Chapter 0178
+25 BONUS
The male was someone I had never seen before. As my eyes settled on his face, the wind played with his thick brown curls. He had a cool southern vibe about him with his dark golden skin and full lips. It felt like I knew him from long ago. A sense of dejavu rose inside me as I regarded him.
It occured to me that they were standing in my way.
“Hi.” I gave a friendly wave.
He opened his mouth to speak when a voice sounded behind me.
“You shouldn’t walk around in the woods alone.”
Whipping my head around, I came face to face with another man.
Same height as the first one. Bare, muscled, tattooed chest, too. I forced my wayward eyes to remain above his picture–perfect abs.
Piercing blue eyes stared back at me a few feet away. My heart sped up as our gazes held.
I realized that I was, in fact, surrounded. Yet I wasn’t particularly afraid.
I adjusted my stance so that I was backing neither of the trio. The blue–eyed one seemed guarded. He made me somewhat uneasy too, though not in a scary way.
A weird, hypnotic feeling overcame me when I looked at his eyes again. Like I was a moth staring at fire.
“Are you bad people?,” I tried to joke. “Am I in trouble?”
When he smirked, I could’ve sworn I saw fangs.
“We could be,” he replied. “You’re asking for trouble coming out here all alone.”
“How so? This town is in a free country. Anyone can move about as much as they please?”
I looked away from his piercing gaze. There was something odd about him. About all three of
them.
“Ever heard of wolf season?” The other man asked gently.
“You shouldn’t come out this far into the woods,” said the woman. “Apart from wolves, there are wild animals everywhere. I’ll escort you back outside.”
“That’s okay. I’ll do that,” the blue–eyed one said.
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Chapter 0178
+25 BONUS
For some reason, it felt like he was in charge of the group.
The dark, handsome one looked like he wanted to say something but didn’t. His soft green eyes merely regarded me with what seemed like friendly interest.
The blue–eyed one bobbed his head forward, motioning for me to start moving.
Instead of arguing, I found myself complying. Was there any use in arguing? It was three against one. It’s not like I could fight or that I had a weapon. It looked like they would use force if I didn’t obey.
Maybe they’re forest rangers.
As we came near the road, I realized that the other two didn’t follow us. Another glance at the strange blue–eyed man, and I felt a sense of familiarity so strong that the words fell out of my mouth.
“I know you. I’ve seen you before.”
He was the one talking with Sara a few days ago in front of the council.
God, he’s so hot up close and half–naked.”
But I knew him before then, I was sure of it.
Wasn’t he cold?
“I saw you at the council with Sara James and that other Miss from the city. The new director from Reigns. Are you part of the project or just forest security?” I asked.
“Let’s go for coffee, and I’ll tell you,” he replied.
The invitation hit me like a brick. Did he just ask me out? Go for coffee with him, shirtless? My eyes moved over thick, bulging, tattooed muscles before I could stop them.
“I’ll put on some clothes before we do,” he said when he saw the direction of my eyes.
“I’ve seen you too,” he added quickly.
As his tone grew serious, I knew I’d gotten ahead of myself. He had something to say to me and wasn’t asking me out on a date. I waited for him to finish talking.
“I saw you a few nights ago. You crossed the street. While asleep. Sergeant Hawke had to carry you home.”
I was mortified that he’d seen me like that.
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Chapter 0178
+25 BONUS
“I can help you,” he spoke softly now. “I’ll go put on some clothes. Meet at Molly’s in an hour.
Let’s talk.”
