My heart twists in my chest, wrung by love lost and missed opportunities. A weary loneliness that has been with me my whole life—one that turned into a gnawing ache after Brad disappeared—rushes through me, begging me to run to him.
The rest of me is screaming in blind rage.
I can never forgive what you did to me, you asshole!
The silence stretches out between us, beginning to hum with tension like the strings of a violin right between jabs of the bow. I can feel that tension zinging in my veins, energizing me, but in spite of that, I can’t move.
Oh, God. Why does he have to be so pretty?
I can’t help myself as my eyes roam slowly across his body—broad, well-developed shoulders, bulky arms, and a wide chest. His waist tapers down to smooth, tight abs and V-shaped hip bones, framed right above his toned ass and muscular legs.
Can’t see his ass from this angle, but I remember it well enough…and I better not look at…
I snap my eyes back to his face, instantly stunned by his sharp cheekbones, strong jaw, and curved red lips. His pale blond hair is longer than I remember, brushing against his shoulders in a shimmer of bright gold.
“Alisha?” he asks, very softly.
His deep, resonant voice breaks through my paralysis, and I shake my head like I’m coming out of a dream.
“Brad,” I snap. “What the fuck are you doing here?”
“Me?” he shoots back. “I fucking live here. What are you doing here?”
I raise my eyebrows. “You live right here? In the middle of the fucking woods?”
“No,” he sighs, shaking his head. “In a town very close to here. It’s a werewolf town, supposed to be out of reach to humans unless they’re invited. How the hell did you get out here?”
“I was…ah, running.”
“A fun run?” he says. “A marathon? Come on, Alisha, you’re going to have to do better than that.”
I pick myself up, dusting my hands on my pants. “Am I not supposed to be here?” I ask, my tone even and just a bit challenging. “Do you have some sort of secret business out in the desert?”
His eyes widen, and he looks so shocked, he actually takes a step back. My curiosity shoots up a notch.
I struck a nerve!
He recovers quickly, stepping towards me again with a stern look on his face. I let my gaze linger too long on his eyes and his mouth, feeling a faint throb of desire inside as I let myself think about kissing him.
My body responds, and a faint ripple of heat tingles through me, reminding me of the amazing nights I shared with him, and how I came alive in a way I never had before. This man unlocked me as if he alone held the key to my desire, and in his arms, I did things I never thought I’d do.
And then you abandoned me, you fucking bastard!
“Alisha,” Brad says sternly. “I mean it, it’s not safe out here. You shouldn’t be wandering around alone in the woods—any woods—but this place is…volatile.”
“Oh, Jesus,” I mutter, folding my arms across my chest. “Could you be any more cryptic? Is this actual danger, or justyour way of saying I’m about to stumble over your wife and kids?”
He laughs softly. “Is that what you think of me?”
I scoff. “Well, clearly, you’re a player.”
Brad raises his face to mine, that intense blue gaze focused on my eyes. “I am not a player. I don’t fuck random women.”
I want to make a quip, but he looks so serious, so I hold back. Something about his tone makes me feel like he really isn’t joking, and maybe he had a good reason for leaving me.
I don’t fucking care. There is no excuse for what he did! How dare you stand there, alive and well, when for all I knew, you were dead in a fucking ditch somewhere!
“Look, I need you to get out of my way,” I say. “I have to get out of here. It’s been nice catching up, but—”
