15. Eva

The illuminated numbers on the clock next to my bed told me it was after 3 AM. Outside, the wind howled and thick snow lashed the window. The forecast storm had started mid-afternoon and would last a couple of days, at the very least.

We were perfectly safe up here, Cole had reassured me, but it didn't stop me worrying about stupid shit like what would happen if a tree fell on the cabin? Or the generator broke, leaving us with no power?

I was a natural born worrier. Mostly because in my experience, if something could go wrong, it usually did. But whatever, I couldn't sleep and tossing and turning in my bed was getting me nowhere. All that did was invite unwelcome thoughts in.

Thoughts that made me hot and uncomfortable.

With a sigh, I dragged myself out of bed and pulled on a thick shirt over the tee I wore. The clothing situation was getting out of hand. I couldn't keep wearing the guys' castoffs, but the one outfit that actually fit me was still wet after I slipped into a snowdrift while fetching some kindling for the fire.

Silas had laughed his ass off, but pulled me out.

It wasn't a problem I could solve, however. Amazon Prime didn't deliver out here, and the town in the valley was inaccessible by truck. There was no way I was walking through the forest just to buy a pair of jeans. Not that I had any money.

Ugh.

I slipped out of my bedroom and into the living room. My plan was to pick a book and then read for a bit. Maybe then my brain would switch off and I'd get some sleep. Only my plan instantly derailed when I walked in and found Tanner lying on the sofa, staring into the fire, a glass in his hand.

The glow from fire barely cut through the shadows, but he saw me anyway. He looked up and, for once, there were no snarky comments. But I didn't miss the way his eyes lingered on my bare legs.

God, he was so…magnetic.

My gaze skimmed over him. He wore a pair of shorts and nothing else. All that inked skin on display had me dry-mouthed and uncomfortably hot. Again.

It was too much. I wasn't used to being around hot guys. Brent was good looking for an older guy, but not on this level. These men were something else. Each one of them could have been a model. They were all ripped, unreasonably attractive, and in Tanner's case, had toxic masculinity down to a fine art.

Not engaging was the best policy.

If I ignored him, he'd likely ignore me. That had worked well for us both so far. So instead of asking him why he was up at this time of the morning, I walked over to the bookcase and examined the selection of novels on offer.

I ran my fingers down the spines, not even seeing the titles, and not just because it was dark. All of my attention was on the man behind me, draped over the sofa like a dangerous predator. One wrong move and he'd eat me up.

He should have scared me, but my blood was thrumming with excitement, my heart rate elevated. Would he pounce? It was insane - and completely out of character - but I wanted to find out.

"You won't find any sweet romances on there." His voice was low and smooth, like a fine whiskey distilled in oak barrels.

"What makes you think I need a sweet romance?"

He snorted with amusement. "Because, baby, you jump a mile at the slightest noise and I bet you're never been fucked so hard you see stars."

My cheeks flushed crimson, and I was immensely grateful for the poor light. He was right about the fucking. I'd never had sex at all, or even kissed anyone.

I had no clue what sex was supposed to be like. I'd heard girls at school talking about it in breathless voices. Some seemed to love it; others weren't quite so enthused.

The whole idea of having sex scared me. Brent had hinted often enough that once I turned 18, he had plans for me. Plans that made him grin. But because I ran, those plans never came to fruition.

My fingers shook as I pulled a book from the shelf. I had no clue what it was. It could have been an engineering textbook for all I knew. It didn't matter. I just wanted to get out of here, away from that asshole.

But before I could flee, he moved at lightning speed. His tatted, stupidly muscular arms caged me in, and he towered over me, all that delicious skin just a hair's breadth from my heaving chest. I regretted wearing so little. My nipples were hard as diamonds and the heat of him was making me sweat.

I wanted to scream at him to let me go, but my mouth was so dry I could barely swallow, let alone speak. Was I having a heart attack? It felt like it. Yet he didn't frighten me. Not like Brent did. I was more afraid of the way he made me feel.

Out of control, on the edge of something I hadn't felt before.

My legs trembled and the heavy pulse between my thighs grew louder. Tanner traced a line down my jaw and neck until he reached a small patch of exposed skin just above my collarbone.

"What are you doing to me, little human?" The words were so soft, I had to strain my ears to hear him. It felt like he was talking to himself rather than to me. Human? We were both human. What did he mean?

"I need… I…" I needed to get away from him, but the words wouldn't come.

"What do you need?"

I made the mistake of tilting my head back so I could see his face. His eyes glowed. Weird, yet strangely hypnotic.

"I need to go to bed." The tension between us was thick and unstable. I shivered.

"Are you sure?" His hand drifted lower, brushing over my hard, aching nipple. I whimpered, desperate for more, yet hating that he made me feel this way. Why was I so attracted to this asshole?

He wasn't nice or kind. He obviously didn't want me here, so what kind of sick game was he playing?

"Yes!" I pushed against his chest, but he was like a fucking brick wall and instead of stepping away, he just pressed closer. Close enough that I could feel the hard ridge of his cock throbbing against my lower belly.

Oh god, was he going to…?

"Your words say ‘let go', but your body is telling a different story, baby."

He inhaled deeply, and I flushed. Could he smell me somehow?

The fact he was so obviously aroused should have terrified me, but I wanted him to…touch me. Just like before, when he found me in the kitchen.

I was sick. Nothing about the way Tanner had me pinned up against the wall was sweet or even consensual. But although he wasn't letting me go, he also wasn't pushing this any further. He wanted me, yes, and he could have forced himself on me, but he hadn't.

So far.

Something settled in my chest. My hands rested on his chest, so rather than continuing to push him away, I explored a little. He sucked in a sharp breath when I brushed my fingers lower, tracing the hard planes of his abs.

His skin was so smooth and taut, his muscles so hard. He shuddered at my inexperienced touch and in the space of a heartbeat, I went from feeling powerless to powerful.

Having power over him was addicting. Power was something I'd not had before. But the second I brushed the waistband of his shorts, he grabbed my wrist and pushed back.

"Be careful what you wish for, little human."

His lips briefly touched my neck as he inhaled my scent. Then, before I could respond, he was gone, leaving me confused and craving more.

A lot more.