She wasn’t sure what she expected to find walking into the barn, maybe horses, cows, chickens, or even a tractor, but this was anything but rural. The decked out living quarters looked more like a collaboration of rustic mountain man retreat meets urban man cave heaven, featured in the pages of Architectural Digest. Her observation only made it as far as the pool table covered in camel felt before landing on Summer’s long lean form stretched out on the plush dark sofa, sound asleep. His long bare feet hung off the edge of the couch crossed at the ankles. One hand cupped his crotch the other draped behind his head. The sight of him, relaxed and rumpled, caused her heart to thud.

Aspen made a beeline for him. She shook the water from her coat and plopped her paws on the edge of the rusty red cushion. Her tail wiggled feverishly back-and-forth, happily licking Summer’s slumbering face.

“Hey, girl.” She heard him say groggily, curling his fingers over the pups wet floppy ears. The hammering of her pulse nearly drowned out his voice.

Their gazes clashed.

He lifted his head from the chenille throw pillow. A mixture of relief and concern etched across his face, softening the worry lines near his eyes. A burning sensation struck deep within her belly. Carrie Ann was so pissed, she worked herself into a hot mess desperate to confront him. However, once inside, a feeling of dread swarmed her head and stomach, mortified by what she’d done in a drunken stupor.

His eyes remained fixed, raising to his feet. He looked disheveled and warm, wearing a grey T-shirt over a white thermal and worn pair of jeans. The top buttons undone. The mere sight stole her breath from her lungs sending a rush of blood rocketing through her pulse.

As he crossed the room, puppy at his heels, a thick lump of shame caught in her throat. Summer stared at her silently for a moment. She could barely find the courage to look at him. A subtle smile crossed his lips, giving a non-verbal exchange of hello.

“Morning, Red.” He swallowed before clearing his throat. “Actually, I guess it’s already afternoon.”

Struggling to keep the vulnerability from seeping through the cracks in her voice, she snapped, “I don’t really give a shit what time of day it is, Summer. Where the hell am I?”

His brow lifted, looking entertained by her anger. He replied vaguely, “This is my place.”

The air sizzled with intensity.

“And where exactly might that be?” she questioned tersely. Her nose wrinkled into a snarl. “Cause we sure as hell aren’t in California.”

“You’re safe.” A mocking smile of assurance touched his lips. “And you should be damn thankful.”

“Thankful?” Her eyes narrowed bolstering a hearty dose of distain. “What did you do to me?”

The humor lingering at the corners of his mouth, bolted. “What did I do to you? You should really try talking a little nicer to me, Carrie Ann.”

“Just because you paid some absurd amount of money for a date…which by the way that was complete bullshit…that doesn’t give you the right to just just…take me! You act like you own me! Like we’re together!”

“Possession is nine tenths of the law.”

The mere idea of him possessing her flooded her with a bizarre unpredicted rush of arousal. The visceral response infuriated her. She threw back her shoulders, propelling her girls upward, sassily casting her hands in front of her breasts in a throw-down manner. “You are not possessing any of this!”

His gaze didn’t move from hers. “We’ll see about that.”

“Like hell we will.” Thrusting her palm forward, she demanded, “Give me the car keys. I want out of here.”

Bruising shadows hollowed the thin skin beneath Summer’s eyes. His patience was wearing thin through the cracks in his raised voice, “The keys? You want the keys?”

Surprised by his agitation, her eyes fluttered in reply. She couldn’t manage a single word.

He cut toward her and she stumbled back a half step. Summer’s amber eyes beaded and jaw set taut, clearly insulted that she would be apprehensive of him. Softening his stance, for a millisecond, he took her by the arm, abruptly pulling her toward the window. “I hope you have a pilot’s license.”

A small, but sleek, aircraft sat at the end of a long runway not too far from the cabin. Its gold and white body glistened in the pouring rain. Her thwarted confidence sank a little lower as a dozen more unanswered questions began to pile up higher than her mind could process. Worries and concerns mounted, crossing the line into terrified, making her feel helpless. Deserted was not a place her mind liked to visit, especially when it came to Summer. It sparked a nasty attitude deep inside her sub-conscious, flipping a bitch switch that rarely raised its ugly head.

“You’re fucking kidding me, right?”

“Nope!” Aggravation lay just beneath the surface of his fine clothing. She could feel tremors rolling off him in waves.

“This is bordering on kidnapping, Summer!”

“I beg to differ. I was thinking it bordered more along the lines of…hero status.”

“Hero status my ass!” Deafening shrieks shot from her mouth like an archer’s arrow, piercing him straight in the chest. “You can beg all you want, but it’s still not happening. I want to go home. Now!”

“Well, this storm front is supposed to last for a week, so you might as well settle in.” His tone cut deep at the edges.

“A week?” she shouted.

“You wanted to come with me.”

“No way in hell am I staying here with you for a week.”

“Oh for Christ’s sake, Red. Calm your tits.”

“Excuse me?”

“You know what? You’re excused,” he growled through blade thin lips. All pretense of calm vanished. Every ounce of composure fled the building. His eyes narrowed into a hard squint. “Get out!”

Her mouth fell open with a loud gasp. Appalled by the direct command, her face screwed into a severe case of pissed off.

“I mean it, Carrie Ann. Don’t fucking come back in here till you can at least talk decent to me.” Anger spiked, painting his cheeks crimson. He jutted an index finger in her face. “I just endured the longest night of my fucking life for too many reasons to list. Go! Try coming back when you can be a little more civil…and not to mention grateful!”

His voice was cold, flat and furious, chilling her to the bone. Ever muscle in her body quaked. She planted her feet to the floor, huffily crossing one arm over the other. Summer, looking every bit as angry, matching her tenacity with equal resolve. He gripped her upper arm, forcefully escorting her to the door in a heated rush.

She squirmed and twisted attempting to jerk free, but his hold was unyielding. “What the…”

Summer swung to door open with a loud bang and shoved her beyond the threshold. “Come find me when you calm down.”

Daggers shot from her eyes. He responded with a cold hard stare of his own. Giving a quick snap of her head, she angled her chin upward in defiance and stormed toward the cabin.

The thunderous boom of the door slamming behind her nearly jolted her out of her shoes. Carrie Ann stomped off, punishing the ground beneath her feet. Puddles of water splashed in her wake, soaking her jeans from the knees down.

The sound of rain falling on the roof echoed in the forest and the smell of wet earth surrounded her labored breathing. Cool points of rain struck her face. She heard the door swing open, but she picked up her pace refusing to turn back.

“And don’t go wandering off!” Apprehension vibrated his harsh warning. “I mean it, Carrie Ann! There’s bears up here! Don’t go past the tree line!”

A blur of yellow brushed her left side, nudging her palm with a wet nose.

“Do you hear me?”

Never breaking stride, she thrust her hand straight above her head, flipping him a one fingered signal of I got it.

“Aspen, c’mere girl,” he called.