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She leaned toward him. On the bank where they’d planted their hands, their fingers brushed.
Drawn to her like a bee to honey, he leaned closer. He was going to claim those perfectly plump lips and see for himself if she tasted like berries or peaches or—
Something in the water moved. He shifted his stare from her lips to the spot in the reeds.
Red cloth of a man’s shirt bobbed to the surface.
Fuck!
She started to follow his gaze, but he cupped her cheek and held her in place. Alarm lit her eyes.
“Don’t look over there.”
“What? Why not?”
“Just listen to me, Ivy.” He grabbed his phone and dialed Colton.
His friend answered after two rings.
“I need you down at the pond. Now,” Hunter barked to him.
Again, Ivy started to twist on the bank to look at what he was seeing, but he threaded his fingers in her soft hair to hold her. He ended the call before Colton could reply and dropped his phone to grasp Ivy by the shoulder.
“Hunter, you’re scaring me. What the hell is going on? Is there a bear? Because I know how to make a bear move on without taking interest in me. Our father taught us how to protect ourselves out here.”
“It’s not a bear.”
It was a dead man.
She tore away from him, leaping to her feet before he could stop her. When she stared at the reeds and saw what he saw, she clapped a hand over her mouth.
Her face drained of color. When she swung toward Hunter, he cupped the back of her head and drew her against his chest.
She was shaking.
“Oh my god! Who is that?”
“I don’t know,” he ground out. But he could guess. The ranch hand who had gone missing.
She yanked away from him. “I’m getting out of here!”
He grabbed her by the upper arms and held her. “You’re not going anywhere alone. From this minute on, both you and your sister are to be accompanied by one of us.”
“I want to leave!”
“I want you safe.” He kissed her. Took her lips for his own and made damn sure she knew who was claiming her.
Planting a hand on her lower spine, he pulled her flush against his body. A quiver ran through her, but it was surrender.
She relaxed into his body. With a soft moan, she melted into the kiss.
The brief brushing of lips lasted mere seconds before she jerked away from him again. She whirled to go, her hair fanning out in an arc behind her.
He latched on to her arm. “You don’t want to defy me, Ivy.”
“You don’t have any authority over me. I’m old enough to make my own decisions!”
“Need I remind you of what happened four nights ago down at Badlands?”
