Abandoned and Unseen (Branded Packs #2)(35)

Had he appeared out of thin air?

Unnerved, Nicole took a step back; her head tilting as her heart slammed against her ribs. Yow. Somehow, she’d expected such a large man to look like a Neanderthal.

Instead, he was…beautiful.

Extravagantly, breathtakingly beautiful.

His hair was long enough to brush his broad shoulders and shimmered like white-gold in the moonlight. His features looked as if the hands of an artist had sculpted them. He had a wide brow over eyes that were as dark as a midnight sky. His nose was narrow, and his cheeks were chiseled, almost as if he had Asian blood in his distant ancestry. Even his lips were perfect. Full and sculpted with a sensuous curve.

Feeling as if she’d been struck by lightning, she allowed her gaze to skim down to the big body that rippled with muscles beneath the faded jeans and gray hoodie he wore.

Heat sizzled through her, making her toes curl in her soft boots. What was it about this guy? She’d never felt such an intense reaction before.

Okay. He was gorgeous. And fiercely male. But still…

Her awareness of him was completely over the top. She’d clearly gone too long without a lover.

Nicole abruptly shook herself out of her inane thoughts. Dammit. She was here with a purpose. And this man, no matter how delectable, wasn’t part of her plan.

“Excuse me,” she said politely, waiting for him to step aside. Seconds passed as he simply stood there, staring at her. “If you don’t mind.” She gave a shooing motion with her hand. “You’re blocking the path.”

The stranger slowly lifted his brows as if wondering whether she had a screw loose.

“Obviously, that was the point,” he said, his voice husky with the faintest hint of an accent.

Yum.

No. She gave a shake of her head. Not yum. He was an oversized hurdle in her plans for the night.

She planted her fists on her hips. “Is there a problem?”

He remained silent as he did his own visual tour of her body, blatantly allowing his gaze to linger on the soft swells of her breasts before returning to meet her glare.

“What are you doing out here?”

Nicole forced herself to take a deep breath. She was supposed to be a normal human out for a stroll. Which meant she couldn’t shift into a wolf and bite him on the ass.

“Just hiking through the woods.”

“At this hour?”

She shrugged. “Is that a crime?”

He nodded toward a sign that was sticking out of a bush beside the path.

CLOSED UNTIL FURTHER NOTICE

“This area is off-limits to the public.”

She narrowed her eyes. The sign had a weathered look that told her it’d been there for months. Maybe even years.

“Why?”

He arched a brow as if surprised that she wasn’t scuttling away like a good little girl.

“The trails were damaged during the last rainstorm.”

Nicole leaned to the side, peeking around his large body. “They look fine to me.”

The air seemed to vibrate with the force of his growing annoyance. Good. She’d hate to be the only one irritated.

“Until they’re repaired, they’re too unstable to use,” he said, his jaw clenched. “If you want to hike, you need to head north or west.”

No doubt the wise thing to do would be to walk away. She was wasting precious time. And, of course, there was always the danger that he was a part of the SAU.

But the inexplicable sense of awareness that pulsed between them also made her wolf protest at backing down. Almost as if her animal didn’t want to appear weak before this man.

“If this area is closed, what are you doing here?” she’d demanded before she could halt the words.

He gave a lift of his shoulder. “I’m a Park Ranger. I’m here to make sure little girls don’t get hurt by going where they don’t belong.”

“Really?” Nicole arched a brow.

She didn’t know much about the world outside the compound, but she was certain that anyone in authority would be wearing a uniform. Or at least have a vehicle.

“Really.”

“Shouldn’t you have a badge or something?”

His eyes had seemed to glow in the dark a moment before he leaned forward.

“Let me escort you back to your car.”

She took another instinctive step backward. She might be a predator, but there was something about this man that warned her to be careful.

“No need.”

“Are you sure?” His husky voice was laced with an unmistakable warning. “I wouldn’t want you to get lost.”

Okay. Enough was enough. The man didn’t appear to work for the SAU. Otherwise, he would be dressed in their uniform and flashing his badge to run her off. But he might very well be protecting a marijuana crop that he’d illegally planted on public land.

Or be finding a place to bury a body.

Either way, he may very well become violent if she didn’t do as he asked. And as much as she loved a good fight, she couldn’t risk being injured. Not tonight.

“I think I can find my way,” she drawled.

“Good. You need to head home.” He sent her a dark glare. Did he sense she was plotting to circle around him and continue on her way? “Now.”

“Fine.” She held up her hands in faux surrender. “Have a super awesome night.”