Page 12 of Squatch Out!

CHAPTER NINE

OLIVIA

E verything happens so fast.

One minute, I’m getting ready to have a little post-hike lie-down before dinner.

The next, the tent is shaking as I’m swept off my feet and tossed onto my sleeping bag.

Landing flat on my back, I blink up to find a monster hovering over my prone body.

His shoulders are hunched so he doesn’t bust out of the ceiling, and when I suck in a sharp breath to scream, his giant palm wraps around the bottom half of my face, leaving room under my nose so I can breathe.

I’m helpless as I stare up at him in shock.

Melted chocolate-brown eyes framed with thick, dark lashes stare down at me.

His face is both animal and distinctly humanoid, with his wide brow, flat nose, and thick lips.

My mind is spinning as I take in the long strands of reddish-brown fur, streaked through with strands of everything from blond to sable.

I recognize him immediately as the bigfoot that carried me up to the cave and… left .

A hot blush creeps into my cheeks, remembering exactly what else he left in the cave. And that the hand covering my mouth is the same one he used to stroke himself. Suddenly, my cheeks aren’t the only part of me that’s getting hot.

Bigfoot's nostrils flare.

Oh, God! He can’t smell me, can he? I squeeze my eyes shut with embarrassment when another rush of heat coats my panties.

This can’t be happening. And why am I not freaking out more? Am I being naive to think, because he hasn’t hurt me so far, he won’t? I drag a deep breath in through my nose, hoping that when I open my eyes I’ll be alone in my sleeping bag, and all of this will have been an awful dream.

Counting slowly, I peek under one eyelid to find the bigfoot still hunched over me, staring down at me curiously.

Great.

I whimper when he shifts his weight and holds one finger up to his lips. Silently asking if I can be quiet.

Glancing over his shoulder to the doorway, I see Brian has the fire going.

His back is to my tent, and I can’t see anyone else around.

What would happen if he suddenly turned around?

With the lantern on and the door half open, there would be nothing blocking the sight of the bigfoot pinning me to my bed.

The prospect of being caught like this cools some of the unsettling arousal that burned moments ago. Remembering how he batted the guys away when they were trying to rescue me the last time, I worry he might actually hurt them if they catch him again.

Dragging my eyes from the tent’s entrance, I nod.

His warm brown eyes flick back and forth across my face, like he’s trying to decide if he can trust me. Then, slowly, he eases some of his weight off me. Tapping his finger to his lips again, reminding me to keep quiet, he pulls his hand away from my mouth.

My tongue darts out to lick away the salt that coats my lips from his palm, and his eyes drop to my mouth. His eyes darken and he makes a deep noise that sounds suspiciously like a moan, sending another wave of heat flaring between my legs.

What in the hell is wrong with me? This is not the time or place to get horny!

Carefully, trying not to make any sudden moves that might trigger any kind of instinct from him, I lift myself up on my elbows.

“You shouldn’t be here,” I whisper, darting another nervous glance at the doorway. I need to figure out how to get him out of here before anyone notices.

Outside the tent, Tony has joined Brian at the campfire. They both have their backs to me, and neither has noticed what’s going on in my tent.

Bigfoot’s lips quirk up at the corners in a smirk when this is not a smirk-worthy situation!

“This isn’t funny!” I hiss.

He starts to lean over me again, and this time, I have the presence of mind to scoot out from under him, which earns me a deep frown.

“How am I going to get you out of here without the guys seeing you?” I ask, glancing around for something that might hide him. Which is laughable since he barely fits in my tent as it is. I look back at him again. “What are you doing here, anyway?”

Of course he doesn’t answer. Seems that for all the intelligence I see in his warm brown eyes, he lacks the ability to do more than grunt.

This is a disaster.

I rub at the tension headache that has sprung up behind my eyes.

“Hey, Liv. Did we eat all the hotdogs last night?” Tony shouts from outside, making me jump and clamp my hands over my mouth to hold back a startled scream.

Bigfoot’s smirk falls away, and every inch of his muscular body tenses.

“Liv?” Tony calls out again.

It takes me a minute to realize Tony has moved over by the SUV, where he’s digging through the cooler we keep in the back. He hasn’t noticed what’s going on in my tent yet.

I glance up at Bigfoot. Right now would be the perfect time to call for help. When I open my mouth, his eyes narrow and his body tenses.

“Um, no,” I shout back, trying to keep my voice as neutral as possible, “I think I saw Darren snag them for lunch, though.”

Tony’s shoulders sag with his disappointment.

Bigfoot also slumps, but with relief.

Tony pushes himself back from the cooler and my heart speeds up when I think that he might come back to the fire.

Don’t turn around. Don’t turn around. Don’t turn ? —

He goes back to digging through the cooler as he mutters, “Kabobs it is, then.”

I shift my attention back to Bigfoot. “Okay, we need to get you out of?—”

Before I have a chance to say more, he reaches for me.

“Oh, no?—”

Huge, strong hands circle my waist, and I bite back a scream when he lifts me off my sleeping bag and clutches me to his chest. I open my mouth to… to what? To argue with him? To scream? Fighting him is useless, and I’m having trouble remembering why I even want to.

I feel safe with him, even though I probably shouldn’t. I keep coming back to the fact that he hasn’t hurt me. Or given me any indication that he wants to hurt me.

He forced you to watch him jack off after kidnapping you and taking you to a cave! A tiny voice reminds me. If that’s not a red flag...

Except I was hardly forced . I could have closed my eyes or looked away anytime. If he’s as intelligent as I think he is, I could have asked him to stop. But I didn’t. No, I watched every stroke, and I got wet from it. So, who is the real creeper?

“Why do you keep doing this?” I ask him quietly.

Bigfoot goes still. His eyes fill with uncertainty , and slowly, he shakes his head.

“You don’t know? But…you’re not going to hurt me, are you?”

His eyes blaze, and he shakes his head harder.

Relief washes over me. “And you won’t hurt the guys?”

His lip curls up into a sneer as he glances over his shoulder before turning back to me to shake his head a third time.

“Okay.” I’m not sure what I’m agreeing to exactly, but I don’t fight him when he ducks out of my tent and steps directly into the middle of our camp. I know it’s probably too much to ask, but I can’t help hoping that maybe no one will notice us.

“What the fuck?”

I don’t look to see who says it, and it doesn’t matter. We’ve been seen.

I should be pleading with him to put me down. To let me go. But I know it’s useless —and I don’t really want him to. So instead, I press my palm against his chest, look up at him and say, “ You’d better run .”

He sweeps my legs up, so he’s carrying me bridal style, and lopes away from the campsite and into the trees. Just like he did the night before.