Chapter One

Jo

My sister Siren balances in downward dog as a baby goat hoofs over her calves and up onto her back. She squeals in disgust. "Don't let that thing shit on me, Jo!"

A baby goat named Rascal does, in fact, climb up on top of Siren and leave her a gift.

"It's just a little poo. You're fine." I grab the broom from the corner and sweep up the mess before the timer goes off and goat yoga dismisses for the night.

Siren stands and flips her red hair back and away from her face. "Okay. I love you, but I'm not coming back to this."

I grin and wave to folks as they leave the little faux barnyard I've created in the empty warehouse space I rented out early this year. The floors are matted with soft material that keeps the goats safe, while also providing a gentle environment for humans to stretch out on.

It's also easy to clean, which is clearly a priority.

There's still so much I want to do with this place. Goat yoga, puppy yoga, cat yoga. Animals are good for stress, and at the end of the day, that's what yoga promotes.

"You're a diva." I grin toward my sister. "No one else is complaining about my cute little friends." I lift up my favorite little goat. Her name is Petunia. I never knew goats could be so affectionate, but they're a lot like dogs. Some of them love snuggles while others prefer to be on their own. Petunia loves snuggles.

Siren reaches out and scratches her between the ears with two fingers, as though she's not really into it. "Whatever. You're so cute, just like a dog." Her tone is sarcastic. I should've expected as much.

"I thought you loved animals?"

"No, I love cats . They clean themselves, they use a litter box, they're smart, and they hate people almost as much as I do."

I roll my eyes at my sister, whose straightforwardness can't be hidden, though I appreciate the effort. "How's school going?"

She drags in a deep breath. "I think I'm failing Chemistry, so there's that."

"You tell Dad yet?"

"Umm… do I want to listen to a lecture all weekend? Not in a million years. Besides, he's still all depressed about Mom's wedding. My life failures will only make things worse." She steps over a pile of goat droppings and walks toward the door. "I have some time to get my grade up, so… we'll see."

School has never been my sister's thing. She's the entrepreneurial type. The kind that would've been better off working her way up somewhere or temping for some rich guy who'd she'd eventually marry for his money.

"If studying doesn't work," she laughs, "there are always blowjobs."

"God!" I bite back a smile. "Why do I think that's an actual option for you?"

"Because it is." She flips her dark red hair back away from her face. I've always been jealous of the way she looks. While I got the dirty blonde hair and the brown eyes, she got bright red locks and these big blue eyes that everyone compliments. I swear, they're the actual color of the sky. She's a knockout, and she knows it.

It's how she got her nickname, Siren. Everywhere we went, people would notice her like she had a siren on top of her head. That, and the red hair thing.

"Look, I can't spend another year at that college, so if blowjobs are what gets me out of it, I guess I'll have to buck up." She laughs as though she's kidding, but I'm not sure.

The room has cleared out for the night, but one man walks toward the door instead of away. He wasn't in my class today. I'd have remembered him. This man is a giant, inked up, flannel wearing biker. I know for sure I didn't have any of those. If I had, I'd have kept the class going an extra hour or more.

His brows wrinkle downward as he looks toward my sister. Of course, he notices my sister. "Siren?"

And, of course, they know each other.

She glances up at the man and grins before tipping up onto her toes for a hug. "Ox! Fuck! It's you. How long has it been?"

"A while." The man glances toward me, then back toward the only girl that matters. "How ya been?"

"Good. Busy. School shit, you know? Life is stupid. What about you?"

"Started a security firm. Here for my first job, actually." He glances toward me again. "Are you Jo?"

"Wait, do you two know each other?" My sister looks back and forth between the two of us.

"No," the man says, holding out his massive hand. "I'm Ox. You called about a stalker?"

I suck in air quickly, knowing my sister is going to explode. Shouldn't there be some kind of confidentiality thing with a security company? Surely everyone doesn't need their business spread all over the place.

"Yes." I sink into his hand, noting the roughness, and my thighs ache a little when we touch. Why? "How do you and Siren know each other?"

She smiles ear to ear. "We dated a year or so ago. You were out in Arizona. Ox couldn't handle me."

"Most people can't handle you." I smile, though I'm not sure I'm kidding. Suddenly, I'm jealous that Siren had her hands all over this super-hot guy. I'm sure that's making me petty.

Thankfully, Siren takes everything in stride. It's probably a bonus of her extreme confidence. "You're probably right," she laughs. "So, what's this about a stalker?"

"I'll call you tonight and tell you everything. I don't want to waste anymore of this man's time."

She glances down at her watch. "Ugh. If I didn't have to get back for dinner with Dad, I'd make up an excuse to stay." Her long hair moves with her as she turns to hug the giant again. "It was good seeing you. We should catch up. I'm only here for the weekend."

Ox nods and my sister turns back toward me with a stern look. "Immediately after this, call me."

"As long as you don't tell Dad about the stalker thing."

She rolls her eyes. "I'm telling everyone."

"Sorry about that. I shouldn't have mentioned the reason for my visit." The man's tone is deep and raspy.

"No worries," I lie, sweeping up the last little bits from the class. I've kept most of the mess under control, but it's still dirty enough that I wouldn't want to have a conversation in the middle of it. Besides that, I need to get the animals into the enclosure at the back of the room. I house the goats here until Maddox comes to pick them up. He has his own key.

"Sorry. This'll just take a second. If I don't get these goats contained, I can't concentrate." I should've done this with my sister, but I wasn't expecting the consultation for ten more minutes.

I open the gate and whistle, tossing treats inside, but no one moves. Well, Petunia does, because Petunia loves me. Everyone else stays sat outside the gate pretending I don't exist. I glance up at the giant. "Sorry. This'll only take a second." That's another lie. This takes forever. I wonder if he can tell if people are lying.

The second I start walking toward Peach, Petunia runs out the gate, and when Petunia runs out, Peach and Rascal run in circles with her. They're all going to the bathroom again.

If this were Chemistry class, I'd be getting an F too.

The man whom I've hired to help me with something completely unrelated to this, steps forward. "Can I help?"

I pinch my lips together and stare at him. I don't want to accept his help. I want to do this on my own, but clearly, I've lost control. "Yeah, I mean… they're a little wild. So… good luck."

He grabs a handful of oats from the bucket beside the pen and stretches out his giant hand to show Peach what he has. He then stands tall and leads them all toward the enclosure at the back of the room. The goats follow in line, one by one, marching toward their enclosure.

Ox drops the food in the bucket and closes the door with a satisfied look on his face.

My shoulders relax. "Okay, how'd you do that?"

"Peach is their leader. You can tell because they all follow her. You show her the food, she goes for it, and the rest follow her. I grew up on a farm."

I nod and stare at the beautiful, magical man before me. "I'll try that. Thank you. You made it look easy."

"It will be for you too, now that you know what you're doing."

I laugh. "I doubt it. I love animals, but they've never really listened to me."

"You've got to command more. Stand tall, project your voice, be confident. They'll listen." Everything this guy says is firm and straightforward. When he speaks, there's so much conviction that it's like he's reading life's directions from a handbook that only he got.

It's a little intimidating.

Without a word, he starts sweeping up the mess the goats have made.

"No, I can get it. That's not your job."

"It's not, but I'm doing it." He dumps the pan into the trash can and leans against the wall of windows. "So, tell me about this stalker."

Okay, I'm not sure what just happened. We were cleaning up goat shit, and now we're talking about my stalker? Maybe I should've planned this for another time.

"You have like a notepad or something? I have a lot of information."

"Photographic memory," he states, staring toward me.

I nod and chew the inside of my cheek. "Okay, well, I guess it started a little over a month ago. I noticed this guy… tall, tattoos, always wearing black… and he was following me."

The man nods. "Everywhere?"

"I mean, yeah. I noticed him here, in the parking lot when I leave, and most recently at home. That's when I called for help. It seemed like a coincidence… before I saw him at my home."

The man tenses and stands straighter, his eyes intent with mine. They're blue, maybe bluer than Siren's. "You saw him at home? What's your address?"

My mom always said if someone makes you uneasy, you shouldn't feel obligated to continue a conversation. That doesn't apply here, right? This man is supposed to be intimidating. It's his job.

"Thirteen-twelve Black Bear Road. It's out on the west side of the mountain."

"How many times have you seen him at your home?"

I shrug. "Three or four in the last two weeks. I called the cops twice, but every time they get there, he's gone. I think they think I'm insane."

The man nods toward me. "Are you comfortable with me staying with you?"

My eyes widen and I suck in the scent of hay. " Staying with me? Why would you stay with me?"

"To catch this asshole. See, I could stalk your house too, but if this guy is watching you, he'll know I'm there, and he won't show his face. If we leave out the back door tonight and I lie low in your back seat, we can sneak into the house, and maybe have a better chance of running this piece of shit down."

I tilt my head to the side. Siren dated this guy, but that doesn't mean he's cool. Siren dates a lot of losers. The only true testament I have is that my best friend Clementine married Ox's buddy, and I know they wouldn't recommend someone to me who wasn't safe to be around. But at the same time, I don't know about this. I've never lived with a man. I've barely talked to men. Even the gentlest of them makes me nervous. I don't want to be around this big, intimidating brute all day and night.

No. I want to go home, whip off my bra, eat ice cream out of the carton, and watch trash TV.

"Look, I know this is not ideal," Ox says, his tone deep and rasped. "Best-case scenario is that this guy shows up in the next couple of days and we nab him right away. And you don't have to worry about food. I come with my own."

My brows wrinkle as the hostess in me takes over. That's another thing my mom always taught me… to treat guests like family. For some reason, right now, that side of me comes out in full force. I might actually need therapy. "Oh my God! You don't need to bring your own food. I can cook for both of us. I have plenty. Besides, I love to cook, and no one is ever around. So…"

"That's not necessary. This is a job. I come with my own food and a sleeping bag."

Right. A job. I shake my head. This is a job, not an opportunity to showcase my eggplant parmesan. "Payment. How much will something like this cost me, and what are your credentials?"

He clears his throat. "I spent ten years in the Army. After my final tour, I went to work doing armed security for a few banks out in Arizona. After that, I wanted a change of pace, so I joined the Anti-Heroes MC of Rugged Mountain. We were hunting bounties in the area while I was with them. This would be the first security job I've taken since my work in Arizona. Typically, I charge around $200 an hour, but given that this is a dangerous situation, you're in a bind, and you're a friend of a friend, I'll do this free of charge, given you leave a good review."

"No. I can't let you do this for free. I need to pay you something."

"You pay with your review." He unfolds his massive arms and leans away from the window, striding toward the door. "Let's go." I try to study the tattoos that cover him, but he's too far away, and the room is far too dark.

"Like now?" My stomach turns.

He nods. "Yeah. You want this guy gone, right?"

"Well, yeah, but my house is a mess. I wasn't expecting company."

He doesn't reply. He just keeps heading toward the back door. And while I love the view of his giant frame moving through the warehouse, I can't help but wonder what the hell I've gotten myself into.