Page 6 of Unexpected Temptation

J aylen caught her before she took a header and almost smiled at the look on her face. Several moments went by.

“If you don’t close your mouth, you’re going to drown, Sweetheart.” He chuckled when her mouth snapped shut, but she continued to look at him with equal parts fascination and fear.

“Are you Mr. Stone? Please tell me you’re Mr. Stone because I couldn’t take it if you were one of those mountain men who kidnaps women and makes them ... well, you know ... then hides them away for the rest of their lives never to be seen again?”

Jaylen rolled his eyes, but couldn’t prevent the massive grin on his face.

“I’m Jaylen Stone.”

He caught her when her legs started to give out again.

“Oh, thank God...” Her eyes widened further, and her hands tightened on his arms before she looked over her shoulder and then back. “Oh, no,” she whispered.

“What?” he asked and then looked over her shoulder.

“There’s a wolf behind me,” she whispered through her chattering teeth.

“He’s mine, and he’s not a pure wolf. He’s got some dog in him. He won’t hurt you. I’m sorry he scared you. He got farther ahead of me than I thought, so I just got to you.”

“You own a wolf-dog? Why, for God’s sake? Why is he so big? Is that normal? What’s his name?” she said, slurring her words.

Jaylen’s smile fell as his eyes swept over her, taking in the fact that hypothermia was quickly taking over her body. Jesus, he needed to get his head out of his ass.

“His name is Wolf. I’ll answer all your other questions when we get back to the house.”

Amelia chuckled. “You named your dog Wolf?”

“Yeah, I did. It fits, and he doesn’t care what I call him as long as I feed him.” He picked her up in his arms and started walking toward his house.

Amelia gasped and weakly tried to push away from his chest with her hand.

“Put me down, Mr. St-Stone. I’m way too heavy to carry. You’re going to hurt your back.”

Jaylen shook his head. Kane had warned him about her self-image. He’d also commented on her caring nature and how she was pure sweetness to the core. Jaylen hadn’t believed him at first. He’d never encountered a woman like that in his life. Now he understood.

This woman was unable to hide any of the emotions on her face. All her reactions were so obvious it was something he hadn’t experienced since childhood.

“Stop wiggling. You are not too heavy. I lift bales heavier than you every day.”

“But...”

“If you don’t knock it off, I may drop you,” he warned. He wouldn’t have, but it got her to stop.

Amelia stilled. When they were feet from the house, she started looking around frantically for the wolf.

“I-I-I can’t believe you have a wolf for a pet? Where is he?”

“He’s part dog. Wolf went back to his bed under the porch. His coat is so thick, it’s uncomfortable for him to be inside, especially with a fire going.”

She tightened her arms around his neck when he climbed the front steps into the house, bent to open the door, and slammed the door closed behind him with his boot.

Jaylen watched her look around curiously as he shut the door.

The cabin was a single large room, except for the kitchen, located off to the left, accessible through a doorway.

In front of them was a cozy living room with a monster-sized sofa and chair, and several feet away stood an enormous bed.

The bathroom was the only other door in the cabin, except for a few closets and one at the far back.

The walls near that door were lined with hooks loaded with coats and boots.

Everything was immaculate and in order. Just the way he liked it.

A large stone fireplace stood in the living room with a huge TV secured to the mantel and floor-to-ceiling bookshelves on either side, filled with hundreds of books.

A large chair and an ottoman sat at an angle close to the fire, and a large deep sofa stood directly across from the fireplace.

Jaylen walked through the house into the bathroom, closed the door, and set her down on her feet.

He bent and turned on the shower to let it heat up for her, keeping a steady hand on her the whole time.

Her whole body shook with violent tremors, and her lips had turned a pale blue color, which concerned him.

Amelia screeched and clutched at her shirt when he started to unbutton it. “Wh-what do you th-think you’re d ... oing?”

“I’m trying to get you undressed so I can get you in the shower. You’re hypothermic, Sweetheart. We need to get you warmed up.”

Amelia’s grip on the front of her shirt tightened as she shook her head. “I ... I can do this. You can leave.”

Jaylen rolled his eyes, took a step back, pulled off his coat and boots, and put them in the corner to deal with later. He stood and crossed his arms, but was still ready to grab her if she started to fall.

“Okay. You do it. I’ll give you one chance before I take over. I’m not going to let your modesty affect your health,” he said impatiently.

Amelia tried unsuccessfully to release one button from its hole. The shaking grew with the tension of the situation, making it impossible to get a good grip on it.

Jaylen sighed, took a step closer, and brushed her hands to the side.

“Enough.” He quickly unbuttoned her blouse and had that and her bra off within seconds. He ignored her when her arms came up to shield her breasts from him and went to work on her jeans and sneakers. “Here you go.”

He wrapped his arm around her waist and pulled her back against his chest to steady her when she stumbled into the large shower. He waited until she was holding on tightly to the bar.

“Are you stable for a second?”

“Y-y-yess.”

Jaylen knew this would probably freak her out, but he didn’t think he had a choice. He made a quick decision and undressed, leaving his boxers on.

****

A melia’s eyes widened , and she shrieked. “What are you doing?”

Oh, sweet Lord. Her gaze was glued to his body. The tremors of anxiety gained in intensity but for another reason, and compounded with her shivers, her legs lost even more of their strength.

The man was beyond handsome. He was solid muscle. The hills and valleys of his physique stood out starkly, molded together into a body that most men dreamed of having. The definition in his legs and stomach was so pronounced that she could see his veins and how the muscles turned.

Her mouth watered, and her fingers inched to roam and examine the power underneath his tan skin.

The little patch of hair in the middle of his chest narrowed into a silky line that disappeared into his boxers. His hands were twice the size of hers, and she spotted the scars and calluses from hard work, which made him even more appealing to her.

She caught her breath when she noticed the damage that had been done to him from what she assumed had happened during his days in the military.

She’d never seen injuries like them up close, but she knew what the puckered scars meant.

She bit back the cry of sympathy for the pain he must have gone through.

“I’m helping you, Amelia. Now stop. I’ve seen a dozen naked women just like you before.” He gently pushed her under the cascading water.

A cry tore from her mouth. “Owww-oww-oww,” she cried.

“I know, Sweetheart. I’m sorry. It’s not going to feel good until you warm up a little more. We’ll raise the temperature of the water as you thaw.”

He slid the rubber band off her braid and let it drop, separating the long strands. Jaylen tilted her head back a bit, wet her hair, and then grabbed the shampoo. He worked that into her hair.

Amelia kept a weak grip on the shower bar, her other hand on Jaylen’s waist, and tried to concentrate on staying upright and taking regular breaths.

The shower was average-sized, but with Jaylen sharing it, the air had no room to circulate, making the small area seem almost claustrophobic. It didn’t help when his masculine, outdoorsy scent was making her feel even more lightheaded.

The heat from his body seemed to melt the ice that had swathed her core since leaving her car, more so than the actual water.

“Ohhh.”

Jaylen chuckled. “That feels good, right?”

Amelia’s eyes slid closed. “Mmmm.”