One Look: A grumpy, single dad small town romance(11)

I pulled out my phone and dropped a pin at the trailhead so, knowing me, when I got lost or turned around, I could at least manage to find my way back. Impressed with my own forethought, I let the path lead the way.

The path was empty, but along the trail scattered signs taught about local wildlife, the old railway, and other random facts about Western Michigan. A slight breeze shook the leaves of the towering trees, and I was transported.

Late-afternoon sun filtered through the canopy, and the heat of the day had yet to burn off. I peeled off my hoodie, comfortable that I was alone, and tied it around my waist. I wore only shorts and a sports bra, but in the time I’d been on the path, I hadn’t seen a single walker, let alone a bicycle or a horse.

As I trudged farther ahead, the path took long, winding curves. I thought back to dropping a location pin at the start and mentally patted myself on the back for being so responsible. On and on I walked down the path, sucking fresh air deep into my lungs.

Then something in the distance caught my attention, and my ears pricked. I stopped in the center of the path and listened.

The breeze. Birds chirping. The wind through the trees, but . . . something else.

My mind immediately went to the true-crime documentaries my mother used to watch on late-night TV. This is why we should live somewhere away from people, she used to say. I looked around and didn’t see anyone ahead of me or down the path from where I came. When I heard the rustling noise again, my panic spiked.

There was a small dirt offshoot of the trail and quickly darted down the narrow path. It was a much smaller trail, and through the trees it looked as though it led to a round body of water. I followed it down and breathed a sigh of relief when the trees opened up.

A lake.

It was picturesque and had a charm about it, with its rickety dock and large boulders dotted around the edge. Rocks jutted into the water, and during the hottest days, I imagined this would make the perfect spot for high schoolers ditching class to hang out, leap off the rocks, and impress their friends.

The warm sun beat down on me as a bead of sweat rolled down my back. I listened again and heard nothing but the quiet sounds of the forest. A smirk tugged at my lips as I impulsively untied my sweatshirt. I looked around again, comforted by the seclusion of the forest as I toed off my shoes and stripped down to nothing.

Content and naked, I reached my arms up and felt a cool breeze dance along my skin.

A twig snapped closely behind me, and my hands flew to cover my chest. Suddenly, the sheer solitude of the lake had my heart hammering. This could be the perfect place for a high school ditch day or a gruesome, unsolved murder.

Hell no.

My eyes flew to the rocks jutting into the water. If I moved quickly, I could hide behind them and let whoever or whatever was stomping through the forest pass by. I assessed my clothing, realizing that I had no time to cover myself. When another twig snapped, all rational thought flew away as I kicked my shoes and clothing behind a large pile of rocks.

I ran toward the water, holding my boobs and trying to get to safety behind the rock face as quickly as possible, cursing myself for being so skittish. Dirt and leaves clung to my bare feet. The cool water hit my toes, and I inelegantly flung myself forward, desperately trying to get behind the rocks before someone saw me.

I huddled behind the rocky outcropping. My breaths sawed in and out as my heart beat wildly. My ears strained to hear anything over my panting, so I willed myself to calm the hell down. And there it was. The rustling was louder and most certainly getting closer.

A deer? A bear? Cold-blooded killer?

Rhythmic pounding rattled through the still forest. I listened harder but didn’t dare peek out from behind the safety of the rocks. Finally the steps came to a halt, and I could hear labored breathing that wasn’t my own.

As smoothly as I could manage, I gently lifted my head to peer over the rocks.

No. Freaking. Way.

At the edge of the water, not far from where I stashed every scrap of my clothing, was Wyatt Sullivan.

Hands on his trim hips, he was panting and sweaty from a run. In one swift, utterly masculine movement, he reached behind him and tore his shirt from his back. Sweat dappled across his chiseled chest and down. Lower and lower still.

My mouth went dry. I couldn’t tear my eyes away.

Wyatt plucked headphones from his ears and tucked them into a pocket of his shorts. He twisted left, then right, stretching the muscles of his back and arms.

I squeezed my eyes closed. “Go away. Please just go away.” My breath bounced back against the rocks as I let free my barely audible whisper.

My eyes opened to see that Wyatt had not, in fact, gone away. Instead, he hooked his fingers into the elastic of his shorts and in one move, stripped away his shorts and underwear. He toed off his shoes and socks and kicked the pile of clothing.

There he stood. Gloriously naked as the day he was born and without a care in the world. As he moved toward the water, I inched to my left to get a better view. I watched him push back the long strands of his brown hair off his sweaty forehead. My eyes burned a path across his thick biceps and over his flat stomach. I stifled a giddy holy shit! scream when I saw the size of his dick. It wasn’t even hard, and it was already one of the biggest I’d seen. Definitely in the top three.

I rolled my lips together and didn’t bother to fight the tingles that prickled over my skin. A hundred dirty thoughts flooded my brain.

I want to trace that line of sweat with my tongue. I want to feel him get hard in my hands. I want my mouth on him. Goddamn, he’s huge. What would it feel like to be stretched open by a cock like that? Maybe he’d let me find out. I bet he could stalk over here and rail me against these rocks and I’d never be the same. He could tear me apart and I’d fucking love it.