Page 3 of Hollow Forest

I screamed.

Chapter 2 – Samantha

The man in a faded flannel shirt, which was left unbuttoned to show off the tightly fitted black tee underneath, held up both his hands. One of which held a semi-automatic pistol. “I’m not going to hurt you.”

His voice was gravelly and low. Those dark eyes fixed on my own revolver as if meeting someone for the first time with weapons drawn was completely normal.

Well, not to me, it wasn’t.

“Then what the hell is that for?” I demanded.

“I’m the handyman,” he explained, as if that was the only thing I needed to know. “You needed a few things fixed?”

He jerked his chin to the house, while slowly tucking his weapon into the small of his back. He lifted his hands once more to show me they were empty, before sliding both into the pockets of his snug jeans.

“Why did you have your gun drawn?” I insisted, still making no move to lower my own.

“Bears.”

Oh great! There were bears.

I took a shuddering breath. One problem at a time. “My landlord’s text said you would be here at 8. You’re early.”

The corner of his mouth twitched.

It should have irritated me. But as I took a second look at the man, a rush of warmth slid through my body. After the numbing cold brought on by repeated spikes of fear, it felt…nice.

“And being early’s a bad thing?” he murmured.

Annoyance flickered in my chest then. He might be fine in a rugged, sexy way, but my guard was up. I wasn’t going to get involved with the locals. Period. “Doesn’t matter now. You’re here, and I need a shower. So go ahead, turn on the water.”

Something flashed in his eyes. I could have sworn it was hunger. “I’ll get to work then.”

Flustered, and far too warm in my hoodie despite the nippy morning, I spun around and led the way back into the house. The screen door was in danger of falling off its hinges, so I held it until he ghosted closer.

“I know the Craigslist ad said this place had been empty for a while,” I groused. “But I wasn’t expecting this.”

He took in the space, and I stole a moment to study him. Black hair, cut short at the bottom and sides, faded to longer, textured lengths at the top. His skin was as bronzed as mine, but whereas mine was a tan, his had that olive complexion that meant he wouldn’t turn ghostly if he wasn’t exposed to the sun. And damn…he was tall. A good foot taller than me, which put him well over six feet.

Six feet of ripped muscles and a menacing energy roiling under the surface. He was unlike any handyman I’d ever met.

A firm jaw clenched as he assessed the damage.

I turned away before he caught me staring at his mouth. I was not interested in that beautiful, sinfully sexy mouth. Nope. Not one bit.

“Yeah, this place is rough,” he agreed.

An overwhelming rush of embarrassment made me huff. The deposit had been paid. I was stuck in this place.

Bigger picture, girl. Yeah, I wasn’t staying long enough to care.

“Just get the water running and turn on the lights. I’ll sort out the rest,” I told him before I left the kitchen.

I didn’t want him to ask me any personal questions. The less I talked to people, the less I’d have to lie. Couldn’t have someone tripping me up and poking holes in my cover story. I was a ghost, here for one magnificent purpose. Once the job was done, I would slip away and disappear. I needed to leave this town without making a mark.

With my dollar store shampoo, a hand towel, and some toothpaste smeared on the brush, I went to the upstairs bathroom where I turned the faucet. Air coughed through the empty pipes. I waited behind the locked door with my gun, almost daring the guy to come after me instead of turning on the water like he was supposed to be doing. While it would be a shame to poke holes in his god-like body, my craving for bloodshed was strong enough that I almost hoped he would fuck up and come after me.

Be smart.