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Woof. Woof!
Squinting, I turned my head toward the sound of the man’s voice, the flicker of firelight highlighting a huge, brawny man sitting in a massive chair. Did he have a drink in his hand? When I felt hot breath skipping across my skin a second time, I turned my head in the other direction, fighting the dull ache coursing through me.
As a massive dog’s features came further into focus, I managed to smile. “Hi, big fella.” My hand was shaking as I reached out by instinct, ceasing my reflex actions and curling my fingers. What was I doing? What was I thinking? The dog could eat me alive, he was so huge. A strange series of sensations and fears crept through me, and I was suddenly stricken with a near panic attack. As I started to take deep breaths, they quickened until I was panting then gasping.
“Jesus Christ, Lily,” the stranger said as he jumped to his feet, thudding the drink he had in his hand on the table in front of him then heading toward me.
I managed to throw my arm out, fighting to sit up as my throat closed off entirely. Fear turned to sheer terror, and I tried to cry out, only able to make gurgling sounds. Then I found my voice. “Get away from me.” My instincts kicked in, fear consuming every cell in my body. Who was he? Had he been hired by the monster? I couldn’t think clearly.
“I’m just trying to help you, Lily.” He kept his distance, his expression conciliatory. It could be fake.
Oh, God. He knew my name. I tried to get up but immediately fell back on the couch, shaking like a leaf.
“Sam. Assist,” he commanded, and the dog placed his paw on my leg, nuzzling his huge head against me. “He’s not going to hurt you. Touch him. Pet him. He’s a licensed therapy dog, or he was until I picked him up.”
What was he saying?
Mountains.
Snow.
Very little memory surfaced, but my entire body ached.
Where was I? I didn’t know this man. He could be an accomplice, prepared to take me back. Or cut me into little pieces.
“Lily. Do what I say. Just pet him.”
Tipping my head, I stared at the mysterious hulking mass of a man I didn’t know but did what he said, sliding my fingers across the top of the dog’s head.
Sam nuzzled into my hand, his tail thumping. He was a beautiful dog, his fur soft. As a few images floated into my mind, short memories surfacing, another wave of fear became nearly crippling. The mystery man had saved me from certain death. That much I did remember. Why?
Within seconds, I felt better, my breathing less labored. As I continued to calm down, I spent quality time studying him, my memory of the events from minutes, hours before slip-sliding into my mind.
He was huge, my mind not playing any tricks on me. I was forced to lift my head to look him in the eyes. If my ability to size up a man was still intact, I’d say he was at least six foot five, his muscles so large his arms and legs pushed against the bulky clothes he wore. He wore a thick beard and mustache, but neither were able to cover over his chiseled jaw and carved cheekbones. While there was only one other light on in the room, the firelight captured the essence of the man, including full lips and a head of thick curly hair.
But his eyes were the most striking feature, a rich deep blue that kept me staring into them long enough to capture a sense of sadness.
As well as rage.
Whoever he was, he was without a doubt the sexiest mountain man I’d ever seen. A strange ache formed around my nipples, their sudden plumpness pushing against the fabric of my… wait a fucking minute. Where were my clothes? Had the bastard removed them? I jerked back, taking another strangled breath.
“Your clothes were wet. I had to get ‘em off you. Don’t worry, I didn’t touch you.”
He was not only a mountain man savior but a mind reader too?
I had no idea what to say to him, so I concentrated on Sam, whose thumping tail required my attention. My breathing easier, I rubbed his muzzle, finally feeling comfortable enough to bend down and kiss his head. “He’s beautiful.”
“Guy dogs ain’t beautiful.” The husky quality of his tone dragged me back to the event in the ravine. He’d risked his life to save mine, dragging me to safety.
“Well, I think he is. Aren’t you, Sam?” He was so warm and fuzzy that all I wanted to do was wrap my arms around him.
Woof!
“See? He appreciates my praise. All dogs do. You need to compliment them every day.” I was babbling to a stranger. What next?
The mystery man was still staring at me, never blinking. Then he lifted his head, moving away with more agility than a man of his size should have. What was I saying? My mind was still too jumbled, nothing making any sense. I shifted from under a throw he’d tossed over me, planting my feet on the thick rug.
Sam refused to leave my side, nuzzling so close his body heat became oppressive. But he was comforting, which is exactly what I needed. It wasn’t usual that monsters with intentions on killing you coaxed their dogs to provide anxiety relief. A laugh bubbled to the surface. I was in a strange house somewhere in the middle of a snowstorm? I had to guess that’s where we were. As I looked around, I was expecting something rustic befitting a man of his stature, but nothing inside the man’s house was as I’d expected it to be.
