It was the worst storm he’d seen in years.

In the Eastern Adirondacks, the High Peaks Wilderness could be a pretty rough place sometimes. This was one of them. Wind and rain lashed at the tall trees, lightning crashing in great bolts down the steep ravines between the trunks. Thunder roared overhead and rumbled away in angry echoes as it bounced off the side of the mountain.

No night to be out.

It was a night to stay in, hunch over the TV and crack open a crate of beer. As the radio crackled into life in the tiny kitchen, he paused halfway through his first, long-awaited mouthful of steak and scowled.

“…far sector on the mountain fringe, north side of the lake. Report of a body—”

The voice broke off abruptly as another thunderclap exploded overhead. The radio fell silent.

“Shit.” He spat out his steak, grabbed the radio, and jabbed at the buttons. Nothing. Exasperated, he slammed it down on the table, reached for his jacket and boots, and headed out to the truck. As he wrenched open the door, rain splattered in his face.

After a struggle, he hauled the door shut and flicked on the ignition to catch the rest of the report. Water dribbled off his drenched hair and down the back of his neck as the dashboard radio crackled his name briefly and then faded.

He scowled. “OK, OK. I’m on it.” Yet another damn camper strayed off the path, taking no notice of the danger signs all over this sector. The safety warnings posted along the trail.

He threw the truck into low and lurched off down the track, the lights making feeble yellow rods that flickered unhelpfully through the dark, thrashing trees.

He dreaded storms. They did a lot of damage. They were unpredictable.

What he liked about his work was the peace and quiet. He’d come to know the rhythm of life here—the tiny rustles in spring, the birdcalls in summer, and the quiet blanket of snow when the trees were asleep. But storms shattered the peace. They always brought trouble.

He liked the trees. He liked to live among them. In fact, apart from one obvious drawback he preferred them to women. They didn’t answer back and they didn’t cheat on you with your best friend when you went out on call.

The drawback he solved with hot movies, cold showers, and iced beer.

It took a while to reach the lake. From there, he’d have to get out and walk. At least the rain had stopped.

As he fought his way through the dripping undergrowth, he peered through the darkness. His flashlight was little use here, but he knew where he was—right at the northern tip.

A thin waterfall cascaded off a cliff high overhead and plunged into its own little pool, its ripples ruffling the surface of the lake. As the clouds parted for a second, it glittered in the moonlight. The tinkling noise of the water guided him away from the edge, and the glow from the surface helped him to see. It should be just around here somewhere—

A blinding flash split the darkness, and a crash of thunder boomed overhead. The tree next to him seemed to swell, pulsate—and then everything went black.

When he opened his eyes, it was daylight. Damn. He must have passed out and lain there all night. With a groan, he staggered to his feet.

“What took you so long? I thought you’d never get here.”

The silvery voice sent a shiver down his spine. What the fuck?

He spun around. “Who the hell are you?”

“My name’s Mila. And mind your language. I’m not from—that place. I’m all good.” She sounded angry.

She was petite and pretty, with dark curly hair and a heart-shaped face. A stray curl bobbed at the middle of her forehead. Large, bright blue eyes surveyed him with a hint of mischief. Dimples danced at the corners of her full, curvy lips as they parted to show perfect teeth.

But what rooted him to the spot was her clothes—or rather her lack of them. Under a wisp of skimpy chiffon, she was practically butt naked. He couldn’t quite see her butt, but if it looked as good as her front...

He swallowed. “Aren’t you cold like that?”

She gave a light ripple of laughter. “Me? I shouldn’t be much good at my job if I were. Why, are you? You know, you’re very…” She looked him up and down with an appreciative gleam. “…wet.”

Somehow, she made it sound as if he were a gorgeous, sexy hunk of virile male power. He clenched his jaw. “I’ll have to take you in, ma’am.”

Her eyebrow twitched upwards. “Oh? And suppose I resist?”

His frown deepened. This was all he needed, a deranged female on his hands. Just his luck. “Then I’ll have to use restraints.”

She clapped her hands. “Oh goody. Handcuffs? And then what? You’d bend me over and spank me maybe— No wait, maybe you could tie me up and blindfold me and we could—”

“Enough.” He was sweating now. His mind flooded with disturbing images, some of them downright unhealthy. Jeez, he was even getting hard. It was made worse by the fact that she was watching him with a gleam in her eyes, her dimples flexing as though she was trying not to laugh.

He rolled his eyes and reached for his radio. “Okay, who are you? You’re committing a felony dressed like that.”

She was committing a felony just by looking at him like that, damn it. “Plus, you’ll catch your death. I’d better report in. We’ve been looking for you.”

She nodded gravely. “I know. I got here as fast as I could.”

He sighed. She was clearly unhinged. He tried again. “So you’re what? A stripper? Naturist?”

She stepped closer, and he caught a waft of her scent—a clean, flowerlike perfume that hung around her like a cloud.

“Ooh, a guessing game. What fun.” She looked up at him with a sweet, disarming smile. “Stripper? Not for a living. I mean, now and then maybe, just to spice things up. I’m a—have a guess.” She posed with her arms up high, legs together, and gave her hips a sinuous wriggle.

He let out a weary sigh. “How do I know? The Queen of Sheba?”

She giggled. Her generous breasts looked ripe as melons. When she laughed, they shook like jellies, barely inches from his chest. He was starting to ache.

“Can’t you guess? You’ve heard of the Tooth Fairy? Well, I’m the Sex Fairy.”

He summoned what was left of his patience. “Yeah, sure you are, lady. And I’m Peter Pan. Now, if you’ll just get in the truck I’ll get you indoors and find you some clothes.”

Her pointy little face lit up like a sunbeam. “You’re taking me home? Excellent.” She leaped at him, flung her arms round his neck and nuzzled into his ear.