“I don’t think you understand what I’m saying, Lucy.”
He reached down and slid his hand inside her shirt, under her bra, and squeezed her breast. Cold sweat broke over her skin. She stood up instinctively and backed away, her mouth agape. She couldn’t stop blinking.
“That isn’t in my job description,” she choked out.
He laughed at her, holding his glass of scotch as he leaned on the leather chair. His body language said he didn’t care that the attraction wasn’t mutual. He looked at her, utter contempt flashing over his face for a brief instant, before he smiled again.
“You do want to keep your job, don’t you? Things are tough out there for entry-level girls these days.”
“This is sexual harassment.”
He laughed again, almost choking on his scotch. “You want to play legal games with me, little girl?”
She looked down and away. No one would ever believe her. Even if they did, she’d never win a legal case against Bars & Associates. “I’ll think about it,” she stammered as she turned to leave the office.
Lucy’s head spun, throbbing and buzzing with the sound of a million bees. This couldn’t be happening. She needed this job. Her apartment was expensive, and she’d lost her roommate. Even if she started looking for jobs now, she would run out of money before she got one.
This couldn’t be happening. She’d been comfortably working here for two years. Would they even give her a reference if she left? All the horrible possibilities spun in her brain, and she felt sick to her stomach.
Lucy stumbled to her desk and sat down. She gulped as the edges of her vision turned black.
After grabbing her things, she somehow made it to her supervisor’s office. The older woman sat at her desk in a lace-trimmed white shirt. A silver chain hung from her glasses.
“I’m feeling sick today, Ms. Cavendish. I’ve got to leave early.”
“Is everything all right, Lucy? You look green.”
“Must have been something I ate. I’m sure I’ll feel better by Monday.”
“Did you finish filing the Corbin versus Corbin case?”
“Yes.”
“All right, then. Take care of yourself, dear.”
Lucy stumbled to the elevator and took it downstairs to the parking lot. Once inside her car, she took deep breaths, trying not to throw up. Her entire career was at stake because of one old pervert.
She screamed and hit the steering wheel. After turning the key in the ignition, she sped out of her spot and into the street. The late-afternoon sky shone brightly over Portland as Lucy drove through downtown.
Everything she’d worked for was on the line.
Chapter 2
Stomping around her apartment, Lucy couldn’t think. She could barely breathe. She pulled a bottle of wine from the fridge and poured herself a glass before taking a long swig. Tears gathered in her eyes but didn’t fall.
When she’d emptied the wineglass, she slammed it down on the counter so hard it broke. Shards scattered across the laminate counter and onto the linoleum floor. The tears fell then. Her mind reeled with the implications and her lack of options as she cleaned up the glass.
She had to get away.
A decision solidified in her mind, and she stomped into her bedroom and threw a backpack on her bed. She’d go to the coast and take a nice long hike. That would clear her head so she could think of what to do next. Maybe spending time in nature would give her the courage she needed to quit her job.
After packing, she emptied the wine bottle and fell asleep in front of the TV. Early the next morning, she got ready and left just as the sun rose.
Out on the highway heading west, listening to her favorite music, she already felt better. The events of the past day still weighed heavily on her mind. The hours that passed were a mess of broken thoughts and half intentions. She drove through the coastal mountains until the ocean broke through on the horizon.
Finally she pulled off the highway onto a park road that led to a trailhead. She hadn’t researched the park, but Lucy was an Oregonian. She could handle a day hike on just about any trail.
She parked her car in front of the secluded trailhead and grabbed her backpack. She had at least a gallon of water between the two bottles and half a dozen power bars. Lucy might be a curvy girl, but underneath, she was all muscle.
She slammed her car door and looked around. Moss covered myrtle, and Douglas firs lined the trail and parking lot. Ferns grew tall and wide around the bases of the trees. She took a deep breath of the misty air and let it out. The balmy scent of the rain forest filled her nose and soothed her senses.
As she pulled her backpack over her shoulders, she smiled broadly, trying to clear her mind. Her hiking boots squished through the soft soil at the start of the trail. Step after step, Lucy drew farther into the forest. Her mind became softer and mellower with each yard she walked.
Her muscles strained as she marched up a rise along the hillside. Through a clearing between the trees, she could see the ocean waves breaking against the shore far below. Taking in the spectacular sights lightened her heart. She still didn’t know what to do about Mr. Bars, but at least she felt better about herself.
She continued along the trail, taking an offshoot path that led farther up the hillside and away from the ocean. Along the way, she rested to eat a power bar. Pressing on, the more her muscles burned and the farther she walked into the forest, the farther away she felt from her troubles at the office.
Dusk settled in before she realized it. When she noticed the sunset colors falling over the sky, she began to walk back toward her car. She charged down the narrow path, knowing that at any moment, she should find the main trail that led to her car.
Instead of leading to the main trail, the path came to a dead end just as the sky went dark. Panic trickled down her back and over her chest. Her breaths came in quick gasps. Lucy pulled her cell phone out of her backpack and turned on the flashlight. The main trail had to be around here somewhere. She couldn’t be lost. No. She could not be lost. She’d been hiking all her life and had never been lost before.
She pressed the map app on her phone, trying to get her coordinates. Maybe she could find the general direction back to the road. But the red battery line blinked, and the phone went dead.
“No!” she screamed into the dark forest. She shivered, though her coat was lined and waterproof. Pressing her eyes firmly closed, she swore to herself. I won’t lose it. I won’t lose it.
It was late spring and warm enough that she could survive the night. She had matches in her backpack; she could light a fire. At least it would keep her warm until daybreak.
Stumbling through the underbrush, she grabbed sticks and dried moss, gathering it all into a pile. When she had enough wood, she lit a match and carefully applied it to a tendril of dry moss. The green lichen caught quickly and sparked below the dry branches.
Within a few minutes, Lucy had a burning fire, lighting the darkness and warming her in the cool air. Angry at herself and beginning to feel the chill even more deeply under her skin, she sat down near the flickering warm glow.
Chapter 3
Lucy pulled the last of her water and her last energy bar from her backpack. Eyeing her meager survival supplies, she sighed deeply and pulled her knees up to her chest.
After opening the energy bar, she took a small bite and chewed as slowly as possible. She’d once heard that if you ate slowly, it was more filling— some diet tip she’d remembered reading about in a fashion magazine. Nibble after nibble, eating slowly didn’t seem to make the growling in her stomach any quieter.
It certainly didn’t make the darkness any brighter or the fact that she was lost in the middle of the forest any less frightening.
Maybe she’d lose a few pounds, she thought. It’d been a long time since she’d felt bad about her body. With the combined vulnerability of her boss’s harassment and being hopelessly lost in the woods, her deepest insecurities were surfacing.
No. She loved her curves and had claimed them as sexy years ago. She wouldn’t let a scary night alone in the forest destroy all the hard work she’d done on her self-esteem.
Curling up near the fire, she tucked her arms across her breasts and brought her knees up to her chest. The fire was warm, and if she woke every few hours to stoke it up, she might get through the night without too much suffering.
She closed her eyes and took a deep breath. Being lost made the drama at the office seem insignificant and far away. Mr. Bars was an idiot. She didn’t have to take that kind of treatment. If she survived the night, she’d call up her inner badass and deal with him.
An owl hooted in the distance, and she could hear the sound of skittering feet in the underbrush. There weren’t any dangerous predators in this part of Oregon, were there? Um. Yes. There were. Mountain lions, bears, even wolves.
She pressed her eyes closed even more tightly. It wouldn’t help her to think about that. Most likely, any wild animal would smell her human scent and stay far, far away. The best thing for her to do was sit tight and sleep until morning. She thought about her energy bar wrapper and sat up to throw it into the fire.
She heard something panting quickly move behind her. Gasping, she shot her head around. Her eyes darted between the thick tree trunks and the twining branches. An animal howled on the opposite edge of the forest.
Her heart pounding, she turned to look after the sound. Bright eyes darted through the underbrush, and the sound of panting and yipping circled her campfire. Breathing heavily, her ears ringing, Lucy stood and grabbed a burning branch.
She turned in a circle, shouting at the top of her lungs. She’d seen it in movies when wolves attacked someone’s camp. They always scared the animals away with fire and shouting. Unfortunately, it didn’t seem to work for Lucy.
The woman’s scent hung heavy in the air. Caleb growled at Elijah as he bounded around the opposite side of her camp. They’d both scented her from miles away while running their nightly patrol of their territory.
Her body smelled of summer rain and jasmine. His mouth watered as he sniffed the air. His wolf’s eyes could see her waving a burning stick around her camp. He could sense her heart beating wildly and smell her fear.
He narrowed his eyes. The torchlight outlined her shape, though her heavy jacket did nothing for it. He could still make out her generous curves and luscious lips as they trembled with fear.
Even her desperation made her more attractive. He licked his lips, wanting nothing more than to pounce into the clearing, shift, and take her right then and there. But he’d have Elijah to reckon with if he tried.
His twin brother, the great gray wolf Elijah, trotted toward him. Elijah’s nose twitched at Caleb. They both turned to the woman in the clearing. Their animal link communicated all they needed to know. Mine.
They both wanted her. Not just for a plaything. Not just for a good time. She was the mate they’d been waiting for.
Caleb pushed against the psychic link, insisting they go take the woman and give her the mating bite, but Elijah only growled and mocked him. The woman would never comply. Then what?
Anger rose in Caleb’s chest, and he bared his teeth at his brother. How dare Elijah mock him? Of the twins, Caleb was the stronger. Perhaps Elijah had a stronger intellect and intuition, but they both knew who would win in a fight.
Elijah huffed and trotted around the woman’s camp to where they’d left a cache of clothing at the edge of the trail. Caleb followed and watched his brother transform. He followed suit but hated the formality of dressing simply to take their rightful mate.
After they dressed, Elijah pulled the rifle from the hidden cache and shot it into the night. Caleb grimaced at the sound. He hated guns. Only idiot humans used firearms.
“What was that for?” he hissed at his brother.
“I scared away the wolves circling her camp,” Elijah snapped back. His wavy black hair bristled around his face when he spoke, and his brown eyes shone bright amber in the darkness.
Caleb frowned. His brother had some understanding of what might make the woman pliable. So be it. He’d let Elijah do it his way. For now.
Two men burst through the brush, startling Lucy so much her lungs jumped into her throat and stuck there, rendering her unable to speak. She blinked repeatedly and waved the torch in front of her until she got her voice back.
“What are you doing out here?” she stammered, totally forgetting that other human beings might be able to help her. There had just been wolves out there, and the gunshot had scared her to pieces.
“We were out hunting and saw your fire. There were wolves circling your camp. We scared them off,” one of the men said.
As Lucy’s heart rate slowly normalized, she got her first good look at the two men standing in front of her. They were more than six feet tall, maybe six three, with dark, wavy hair and sparkling brown eyes that caught the glow of the firelight. They wore plaid flannel shirts. One wore green, and the other wore red.
They were both incredibly handsome and completely identical. They both had strong, square jaws dusted with dark stubble. They were built like quarterbacks, and their rugged clothes hugged their toned forms. The one in green held a rifle, while the other stared at her with his arms crossed over his chest and eyes that scored a trail across her skin.
“What are you doing out here?” asked the one with the rifle.
“I’m lost. I got turned around. I guess I wasn’t paying close enough attention. Then my phone died.”
“I’m Elijah Gray, and this is my brother Caleb. We live close to here. We can take you with us if you’d like.”
“Yes. Please. I’m Lucy Zimmer, from Portland. I feel so silly. I’ve never been lost in the woods before. I go hiking all the time. I just had a lot on my mind, I guess. I’m embarrassed,” Lucy said, pulling her backpack onto her shoulders and kicking dirt over the fire to put it out.
“Don’t be,” said Elijah. “It could happen to anyone. Come on. We’ll make you some tea.”
Chapter 4
Lucy followed the strange, sexy brothers through the forest. They seemed to walk through the woods with absolute grace. While she tripped over and broke every branch in her path, they seemed to avoid each obstacle and land each footfall with complete silence. She’d never seen anyone walk like that in her entire life.
They hiked in the darkness for what seemed like miles using neither torch or flashlight. How they were able to see was beyond her. Elijah held her hand and guided her through the forest. She bumbled along behind him as he moved with the dexterous flow of a dancer.
Finally they came to a clearing at the edge of the woods, and Lucy could see light shining through big windows in a two-story log house. The wood beams were brightly polished fir logs stacked high under a dramatically pitched roof. The house had a wraparound porch with red double doors that led inside.
“Oh my, what a beautiful home,” Lucy gushed, the sight of civilization making her weak in the knees.
“Hope so. We built it,” Caleb said.
“You did not!” Lucy said, moving forward along the stone-covered walkway and toward the porch stairs. The place was just too magnificent to have been built by hand.
“We did. We cut, hewed, and cured the logs as well,” said Elijah, pride in his voice.
“I’m impressed,” Lucy said definitively.
“Thanks,” Elijah said, opening the door for her. She walked inside and turned to see Caleb giving his twin brother a disapproving look. Elijah grinned and led Lucy into their gloriously appointed kitchen. The exposed wood continued throughout the house with high ceilings and exposed beams. The kitchen had black granite and stainless steel everything.
Lucy sat at the kitchen island bench and watched Elijah put water in a kettle on the huge gas stove. “What was bothering you so much that you got yourself lost?” he asked. When the kettle whistled, he took it off the stove and poured her a cup of sweet-smelling herbal tea.
“Just stuff at work. I’m a paralegal, and I’m having some issues with my boss.”
She sniffed the tea, and the green, lemony aroma wafted down her nose and into her brain, instantly relaxing her. She sighed, and Elijah put a plate of sugar cookies in front of her. She grabbed a cookie and gobbled it down before she realized she must look like some sort of fiend.
“You’re hungry. I’ll make you some real food.”
“Oh, don’t go to any trouble. I’m fine.”
“I insist.”
Caleb came into the kitchen, took a beer out of the refrigerator, and sat at the kitchen table across the room, never taking his eyes off Lucy. She gave him a faint smile. He made her wary. He scared her, like the wolves in the woods. Something about him seemed predatory and dangerous.
“Do you both cook?” Lucy asked, trying to make conversation as Elijah cracked eggs into a bowl. Caleb’s stare made her uncomfortable.
“Elijah does most of the cooking. I do the skinning in return,” Caleb said before taking another long swig of beer.
“Skinning?”
“We’re hunters and trappers,” said Elijah as he whisked the eggs.
“Really. I didn’t realize that was a thing anymore.”
“Sure. We have a special license. It’s grandfathered in, so to speak. Our family has been in this part of Oregon for ten generations.”
“Really, wow. That long.” She nodded, imagining what it might be like to have that much history and connection to a place and to a family. All Lucy had was a father who was constantly disappointed in her and a stepmother who was more interested in celebrity gossip than in Lucy. They’d moved to Portland when Lucy was a teenager, after she’d lost her mother. But that had only been about ten years ago. Before that, they’d lived in Salem. “We’re pretty close to Mystic Harbor, right?” she asked.
“That lost, huh?” Caleb asked, laughing.
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