Chapter 1
Chapter 1
“Take me with you!” Arya Keller pleaded.
“You got any idea who I am?” the man asked.
“Nope,” Arya “aid, gripping his solid arm, her voice shaky with panic she couldn’t hide. “But you’re all I’ve got right now
The forest was silent, wrapped in thick darkness, with just a few wisps of moonlight sneaking through the trees to light their faces.
The man’s tall, broad frame towered over Arya, his shadow swallowing her whole.
She couldn’t quite make out his face, but those eyes–deep and sharp like a knife–locked onto her, sending a chill down her spine.
She shivered, her body betraying her nerves.
Every instinct screamed this guy was dangerous, the kind of trouble one didn’t walk away from
But compared to the shitstorm she was stuck in? He was her only way out.
A sudden wave
of fire surged through her, and her knees buckled. Before she could stop herself, she tripped right into his arres
The faint scent of tobacco and raw, rugged masculinity flooded her senses, and her head spun. She was slipping, and fast.
“Don’t worry,” she gasped, barely keeping it together, “I’ll own this.”
She didn’t wait for him to say a word. Her trembling hands slid up, hooking around his neck. Like some desperate little kitten, she pressed soft, hungry kisses along his jaw, his neck….
Then, a sharp yank on her arm jerked her back to reality. She looked up, and his face was right there way too close, all raw power and danger.
His voice came out low, rough, and sexy enough to make her knees weak. “You sure you can handle me, darling?”
was a straight up warning, and it hit her like a shockwave, her heart pounding in her chest.
Her eyes went wide, and in the dim moonlight, she caught the hard angles of his face. “Holy crap. This guy is stupid–hot. Like, brain–melting, shouldn’t- even–exist levels of gorgeous
But this was no time to swoon. Whatever was burning through her veins was hitting overdrive, and she was losing control fast.
Before she could think, her hand tightened around his neck. She pushed up on her toes and kissed him–hard, desperate, all–in.
His lips were soft, cool, and they set her ablaze, like tossing a match on a pile of dry tinder.
Then, his deep, gravelly voice rumbled in her ear, “You’re the one who jumped me, sweetheart. Don’t go regretting this later.”
—–
As the sun crept over the horizon, Finn Barnett stole a quick look at the girl tucked in his arms. A strange spark flashed in his dark, intense eyes, there and gone in a heartbeat.
Her face was pure perfection–like a porcelain doll, pale and flawless, practically glowing in the soft morning light.
That tiny mole near her right eye? It added a flirty little edge to her beauty.
No way this fragile–looking girl was the one who’d turned his world upside down last night. But damn, she had,
A racket of footsteps crunching through the brush snapped him out of it. “Mr. Bamett! Hey, Mr. Barnett!”
1/2
14:34 Wed, 11 Jun G Wy
Chapter 1
8076
Finn grabbed his coat and wrapped it snug around the stooping girl, making sure she was covered before scooping her up like she weighed nothing
Robert Hopkins, his right hand guy, came stumbling through the trees with a few others in tow. When he saw Finn, his jaw hit the dirt. “Mr. Barnett Who’s that you’re İsalding?”
Everyone knew Finn didn’t do women Guy acted like they were trouble with a capital T.
So, him cradling a girl like she was his whole world! That was next–level shocking
Robert’s eyes flicked to the long, gorgeous legs pecking out from the coat, and his mind raced with what obviously went down.
But one glare from Finn’s ice–cold eyes shut him up fast. Robert stared at the ground, muttering, “Uh, those jerks who ambushed you last night? Dealt with. Totally my bad, boss. Hit me with whatever punishment you want.”
Last night was a straight–up disaster. Finn had barely gotten off his plane when the attack hit. Those bastards came prepared. His crew took some serious hits, and he and Robert got separated in the mess. Somehow, Finn ended up in this random stretch of woods–and that was when Arya crashed into his
Efe.
“This ain’t over,” Finn said, his voice low and dangerous. “I want every detail of this attack dug up.”
Whoever thought they could take him down? They were gonna regret it big time.
“Got it, Mr. Barnett,” Ray nodded, keeping his head down.
But then he snuck a glance at Arya’s face–‘holy crap, she was drop–dead gorgeous. His mouth fell open, and before he could stop himself, he blurted. “Wait a sec, Mr. Barnett… is that Arya Keller? Your nephew’s fiancée?!”