Page 11

Oh God, had she made a mistake?

***

Heart in her throat, Jennifer took her bag and joined Jake outside. Despite the summer warmth, a chilly breeze made her shiver. Good thing she was wearing a hoodie.

The intense thicket of branches and leaves from the forest canopy overhead blocked most warmth, casting most of the area in shade, but it was still early enough in the day for the bit of light that made it through to illuminate the forest. If it weren't for the apprehension growing in her gut about having been promised a mansion and ending up in the middle of nowhere instead ... she might have found the forest peaceful, even beautiful.

Jennifer squeezed the handle of her bag. "Is this a joke?"

"No, not at all," Jake laughed. "It messed with my head the first time I came here, too." He came up beside her and pointed into the trees. "When you see it, you'll understand. Look between those two trunks there ... can't you see the reflection in the glass?"

Jennifer squinted, trying to follow the direction of Jake's pointer finger. But all she saw were the bright green maple leaves in every direction, the branches of pine needles. The two trees he pointed at were thicker than the others, but they were the same ... wait. Jennifer blinked when she saw the flash of sunlight against glass.

"Is that awindow?" she said.

Jake tucked his hands in his pockets. "Yep."

With the window as her center point, Jennifer re-examined her surroundings. Now she saw it: the two central beams—beams, not trees—that supported the highest point of the mansion's front wall. Between them was a small window looking down from the highest room, maybe an attic. Down lower, the beams formed the frame of a massive set of doorscamouflaged behind an array of leaves. Now, she noticed how other trees had an unnatural bend to their trunks and limbs, all of them working together to forge the supports of a mansion hidden in plain sight.

She'd never seen anything like it. She gaped. "How is that even possible?"

"Don't ask me, ask him." Jake pointed as the heavy wooden front doors heaved open, and a tall, handsome man walked out.

In the distance, Jennifer could only glimpse him, but still, something warm stirred inside of her.

"Is that ... is that him?" she whispered.

"Mark Callahan," Jake said. "Yep."

Jennifer swallowed hard as Mark strode closer, waving at Jake, and then, her. He wore a white button-up dress shirt and black pants. He had a look of casual elegance about him, refined, masculine features that drew Jennifer in right away. There was just something about him she couldn't place, something that took him from being a regular kind of handsome to something otherworldly.

Maybe it was his hard shoulders, his strong jaw, the sexy glint in his eyes ... or maybe it was how his expression told her a story about someone deeply curious about the world, but that curiosity had been stifled by darkness.

How could she tell so much from just a glimpse? Never had she felt so naturally attuned to someone before, and they hadn't yet said a word to each other.

She wanted to know his life story.

She wanted to share the next chapter of that life with him.

Jennifer swallowed again, her eyelids fluttering to try and get her head back on straight. She had to think, to keep herself focused, before her mind went wild like that again.

When Mark approached, he gave her an easy smile, one that spoke of warmth and secrets. She wanted him to press those lips to her ear and whisper sweet nothings, to share what it was about him that made him so alluring.

"Jennifer." He said her name as if testing the sound of the word. There was something uncertain about the way he said it, and yet there was an innate authority to the way he stood and spoke. Together, he contradicted himself.

"Mark, it's good to finally meet you. Jake speaks highly of you," Jennifer said.

Was she supposed to shake his hand? Hug him? Kiss him?

Jennifer's mind and body sent mixed signals all over the place, leaving her staring at Mark like a hot mess. She wanted to touch and hold him, to tell Jake it was time for him to go so she and Mark could have a bit of alone time ...

But it seemed Jake got the message all on his own. He cleared his throat. "Time for me to go. Good luck you two."

Jennifer blinked, and whatever spell trapped her in Mark's eyes faded away. "You're going to leave me here, just like that?"

He laughed. "You say that like it's a bad thing. My wife's waiting for me at home. I have a feeling you can handle Mark just fine."

Mark gave an awkward look. "I think we could use some time to get to know each other. Come on, let me show you around."