Page 63 of Phoenix


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My little voice repeated it over and over again. There wasn’t a chance in hell that I could fall in love with a brutal savage like him. Certainly not within days. That was impossible.

But as the ache in my heart ballooned into a full dead weight, I started to feel suffocated. I needed space. I needed to go somewhere and let off a primal scream. When I moved to get out of the truck, he yanked me back with enough force the wind was knocked out of me. He shifted the truck into park. Then he gripped my chin, digging his fingers into my skin. “You’re going nowhere, lady. You hear me? Nowhere.”

“Why? Why does it matter?”

“Fuck, woman. You could drive a man insane,” he growled, his jaw clenched. “You’re right. I’m an arrogant prick. But you’re not going to fuck it up, Wren. You’re one of the most caring women I’ve ever met. Just be you. And as far as why. Can’t you see it? Haven’t you felt the way it’s been between us, the electricity and connection so damn strong that we can barely breathe when we’re together? Don’t you have a fuckin’ clue how I feel about you?”

“No. I don’t.” I knew I was pushing him but there were so many emotions racing through me that I had to hear it from his lips. It was crazy and maybe wrong what we were both feeling, far too rushed to make rational sense, but I’d never wanted to be with a man as much as I did this rugged cowboy smokejumper who had a knack of taming the wild child inside of me.

“Fuck. Fuck. I’m falling for you, Wren. Not just because you have one hot little body, but because you have a swagger about you that’s intoxicating. You have a lust for life that I’ve never seen before and it’s catching. I want to do things with you. I need to be with you. Taste you. Kiss you. Fuck you. And I’ve never wanted that before in my life, not like this. You’re staying right here. If you try and leave, I will find you. There ain’t nowhere in this goddamn world you can hide from me. You got it, lady?” He didn’t give me time to answer, capturing my mouth and dragging me even closer.

His powerful hold left me breathless, unable to think clearly, the taste of him igniting my core. My panties were damp, my pulse racing and I could crawl into his lap and never leave. As he slipped his tongue inside, I melted into his arms, wishing the world would just go away and leave us alone. I cupped his face, my fingers tingling from the feel of the glorious stubble covering his jaw. He was everything I’d ever wanted in a man. Dominating. Powerful. Caring. And I couldn’t imagine spending another day without him.

When he finally broke the kiss, his husky growl kept me adrift in a sea of pleasure for several seconds. Finally, I dragged my tongue across my lips, the taste of him lingering. Then I realized I’d been crying. Not from pain. Not from unhappiness. From pure joy.

I rubbed the tears from my eyes and slowly reached down, intertwining his fingers with mine. “I’m not going anywhere, cowboy.”

He gazed down at our hands then into my eyes, his features softening. Saying nothing, he shifted the gear into drive, turning around quickly and heading for the exit. As he rubbed his thumb across my knuckles, the closeness we’d shared returned, although I sensed he was still on edge. What was the man hiding not only from me but himself?

Within minutes, I realized he knew the location of the cabin I’d rented. As he turned down the last road, I sucked in my breath for a few seconds. “Did you follow me last night?” I noticed out of the corner of my eye he’d started to tap his finger on the steering wheel. “You did.”

“Yup.”

“Why?”

“Because you fucked with the wrong men, and no one touches my woman. Ever.”

His possessiveness kept me floating on air, but he wasn’t going to give me any additional information. “You don’t need to take care of me.”

“Is that what I’m doing?”

“I’m pretty certain you are. But I think I like it.” My answer was rewarded with another full grin. Maybe Mr. Grumpy had finally met his match.

CHAPTER11

Phoenix

Emotions.

Why the woman brought out such intense emotions was beyond me. And what I’d said to her continued to drag a fog around my brain. I’d known Wren for all of what… three days? In that time the feisty little bird had driven me crazy, turned my life upside down, forced me to question my sanity, and she’d shoved me into some of the most uncomfortable, albeit hysterical situations I’d been in for a long time.

I hadn’t been able to get her off my mind for even two hours at a time. Fuck. I had it bad for the woman.

I chuckled as she pointed out the driveway to the cabin she’d rented even though she knew I’d followed her home. As I glanced over, I was surprised by the serene look on her face. Was it insane of me to have her meet Justin? No doubt. But it felt right, as if she would be a grounding force that Justin and I had needed all along. Maybe I was fantasizing about a life that I had no business trying to obtain.

As the cabin came into view, I tried to figure out the last time I’d been to the place. Years and only once after Gage had gotten married. How time flew. It seemed the Missoula Bad Boys, as we’d been called as young men, hadn’t been able to grasp onto a decent relationship. Not one of us.

“I won’t take long. I’m certain you’re eager to get Justin,” Wren said, already opening the door.

“Take as long as you need.”

She gave me a wistful look before climbing out, walking gingerly in the remaining snow. There was another storm on the horizon, the weather patterns shot to shit this year. Later I’d build a fire and we’d make dinner together.

I couldn’t help but laugh as I cut the engine. Since when did I want to curl up by a damn fire? For a few seconds, I could swear I caught a whiff of something. Bristling, I almost went to investigate then chastised myself. Now I was dwelling on the conspiracy theory. Fuck that.

After standing on the front porch for a few minutes, scanning the area several times, I headed inside, amazed the place looked exactly the same as what I remembered. As I walked through, a few memories of the day I’d been there popped into my mind. Dahlia had even been with me in celebration of Gage’s marriage to Kelly. The four of us had laughed for hours.

Then I’d found Dahlia shooting up in the bathroom.

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