look at me like I am crazy.

Going insane was not something I had actually planned for today, but here we are.