by Maggie Mundy
At this moment, it took all his strength as he fought the yearning to pull her into his arms and kiss her. The need did a whole lot more as well. His cock throbbed where the seatbelt pressed against it. He didn’t want to scare her more by the sight of his erection. Even so, Conner wanted to take her into the cabin and straight into the bedroom. He would worship every part of her body and bite her so she would be marked as his for all time. He inhaled her scent and tried to constrain his emotions. This wasn’t like him. He was always in control.
“Thanks for getting my van out of the ditch.” Her words broke into his thoughts. “I didn’t see your car back there.”
“I was walking in the woods. I can jog back to town. I know some shortcuts.” He pulled up outside the cabin and walked around to her side of the van.
She stepped out gingerly and took a big breath of the fresh air. “I think I’ll be fine now.”
“I’ll help you unload.” Rosie looked pale and he didn’t want to leave. He would use any excuse to stay around her longer.
“It’s okay. You don’t need to.”
“I want to help and would feel bad if I came back and found you passed out in the front yard with the local wildlife nibbling at your feet.” He grinned but knew at his size a grin could be intimidating. There was toughness about Rosie though, which made him think she could stick up for herself if she had to.
Rosie smiled a crooked smile and grabbed a large duffle bag from the van.
Connor picked up two boxes he reckoned were full of food. He followed her inside and placed them on the big oak table. The cabin was small with two bedrooms, a bathroom, and a living room and kitchen combined. There was a big fireplace and lots of wood stacked up.
He went back to the van and brought in more boxes.
She managed a couple more trips but then sat down again, looking pale. “I’ve put some juice in the fridge. Could you grab me some?”
Connor brought her the drink as she pulled a packet of cookies from one of the boxes.
“I really should eat. I’m sorry I’m being a pest.” She handed him a cookie.
“It’s my pleasure to help.” He kept going until the van was emptied. When he got back in with the final load, Rosie didn’t look quite so pale. She poured him a drink. While he had been working, she had managed to get the generator started.
“Thanks you so much.” She stood before him looking awkward and moving from one foot to the other.
“I should leave. If you need anything call the Inn on the landline. I work at the bar most nights.”
She held out her hand and he shook it. It was so formal, but at least they were still touching each other. He didn’t want to let go. As he walked away from the cabin, he glanced back.
Rosie stood on the front steps, staring after him. Could she possibly feel the same pull he did? One thing he knew for sure. He wouldn’t be able to stay away.
Chapter Three
Rosie watched Connor stroll away. He was big and scary to say the least, but for some reason she felt a compulsion to ask him to stay. She’d come here to get away from people, not find new friends. There was no doubt in her mind that he would be capable of fighting people off. When he held her his chest it felt like steel. She wasn’t tiny and yet he’d picked her up as if she was as light as a feather. She didn’t need to draw him to her life. She needed to keep people at bay and would look after herself.
Rosie raised her eyes and shook her head. Get you act together woman, settle in, and forget about hot, scary guys. Especially ones who are so strong they can lift vehicles out of ditches. He never did explain how he did that.
She went to the bedroom and unpacked. It didn’t take long. She didn’t have fancy clothes anymore as she never went out. .Someone might compliment her on her dress and then glance at her face and feel awkward.
Rosie stored the food away and made a coffee. Sitting outside on the deck she sighed with contentment for the first time in a while. The wind blew through the trees and her body relaxed, well as much as it could. No car fumes irritated her eyes, and the smell of the trees brought a smile to her face even if her head still ached a bit. It would be easy to let this calm fool her that she was safe, but she needed to set the security system up. That was if she didn’t fall off a step ladder doing it. She could have asked Connor to help, but he might have gotten suspicious and she didn’t need that right now.
Four hours later, the cameras were set up as well as the motion sensors. She would have been happy with some more firepower but hoped it didn’t come to that.
She went to turn on the light, but it didn’t work. She hadn’t noticed before, but the burr of the generator had stopped. All her security system had reverted to the battery backup, but she didn’t want them to run down. Damn. She grabbed the torch from under the sink and headed outside as the sun set. Why did things always stuff up? No, she would be resourceful and get this sorted. Life had taught her not to give up.
Thirty minutes later, she was nowhere nearer to getting the darn thing to work. Kicking it didn’t seem to help either. Being alone in the forest didn’t seem such a great idea now. The thought of getting help irked her, but she had to be sensible. She found her phone and dialed the number Connor gave her. He would think she was the local pest at this rate. He answered so quickly she almost dropped the phone.
“Hi, Connor. I’m sorry to bother you if you’re working, but the generator won’t work. I don’t know anyone else locally.” She didn’t really know him either.
“It’s no problem. I’ll come up soon.”
The sensors and camera picked up his bike coming along the track. Within minutes, there was a knock at the door. Rosie had forgotten how big Connor was as he filled the entrance. She watched while he tinkered with the pipes and the belt. It was no great hardship as he was pleasant on the eye. Within half an hour, it was purring away again.
“I reckon it’s just a blockage. You should be right as rain now.”
He turned to go, but Rosie wanted him to stay a while. The place seemed empty without his huge presence. She had put a cover over the security equipment before he got there.
“Please, let me offer you a glass of wine for fixing it. I’ve been such a bother today.” He looked across at his motorbike. She couldn’t blame him if he said no. Talking to a crazy lady rushing off to the woods was probably not that enticing.
“I’d like that.”
Rosie let out a breath, not realizing she’d been so uptight about his decision. She poured him a glass of red wine, sat on the couch, and pulled her knees up.
He sat opposite and sat back, staring at her as he raised his glass. “As I came to your rescue I thought it wouldn’t be rude of me to ask why a lovely lady like you is up here all alone.”
Being called lovely was something she hadn’t heard in a while. She wondered if he was taking the piss, but he seemed in earnest. She couldn’t hide her face so she might as well say something before he asked.
“I needed to get away for a while. By the way, thank you. With this face, I haven’t been called lovely in a while. The scars are from an accident a while back. People don’t usually cope with them.” He didn’t need to know that.
“Everyone carries scars. Not all are physical. I didn’t even notice them. I just saw a lovely lady who needed some help to get out of a ditch.”
“People either stare or look away awkwardly. You try and toughen up, but sometimes it hits a nerve.”
“I’m not noble. I have my reasons.” Connor put down his glass, stood up, and pulled off his t-shirt. His abdomen was ripped, but that wasn’t what caused her to take a sharp intake of breath. There were scars from his left shoulder down the side of his body. Her hand went to her scarred face without thinking. She understood the pain he would have gone through to be left with such scars. She sensed a connection through what the two of them had suffered.
“When I was a kid, I fell in the fire when we were out camping. By the time my parents got me to a hospital the dam
age was done. ” He pulled his t-shirt back on and picked up his glass. “I still remember mom crying at the hospital. Whenever I visit them in San Francisco, she feeds me huge feasts to make up for it. Reckons I’m fading away.”
Rosie wished she had the same connection with her mother, but it was not meant to be. “I think she’s doing a good job. You look pretty healthy to me.” That was an understatement. Rosie could feel the heat of a blush rise up her chest at her statement. She needed to change the subject. “We were never that close in my family. Dad was a cop and got killed when I was younger. Mum’s remarried and moved to Atlanta.”
“I’m sorry for your loss. Family is important.”
Rosie had lost her family when her dad died. Mum hated the police force and blamed them for his death. When Rosie joined, it was the nail in the coffin of their relationship. The police force had been her family of choice, but now that was gone too. For some reason she couldn’t fathom, she wanted to open up to Connor. He didn’t know her and hopefully wouldn’t judge. She refilled her glass, but he said no to any more as he had to ride the bike. For a second, she thought about asking him to stay. The generator might play up again, or she might drag him into bed. Her nether regions were working overtime it seemed. She needed to get back on track.
“So what happened in the accident? If you don’t want to talk about it that’s okay,” he asked.
Rosie’s throat dried like it always did when she spoke about her scars. “I was in South America when the accident happened. The hospital wasn’t good and the wound got infected. By the time I got back stateside, it didn’t heal well.” There, she had said it out loud and was okay. Somehow, Connor’s presence calmed her. This wasn’t like her to let her cop side down. Connor reached across and ran his fingers down her scarred cheek. She never let anyone touch it. He examined her scars and she didn’t flinch as usual.
Connor moved his hand away. He looked down at his glass then back up. “You know, what we go through makes us who we are and you look fine to me.”
Rosie blushed like a schoolgirl. If he wanted into her pants, he just needed to keep saying things like that.
“So how long are you staying?” he asked and took another gulp of wine.
Rosie came back down to Earth and tried to concentrate. It was like this guy had some magnetic personality that made her forget everything. “If the generator lasts, a while. I haven’t made any plans.” The thought of drug lords brought reality back.
“Then I hope we see more of each other then. I should be going and let you rest after the bump you took earlier.”
He walked to the door and Rosie followed him. He turned at the last minute and they bumped into each other. Dear God, he smelled so good.
She’d only met him this morning, and yet if he pulled her into his arms and pressed his lips against her she wouldn’t complain. She inhaled his scent. His cologne was a mixture of the forest and some wild animal. She was getting hot at her core standing next to him. Could he tell? His eyes smoldered as he peered down at her and the silence went on. One of them needed to break it.
“You have my number. Call me if you’ve any more problems.”
Rosie stood on the porch and watched him ride off down the road. His presence was so strong. When he’d been next to her, she thought he wanted her. She was an idiot. He was being nice because his own body was scarred too. She needed to get over handsome and mysterious neighbors and go to bed. Heaven knew she needed the sleep.
Two hours later, she woke up with sweat chilling on her body. That was the hottest dream she’d ever experienced. When she woke up, she’d thought Connor would be there for real, and that it hadn’t been a dream at all. One night and she had replaced her dream lover by the local hunk.
He’d been moving on top of her and inside her. Her core ached. She would never get back to sleep if she didn’t do something. At a time like this a vibrator would’ve been good. Somehow her Catholic background had always inhibited her from buying one.
She removed her panties, pulled up her nightie, and let her legs flop apart. It was fine, Connor would never know. She might blush next time she saw him though.
She closed her eyes and imagined him there lying on top of her and placing small kisses below her ear. Swirling his tongue on her skin in a way that made her body turn to Jell-O. He moved down her body so he could touch her breasts, massaging one and flicking her nipple with his thumb so it peaked. The other nipple he took into his mouth and sucked.
In her mind, her body writhed beneath him as he bit and ran his tongue around her peaked nipple. His other hand ran over her abdomen and between her legs. His hand cupped her core and she felt so hot she thought she would burn him. His fingers touched her butt hole and rubbed gently, making her throb with need inside for him. Then he moved up to her labia. His fingers sliding over them toward her clit.
Her body trembled as he flicked her sensitive bud. Then his fingers entered her as his thumb flattened and massaged her clit. His fingers pushed deep inside, stretching her and sending an ache through her body that only his cock would satisfy. He kept moving his fingers in and out so he touched every spot inside her until he found the spot that made her body jerk. Her juices heated up as her body shook with her orgasm. He didn’t stop as she throbbed around his fingers.
When her body calmed, he moved himself so his cock was pushed against her entrance. Her body wanted him to invade and possess her.
He moved forward and for a moment she wasn’t sure she could take him. He eased back and then moved forward again as he kissed her.
Her channel clamped onto him as he pushed his full length into her and she groaned. He moved slowly in and out, and with each thrust she could feel another orgasm building. She wrapped her legs around his waist, put her hands on his butt, and encouraged him to push deeper. Then another orgasm filled her as she screamed.
Connor let her breathing slow before he stared to move again and reach his own climax, expelling his seed into her.
Rosie opened her eyes as her body trembled from the orgasms she experienced. She considered she had a good imagination, but not that good. When she’d moved her fingers inside herself, she felt as if Conner had really been there with her. She needed to get a grip or the poor guy would never come near her again. At least she felt rested and mellow. She couldn’t keep the wicked smile off her face as she drifted off to sleep.
Chapter Four
Rosie stared at the computer and then out the window. The late afternoon sun was casting shadows across the yard. Her searches on the computer about the drug lord after her had come up with nothing. She rubbed her temples to ease the tension. Fresh air was what she needed. The past four days staring at the walls of this cabin was driving her nuts. She pulled on her hiking boots and went outside to breathe in the forest air. Staying inside the house might be safer, but she would go loopy.
She trudged down the track to the small waterfall that ran down to the lake. She needed to expend some energy so she would be tired enough to sleep all night and not have more hot dreams. Not that hot dreams weren’t good. She would just never be able to look at Connor again if she did. Her dream lover never had a face she saw because of the darkness, but it was good to replace it with Conner. It was strange her dream lover had a scarred chest too. She should exhaust herself and stop thinking about him.
The track was steeper than she remembered from when she had been here as a kid. The exertion got her heart going even if she would ache tomorrow. The sound of water ahead spurred her on as she made her way around the base of the trees. Then she saw it. The waterfall wasn’t wide, but had eroded a cleft in the rock to smash in the pool below. Small birds flew around the fall, catching bugs. The whole place brought a smile to her face. This was exactly what she required for sanity. Rosie pulled her cell phone out to take a picture. She would just have to stretch a little more to get the perfect shot.
Rosie screamed as her foot slipped. Sliding down the steep bank, she reached out to grab anything to
slow or stop her descent. Her hand grabbed onto a branch, but it was wet from the waterfall and she couldn’t hold on. The fallen tree trunk at the bottom of the hill stopped her tumbling from over the edge and to her death.
Her ankle hurt like hell, but the rest of her body seemed okay. Could she be any clumsier? She grabbed a branch on the log and tried to stand. This was just what she needed when she planned fighting off a drug cartel. She would whack them to death with her crutch at this rate. The pain shot up her leg from her ankle. Rosie put out her arms as she toppled over again.
She shook her head. Damn, she’d fainted again? This was becoming a regular occurrence, and she wasn’t the fainting type. So much for being safe and secure. So far she’d nearly crashed her car, almost jumped into bed with a stranger, and then gone on to have hot dreams about him. Now she was sitting in the mud at the bottom of a gully with a sprained ankle. This was not the way she did things. Before leaving the police force, she was known to be tough and stand up to anyone. In the last few months, her self-confidence had gone up in smoke.
She peered around for her cell phone. It was about six feet away, but at least it hadn’t fallen in the water.
Shadows deepened in the gully as clouds built overhead. Rosie didn’t want to be left out here all night. She’d just have to find a branch and hobble back. She would cope, because if there was one thing she good at it was how to deal with pain.
A wolf howled. Shit, that was all she needed. Now she’d get eaten alive by wolves. There was no responding cry, so she hoped it was a lone wolf and not a pack.
The trees rustled as she peered up the waterfall. She could make out the form of a big white wolf and then it was gone. Rosie shivered and hoped it was her imagination playing tricks on her. She didn’t have time for this crap. She grabbed a branched and tried to stand again.