Total pages in book: 42
Estimated words: 38855 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 194(@200wpm)___ 155(@250wpm)___ 130(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 38855 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 194(@200wpm)___ 155(@250wpm)___ 130(@300wpm)
“I’m not scared.” I counter back. “I’m the one with the gun.” I keep my eye on the scope, looking at his face and trying to keep my knees from buckling under me.
“I see that.” His voice is low and even. “I’m not scared either.” His voice sounds like the growl I heard a moment ago, low and pained.
The words hang in a moment of silence as my arousal spins inside of me, pulling me, refusing to let go, driving me to move to him, but my feet stay planted.
A momentary flash of our bodies pressed together, a craving knotting my gut, a need for something I’ve never known before, spins the images of his naked body with mine. His huge, towering body, throwing me down like a doll, fingers twisting in my hair, knees knocking mine wide as he drives forward—
The fantasy evaporates as the original sounds of movement from behind me return, closer now. My eyes dart from the giant man back the other way.
Another growl, different this time. It’s rumbling, along with wet, haggard breathing sounds, and I focus, seeing the lumbering, four-legged, black figure moving through the last of the trees, focused on me.
I take a careful step back, rifle scope to my eye as I retreat, then another, but on the next step my foot slips, finding a hole instead of a footing, and my ankle twists painfully to the side, the rifle now pointing skyward as I struggle to right myself, stifling a yelp as I crumple to the ground.
Before I can recover and take my shot, thick, hard arms grapple around my waist, swinging me around and placing me behind his massive body as he runs forward, hands above his head, dueling growls and snarls filling the air.
The bear lurches to his hind feet, huge but not as big as the form of the man moving toward him.
I watch in awe, a scream caught in my throat as the bear drops down, snuffing and huffing, saliva dripping from peeled back lips as the man gives no ground and the bear takes one small step back, weaving its head side to side, signaling retreat.
“Stay behind me.” The commanding voice reverberates through me as the stabbing pain in my ankle competes with the throbbing between my legs.
“Let me shoot him.” I seethe. I’m on the ground, but I’m able to bring my rifle to aim.
“No. He’s just being a bear. He isn’t here to hurt you. He just smelled your camp. He doesn’t deserve to die for doing what he does. I won’t let him hurt you.”
“What the hell are you talking about? He’s a bear. He’ll do what he wants...Move so I can aim.”
“No.” His voice is low as the bear moves back, rounding through some trees to the left and out of sight. “I know this bear. He’s never attacked a human. These are his woods, he wants to know why you are here.”
He lowers a massive hand in front of me, and nods for me to take it. I hesitate, but being on my feet is far safer than sitting here on my ass, so I throw the strap of the rifle around my shoulder and take his hand; mine nearly disappearing inside as he pulls me up with such force he launches me off my feet.
When I settle back on the ground, I wince.
“You’re hurt.” His silver moonlight eyes travel down my body to where I’m hopping gingerly, letting the pain subside.
“I’ll be okay. Just twisted—”
Before I finish, the sound of tearing fabric comes from my tent and I watch as the bear stomps through the nylon, leveling it to the ground in about three seconds. Metal and plastic poles snap, and before I know what’s happening my visitor grabs me around the waist, lifts me onto his shoulder and sets out at a run through the forest, my rifle falling from my shoulder.
“What the hell are you doing?” I puff out, his strides driving the air from my lungs as his rock-hard shoulder pounds into my diaphragm.
“Taking you to safety. You can’t stay here. That bear doesn’t want to hurt you, but he will if you feel like a threat.”
“Oh, and he wasn’t threatened by you running at him like a crazy person?”
His steps slow to a fast walk as I hang over his back, trying to figure out what to do with my hands as I look down and watch his ass with each step, wondering if he is picking up on the scent of my arousal with my crotch so close to his face.
“We have an understanding.” He grunts, and as if reading my mind, he turns his head slightly toward me, taking a deep breath.
His body tightens under me, and I think about fighting him and demanding he set me down.