Surrounded by Woods (5 page)

On two occasions during the day, she ran into Josh in the kitchen—once when she went to grab some lunch and another when she was getting a drink. Both times, he smiled politely and found the quickest excuse to leave. If she wasn’t trying to avoid him just as much as it seemed he was doing his damnedest to avoid her, she might’ve felt offended. He
had
had his fingers inside her pussy the other night, and that following morning, he hadn’t minded elaborating on her being his jerking off material. Regardless of how she felt about his avoidance, she knew it was for the best.

But no matter how much she tried to avoid Josh during the day, there was no getting away from him at dinner. Thomas insisted she break for dinner, feeling guilty she was working so hard. She didn’t have the heart to tell him that she’d much rather keep at her work than face the temptation that his son presented. So she went, but she didn’t dress up. She worked in suits and stayed in them at dinner. It was a reminder to everyone what her role was here. She was their attorney. Not Josh’s plaything.

“Are you ready to go down for dinner, Mikaela?” Thomas asked, peering around the door of her temporary office.

“Give me two seconds.” She locked her laptop and followed him out.

Everyone else was already in the dining room when they arrived. She expected as much. They all liked to have a drink before dinner, but Thomas had been staying back and working up until dinner just like Mikaela. She wasn’t sure if he felt the need to do that since she was or if there was some other reason, but she was grateful that she didn’t have to walk into the room alone. When she walked in with Thomas, Josh didn’t show her any more attention than the other guys, just like the previous nights. She didn’t know for sure, but she figured it helped Josh maintain his objectivity when Mikaela entered with Thomas. She knew that Josh’s father could see his reaction if he showed any interest toward her, but she didn’t care what the reason was. She was just glad he was backing off.

Or was she?

Even though she tried, she still couldn’t shake the deep-rooted feelings that were building for Josh. It made no sense. She hardly knew him, but there was just something about him that called to her. Although she was doing her best to get finished with work early, there was a part of her that dreaded the idea of leaving here.

And it wasn’t because she enjoyed being stuck in the woods.

“Would you like a drink?” Rob asked her as he handed his father a glass of scotch.

“Sure.” Might as well. She’d been working for days and felt like she could use one. Maybe it’d help take the edge off this thing she felt toward Josh. If not, maybe it’d just help her get through another evening and help her sleep.

“What would you like?” Josh asked as he stepped toward her. Even though he asked gently, his attention still startled her. It was the first time he’d singled her out since breakfast that first morning. As he approached, all she could do was ogle at the dusting of hair on his forearms, and as he got closer, she could smell his clean, masculine scent that contained a rustic, woodsy essence. He wasn’t even touching her, and she was already mesmerized.

She looked up, but had to blink to focus on his face. “What do you have?”

“Practically everything.” He smiled softly at her, and she couldn’t help but smile back. He seemed so warm and inviting, not the cocky guy he had been originally, though if she were really being honest, she’d found that side of him attractive too. But more surprising, he was not being the cool, indifferent guy of late.

Stunned, she couldn’t form a complete sentence. “Wine?”

“Red or white?”

“Red.”

“Cabernet or merlot?”

Clearing her throat, she said, “Merlot would be great.”

Josh turned and walked out of the room while everyone took seats around the table. He walked back with a bottle of wine, a corkscrew, and a glass. He stepped over to her at the table and set everything down before opening the wine and pouring her a glass. Because of how he was standing in relation to his family members, Mikaela was able to stare at him without everyone else noticing. It wasn’t his handsome face or masculine chest she stared at. No, it was those wonderful hands. Hands that soothed her, hands that tortured her, for those hands did not get to pleasure her for long. Pleasure sampled then denied was nothing but torture because Mikaela knew what they were capable of.

Once Josh finished pouring her wine, he walked over to his seat without another word. She took a sip and glanced at him. He was staring at her, not that that was unusual. Even over the last few days, he still stared at her and waited for her to start eating before he did, and she always looked at him before she’d start eating. It had been their only sense of connection during their time of avoidance, and some part of her was grateful that they at least had this. If not, she probably would’ve caved during one of their kitchen encounters by ripping off his pants and sucking his cock into her wanton mouth before he realized what was happening.

Knowing that Josh was still watching her, waiting for her to start eating, she decided she could take a step like he had by offering her the wine. She looked up and held his gaze, lifting her glass. “Thanks, this is really good.”

He cocked his head to the side and smiled, seeming both genuinely surprised and pleased that she addressed him personally in front of everyone. “You’re welcome.”

Then his eyes seemed to dim before her very eyes, and he looked down at his plate. He still waited for her to eat before he dug in, but he didn’t watch her.

So much for him not avoiding her anymore.

He was right, though, and she knew it. Getting involved with Josh would only lead to disaster. Mikaela just didn’t understand what his reason was for avoiding her. Was it just because she was here on business and he was trying to respect that now? Or worse… Was he not really attracted to her? Oh, God, was she just a convenient lay that he realized wasn’t worth the hassle? She’d hoped the wine tonight would help ease her, but what she really needed was a break. She had to get away from the temptation Josh presented, especially if that temptation was one-sided. She was immediately grateful that she never clarified about her broken engagement. No need to let that cat out of the bag now. It’d just raise questions as to why she kept quiet, and worst-case scenario, the knowledge that she’d essentially lied would probably fuel Josh’s reasoning for leaving her alone, assuming he was even interested in her. Hating the idea that she could’ve misread his attraction, she suddenly felt trapped in the middle of nowhere. She had to get away from here.

Tonight.

* * * *

This was madness! She sat across the table from Josh, and he could feel her heat from where he sat. It was bad enough that he could smell her. Hell, he could smell her everywhere in this house. He’d spent his days working as far away from the house as he could and his nights running in his feline form just to try and get away from her. He didn’t understand why she called to him, why he wanted her, why he needed her. She was becoming the center of his world, and he hadn’t even fucked her. When he shut his eyes, he could still feel her pussy on his fingers, still smell her juices on his skin, still taste her on his tongue. She consumed him, and he hated it! Hated it because he couldn’t do a damn thing about it. He tried his best to honor his father’s wishes and not pursue her because he knew his father was right and he wanted to keep her safe. But he didn’t have to like the fact that he was torturing himself by denying what his body and soul craved, especially when he felt she was the only woman who could fulfill his innermost desires.

Get a grip, Josh,
Thomas warned. They usually saved this type of communication for when they were in their feline forms. It was a convenience, but it wasn’t private. Everyone with the ability to communicate that way heard it as if the words were spoken aloud.

I’m doing what you asked, Dad. I’ve barely said anything to her in days.

You’re not the only one who finds her attractive, Josh,
Jack said.
I’d like nothing more than to claim her myself. This is difficult for all of us.

Stay away from her!
His eyes shot to Jack.

Back off, Josh. Jack’s right. The only man in his room who doesn’t want to bed her is Dad. Hell, even Toby can’t stop staring at her, and she’s much older than he is.
Rob chuckled, and Mikaela’s eyes shot over to him.

“Something funny?” she asked with a crooked smile.

All of them men looked at Rob. “Er, yeah. I just remembered something from a TV show I saw last night.” He shrugged and took another bite of his dinner.

Smooth move, idiot,
Josh griped, taking a swig of his drink.

Enough. No more mental communication with Mikaela in the room. She’s a smart woman, and I don’t want her to get suspicious.

Josh wanted to remind his father that he was the one who started it, but he realized that’d be a little too petty. Looking at his plate of food, he continued to eat his gourmet dinner, which tasted of wood chips. Nothing tasted right or smelled right with Mikaela around because all his senses focused on her whenever possible. Not that he minded. What was one more torture? He’d rather see and smell her from across the room and remember her taste than to not have her around at all. That wouldn’t be torture because that notion was inconceivable.

As Josh pushed his plate away in dismay, Mikaela stood, and his eyes shot to her, all of the guys fumbling to stand since gentlemen always stood when a lady stood.

“If you will excuse me, I’m going to step out for a while. I have some errands to run.” She put her napkin on her plate and started to turn.

What the…? “Where are you going?” Josh blurted out. He couldn’t stop himself from asking even if he wanted to.

She turned to face him, and he had to work hard at keeping his gaze indifferent.

She shrugged. “Out.”

Out? What the hell did that mean?

As she started to leave, Josh darted around the table and clutched her arm. “Where?” he asked, staring down at her, stepping even closer into her personal space.

“I don’t believe that’s any of your business. But don’t worry, I’m a big girl, Josh.” She pulled her arm free and started for the door.

“Dad?” Josh whispered, and he knew he had a frantic sound in his voice. He didn’t care. He needed help keeping her here. What if something happened to her? What if she got lost and couldn’t find her way back? What if she got into an accident? Oh, God, he couldn’t stop his mind from spinning with all the bad scenarios.

Thomas cleared his throat. “Mikaela, perhaps I could join you? You do not know your way around.”

She turned around and looked at Thomas, refusing to meet Josh’s gaze, which was good because he was panicked as hell. He didn’t want his dad going with her either, but if she insisted on leaving, at least Thomas could watch out for her. Josh had no idea where she intended to go, and if there were going to be any untaken women around, that meant he couldn’t insist on going with her, though he had to fight to remind himself of that.

“That’s awfully kind of you, but it’s unnecessary. I’m not sure how long I’ll be gone.”

Mikaela turned to leave.

Josh growled.

He knew he’d catch hell for letting his animal loose, but he didn’t care. He did
not
want her leaving!

She stopped, clearly hearing his warning, straightened her back, and strode purposefully out the door without looking back.

“I’m following her,” Josh said as he tried to leave the dining room. Regardless of the risk he faced running into untaken women, Mikaela was not going outside the property alone.

Thomas rushed around and stopped him, reminding him that Mikaela was here on business and could come and go as she pleased. She only stayed on the property as a convenience and was not Josh’s personal toy. As he considered defying his father, his brothers moved around him. They knew he couldn’t leave, and he knew he couldn’t take all of them in an effort to escape.