A sound, soft and low, came; deep breathing. A chilled wave coursed through her, stopping her forward progress, and a blip of something she hadn't allowed herself to think about broke through. She'd been attracted to Cougar Mountain because of the legend surrounding it, a legend she'd fully expected to debunk.
But if there was something to the reason for the mountain's name--
A man stood with his arms folded across a too big chest, legs spread wide, and muscled thighs and calves challenging his jeans to contain them, his dark eyes glinting with something she couldn't or wouldn't put a name to.
He was beautiful. Wild. Thick black hair so long it swept his shoulders. Days overdue for a shave. Broad shoulders and back; proud, and yes, arrogant. He held his mouth in an ungiving line, lips thinned in concentration, or anger, or something else beyond her comprehension. His facial bones were well displayed despite the stubble, jaw strong and cheekbones high. Those incredible and unnerving eyes were set deep in their sockets, as if protecting them from deep scrutiny.
Although she wasn't done studying the man's unfathomable expression, she knew better than to let it distract her from his strength and size. Tall, maybe six feet two. Like his face, the rest of him carried no padding. He was all lean energy and health, his chest sheltered beneath a flannel shirt that looked as if it could stop a bullet.
A bullet?
No, she couldn't--wouldn't--shoot him.
Unless her life depended on it.
Shaking off the horrid image of aiming her pistol at that athletic form, she accepted that the only thing disturbing the lean line of his belly was a certain undeniable mound. A large, proud bulge that loosened her clenched jaw and softened her in ways she prayed he couldn't guess.
Man. All man. Silent and watchful.
"One--one of us needs to say something," she came up with, angry because her voice shook a little. "I've already shot off my mouth, so what say we make it your turn?"
Going by his lack of a reaction, she all but believed he hadn't heard her. But unless he was deaf, that wasn't possible. Her career brought her in contact with men who made their living on their feet and working with their hands, so she was accustomed to well-toned males. To say she'd become immune to vibrant bodies would be a lie. She was a healthy young woman who loved nothing more than wrapping her body around and over a member of the opposite sex and feeling them become one.
But this man, this woodland stud, was putting the competition to shame. Yes, mystery and the possibility of danger added undeniable elements, but it was more than that. The appeal went deeper than a near-perfect physique.
"Okay, so you aren't interested in talking. I understand; I do. I came here because I needed some down time." About to wipe her suddenly damp hands on her hips, she clenched them instead. "I want to put some more miles behind me while it's light, so I'll just be moving on."
Maybe thirty feet separated them. A former high school and college track star, she was still fast on her feet. If he so much as made a menacing move in her direction, she'd leave him in her dust.
Not that she wanted to.
Shit, what was this? Some fantasy that she and Mr. Mysterious and Sexy's eyes had met somewhere across a crowded room once? Not only wasn't she a woman for romantic fantasies, this wasn't a room, and it wasn't crowded. Most telling, he was more intimidating than intriguing.
Not that it mattered, because she'd never see him again.
Swallowing disappointment, she made a quarter turn and took her first step toward what appeared to be a decent deer trail. She thought about asking what had brought him to the area, and if he'd heard the rumors about cougar spirits and spells, but he probably wouldn't respond to that, either. One step became two and then three. She told herself to relax, that the awkward encounter was nearly behind her.
"I've been waiting for you."
His voice was a rumble, a deep and low growl, but as unsettling as the tone was, it was his words that made her shiver. And stop. "What?"
"You came."
Run. Get the hell out of here. But, damn it, she'd never backed down from anything. After taking a halfway calming breath, she faced him. Earlier he'd been standing in the sun, as if inviting her scrutiny, but now he'd stepped into the shadows. Either that or the shadows had reached out to envelop him.
"I don't know what you're talking about." She paced every word, keeping them strong. But underneath, something was happening to her, a little more softening in her sex and a hell of a lot of awareness of herself as a woman. Not just a 120-pound woman being confronted by a man who might outweigh her by a hundred pounds, but female in its most basic form.
"You might not understand now, but you will," he said.
His tone was just as deep and rumbling as the first time, and yet it had become what, silky? Seductive? She'd come in contact with a few unbalanced people in her life. Here was the most masculine male she'd ever encountered--and it looked like he maybe had too many loose screws. Not fair!
"I don't know what to say." Her words came out a whisper.
"You don't have to say anything. I'm leading your journey."
"I, ah, appreciate the offer." She took a backward step. "But I have my own journey, and I'm going to get back to taking it. Now."
"No."
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