Page 4 of Pretty Wild

Great. Now I have to go back.

Though, it’s not like it’s out of my way. Sheisgoing to be staying next door.

I run my hand over my face and groan.

Something tells me this isn’t going to be as easy as it should. Ryan is clearly not accustomed to staying in a cabin in the middle of the woods. With no cell phone coverage.

A smile spreads across my lips.

Looks like the princess is in for a rude awakening.

Come to think about it, this might be more enjoyable than expected.

No,no.

The last thing I need is to have some woman distracting me. I’m a very busy man, with an incredibly demanding job. We’re entering the busy summer season. I won’t have time to sleep, let alone have time for a woman.

Especially one as high-maintenance as Ryan.

Ain’t happening, Marcus, and the sooner you realize that the better off you’ll be.

Women are trouble with a capital T.

And Ryan screams trouble.

Best thing I can do is steer clear of her.

Who cares if she’s practically living next door to me for the next thirty days?

Not me.

I probably won’t ever see that woman again. She’ll stay at the cabin and leave at the end of her rental agreement with a summer tan, returning to her high-rise condo in some big city with high-speed internet.

Yeah, I’m sure this’ll be the last time I see Ryan.

She’ll be gone in no time.

2

RYAN

Iclose the door to my cabin and flip the lock before slowly turning and taking in my surroundings. The cabin is…rustic. The plaid furniture looks well-loved, but comfortable, and the wood floor is marred with years of activity. There’s a television sitting in a big cabinet, and even though I can’t see it from here, I’m pretty sure there’s a box on the back of it, like the TVs we had growing up.

The kitchen and dining room are combined, if you can really call it a dining room. It’s more of an eat-in kitchen, with a small table and four chairs in a little nook. There’s an old coffeepot on the counter, which I’m grateful for, since I’m pretty certain there isn’t a Dunkin’ or Starbucks anywhere near me.

That’s part of the reason I chose this place. It’s an incredibly small town and the cabin’s completely isolated. There isn’t a camera or a nosy paparazzi screaming my name in sight. I can’t help but smile at that thought.

Let’s just hope sleeping comes a little easier out here than it did under the bright city lights.

I walk through the rest of the cabin, checking it out. It doesn’t take long, since there’s only two bedrooms and one bathroom.They all match the rest of the house, with old fixtures, tile walls, and faded linoleum in the bathroom, a pair of twin-size beds and a dresser in the smaller bedroom, and a big antique bed with matching nightstands and a dresser in the master. There’s even a big quilt covering the surprisingly soft mattress featuring a wooded scene with big black bears.

Everything is exactly as it was portrayed in the online ad I found, including the warning about black bears. Though, at the time, I thought it was an exaggeration. Apparently not.

My mind instantly flashes back to the man who rescued me on the side of the road.

Marcus.

I remember how hard my heart hammered in my chest when he spoke, startling the crap out of me, as I was standing there on the side of the road. My phone wasn’t working, so if his intentions were anything other than honorable, I wouldn’t have been able to do a damn thing about it. Even though I could walk a thousand miles in heels, there’s no way I would have been able to outrun a man of his…size.

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