Chapter 14

Ellie

I stumble through the bramble, rain now falling freely, cursing and muttering at how stupid I’ve been.

I should have known better. My knee started aching halfway up, but I was so set on finding the hot springs, I ignored it, and managed to somehow leave the main track.

Thunder cracks above me, increasing my panic and the need to seek shelter before the heavens really open and I get hit by lightning. “Stupid,” I mutter to myself as I limp.

It’s my own fault. I kept hoping to see the track, but by the time I realized I was truly lost, I was past the point of no return, my knee was so swollen it was impossible to hike all the way back down the mountain to my car.

I wasted ten minutes looking for a hut that was on the map, only to arrive and find it had been demolished.

Water dripping down my face, I lean against a fence paling and wince at the third reminder I’m on someone’s private property.

Maggie’s warning ringing in my ears, I look around and try to see past the bushes obscuring my view.

I push up on my toes, pain shooting through my knee as I see a luxury lodge of some kind.

There’s a very high possibility no one is home, but if there is, I might be able to figure out where I am exactly, and hopefully wait out the rain.

I push my hair back from my forehead, and hobble forwards, dodging thorns, and head towards the house.

I take a step onto the lawn and pause at the sound of activity coming from beside me.

I turn slowly, expecting to see the owner, but find myself eyeballing a large black bear plucking berries from the bushes beside me.

My heart jumps to my throat and heat floods my body as I scramble to think.

Every possible scenario runs through my head as I try to remember what I’m supposed to do.

Am I supposed to curl up in a ball and play dead? Or is that with Grizzlies? In my panic, I can’t for the life of me recall which one it is, let alone figure out if the bear in front of me is a small grizzly cub or a fully grown black bear.

I stare, rendered mute as the bear slowly lifts its head, seems to blink, then rears up on its hind legs.

Convinced the bear is about to attack me, I let out a cross between a yelp and a scream and start to back away.

The bear growls and all the hairs on the back of my neck stand to attention.

I’m so fixated on the bear I jump when I hear someone speaking. “It’s okay. You’re going to be okay,” a masculine voice says.

I’m so terrified I can’t speak, but in my peripheral vision, I see a man easing towards me, his eyes locked on the bear.

As I fight to keep calm he keeps speaking in a soothing voice as the bear cranes its neck forward.

I’m trembling all over, adrenaline flowing through me as the man raises his hands and steps to my side. “Do the same as me,” he says.

Since the bear doesn’t seem to be priming to maul us, I manage to raise my shaking hands over my head.

“Nice and slow, no sudden moves. He’s just curious,” he says calmly.

I can’t even manage to acknowledge him, I’m fixated on the beast a few feet away from me.

But the bear seems to lose interest, and with a grunt drops to all fours and lazily walks in the opposite direction.

I turn, ready with a ‘thank you’ out, but the sight of an incredibly gorgeous man peering at me, dark eyes, hair, stubbled chin, tanned skin, and muscle hidden beneath his plaid shirt is enough to make me stare slack-jawed.

When he smiles, my stomach backflips and it takes some effort to breathe.

“You’re in shock,” he says.

I nod weakly, still shaking, and growing increasingly cold as my thermal gear traps the water.

He gestures to my strapped knee. “I take it you were looking for some help?”

I try for a smile but my lips are so frozen they won’t cooperate.

Whoever this guy is, he’s gorgeous. Water is streaming down his face, and despite feeling like I’m about to have a nervous breakdown it’s impossible not to mentally start undressing him.

I groan as I realize how long it’s been since I lusted after a man.

It’s beyond inappropriate considering the circumstances and probably an indication that I’m out of my head with shock.

He looks at me, forehead wrinkled in concern, and eyes locked on me like I’m a target.

“Let’s get you inside so you can call someone to come get you.”

My throat gets thick as I fight the desire to tell him there is no one. Instead, my head starts to spin, and I’m in danger of losing the contents of my stomach.

Another soft groan escapes as I sway, legs no longer capable of supporting my weight.

I have no warning before he sweeps me into his arms with a grunt. “I got you,” he says.

Dizzy and now completely saturated by the rain, my teeth have started to chatter and it’s a struggle to communicate as he starts to walk back towards the house I saw.

I still have no idea of where I am, or who he is, just that my breasts are now wedged against the solid muscle of his chest.

For a brief moment, I stiffen in his arms, sure I’ve stumbled onto some weirdo who hides in the woods when he looks down at me and grins. “Do you make a habit of ignoring private property signs? Or is this just my lucky day?”

When I’m rendered mute, unsure of whether he’s joking, he just confounds me further when he winks at me.

Despite how rotten I feel, I’m far too aware of him, and how my body seems to be reacting to his.

I’m ninety-nine percent sure his intentions aren’t nefarious, so I wrap my frozen hands around his neck. “Ggguess ittt’s yyyour lucky day,” I reply.

He starts to chuckle, and despite my predicament, I find myself smiling all the way up the path to the back door.

***

You can read more of Cooper and Ellie’s story in One Wild Weekend With Cooper

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Author Bio

Lexi Hart is the pen name of a crazy Kiwi romance junkie who prefers to live in the heads of her characters than her own.

If you want to escape reality with me and love fast burn romances with a splattering of suspense, The One Wild Weekend Series is sure to satisfy you.

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