“I thought you were supposed to meet the crew.”
“I am. Was. I’ll come back tomorrow.” Or never again.
Jason followed slowly. “Let me feed you,” he said in a strange, rumbling voice. His eyes were lightening to the color of the moon.
“No, no, I’ve lost my appetite. Stop right there!” She held out her hands. “You’re making me feel funny. Using your werebear magic seduction powers or something. This isn’t me. I don’t just kiss strangers. I’m dating someone!” Okay, dating was an exaggeration. She’d accepted an invite to grab coffee with one of the locals named Bill Harris, but that seemed much healthier than whatever was happening between her and Jason. Too fast, too fiery hot, and right now she wanted to drop her panties and get laid in his love-shack trailer. Bad ideas all around.
“Seduction powers?” His smile turned flattered. “I’ve still got it then.”
“What? Was I some sort of an experiment? Yeah, I guess you still have the extreme hotness you’ve probably always possessed, so congratulations. You’ve realized your sexpot potential again.” At the expense of her sanity. Because clearly she’d lost her danged mind around this man.
Another flattered smile from him, and she screeched and spun for her Jeep. She wasn’t doing this—feeding Jason’s ego.
But when she reached for the door handle, he was there, leaning against her door as if he’d been there all along. Her heart lurched into her throat, and she let off a scream. Jason hunched into himself as if her shrill shriek had hurt him. He clamped his hand over her mouth, and now he’d really done it. She kicked his shin and bit his hand.
“Shit!” He yanked away from her as she pulled her gun from the holster on her hip.
“Don’t touch me again.”
“Easy there, Ranger,” Jason murmured, lifting his hands in surrender. “I’m not going to hurt you. Put the gun down.”
“What’s going on here?” a man’s voice echoed through the clearing.
Georgia skimmed her gaze to the left where a group of people were gathering near them. She uncocked the gun and slid it back into its place at her hip, then shoved past Jason. Nodding at the crew, four men and two women, she said, “My name’s Georgia Ames, and I came to introduce myself as the new ranger around here. You all have a nice night now.”
Furious and embarrassed, she yanked open the door of her ride and slammed it closed behind her. Jason stood back, looking baffled as she turned the engine and backed away from him and the others. She pulled the Jeep around and sped off, glancing back only once into her rearview.
Jason Trager had his hands linked behind his head as he watched her drive away.
The stabbing pain in her chest told her he was even more dangerous than she’d imagined.
And why was she crying? He’d kissed her, not stabbed her. Sure, Jason was wielding a raw power she couldn’t even begin to understand, but he hadn’t been cruel. He’d just surprised her with that kiss, and his speed. But clamping his hand over her mouth like she was someone to be shushed had crossed a line. She was so mixed up.
As she rounded a bend, a woman stood in the middle of the road, illuminated by Georgia’s headlights. She gasped and slammed on the brake, but she was going too fast. The woman’s red hair was snarled and knotted, and her eyes hollow. She didn’t look afraid, though, as Georgia skidded sideways. She looked angry.
Georgia closed her eyes just as she catapulted into the woman, but there was no impact. There was no noise or vibration that told her she’d hit the woman. There was nothing at all.
The Jeep rocked to a stop, and a sob clawed its way up Georgia’s throat as she gripped the wheel and frantically scanned the road for the body. Besides a cloud of travel dust, the street was empty. Chest heaving, Georgia turned to check the other side of her Jeep where the woods met the gravel.
The woman was sitting in the front seat, staring at her with blazing silver eyes—eyes the same color as Jason’s.
Terror froze Georgia in place as the woman’s lip lifted in a feral snarl.
“Never come back here again,” the woman hissed out in a bone-chilling whisper. “He’s mine.” The last word cracked like lightning and echoed through the Jeep as the woman disappeared in a cloud of gray smoke.
Tears streamed down Georgia’s face as she fumbled her foot onto the gas, then she sped away from the woods of Grayland Mobile Park as fast as her ride would carry her.
Chapter Three
Georgia was beautiful, but that wasn’t what had Jason’s head spinning as she pulled away from the trailer park. When she was there, Tessa had disappeared. For the few minutes he had talked to the curvy, sexy park ranger, he hadn’t been afraid of Tessa showing up. He’d almost felt sane for a little while.