Wild Heat Read online

  Copyright © 2019 by Bella Blake

  All rights reserved.

  Exclusive to Amazon and Kindle Unlimited

  ASIN: B07Z8P7NM5

  No part of this book may be reproduced in any form or by any electronic or mechanical means, including information storage and retrieval systems, without written permission from the author, except for the use of brief quotations in a book review.

  Contents

  Chapter 1

  Chapter 2

  Chapter 3

  Chapter 4

  Chapter 5

  Chapter 6

  Chapter 7

  Chapter 8

  Chapter 9

  Chapter 10

  Chapter 11

  Chapter 12

  Chapter 13

  Chapter 14

  Chapter 15

  Chapter 16

  Chapter 17

  Chapter 18

  Chapter 19

  Chapter 20

  Chapter 21

  Chapter 22

  Chapter 23

  About the Author

  Other Series

  Hunger, love, pain, fear are some of those inner forces which rule the individual’s instinct for self preservation.

  Albert Einstein

  1

  MEGAN

  “I can’t believe you’re bailing on me,” I say, tucking the phone between my ear and shoulder.

  “I’m so sorry, Meg.” Vanessa lets out a frustrated sigh on the other end of the line. “Tom dumped this on me at the last minute. You know how it is.”

  At least she sounds sincere. I get it, I really do. We both work as marketing consultants and when our clients need something... well, everyone has bills to pay.

  I grab my favorite wide-brimmed hat, roll it up into a tight bundle, and shove it in my backpack. This trip was supposed to be a fun two-night adventure in the mountains with my best friend, a chance for both of us to get away from the demands of work for a while. Now it looks like I’m going solo.

  “Yeah, I do know. Tom thinks there are more than twenty-four hours in the day. And I guess I’ll survive,” I say, letting myself fall back onto the bed with an ompf. “But you’re going to be jealous if our guide ends up being super hot.”

  Vanessa’s laugh is loud in my ear. “If he is, you’d better make a move. You haven’t gotten laid in ages, lady.”

  “Who has time for that anymore?” I answer with a sigh. I run my hand through my dark, wavy hair, thinking that I also clearly don’t have time to get haircuts. It’s the longest I’ve ever had it now, and most days I just pull my brown locks into a ponytail or messy bun and call it done.

  “Well, I do.” Her voice is playfully smug.

  I’d be feeling pretty smug, too, if I had her dating history. Vanessa somehow unlocked the secret to life. On top of working fifty hours a week at the firm, she’s always juggling at least two boyfriends. They’re constantly trying to sweep her off her feet, but she refuses to settle down.

  Me? If I met the right guy, I’d be happy to let him play Prince Charming and whisk me away. Especially if he swept me away to a remote cabin in the woods.

  I’ve had my fill of mansplaining guys in power suits and just about everything else to do with the corporate world. But finding my Prince Charming would require getting into the dating scene, which, no matter how hard Vanessa tries to entice me, just isn’t appealing.

  “I swear, if you’re bailing on me to go see Colin, or whoever your current fling is, I’ll switch your coffee out for decaf. For months, Vanessa,” I threaten only half-joking.

  “Calm down, lady,” she’s fast to respond. “I’d much rather be enjoying a weekend of crazy sex in the wilderness instead of drafting a marketing proposal for this new client. Who actually decides selling exotic frogs is their life’s dream?”

  “Good question. But amphibians are kinda cool, the way they spend half their life in the water and half on land.”

  “Wanna trade?” she offers. “I’ll go on the hike and you can figure out how to convince rich moms to buy their spoiled children poisonous frogs.”

  “Mmm, I think I’ll pass,” I tell her with a laugh as I glance at the suggested packing list again. How many pairs of socks does one person really need for a weekend hike? I shrug and stuff an extra pair into my already overloaded backpack.

  “They’re seriously thinking about sending me to the freaking jungle if we get the contract,” Vanessa tells me with a huff. “This frog company wants their marketing team to fully understand their vision—an immersive experience, they called it. Can you imagine? Me, in the jungle?”

  “If anyone can pull off jungle chic, it’d be you,” I tease and laugh loudly at her sputtering. “I think I’m good. I’ll take two nights in the woods over the jungle. At least the bugs here aren’t poisonous.”

  “Fine,” she sighs. “But seriously, if he’s hot, go for it.”

  “We’ll see.” I don’t promise anything, knowing with my luck, it’ll be one of those grizzled old guys featured on the History channel. I tell her as much, and I can positively hear Vanessa roll her eyes at me.

  “Well, if he’s this side of fifty and has a semi-decent ass, then I’m ordering you to have a weekend fling.”

  I chew on the inside of my cheek as I muse over her directive. “Well, I guess that rules out my plans to hook up with Bigfoot. He’s gotta be pushing two hundred by now.”

  She smacks her lips together. “Hey, if that’s what floats your boat…”

  I snort into the phone. “Maybe it floats yours—that guy you went to the Halloween party with last year had more hair than my cat.”

  As though she can tell I’m talking about her, Chica appears by my side, brushing her whiskers against my hand.

  “Don’t try to change the subject, woman. You work too much, and you refuse to try online dating. Something’s gotta give,” she tells me in a serious tone, and I can’t argue with her, because she’s right.

  “Maybe,” I say as I stroke a hand across Chica’s soft fur.

  I have been pretty bogged down with work for a while. Okay, for a really long while. I started at the firm with the idea that I’d work just long enough to stockpile a cushion of savings so I could launch my own business.

  That was seven years ago.

  Somehow, I’ve let my job slowly consume my life until there’s not much room for anything else. Which is why I’m looking forward to this hiking trip—I’m longing for that peaceful quiet of nature out on the trail.

  Chica jumps off the bed and wanders out the bedroom, probably hoping I’ll follow her to the kitchen so she can beg for the salmon treats she likes so much. She’s spoiled rotten and I’m going to miss her waking me up each morning with kitty kisses on my nose, but cats and backpacking don’t go together very well.

  “It’ll be a story to remember,” Vanessa says in her best you know you want to voice. “Even if it’s just for one wild, hot night.”

  I glance at my nightstand, where I store my trusty vibrator. “I guess Hugh is getting worn out pulling extra shifts lately.”

  She giggles on the other end of the line, “I still can’t believe you named your vibrator. And Hugh, of all things. Maxx or Thunder—now those are names for a sex toy.”

  “What can I say? You know I’m a sucker for Hugh Jackman. Tough as nails, devastatingly handsome, and a proper gentleman—just the way I like ‘em.”

  I hear the call cut out for a second and then Vanessa sighs. “Gotta go, Meg. That’s Tom calling on the other line, probably wondering where the hell I am. Have lots of fun wilderness sex and don’t get a splinter in your vagina.”

  “Vanessa!” I squeal, nearly scandalized, but she’s already hung up. I stare at my phone before I shove it in the front pocket of my backpack.

/>   Tempted by an idea, I eye my nightstand drawer, wondering if I should take a quick run with my vibrator. Vanessa planted the seed for a fantasy, but my own imagination is making it grow faster than a beanstalk.

  My arousal grows as I close my eyes, thinking about what could happen.

  My fantasy guide is tall and fit, with a rugged exterior and the kind of eyes that send a shiver up my back with just a look. He shaves regularly, but by the time we sit across from each other over the fire, his jaw has a sexy five o’clock shadow, accentuated by the flames between us.

  My nipples pebble and my face flushes as the vivid imagery takes over my mind. I bring my hand up to caress my breast, thinking about how he’d watch my every move with devouring eyes. He’s the kind of man who’s completely in his element out in the wild.

  Commanding. Intense. Confident.

  After staring at me with a hungry gaze, he’d rise suddenly and stalk over to me. He wouldn’t hesitate a moment, he’d just pull me against him and kiss me fiercely, while his hands slip down my back and wrap around my ass.

  He wouldn’t even bother taking me to his tent. He’d take me right there underneath the starlit sky.

  I clench and feel my growing wetness. I won’t even need my vibrator, I’m so close just from my imagination.

  Vanessa is right, I really do need to get laid.

  My hands go to my pants, flicking the button open. I need to take the edge off. That way, if my guide is a sexy beast, I won’t pounce on him like a cat in heat.

  As my fingers slide beneath my panties, the alarm on my phone goes off. I groan but dig it out of the front pocket all the same.

  “Shit,” I mutter. It’s the alarm I cleverly named “Last chance alert! Tell Vanessa it’s time to go or we’ll be late.”

  I button my pants back up with a grumble and try to banish the thoughts of sexy eyes, strong hands, and a demanding mouth. I need to get on the road if I’m going to make the drive before it gets dark. Winding mountain roads aren’t very friendly once the sun sets, especially when I don’t know the way by heart. Thankfully, the main lodge where I’ll be staying tonight is right at the park entrance.

  Tomorrow morning, though, I meet up with our guide. Well, my guide, since Vanessa’s out.

  Nervous energy inches its way up my spine as the realization hits home. All jokes aside, it really will be just the two of us… alone... in the wilderness. For a whole weekend.

  What if he actually is hot?

  Maybe my luck will run its normal course and he’ll turn out to be a wrinkly old man with warts and a bad attitude. Because otherwise, I’m going to spend the whole weekend horny as fuck.

  2

  HUGH

  “Okay, thanks Chief,” I say over the phone to my boss at the fire station.

  Ending the call, I turn to my brother, watching as he sorts through his hiking gear. The news the chief just shared with me doesn’t come as a big surprise given the dry conditions we’ve been under, but it’s still worrisome.

  “You need be careful out there this weekend,” I tell my twin as I sit down at our small kitchen table, stifling an early morning yawn.

  Chase is knelt down on the floor, rummaging through the equipment laid out beside his large backpack, but he pauses long enough to shoot me a smirk. “Aww, you’re worried about me. Getting soft in your old age, are ya?”

  “Since when is thirty old?” I scoff. “Besides, you’re the same damn age.”

  “Nope. You will always be six minutes older than me,” he says, turning back to the gear to continue his pre-trip check.

  I roll my eyes as I watch him examine a paracord, looking for any frayed sections. It’s his ritual before every big hike, and his inspections are always thorough. Despite how much he jokes around about his job, I know he has the same cautious respect for the wilderness as I do. It’s a temperamental beast, and you gotta be prepared.

  “Well, that was the chief,” I tell him. It’s not often that a situation warrants him calling me at home, but when he does, I know it’s damn important. “He’s asking for all hands on deck this weekend, so I’ll be heading out in a few minutes.”

  “Yeah?” Chase glances at me over his shoulder. His voice is serious, so at least I know he’s listening. “What’s up?”

  Lifting my cup of coffee, I take a sip, grimace, and set it back down. I heated it up for two minutes in the microwave, first thing after getting out of the shower, but it’s still colder than a polar bear’s ass. “We’ve been under a red flag warning for days, but now with this new wave of storms rolling in, we’ve got trouble on the horizon. Literally. They’re upgrading us to a fire watch.”

  “Good to know,” my brother says, skillfully arranging each item in his heavy-duty backpack. “I’ll be on the lookout for any fires breaking out in my neck of the woods.”

  I shake my head, knowing that I won’t be able to talk him out of going. If anything, he’d go just to spite me. He has the same stubborn streak our dad had, and he thinks I worry too much. Maybe I do, but old habits die hard. It’s been just him and me since we were teenagers and I can’t stop playing big brother, even now.

  “Which trail are you taking this time?” I ask, heading to the coffee maker to start a fresh pot. My shift’s about to start and it’s going to be a long one if the weather bulletin from the Storm Prediction Center proves to be true.

  “They want to see panoramic views, so I’m taking them up Walker Mountain,” Chase tells me. “We’ll be on Long Spur Trail until the summit, then Spruce Creek on the way back.”

  That gets my attention and I turn away to face him with an eyebrow raised knowingly. “Spruce Creek, with its little rustic cabin? So at least one of these hikers is a hot blonde, I take it.”

  “I have no idea what either of them look like,” he huffs, rolling his eyes at me before standing up and hefting his pack, judging the weight. It’s likely fifty pounds or more. He probably won’t need to touch most of that equipment, but Chase and I are the same in our need to be ready for anything that comes our way.

  “But you have talked to them on the phone. Let me guess,” I say, unable to resist ribbing my brother, “you heard a sweet, sexy voice and immediately planned an overnight stop at that cabin.”

  He drops his pack into the chair I just vacated and gives me a pointed look. “You know what? Maybe if you spent a little more time talking to women, instead of hanging out with guys who have battle axes strapped to their sides, you wouldn’t have to fantasize about what I’m up to like some doe-eyed school girl.”

  “Yeah, fuck you,” I snap. I put fresh grounds in the coffee maker and slam the lid closed harder than the poor machine deserves. “I know I’m right.”

  I turn my back on him and focus on washing out my thermos so it’s ready for fresh coffee. I never leave home without it because the coffee at the station tastes like it’s brewed with sewer water and dirt. The chief is one of the best guys I know, but he’s a hardass when it comes to splurging on the finer things in life, like good coffee.

  “Speaking of women,” Chase says, “if these ladies turn out to be easy on the eyes, you should join me at the cabin tomorrow night.”

  I draw in a long breath, already picturing the train wreck that would be, the two of us hunkered down in that hut together. Chase and I have very different tastes when it comes to women—and, well, pretty much everything else, too. “Why would I do that?”

  He lifts his shoulders in a casual shrug. “I could probably hook you up with one of them. I get first dibs, though.”

  “Maybe you really should stay home today and have your head examined,” I growl. The coffee maker has enough for my thermos and I fill it up, ignoring Chase’s empty cup waiting for a refill. “You must be fucking crazy if you think I need your help to get laid.”

  “Don’t you, though?” Chase fires back, eyeing me. “How long’s it been?”

  “Since last night, asshole. She was selling raffle tickets for the sheriff’s fundraiser, and I gave he
r a big fucking tip,” I say, cupping my hand around my ample package.

  “Okay, sure.” Chase bursts into laughter as he hoists his backpack over his shoulders.

  Grabbing my black tactical boots from the mat beside the door, I ignore his amusement and shove them on. They’re not the most comfortable things in the world with their steel toes and stiff leather sides, but they get the job done. Working in rugged fire-riddled terrain requires function, not comfort.

  As I lace them up tight, I eye my brother. Chase lives up to his name, always pursuing some woman. He’s a natural born flirt, and the ladies love him, but he’s constantly going after the wrong kind—the ones who only play pretend at being outdoor enthusiasts. None of them would survive a minute in the wilderness if shit went sideways.

  He can have them, because I’m damn sure not interested.

  I need more than a pretty face. Hell, I want more than a pretty face, but it’s easier said than done. Sure, some of the tourists who come out here are nice to look at, but the type of woman that really grabs my attention is built from tougher stuff than lip gloss and manicures. The kind that will stand by my side and face shit head on.

  My brother is staring at me, like he’s waiting for me to change my mind about his harebrained scheme. Not happening. Even if I wanted to go along with it, I’ll be too damned busy going out on calls this weekend to worry about hooking up with random women.

  “How about you stop trying to fix me up,” I grumble, scooping my truck keys and thermos off the counter, “and just stay alert for fires while you’re out there.”

  “Yeah, I heard you the first time.” Chase narrows his eyes at me, his chest inflated. “I wasn’t born fucking yesterday, you know. I’ve been running survival classes and hiking in these woods for how long now? I think I can handle it.”