Hunt made sure to scope out the entire area, woods included. He didn’t see a trace of anything that would alarm Aries. Not for the first time, Hunt wished his partner could talk. If only Aries could tell him what had him determinedly running all over the yard.
Hunt had taken a few minutes to inspect the perimeter for any poison that might have killed the rabbit. He came up emptyhanded on that front, so he also checked his phone for messages he may have missed from Penn about Freya’s identity.
Again, nothing.
Frustrated, he returned to the cabin just in time for Freya to go completely cold on him and hide in the bedroom.
He didn’t know how to read women, which was why he was a self-proclaimed bachelor. But Freya had been driving him crazy for days. At first, he thought it might be the mystery surrounding her or how her vulnerability had him tying on his hero cape.
He didn’t think so anymore. Those kisses were as natural as breathing. Tasting her…touching her… He barely got started before the interruption.
Even though she’d put on the brakes, his body hadn’t calmed down one bit. Just thinking of her straddling him, her fingers tugging at his hair to drag him closer had his cock tenting the sweats he’d put on to sleep in.
When was the last time he’d actually wanted a woman this way? Vivian had been a slow burn, with friendship at the core of things. Of course, that was unrequited, and now he was glad. He saw they never could have worked.
He fisted his hands, trapping in the feel of Freya. The soft curve of her hips, the sway of her back as he drew her closer to plunder her mouth more…
Today kicked off the winter festivities in town, and the second Freya mentioned her sad Christmases of the past, he thought of taking her there. He wanted to create those memories for her.
With her.
Groaning, he flipped onto his side. On his bed by the fire, Aries’s head rested on his paws, but his dark eyes fixed on Hunt.
Suddenly, the dog jerked his head up. He leaped to all fours, his body as tense as a bowstring and his head pointed to the door, the same as before.
Hunt was off the couch in a second. His bare feet were soundless on the floor as he rushed to his pack across the room. Inside, he had a flare gun as well as a sidearm to be used against threats he encountered. Besides firing a warning at an occasional moose or grizzly, he’d never used it.
That didn’t mean he wouldn’t.
Aries hurried ahead of him to the door. He let out a soft whine that had Hunt shifting into danger mode. He jammed his feet into his boots, yanked on his coat and trained his weapon on the door as he whipped it open.
Only darkness and the patter of rain greeted them. Aries didn’t wait for any orders—he took off into the night.
Hunt closed the door, keeping his spine to it as he squinted to make out his surroundings.
Trees and the humps of bushes were all he could see. He whistled to Aries and got a snort in return. Hunt strained to hear what Aries had gone after. While he wanted to believe Aries was losing his edge and taking off after animals, Hunt’s gut told him that wasn’t the case.
If someone was creeping around here…
He whistled again, and Aries returned at once, loping around the corner, ears pricked. The dog came to stand next to Hunt. He set a hand on the dog’s head. “What was it, boy?”
Of course his partner couldn’t tell him, but whatever it was must be gone or Aries wouldn’t have returned.
Hunt stood sentry on the front steps for a moment longer before he went back inside and bolted the door. At least that little jerk back to reality took care of his extreme case of horniness.
He removed his coat and boots and set aside his weapon in a safe spot. Then he added two logs to the fire and sat down to wait out the night. Between the woman who tormented him sleeping in the other room and whatever noise spooked Aries, Hunt knew he wouldn’t get another wink of sleep tonight.
Hours later, he watched the sun rise through the east-facing windows. The same side of the cabin Freya was sleeping on. He envisioned the golden fingers of light stroking over her pale face and tangled brown hair on the pillow.
This urge to protect her at all costs was only growing stronger in him. What the hell was he going to do after he returned her to her life?
He went about his morning routine in the bathroom and then he washed up whatever dishes were left in the sink from the previous night before he dirtied more for his favorite breakfast, french toast.
When Freya emerged from the bedroom in the original clothes he’d found her in, his stomach dropped. The red of her sweater lit up her complexion and made her eyes glow. But he also wished she’d put on his shirt again. Seeing her dressed in her own clothes made him think of her leaving.
Of course she had to leave. It was inevitable.
Whenever that happened, she must be checked over by a doctor first.
“Breakfast smells good.” When she smiled, her eyes tilted.
He drew in a fortifying breath to keep himself from grabbing her and kissing her senseless again.
“I thought we could have an early breakfast and try to get down the mountain first thing.”
Her smile faded to a mere compression of lips. “That sounds fine.”
He nodded toward the coffeemaker. “Do you mind fixing coffee?”
“Not at all.” She drifted forward to the short countertop, crowding in next to him. He focused on the pan of grilling toast to keep his hands busy so he didn’t reach for her. He couldn’t dance around the topic of kissing her for much longer, though. It was better to clear the air and for him to apologize for taking liberties.
Even if she’d made the first move, he’d pushed too far. If Aries hadn’t stopped them, things might have gotten out of control and they would have wound up in bed.
The kiss might have sent her running for cover, but for him it only stirred up a lot more longing than he could handle. Before he even got a chance to know her, she’d leave and he’d only be left to wonder what might have happened between them if circumstances were different.
“Did you sleep well?” he asked to divert his attention from the way she’d tucked her hair behind one enticing ear.
“I slept okay. You?” She turned her dark eyes on him.
“Fine,” he lied.
They shared a hasty breakfast and silently donned their coats and boots.
Still dancing around each other.
He politely got out of her way when she came near him, even though his fingers ached to pull her against him.
When they reached the door, Aries rushed forward.
“Is the dog going too?” Freya asked.
Hunt nodded. “He’s my partner, not my pet. Of course he’s going. Is that all right with you?”
“Sure. If he hadn’t been with you that night, you never would have found me.” She smiled up at him, though this time he recognized the difference between her real smile and a fake one. The light never touched her eyes.
What did that mean? There was a lot he needed to learn about Freya. Maybe the doctor in town could provide some answers, and if not, he knew his buddy from Xtreme Ops would come through.
As he led the way to his SUV, he scanned the melting snow for tracks. Aries wasn’t acting weird now, which meant Hunt was being more paranoid than usual. He could only chalk it up to Freya. Somehow, his holiday break had turned into a mystery to be solved.