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"Well, damn," a voice beside me chuckles. "Ol' Tucker's sweet on ya, darlin'. Ain't seen 'im take a likin' to a woman in longer than I can recall."
My head whips toward the bartender, eyes wide behind my glasses. "W-What? No, that's ridiculous, he was just being a..."
A jerk? A caveman? A smoldering, dangerous force of rugged alpha maleness that somehow scrambled my nerves into knots?
"He's gonna eat you alive out there in the wild," another man snorts, and the whole place dissolves into riotous hoots and hollers.
"I think she'll like it!" someone else hollers over the din.
I gather my gear, my cheeks flaming as I try to block out the crude jeers. Squaring my shoulders, I follow Tucker.
Eat me alive? I scoff to myself, shoving through the entrance. More likely he'll be the one getting devoured.
By a mountain lion, of course. Not whatever primal hunger is currently gnawing at me in a most unscientific way.
I pause, blinking against the bright mountain sunlight and gulping in a steadying breath of crisp, pine-scented air. Tucker stands a few paces away beside a beat-up truck, his back turned toward me. My gaze traces the grooves of his spine beneath that snug thermal, the flex of his broad shoulders as he loads gear into the truck bed. I have to resist the urge to rake my nails over those chiseled slabs of muscle...
Rhylee Caldwell, get a grip!
I'm an academic, a professional, a woman of science. Not some silly girl letting her head get turned by a pair of smoldering eyes and a cocky attitude.
Still, as I watch Tucker's lean hips sway with that innate, masculine swagger, I can't deny my body's visceral response.
He senses my presence then, pivoting to face me. Those blazing eyes lock onto me, and a slow, wicked grin spreads across his stubble-covered jaw as if he knows exactly the effect he's eliciting. As if he can scent my arousal on the crisp mountain breeze like we’re just a couple of beasts.
I should be running for the safety of my lab, my world of clean lines and empirical data. Not stumbling into the jaws of the untamed unknown.
But something deep within me thrashes against that instinct, rising to meet the challenge in Tucker's gaze, and I know one thing for certain.
There's no going back now.
Chapter 2
Tucker
Isquint against the glare of the midday sun as we finally reach the trailhead. My boots crunch over the loose gravel, kicking up little puffs of dust that drift lazily in the still mountain air. The girl—Rhylee—waddles over, weighed down by an absurd amount of gear and equipment.
There’s enough shit strapped to her back to make a goddamn Sherpa blush. A heavy-looking rucksack overflows with supplies, clanking and jangling with every lurching step. Her shoulders bow under the burden. A tangle of poles and scientific doodads dangle off her at odd angles, like some bizarre metal appendages sprouting from her curvy frame.
Can't say I'm surprised the city slicker went overboard with the packing. Rookie mistake that'll bite her in the ass out here, where every extra ounce is a liability. I should just tell her to turn back now before she gets hurt.
But a determined glint in those warm brown eyes gives me pause—a hint of untamed fire behind those bookish spectacles, daring me to try and stop her. My gaze lingers on the sheen of sweat glistening along her flushed cheeks, the wisps of chestnut hair escaping her messy ponytail to cling to the delicate curve of her neck.
Who knows? Maybe there's more to this brainy little wildflower than meets the eye.
"You need a hand with any of that?" The gruff words leave my mouth before I can stop them.
Rhylee blinks owlishly at me over the rims of her smudged glasses as if she can't quite believe I'm offering. Hell, I can't quite believe it either.
"I... um, yes, that would be appreciated," she stammers. A relieved little smile tugs at those full lips as she shrugs off her pack, and I resist the sudden urge to run my thumb along her plump bottom one.
Shoving aside the unexpected flare of heat, I step forward and grab the bulging pack, easily hoisting the heavy load over one shoulder with a grunt. It's nothing compared to the elk quarters I routinely haul out of these hills, but her eyes still widen in surprise at my easy strength.
"Ready to head out?"
She nods briskly as she shoulders the remaining gear. "Of course. I can't tell you what a privilege this opportunity is for me, to study the wildlife deep in the heart of such an untamed wilderness with an expert like yourself."
"It's just the woods," I mutter, rolling my eyes as I turn and head off down the trailhead.
