Hour of the Lion (The Wild Hunt Legacy #1) (49 page)

finger down the scar on his face and snorted. Again.

Stepping up on an outcropping of granite, he eyed the line of people trudging up the

switchbacks. No stragglers. The group appeared in pretty good shape. Even fancy Rebecca in her

designer jeans and shapeless top had kept up.

In fact, she did more than keep up. As she walked beside her boyfriend, her green eyes

sparkled with pleasure, alert to everything the forest offered. Logan had seen her spot a mule

deer frozen in place, a hawk in a dive, and a tiny deer mouse. Each time her face lit with wonder.

Her open enjoyment added to his, and he found himself checking the line more often than normal

just to catch her reactions.

The sun was high overhead and unseasonably hot by the time the trail descended, leaving

the pines behind. He led the group across a grass- and wildflower-filled meadow to the tiny

mountain lake, clear and blue and damned cold. Granite slabs poked up through the wildflowers,

glimmering in the sun. With yells of delight, people dropped their backpacks and stripped.

Logan enjoyed the show of bare asses and breasts as the swingers splashed into the water

like a herd of lemmings, screaming at the cold. As he leaned on a boulder, he noticed one person

still completely dressed with wide eyes and open mouth. The city girl. Considering she and Matt

bunked together, Rebecca couldn‘t be a virgin, but from her reaction, she was pretty innocent

when it came to kink.

―C‘mon, babe,‖ her boyfriend yelled, already buck naked in the lake. ―The water‘s great.‖

Not waiting for her response, he waded out deeper, heading for a blonde who looked as if she

had substituted bouncy breasts for cheerleading pom-poms.

Rebecca glanced from the water to the trail, back to the water, where Matt wrestled with

Ashley, and back to the trail again.

Logan could see the exact moment she decided to leave. He walked over to block her way.

―Excuse me,‖ she said politely.

―No.‖

Red surged into her cheeks, and her eyes narrowed as she glared at him. Red-gold hair.

Freckles. Big bones. Looked like she had Irish ancestry and the temper to go with it. Stepping

sideways to block her again, Logan tucked his thumbs into his front pockets and waited for the

explosion.

―Listen, Mr. Hunt—‖

―It‘s Logan,‖ he interrupted and tried not to grin as her mouth compressed.

―Whatever. I‘m going back to my cabin. Please move your… Please move.‖

―Sorry, sugar, but no one hikes alone. That‘s one safety rule I take seriously.‖ He glanced at

the swingers. ―I can‘t leave them, and you can‘t walk alone, so you‘re stuck here.‖

Her eyes closed, and he saw the iron control she exerted over her emotions.

The Dom in him wondered how quickly he could break through that control to the woman

underneath. Tie her up, tease her a bit, and watch her struggle not to give in to her need and…

Hell, talk about inappropriate thoughts.

He pulled in a breath to cool off. No use. It was blistering hot, and not just from his visions

of steamy sex. Nothing like global warming in the mountains. He frowned when he noted her

damp face and the sweat soaking her long-sleeved, heavy shirt. Not good. The woman needed to

get her temperature down.

At the far end of the meadow, the forest would provide shade. He could send her there to sit

and cool off, but she‘d be out of sight, and from the obstinate set of that pretty, pink mouth,

she‘d head right back down the trail in spite of his orders.

Shoulders straight, chin up, feet planted. Definitely a rebellious one, the type that brought

his dominant nature to the fore. He‘d love to give her an order and have her disobey, so he could

enjoy the hell out of paddling that soft ass. But she wasn‘t his to discipline, more‘s the pity, since a woman ike this was wasted on that pretty boy.

And he‘d gotten sidetracked.

With a sigh, he returned to the problem at hand. She needed to stay here where he could

keep an eye on her, and she needed to cool off.

―Even if you don‘t strip down completely, at least take some clothes off and wade in the

water,‖ he said. ―You‘re getting overheated.‖

―Thank you, but I‘m fine,‖ she said stiffly.

―No, you‘re not.‖ When he stepped closer, he felt the warmth radiating off her body. Being

from San Francisco, she wouldn‘t be accustomed to the dryness or the heat. ―Either strip down,

little rebel, or I‘ll toss you in with your clothes on.‖

Her mouth dropped open.

He wouldn‘t, would he? Rebecca stared up at the implacable, cold eyes, seeing the man‘s

utter self-confidence. Definitely not bluffing.

Well, he could be as stern as he wanted. Damned if she‘d take her clothing off and display

her chunky, scarred legs. She shook her head, backing away. If she needed to, she‘d run.

Faster than she could blink, he grabbed her arm.

She tugged and got nowhere. ―Listen, you can‘t—‖

With one hand, he unbuttoned her heavy shirt, not at all hindered by her efforts to shove his

hand away. After a minute, her shirt flapped open, revealing her bra and her pudgy stomach.

―Damn you!‖

She glanced at the lake, hoping for Matt to rescue her, and froze. He was kissing the oh-so-

perky Ashley, and not just a peck on the lips but a full clinch and deep-throating tongues.

Rebecca stared as shock swept through her, followed by a wave of humiliation. He… As her

breath hitched, she tore her gaze away, blinking against the welling tears. Why had she ever

come here?

―Oh, sugar, don‘t do that now.‖ Logan pulled her up against his chest, ignoring her weak

protest. His arms held her against chest muscles hard as the granite outcroppings, and he turned

so she couldn‘t see the lake. Silently, he stroked a hand down her back while she tried to pull

herself together.

Matthew and Ashley would have sex. Soon. Somehow she hadn‘t quite understood the whole

concept of swinging and what her gut-level reaction would be. But she could take it now that she

realized…what would happen. After drawing in a shaky breath, she firmed her lips. Fine.

And if Logan insisted she strip to bra and panties, that was fine too. So what if these people

saw her giant thighs and ugly scars. She‘d never see any of them again. Ever.

For a second, she let herself enjoy the surprising comfort of Logan‘s arms. Then she pushed

away.

He let her take a step back and then grasped her upper arms, keeping her in place as he

studied her face.

She flushed and looked away. God, how embarrassing. She had melted down in front of a

total stranger, showing him exactly how insecure she was. But he‘d been nice, and she owed

him. ―Thank you for…uh…the shoulder.‖

With a finger, he turned her face back to him. ―I like holding you, Rebecca. Come to me

anytime you need a shoulder.‖ A crease appeared in his cheek. He ran his finger across the skin

at the top of her lacy bra, his finger slightly rough, sending unexpected tingles through her. ―You

think I can talk you out of this too?‖

The thought of being braless led to her imagining his big hands touching her breasts, how all

his strength could hold her in place, and… God, get a grip, Rebecca. She shook her head and

stepped back hastily.

He eyed her, and his look heated her more than the noon sun. ―You will, at least, strip down

to bra and briefs.‖ One corner of his mouth tipped up. ―If you don‘t, I‘ll do it for you. And I‘ll

enjoy every minute.‖

Her insides turned to molten lava. How could she be appalled at his threat and excited at the

same time? ―Fine. But I‘ll take my own clothes off,‖ she said, her mouth dry. She shrugged her

shirt off.

―I‘d almost rather lose,‖ he murmured and tugged a lock of her hair before striding away.

* * *

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Table of Contents

Chapter One .....................................................................................................................4

Chapter Two................................................................................................................... 13

Chapter Three ................................................................................................................. 24

Chapter Four .................................................................................................................. 32

Chapter Five ................................................................................................................... 39

Chapter Six .................................................................................................................... 43

Chapter Seven ................................................................................................................ 53

Chapter Eight ................................................................................................................. 58

Chapter Nine .................................................................................................................. 66

Chapter Ten .................................................................................................................... 75

Chapter Eleven ............................................................................................................... 83

Chapter Twelve .............................................................................................................. 91

Chapter Thirteen........................................................................................................... 101

Chapter Fourteen .......................................................................................................... 108

Chapter Fifteen ............................................................................................................. 117

Chapter Sixteen ............................................................................................................ 126

Chapter Seventeen ........................................................................................................ 128

Chapter Eighteen .......................................................................................................... 136

Chapter Nineteen .......................................................................................................... 142

Chapter Twenty ............................................................................................................ 150

Chapter Twenty-one ..................................................................................................... 158

Chapter Twenty-two ..................................................................................................... 168

Chapter Twenty-three ................................................................................................... 174

Chapter Twenty-four .................................................................................................... 185

Chapter Twenty-five..................................................................................................... 191

Chapter Twenty-six ...................................................................................................... 198

Chapter Twenty-seven .................................................................................................. 208

Chapter Twenty-eight ................................................................................................... 212

Epilogue ....................................................................................................................... 216

About the author ........................................................................................................... 218