Page 2 of Forbidden Ride
Chapter Two
Istomp through thesnow, collect the oak I just split, and hurl the logs onto my porch. This storm is expected to dump four feet over the next few days, and I’m going to be ready. I have food and enough fuel for the fire to last me at least a week. The last piece hits the deck with athunk.But there’s another sound coming from somewhere, and it’s definitely man-made.
I listen closely. A gust of freezing air hits my face as the sound of crunching metal rushes through the night from the far end of my property.Christ.That’s the second accident this month. For whatever reason, my mountain seems to be the number-one attraction for drunken little shits. They come up here and party, making a joyride out of all those winding turns, the fucking idiots.
In this weather? Really? I wipe the snow off my face and bring up my hood. I zip my parka all the way up to my neck and grab my flashlight off the porch. The snow chomps under my heavy boots as I trudge through the packed powder in the direction of the sound.
If they were going to crash, I guess now is the time to do it. I won’t be here to save anyone much longer. I’m making a clean break at the end of the week.
My mother, Maeve Johnson, runs one of the biggest drug operations in the state, and my brothers help her. They’re all about to get caught and probably locked up for life. I’ve never had anything to do with the so-called family business, and I’ve had enough of people trying to take me down, assuming I play a role in any of my family’s crap.
I have a contractor’s gig lined up in Bozeman. I’m hoping it will put enough distance between me and my family. But as much as I’ve tried to disconnect myself in the past, my crazy mother always tries to pull me into whatever illegal mess she’s in. Who knows—after Bozeman, I might just leave Montana altogether.
Damn.When I see the headlights, I slow and blow out a breath of frosty air. I shine my lamp on a dark blue SUV. It looks like a Japanese make. Nissan? Toyota? It’s still upright, but it’s been through the wringer, with dents and scraped paint all over it.
It’s facing downhill, smashed into a thick shrub. Another ten feet and that car would’ve gone right over a fifty-foot cliff.
The wind roars around me as I slog through rocks and broken branches, making my way to the car. I shine my light on the back windows, then work my way to the front of the vehicle. Most of it is inaccessible. The shrub the car smashed into almost completely covers the hood. I angle around from the side, shining my light on the windshield, and inspect the driver’s side first and then the passenger side. I don’t see anyone, which isn’t a good sign. Someone could be passed out or worse on the floor. The windshield isn’t busted though, so whoever’s in there didn’t crack their head on it.
After my stint in Afghanistan, I’ve seen enough blood and gore to last a lifetime.
It’s so damn cold ice is sticking to my eyebrows. I wipe my face with the back of my hand and see the driver’s side door is lodged in the snow, all the way up to the handle. The truck is embedded in at least five feet. Shining my light, I scour the ground for a hunk of wood I can use as a shovel.
I find a decent-sized branch a few yards away and come back to the vehicle. After I adjust my light so it shines on the door, I start digging.
I’m a big man—about six-five, weigh almost two thirty, and work out every day—so it doesn’t take me long to shovel the snow and get the door clear. I brace myself for whatever I might be about to see, clasp the handle, and open the door.
A pair of startled emerald eyes meet mine. “Don’t hurt me.” Her voice washes over me like melted honey. My cock stands at attention. Her gaze locks on mine, and my heart stops for a half-beat. Jesus, I know who this woman is.
She’s haunted my dreams since I was fifteen, since the day I saw her for the first time. And it doesn’t matter. Whether I was fifteen then or I’m twenty-seven now—any day or year, Jenny fucking West is off limits.
An icy gust comes out of nowhere and slaps my cheeks. I straighten, reminding myself that this particular situation is a game changer, at least for right now. It’s dangerous for her to be out here, trapped and exposed like this.Jenny needs me.
“You don’t have to be afraid of me, darlin’. I’m here to help, not hurt you.”Although fucking you is definitely a possibility.I can’t stop myself from feasting on the sight of her pert little nose, pillowy soft lips, and shit, she still has a few freckles. She’s as gorgeous as ever, and—Christ!—off limits.
My eyes roam down from the delicate features of her pretty face straight to her cleavage. I could bury my face between all that creamy flesh, not ever come up for air, and die a mighty happy man.
Jenny’s every teenage boy’s wet dream. I ought to know. I jacked off so many times thinking about her I was afraid my dick would fall off. My blood heats and my cock bangs against my zipper, at the ready.
I would never take advantage of a woman, but even all this snow isn’t enough to cool me down when it comes to Jenny.
She hasn’t taken her eyes off me, and I could swear that even in her scared-shitless state, she’s taking me all in too. I’m sure she doesn’t know who I am. I was a few grades behind her in school. But she’s looking me up and down, and by the way she licks her pouty lips and gives me that sexy half smile, I think the little wildcat likes what she sees.
“You hurt?” I ask, reaching in and getting a whiff of her sweet-smelling shampoo. I carefully unhook her seatbelt.
“No.” She adjusts her blouse, unfortunately, buttoning every button. She pats her arms and chest. Then she stretches her neck from left to right like she’s checking for damage. “Believe it or not, I think I’m okay.”
