STORY EXCERPT

Jared Easton stared at the little white car parked outside the hunting cabin and narrowed his eyes. Paul and Nathan were out of town, so it wasn’t them. Clay and Dustin didn’t say anything about using the hunting cabin, and he knew Seth wasn’t in there since he’d left him barely awake pouring coffee at the main ranch house. Not to mention, nobody in this part of the country drove a compact car. Everyone had a truck or some other four-wheel drive vehicle to simply get from point A to point B or they risked getting stranded in the snow.

So who the hell was in their cabin?

He parked his diesel truck next to the car and spotted the broken window. Blowing out a breath of frustration, he grabbed his cell phone and dialed the sheriff’s department as he walked toward the door.

“Sheriff’s office.” The lively voice of Gwen Chambers came on the line, and he smiled.

“Hey, Gwennie.” He opened the door and stepped over the shards of glass littering the floor.

“Well, if it isn’t Mr. Trouble himself. What on earth are you calling me this early for? Please tell me you didn’t find a wild bear again. Please. Dan’s in a meeting right now, and I don’t want to think about him needing to kill another helpless creature.”

A fire burned in the hearth, and he walked cautiously toward the sleeping person in the bed. It wasn’t a bear, but he did see Goldilocks in his bed. He wanted to smile, but he didn’t know if Goldie was tame or wild herself.

“No, no bear.” He took in the situation, determining that Dan’s involvement would probably be needed only if she was crazy. Sleeping soundly in the bed, she looked as harmless as a butterfly. “Uh, I’ll just call Dan back.”

“You sure? You sound like it was something important.”

“Nah. I just had a question for him.”

 “So there’s no bear though, right?”

“No bear,” he assured her again.

“Okay.” She didn’t sound as though she fully believed him, so he reassured her again before disconnecting.

He dialed Seth’s number. If his lughead of a brother let it go to voice mail, he was going to be pissed. He was worse than a kid in the morning, but he could party all night.

“What?” he said in a groggy voice that suggested he’d dozed off.

“Get your boots on and come out to the hunting cabin. We’ve had someone break in.”

“Ah, shit.” He didn’t sound any more awake, though Jared knew that the inconvenience of trouble only pissed him off. “Did they take something?”

“Nah.” He swallowed, looking around. There appeared to only be one person. From the look of her, she barely weighed one hundred pounds wet. He took in the upper half of her body not hidden by the lush blanket he loved. He could see the faint outline of her flimsy bra with two tiny nipples beading to points beneath the thin cotton shirt she wore.

“Then why are you calling me?”

“The intruder is still here.” Jared hung up and pocketed his phone. He took a few steps over to the bed and stared at her angelic face. He didn’t expect Goldie to be quite as stunning as she was. Who the hell was the sleeping beauty in his bed?

He reached out and rubbed her arm. “Miss?”

She gave a soft moan as her eyes fluttered open, meeting his. Almost immediately, she jerked up in bed, eyes wide, as she stared at him. Jared held up his hands as she clutched the blanket to her chest. She didn’t have a look of being caught on her face but one of sheer terror.

“Who are you?” She scooted toward the headboard in an effort to get away from him.

“I’m Jared Easton.” He took in her frantic reaction. “You’re sleeping in my bed and clutching my favorite blanket to your chest. Who are you?”

She took in a shaky breath. “You own the cabin?”

“Yes.” He propped his hands on his hips. “I’d like to know why you broke out the window in the door to let yourself in.”

She ran a hand through her messy hair. “I’m sorry. I was driving through, and I didn’t have any money to rent a room for the night. It started to snow on me, and I fully intended to sleep in the car, but I was cold, and this place was empty.”

She scooted from the other side of the bed. She didn’t have any possessions with her. No jacket or clothes. She’d slept in her shoes. His gut told him that she spoke the truth. He had no reason to not believe her.

“I’ll pay you back for the window. I only have a twenty. I’m sure it costs more than that, but as soon as I get settled and get a job, I’ll send you a check for the rest.”

Jared watched the woman reach in her pocket for what he assumed was her only twenty, and then she laid it on the bed. She didn’t look poor. The shoes on her feet were name brand. The car outside was fairly new, though he supposed it could have been a rental. He rubbed a hand over his face. He couldn’t believe that she was in Jackson Hole without a jacket at the start of winter.

“Wait.”

Her teeth chattered as she lifted her head. He didn’t know her story. Hell, he didn’t even know her name. But everything about her screamed that she was running from something. Just passing through. No job. No money. He grabbed the twenty and handed it to her.

“I don’t want your money.”

She glanced toward the door. “But I admitted that I broke it.”

He nodded. “I know.”

He took off his jacket and handed it to her. “Put this on.”

She blinked a few times before giving in and taking it from him. At least with his heavy black parka on she wouldn’t be freezing. He went to the door just as his brother pulled in next to his truck.

“What the hell is going on?” Seth came toward him like a bull ready to fight. But that was his brother. The lean muscled ex-MMA fighter had a temper to go with his mean disposition. “Who the fuck broke the window?”

He stepped inside and stopped. Jared waited while his brother turned around. “Are you fucking pranking me? You had some hot chick pose as an intruder just to get me out of the fucking house. You’re a sick bastard, you know that? I thought this was something serious.”

“She really did break into the cabin.”

His brother narrowed his eyes. “But she’s hot.”

ADULT EXCERPT

Riley struggled with the emotions Jared stirred up inside her. They fought and kissed, one just as passionate as the other. He knew exactly what to say and do to push her buttons. She could deny that she wanted him to his face, but, deep inside, she couldn’t lie to herself. It’d been so long since she’d felt that way about anyone. It was scary and exhilarating all at the same time. She lay in her bed until she couldn’t any longer. Taking a deep breath, she went to Jared’s door and opened it, letting herself into his room.

She went to his bed and saw his sleeping form, curled up on one side while soft snores filled the otherwise silent room. He’d been traveling, and he was probably tired. The moment to take things further had passed for him, and she felt like a fool for even considering it.

“If you came to get a glimpse of me naked, you’re out of luck. I’m wearing shorts.”

She jerked her attention to the man on the bed and chuckled softly. “Yeah, you caught me. That’s what I was doing.”

“Of course, I could take them off if you really wanted a show.” He rolled to his back and stared up at her sleepily. “I’m all about pleasing my houseguests.”

She swallowed. She was never really bold about what she wanted. Dominic always pawed at her with his big hands to let her know he was in the mood. Sex wasn’t something she normally initiated.

She knelt on the bed before swinging her leg over his to straddle his thighs. Leaning forward, she whispered against his lips, “Take them off.”

It was her turn to kiss him. She slipped her tongue between his lips and tangled it with his own. His hands went to her back, holding her against him as he kissed her, letting her take what she wanted from him without protest. She needed a night of something other than worry. Jared had been considerate of her the first night she stayed with him, and the more she got to know his friends and his brother, the more she realized that they were people she could trust. Nathan had become her friend, a protective big brother of sorts. She liked talking to them. Liked getting to know them.

Everything he stirred in her had scared her that first night. She’d compared him to her husband, which was wrong. He was nothing like Dominic. Her ex had put it in her mind that dominant men were something she should fear, but she didn’t fear Jared. She didn’t think that he’d hurt her or do anything to break her trust. He was protective. It was different than Dominic’s controlling ways. His hands slipped beneath her shirt and gently slipped it up and off her body. He glanced down at her bare breasts before dipping his head and surrounding her stiff nipple with the heat of his mouth. She dropped her head back, clutching at his shoulders while he sucked.

“More,” Riley demanded as she gripped his wrist and shoved his hand between her legs. He let her breast go with a pop and went to the other one, giving it the same treatment as the backs of his fingers rubbed along her slit.

“Slow down. There’s no rush.” He pulled away from her slightly and glanced up. She didn’t say anything as he reached up to kiss her. “Lie back. Show me that sweet pussy of yours.”

She shifted slightly and lay on the mattress. Lifting her hips, she tugged at the pajama bottoms while Jared flipped the light on. She cringed at the sudden illumination and frowned at him.

“I can’t see you in the dark.” He grinned as he stared at her naked body. “Even better than I imagined.”

“You imagined me naked?” She tossed the pants to the side of the bed. “Perv.”

He didn’t say anything as he pushed her thighs apart. The only man she’d ever been with was her husband. A sense of trepidation came over her that almost had her feeling like a virgin all over again.

“I can’t wait to fill this pretty pussy of yours. To feel you squeeze my cock while I fuck you.” His fingers played along the soft skin of her inner thighs, and she watched him, breathless with anticipation. “It’s all I’ve thought about all night.”

It was on the tip of her tongue to smart off with some response to his comment, but it all drifted away when his lips pressed against the sensitive part of her inner thigh. God, he was going to draw it out. He was going to hold true to what he said and make her writhe in ecstasy while he pleasured her.

“Please.” She clutched at his shoulders. “I need you now. All that other stuff can wait.”

He reached for her arms and shoved them to her sides, immobilizing her with his strength. Instead of saying anything, he lapped at her crease, sliding slowly along her folds as he pinned her to the mattress. Riley’s eyes closed with the second swipe of his tongue, her lips parting slightly as he circled her clit. She needed to come. The ache was almost unbearable, and he was having fun torturing her.

“Jared,” she groaned, lifting her hips so his tongue slid inside her. “Oh God.”

Her body shook as he continued licking and sucking, driving her completely mad with his version of fun. She arched off the mattress, straining against his grip as he sucked her clit. She was close, but it wasn’t enough.

He released her with a pop, just enough so that he could speak. “I’m going to let you go, but don’t you dare move your hands.” Jared let her go and inserted two fingers into her, pumping them as he went back to sucking her clit. Riley dug her fingers into the sheets. His fingers brushed along the one spot inside her that had her screaming as she clamped down around the digits pumping into her. Riley closed her eyes as her body took over, taking the pleasure Jared gave her.

He slowed his motions and pressed soft kisses to her hip and stomach before she finally opened her eyes to meet his stare.

“I told you I was that good. Hell, you probably woke up everybody at Triple E.”

She threw an arm over her eyes. “If that’s all you’ve got, then you are way off the mark.”

He laughed and leaned down to kiss her lips. The heady taste of her arousal on his mouth stirred her desire. It was too damn erotic to taste herself on his lips. She smiled up at him before sliding her hands along his bare back and down to his ass.

“Why are you wearing shorts?” she asked him. She nibbled on his lip as her hands slipped beneath the waistband of his shorts. “You slept naked the first time.”

He grinned and kissed her. “I’m trying to be a gentleman.”

She shoved his shorts down and wrapped her hand around his cock. “How’s that working for you?”

He buried his face in her neck. “Pretty fucking good.”

She stroked him. “You know what would be better?”

He grabbed her wrist and pulled her hand away from him. “You’re not going to rush me.”