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  Mine.

  That one word coursed through me, pounding inside of my skull like a war drum, causing my heart to jackhammer in my chest. I’d never felt such an immediate, intense feeling consume me. And that’s exactly what it was doing. It took hold of me and refused to submit.

  I pictured her in my bed, surrounded by my sheets, the scent of me covering her, making me even more territorial. I saw her hair fanned out around her, a look of pleasure covering her face as I spread her thighs. I’d lean low, run my tongue along the very center of her, and lap up the arousal that I caused. I could tell she’d taste sweet, so fucking good that I’d grow addicted from just that one taste. She’d have her hands in my hair, tugging at the strands, causing me pain and pleasure.

  Fuck, I was harder than damn steel, my cock threatening to burst through my zipper.

  I didn’t know why this woman, who I didn’t know anything about, had me reacting this way, but a part of me wanted it to go further, deeper.

  I wanted to thrust my dick into her hot, wet heat. I wanted her to cry out as I filled her, as I stretched her.

  My food was forgotten as I continued to stare at her. She brushed her hair away from her face and I tightened my hands on the edge of the table. I wanted to grab her hair and pull on it, watch as her head tipped back and her throat was bared to me. I wanted to see her expression as pleasure washed across her face when I had my cock so deep into her I didn’t know where she began and I ended.

  God, I’m fucking losing my mind.

  I don’t know how long I watched her, but the sound of shifting beside me, and of Liam clearing his throat, had me glancing away from her and at my brothers. I stared at Johnny and Liam, knowing full well they could see how affected I was. But to my surprise Johnny wasn’t even looking at me. His focus was on Flora, his jaw clenched tightly.

  Liam, on the other hand, was staring right at me, his eyebrow cocked, and a smirk on his face. I wouldn’t live this down. I growled low at him and shifted on the seat, trying to alleviate the stiffness between my thighs.

  “What?” I said, my voice thick. I cleared my throat, trying to seem like I had my shit together. Liam shook his head and looked down at his food.

  “I’m not even going there,” he mumbled under his breath.

  Good, at least he was smart enough to keep his opinion to himself, at least for right now. Johnny grumbled something under his breath and looked away from Flora.

  “You two are insane, you know that?” Liam said, but he was speaking more to himself than to us.

  I didn’t bother saying anything in return, because he was right. I was insane, especially where some sexy little number was concerned. I didn’t even know her name or where she came from. But the feelings inside of me were intense, the need to smell her, touch her, be with her in every way... It was something I hadn’t felt in a very long time, and certainly not this powerfully. I’d never had this reaction to a woman before, never thought it was even possible. But the territorial side of me had risen up, and the one word that kept pounding through my head would not be silenced.

  Mine.

  Mia

  I tried not to stare at Noah. He was finished with lunch and he and his brothers were getting up to go. Although I was off to the side and pretty sure he couldn’t see me gawking at him, I still tried to be stealthy about it.

  He was big and strong. He worked with his hands, and that manual labor was evident on the muscles upon muscles that covered his body. His raw power couldn’t be hidden. It was hard not to imagine myself pressed up against a wall, his body blocking out everything else, his thigh between mine. I was already so wet, my arousal so powerful it was unlike anything I’d ever felt before. And my nipples, God, I felt like they could tear through my shirt.

  I slouched in my seat just a bit more, thankful Flora was busy messing with her phone and not paying attention to me. Although I couldn’t help but notice how she’d stiffened the moment we’d walked into the café, or how her attention had immediately gone to the biggest Ash brother, Johnny. I wondered what was going on there, but I wasn’t about to probe. It wasn’t my business, and besides, I was too interested in Noah to care about much else at the moment.

  I pressed my legs together to try and stem off my desire, but all that did was add pressure to my clit, the little bundle of nerves that throbbed, aching for a man named Noah to ease my suffering. I could have groaned at the thoughts playing through my head.

  His hands would run over my naked body, and his mouth would be at my neck. He’d be licking, sucking at my pulse point as he slid his hand down my belly and stopped right above my pussy. God, he’d be whispering the filthiest things in my ear, ones that made me blush but want so much more.

  “Looks like there’s an issue back at the office,” Flora said.

  I blinked a few times, turned my attention form Noah, who was leaving the restaurant, and stared at the intern. I felt like my face was on fire, and prayed like hell she couldn’t see that I was like this because I was so turned on.

  She was still staring at her phone so I chanced one more look at Noah, and that’s when our gazes locked. He was staring right at me, his blue eyes hard on mine. The world could have swallowed me up in that moment and I wouldn’t have cared.

  Everything seemed to still, and in that second I felt like he was right in front of me, touching me, stroking my skin until flames licked across my limbs.

  “Hey, you okay?”

  And just like that, the sound of Flora’s voice had me coming back to the present. I still stared at Noah, watched him leave the restaurant and get into his truck, and only when he drove away did I look at Flora. She had her brows pulled down low in a look of confusion, her body tense as if she were uncomfortable.

  “You okay? You’re all flushed.” She looked over her shoulder, but the Ash brothers were now gone.

  Thank God, because if Noah would have stayed there any longer I don’t know if I could have controlled myself. Hell, I could have seen myself walking up to him and demanding he take me right then and there.

  “I’m fine,” I lied easily. My throat felt thick, my mouth dry. When Flora looked back at me I could see she wasn’t buying it, but she didn’t press me about it. And that was a good thing, because I don’t know if I could have lied about not wanting Noah Ash.

  Chapter Three

  Mia

  Grabbing my keys, I took a few energy bars and a bottle of water and got in the car. I knew there was a running path not too far from my place, and although I could head out my back door and just go into the woods, I wanted to explore.

  I drove the ten or so minutes it took to get to a little path I’d seen a few times while being in town. Once parked, I grabbed the small bag I’d shoved the water and bars into and headed toward the uneven, yet insanely beautiful path. It was hours before the sun was supposed to set, so I figured I’d walk until my feet ached and my head was clear. It wasn’t like I had a lot of stress in my life, just the normal, but I was lonely. Aside from Flora I didn’t have any friends here, and going home every night to no one had a vice around my heart.

  I’d known it would be hard being so isolated, and I needed this desperately, but I guess I wasn’t used to it.

  The sun was shining, and the weather was perfect for a hike. I took my time on the path, taking in the sights and smells. There was a peace, a calmness to the woods, to nature. I heard birds chirping, a woodpecker nearby. I listened to the way the leaves sounded as they moved above me when the wind hit them. None of these things were available in the city. It was something I’d always missed.

  The trees that surrounded me were big, monstrous. The smell of pine filled my head, reminding me of the holidays. I could imagine how gorgeous this place would look in wintertime, with the snow-peaked mountains and the frost making everything iridescent.

  I started moving up an incline, turning left, righ
t, following the path as it took me higher. The air became thinner, I’d noticed, and I felt sweat start to bead along my brow. I couldn’t help but smile. This had been a good idea.

  I don’t know how long I’d been walking, but soon I found a beautiful clearing, Rockbridge far below. I made my way toward an outcropping of rocks making a wall. Once I was right next to the rocks, I looked down. I could make out almost the entire town, the way everything was so intimately placed. It was no wonder everyone was close, knew everything about each other.

  Inhaling deeply, I closed my eyes. If I just relaxed a little, opened myself up to everything around me, and tried not to stress about the little things, I knew I would be a lot happier. I felt myself start to do just that. But the sound of something hard, fierce, had me snapping my eyes open.

  I turned around, trying to gauge where the noise was coming from. It was hard to make out exactly what I was listening to, so instead of trying to figure it out, or attempting to ignore it, I followed the sound. It didn’t take me long to come across a clearing, the trees surrounding a log cabin.

  Maybe I should have turned around and left, because I was surely trespassing. But I had already come this far. The noise echoed off the trees, and a flock of birds flew overhead, startled by it. I should have made myself known, but I didn’t see anyone, and the sound had me curious. I started walking closer, then moved around the side of the house until I could see exactly what was making the commotion.

  Everything in me stilled.

  I knew instantly I was staring at Noah Ash. In his element he was even sexier. He had on a flannel, his suspenders hanging to his sides, the sun beating down from above. God, I felt everything in me heat instantly. Here I was, sweating right along with him. My pussy instantly became wet, my nipples beading up under my shirt. I was fully aroused, wanting him to fuck me against a tree like we were some feral couple that just couldn’t help ourselves.

  The position I was in didn’t let me see exactly what he was doing, but that curiosity was alleviated when he lifted his arms, the axe above his head catching the light momentarily before he brought it down. I saw the wood he was clearly cutting splinter into two pieces and fall on either side of him.

  I felt my heart beat double time, and beads of perspiration dotted the valley between my breasts I couldn’t move, even though I knew I should have, even though I knew watching him when he wasn’t aware was wrong on so many levels.

  I watched as he walked over to the banister of his deck and grabbed a towel. He wiped the sweat from his face and chest, tossed the towel aside, and just stood there for long seconds. He was now partially facing me, and the fact that I could get caught watching him scared the shit out of me. But I couldn’t move. I didn’t want to.

  I swear he could hear the pounding of my heart. I felt it in my throat, heard it in my ears. And then, to my utter shock he reached down, unzipped his jeans, and pulled his erection out. My mouth dropped open, my throat dried and tightened, and as much as I knew I should have turned away and left, I couldn’t.

  He leaned against the deck, his cock in hand, his head tipped back, and his eyes closed. I found myself moving closer, trying to be quiet so he didn’t know I was watching this very intimate act. I saw his chest rising and falling, heard him groan low, and my entire body lit up. I found myself positioned partially behind a tree, my hands braced on the bark, the texture rough against my palms. I was focused on what he was doing, the fact he was jerking off so close to me.

  I clenched my thighs together, my arousal so prominent I felt my clit start to throb, felt my panties become obscenely wet. He worked his palm along his cock harder, faster, his breathing becoming even harsher.

  And then he opened his eyes and looked right at me. I was frozen in place and felt my eyes widen. I still couldn’t move. And he didn’t stop masturbating. He stared right into my eyes, just like he’d done at the café, and kept on jerking off. His mouth parted slightly, and I found myself lowering my gaze to his dick once more. He groaned deeply once right before he came. I held my breath as I watched him get off, saw the white jets of semen shoot from the tip of his cock. And when I lifted my gaze back to his face I saw he still watched me.

  Reality set in and I stumbled backward. God, what had just happened? I felt embarrassed by being a voyeur, and found myself turning and hauling ass away from him and his cabin. I didn’t know what the hell I was thinking, or why I made myself look like an even bigger ass by leaving, but it was too late now.

  When I reached my car after what seemed like forever, I fumbled with my keys to unlock my door. Once inside, I leaned my head back on the seat, closed my eyes, and tried to calm my breathing.

  The blood rushed through my veins, and my arousal still thrummed heavily through me, refusing to slow or lessen. God, how would I face him again?

  The very thought of running into him in town, after what had just happened, scared the hell out of me.

  Noah

  I was juiced up, so fucking turned on despite just getting off that I felt my cock harden again. I grabbed the rag and wiped my dick off before putting myself back in my jeans. My chest was rapidly rising and falling, and I still looked off into the woods where I’d seen her. She’d left already, but I wanted her to come back. I wanted her hands on me, jerking me off, watching as I came for her.

  I had no idea what the fuck was going on with me, or why she was bringing out these emotions, but I didn’t want them to leave. I wanted to hold onto them, see how much they grew because of her. I’d felt dead inside for so long that the life she brought out in me—and I hadn’t even spoken to her yet—made me one possessive bastard.

  I was trying to stay calm, to not go running after the woman I’d grown far too interested in.

  Truth was, staying put was hard as fuck.

  I’d felt someone watching me, felt a presence that I wasn’t used to out in the middle of nowhere. And then I’d noticed her. I was a dirty bastard for masturbating in front of her, but the fact she watched me turned me on like nothing else. And right as I came I looked into her eyes, letting her know I was fully aware she watched me. The orgasm I’d had was so fucking powerful I’d had to force myself to stay upright.

  She’d worn this wide-eyed, shocked expression on her face, and, as if she was a scared rabbit and I’d spooked her, she’d left. I couldn’t blame her, though.

  I wanted to call after her, to bring her back, show her exactly how much I wanted her...because I did. Fucking hell, I wanted her.

  Exhaling roughly, I stared off at where she’d been standing. I didn’t even know her name, didn’t know where to start looking for her. I could probe Flora for information if I became too desperate. But this was a small town; she lived here, obviously, and I’d find her. I wasn’t about to walk away when, for the first time in too damn long, I felt something stirring within me.

  Not when every part of me wanted to claim her as my own.

  Chapter Four

  Mia

  I stared out the widow, wanting to finish this meeting before the weather got any worse. I glanced back at Stewart Kline, a client of the real estate firm who refused to travel, and who was wealthy enough my place of business clearly bent over backward for him. He was going over the paperwork I’d brought for him to sign for the tenth time. Normally, I wouldn’t have cared if he wanted to have someone read it over with a fine-tooth comb.

  Hell, I could have suggested it if it set him at ease, but the weather was turning from nasty to downright fucking atrocious. I still had an hour’s drive back to town, and with the snow falling harder by the minute, I knew it would be longer than that.

  “Yeah, this looks feasible,” Stewart finally said and signed the last document.

  I was bouncing my leg out of annoyance and nervousness, not wanting to be stuck here and forced to stay the night. I just wanted to get home. I’d already been here half the day because of his nitpicki
ng.

  “Great,” I said and took the papers he slid over to me. I gave them a once over, making sure he’d crossed his T’s and dotted his I’s. When we were both satisfied with how everything was handled, I shook his hand and started making my way toward the front door.

  “It looks pretty apocalyptic out there, and I hear it’s only supposed to get worse. Drive safely.”

  I clenched my teeth and held in the smartass retort I was going to give him. If he hadn’t needed to go over each paper ten times I would have been out of here well before the weather had gotten this bad. Even though it was March, the weather this high up was unpredictable, and there were even some parts of mountain territory that had snow year-round.

  “Yeah, thanks,” I said instead.

  I got my jacket on, pulled my lapels closer to my neck, and pushed the front door open. A gust of cold, wet air hit me, snow swirling around me. It was like a blizzard. Once I was at my car and seated in the driver’s side, I cranked the engine and turned the heat on full blast.

  Maybe it’s smarter of me to just stay the night here?

  Yeah, it would have been smart, but I was too damn stubborn to do that.

  I sent a quick text to Flora, letting her know that I was heading back and to let our office manager know. Then I headed back home, and prayed like hell that the weather let up.

  * * *

  I squinted, leaned forward, and tried to see past the thick weather that was currently surrounding me. I’d been driving for over two hours now, double the time it should have taken me to get home, and I wasn’t even back in Rockbridge yet. But I was driving well below the speed limit, afraid to go much faster than thirty since the roads were icy as hell. God, this was a freak storm, something out of a crazy movie or book.

  I saw the sign for town come up in a blurry wave of color and lettering. I was close, but not close enough to give me peace of mind. My hands were wrapped tightly around the steering wheel, my knuckles white, my skin burning from the force it took to hold on. I was tense all over. And then it happened as I rounded the corner. My tires caught on ice, the car skidded, out of control. I might have screamed, or maybe that was all in my head. But as I slid into a ditch, I realized I was good and fucked.