Stealing Fire (Bad Boys Of The Underworld Book 5) Read Free

sign of the girl. He sniffed the air and caught her scent mixed in with the sap and pine.
    She smelled like shampoo and aloe soap. Nothing overpowering, but subtly feminine. A predatory grin covered his face and he followed the scent.

––––––––
    D ry needles crunched under Ella’s tennis shoes as she walked farther into the trees. She kept her eyes to the forest floor, searching the dried pine needles and dirt for signs of where Dad could’ve gone, but didn’t see anything resembling a footprint.
    She looked up again, keeping an eye out for more cameras. How had Gus missed that? Whoever owned the equipment might have footage of Dad. She could check whether he’d ventured into the woods or gotten into a different car.
    A stick snapped behind her. Ella twisted around at the sound, only to be confronted by nothing but forest. “Hello?” she called out. No answer.
    Was someone there? The trees were so scattered and the foliage was so sparse, there weren’t many places for anyone, or anything, to hide. On the other hand, she was also exposed.
    It wasn’t as if the woods were empty. There were probably wolves and bears. If there were cameras, that meant there were people too. She wasn’t sure which she’d rather see.
    She stepped backward, carefully scanning the trees again for any sign of movement.
    Satisfied she was alone, she turned around and slammed right into a massive male chest.
    Ella liked to think she was brave, but the scream that bubbled up from her throat was unavoidable. She stumbled away, tripping over her own feet, and started to fall. But she never hit the ground.
    Big hands closed over her upper arms, pulling her back up and against him. Fear and adrenaline had her gasping for air as she finally got a good look at the stranger.
    And forgot how to breathe.
    He was amazing. His deep, dark, blue eyes looked her over. His hair was brown, but not just brown. A rich chestnut that made his eyes stand out even more. His chest was much bigger than the entire width of her shoulders, and his arms were massive, though the black dress shirt he wore fit perfectly and didn’t stretch the slightest over his large, muscled body.
    Dress shirt? Ella looked down at his nice shoes and black pants. Not exactly hiking clothes.
    “Are you okay?” he asked in a deep, husky voice.
    She blinked as she tried to remember how to talk. “Umm, yeah. Sorry. You scared me.”
    “It happens.” Not exactly an apology.
    She realized he still had his hands on her arms and she was still leaning against him. She pushed herself back. Blood rushed to her face at her own clumsiness. Not exactly the finest example of grace under pressure. He released her; his hands lingered on her a second too long before he moved away. “So, um, what brings you out to the middle of nowhere?” Hopefully not kidnapping and murdering.
    “I live here. You?”
    Ella looked around at the endless woods. “You live here ?”
    His mouth crooked up, not seeming to mind that she didn’t answer his question. “My house is about a mile west of here. This is my land.”
    And she was trespassing. Crap . “Um, I probably should get going. I didn’t mean to intrude on your property.” She took a few steps back, hoping he’d tell her it was no problem, but he remained silent. His eyes scanned over her, taking in her every movement; the hair on her arms stood up.
    She turned to retreat back to her car, but the feeling of his eyes burning into her back had her facing him again. This was no Gus or Louie. This was a stranger. She was invading his territory and she could tell he wasn’t exactly happy about it.
    And he was dangerous. He hadn’t said or done anything untoward, but she knew.
    Which put her in a tough spot. She was too afraid to turn her back to him but still needed his help. Closing her eyes, she mustered up every ounce of courage. “Are those your cameras out by the road?”
    He cocked his head at the question. “Yes. I take my privacy