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High Voltage: Chapter 2
For a moment, Serena couldn't think straight. Her mouth gaped open and her mind went blank. It took an absurd amount of time for her brain to start functioning again.
What was going on here?
Where the hell had the dog gone? And where the hell had this man come from? Had he been in the back of her truck all this time?
"No,” she whispered. She would have known. She would have seen him.
Wouldn't she?
Shaking her head, she tried to rationalize that it had been pitch black outside when she'd helped the dog into the bed of the truck. The man could have sought refuge there when she was in town. Right?
Panic welled inside her. Again, she couldn't agree with what her reasonable mind was trying to tell her. She would have known he was there. She would have sensed his presence. Heard him. At the very least, the dog would have known he was there and that would have alerted her.
A bit freak out, she moved away from the truck and stalked over to the washer and dryer in the far corner. She flung open the cupboard above the washer and retrieved a towel and a thick blanket. She then returned to the bed, setting the dry covers on the tailgate. The man didn't stir. He was curled in the fetal position, his arms wrapped around his wide chest. His eyes were closed.
The way her heart pounded so erratically in her chest made her wary to wake him. She wasn't exactly in the mood for a confrontation.
Glancing around the carport, she located the long metal handle that belonged to the tire jack she'd left behind when she'd cleaned out the bed of the pickup so she—with Pete's help—could bring home an armoire she'd bought in town last week. She gripped the rod tightly in one hand. Just in case. Unfortunately, her arm shook violently from the chill that had set in. Yet adrenaline kept her moving.
With tentative steps, she returned to the back of the truck. Using the long piece of metal in her hand, she gently prodded the man who still lay there, completely oblivious to his surroundings.
He didn't budge. It occurred to Serena that perhaps he was dead.
"Fuck,” she muttered. “That's just what I need. A dead guy in the back of my truck and one of Pete's dogs on the loose, injured.” She lifted her eyes heavenward—except that her gaze didn't make it any further than the white, clapboard-covered roof. “Why me, God? I mean, seriously? Every time I turn around, it's something new."
She shook her head. Bizarre occurrences seemed to find her wherever she went.
Returning her attention to the still unmoving figure, she poked his forearm with a little more force. “Come on, free ride's ov
er. Time to be on your way, pal."
One more jab of the jack handle and she jumped backward. The man didn't just stir or rouse from sleep. He sat bolt upright and glared at her. His long, powerful legs swung over the tailgate and he jumped to his feet in one quick, fluid, incredibly graceful movement.
Serena's heart slammed against her chest. He gazed at her with such intensity it nearly knocked her on her ass. As it was, she took another step backward. His eyes elicited a physical reaction—she could feel his steely gaze deep inside her.
Standing in the rain now, because she'd inched her way from under the protective covering of the carport, she clutched the rod with both hands and raised it toward his heart. “Don't try anything funny. I'm not afraid to use this thing."
His dark brows knitted together for a brief moment, before one crooked upward. His vibrant green eyes, which were really quite mesmerizing, seemed to glow in the dark. When one corner of his mouth quirked up, she knew he found her amusing. Not a threat, as she'd hoped.
No, he thought her little act of bravery was ... comical.
Bastard.
"Don't make any sudden moves,” she said, forcing some authority and firmness into her otherwise quaking voice.
He held up his hands in a placating manner. As though in surrender.
And that's when she got the full effect of him. Her eyes shifted from his black-as-night hair and devilishly handsome face to his thick neck, his broad shoulders, his wide chest. Water streamed down his perfectly sculpted body. Unable to stop herself, Serena let her gaze sweep lower, following the droplets to the ridges of his abdomen. Lower still to his lean hips and...
Before the sight of male flesh and glorious muscles overwhelmed her mental faculties, her brain shifted into high gear and her tour of his body came to a screeching halt. Just as she was getting to the really good part.
Her eyes snapped back up to his face, seemingly of their own volition.
Serena let out a long-suffering sigh.
