Rescue in the Smokies (Durham Wolves) (4 page)

On the other hand, the last time she listened to a stranger, she’d ended up in this mess in the first place.

There was something about him. He moved without making a sound. He scanned the horizon as if he expected something or someone to jump out at every turn.

“How far did you say?” She wanted to get him talking.

He turned toward her and stopped so suddenly she walked smack dab into his huge, muscular chest.

With both hands, he reached to steady her before she fell flat on her ass.
Geez
.

Honestly, she wasn’t usually this clumsy. Lack of food? Sleep? Something had her completely out of sorts. She tried desperately to ignore the fact she found herself acutely attracted to this stranger. Why?

If she hadn’t been staring intently at his ass when he stopped, she might not have embarrassed herself by running into him. She grabbed onto his forearms with both hands to keep from swaying. As soon as she touched him, a jolt like a small bolt of electricity raced up her arms to make them tingle. It didn’t stop there, however. Heat raced through her in the wake of the initial shock, and all her senses came alive.

Juliana tipped her head back and stared into his eyes. He stood a full six feet, without a doubt.

For a moment, all she knew was Sergius. His outdoorsy scent mixed with his own personal musk. His rock hard biceps rippled under her fingertips. His deep brown eyes gazed intently into her own. The sounds of the forest blocked completely out, and all she heard was his breathing, short pants in and out as if she affected him as much as he did her. Even her sense of taste was not left out. Inches from his chest, she licked her lips, the combination of everything making her believe she knew what flavors she would find if she leaned the last few inches toward his mouth.

His rugged good looks shook her to the core. Soft brown waves of hair fell across his forehead. She had the urge to weave her fingers into it and hold it back to get a better look at his dark brown eyes surrounded by sun-darkened skin. His chest expanded beyond her vision when she stood so close to him.

“Sorry, I…” It was hard to form a coherent thought with this proximity. After spending the entire night wandering in the woods uncharacteristically confused, now she was magnetically locked in a gaze with this gorgeous hunk who seemed to hypnotize her with just a look. It was daunting.
Perhaps I have low blood sugar or something
.

She’d always had a soft spot for tall men, but this was ridiculous. She didn’t even know this one. Up, up, up she looked to maintain eye contact. Her head tipped back to accommodate his height.

He smiled down at her. “My mind wandered. I-I wasn’t thinking. Are you okay? Was I going too fast?”

“I’m fine.” She cleared her throat. The words were stuck. “Just trying to make conversation. Where are the others?” She glanced around behind her and took a step back to break the spell woven by being so close to him.

“What others?”

Oh, God
. This wasn’t good. “The rest of the rescue team?”

“Oh, them. They started in a different spot. I arrived late. The team met at the top of Chimney Tops Trail and branched from there. I actually live in the area with my two brothers, a few miles outside the park. Whenever someone goes missing, I set out with one or both of my brothers, looking for the lost hiker. We have an excellent success rate, I might add.” He puffed up his chest in an exaggerated fashion and smiled his huge grin at her once again. His gaze was mesmerizing.

“I guess you do,” she mumbled.

He was sex on a stick. He wore nothing more than a tight black T-shirt, low-riding jeans and hiking boots. If they hadn’t been standing in the middle of the national forest, she’d have assumed he just walked off a photo shoot.

His rugged good looks would probably not appeal to her yuppie friends who preferred a business suit and tie, but to Juliana he was the perfect male specimen.

She loved the outdoors and everything associated with it. Sure, she’d dragged Vanessa and Charlene out here for a weekend of hiking, but they’d been humoring her, and hadn’t even had the stamina to keep up. Which was how she got into this mess.

No, that wasn’t their fault. She couldn’t blame her friends for her stupidity. She’d been tired and anxious to get back to the juncture where she’d left them. Felt guilty for leaving them in the first place. So when a handsome man had approached her and suggested a shortcut to the top, she’d jumped at the idea and taken off without thinking clearly.

She could kick herself. Who does that? And now, dozens of people were out looking for her, just because a tall stranger with a nice smile had given her false directions.

“You don’t look so good. Let’s sit for a minute.” Sergius—
what a strange name
—pulled her onto the log of a fallen tree and sat alongside her.

Of course she didn’t look good. She’d been out here twenty-four hours, hadn’t eaten enough for the number of miles she’d covered, had spent the night wandering in the forest, and now she was alone with a strange hunk of a man. Who would look good under those circumstances?

“Where are your brothers?”

“We branched in different directions to cover more ground. We know the area like the backs of our hands, and we’re great trackers. The sheriff calls us police dogs.” He laughed. “Sheriff Hardin came to me this morning, told me you were missing and asked for my help. The reality is most of those rescue people are volunteers. No offense, but they aren’t as good at following the clues you leave behind.”

“You? As in ‘you stupid hikers’?” She grinned though, to take the edge off the words he’d left unspoken.

This time his smile was more of a smirk. “More or less.” But he hurried to add, “Not that I find
you
to be stupid. You seem perfectly intelligent to me. Hardin said you were an avid hiker. So, tell me again about this guy who pointed out the shortcut.”

 “The man came around the corner and spoke to me. He seemed friendly enough. Told me if I headed north through the opening in the trees, I’d be there in no time. Either I seriously messed up his directions, which I’ll have you know is quite unusual for me, or he lied.” A chill went down her entire body, shaking her to the core.

Handsome, sexy Sergius brushed a few stray hairs from her face and gazed at her as though he would kiss her at any moment. His look was so serious and concerned and…nonjudgmental. He hung on her every word. She found herself wishing he
would
kiss her.

God, I must be more tired than I suspected.

She shook the thought away and continued, “Of course, the idea that he lied makes no sense either, seeing as I’m still alive and I haven’t seen him again.”
Thank God for that
. “Perhaps he thought it would be funny to steer me in the wrong direction. What sort of sick bastard would do that, though?”

“What did he look like?”

“Well, he was rather tall, about your height, I’d say, but slender, not built…like you.” Shit, she literally felt the blush that covered her cheeks. She cleared her throat, trying to compose herself. Sergius’s stare penetrated into her, his intense interest in her story evident in his direct gaze and the furrow in between his eyes.

“Long dark hair. Light skin…”

The hand Sergius had used to brush her hair back now tightened on her shoulder. “How light?”

“Hmmm… Almost pale, not what you would expect on a hiker.” Her own skin was a golden brown even though she wore a hat and protective clothing. Why hadn’t she thought it odd at the time? Her brows tugged together. “Which seems strange now that I think about, because I would swear he was Native American. He had on black jeans, black boots and a black tank.”
How stupid am I? What the heck was I thinking letting that man guide me into the trees?

“Did he tell you his name?”

“Not that I recall.”

“He probably just accidentally pointed you the wrong way. Not everyone is as good at directions as others. He could have been confused himself.” He tipped his head to one side.

“Hmm, I like that idea. It makes me sound a bit less stupid.” She shrugged her shoulders.

“I’m quite sure you aren’t stupid. Ready?”

Feeling much better, Juliana took Serg’s offered hand and let him help her stand once again. And once again, she felt a surge of…something…run up her arm at the touch of his warm hand in hers. She wanted to melt into him, lean forward and press herself against his hard chest.

Geez. Get a grip
.

She looked into his chocolate eyes. “Let’s. My roommates must be going insane with worry. Besides, I’m anxious for a hot shower and maybe a steak.”

“They know you’re a great hiker. Everyone thinks you fell and twisted an ankle or something. It happens out here a lot. The majority of the cases of missing people involve some sort of minor accident that prevents the victim from getting back down the mountain. Besides, your friends are at the rescue base. Sheriff Hardin has alleviated their fears by now.”

“That’s good.”

This time Serg kept her hand in his as they started out again. She welcomed the warmth. His palm was outdoors rough. He seemed like a cowboy. And man did she like a good cowboy. All he needed was a hat and a horse and he’d be her dream man…

The sky was overcast, and she’d been so chilled during the night she still hadn’t thawed out enough to forget the cold. That must be why she was reacting to him so. There was no other good explanation. With her free hand she pulled her jacket tighter around her neck.

Chapter Five

Sergius had grabbed Juliana’s hand on instinct. He could hardly let it go now that he held it. First of all, it would be awkward, and second of all, he liked holding her slender, delicate fingers in between his huge, callused ones. It was an unusual gesture for him, but somehow felt natural with Juliana.

The contrast of her soft, feminine skin against his hard, masculine palm did nothing to alleviate the need growing within him.

With stiff movements caused by a stiffening cock, he resumed stepping over fallen branches and piles of leaves to get his woman to safety.

What was he thinking? She was completely safe now. She just didn’t know it yet.

He would have liked to draw out the morning. He cringed to think he’d have no choice but to hand her over to her friends and the authorities when they got to the road. How was he going to arrange to see her again?

Hell, he couldn’t possibly let her go, not even for a moment, now that he thought about it. What if Serg left her with her friends and the vampire hunted her down? Nope, couldn’t let that happen.

So, he needed a plan, and fast.

He’d never been much of a talker. Just because his brothers felt the need to fill every imaginable void with banter didn’t mean he had to.

Now he needed to buck up and dispel that myth in an effort to win the trust of this woman next to him before the end of a two-mile hike.

“Where are you from?”

“North Carolina, originally, but I live about an hour from here. Knoxville. I just finished my Masters in Anthropology.”

“Anthropology? That’s great.” It intrigued him how so many people could study the evolution of man without ever stumbling upon the existence of shapeshifters. “Where did you live in North Carolina?”

“Charlotte. Left six years ago to go to college and haven’t regretted it. I love it out here so close to the Appalachians. Hiking is my ultimate passion. If I could make a living hiking I would.” She chuckled, a sweet sound that vibrated through her and into Sergius where their hands still connected.

“Careful, that’s poison ivy.” He pulled her against him and steered her around the patch of familiar pointed leaves of three, grateful for its presence for the first time in his life. After all, its placement assured him proximity to his sexy woman, at least for a minute.

“Ah, you’re right. I should’ve seen it. I’m usually very careful.”

“I was distracting you.” He looked down into her eyes and smiled.

“True. You were. Your turn. Where are you from?”

Shit. He had wanted to learn everything about her. Not talk about himself.

It doesn’t work that way, dude. If you want her in your bed, you’re going to have to provide a little give and take here
.

“Virginia, outside of Roanoke.”

“Your parents still there?”

“No. They were killed…in an accident, when I was young. Got a lot of relatives in the area still, but my brothers and I came down here and started breeding horses about ten years ago.”

Juliana sucked in a sharp breath he couldn’t miss. She squeezed his fingers and then let go of his hand to balance against a tree as they stepped over a small stream.

When Serg turned to look at her, he found her staring at him. “Sorry about your mom and dad. My parents died when I was young also.”

Sergius swallowed. They had something very personal in common. “Sorry to hear that,” he whispered.

A moment of silence ensued. He hadn’t wanted the subject to turn sad. It just happened.

Juliana stepped forward and changed the subject. “What kind of horses do you breed?” And just like that the melancholy moment passed.

“Thoroughbreds. Race horses.”

“Awesome. They’re so majestic. How many do you have?”

“In the spring, the foals are born. We usually have about six most years and sell them the following spring.”

“Sounds like a lot of work.”

“We love it. We live outside Pigeon Forge. Caring for the mares and their foals is a full-time job.”

“And you hike?” Her voice hung with anticipation.

“Not as much as I’d like. But it’s a beautiful countryside out here. I love it when I have the opportunity.” Never mind he usually wasn’t in human form.

Time to change the subject back to her. “What are your plans now that you’ve graduated?”

He held his breath and prayed the battle to convince her to stay with him wouldn’t be completely uphill.

Without looking up, she shrugged. “Not sure yet.”

She stumbled over something and grabbed onto Sergius from behind. “Shit. Sorry. I’m all left feet today.”