Chapter One

He was perfect.

Alisa looked at the man again, trying to discover some fault in him, but there was none. His hair was the deep gold of dark honey and rough stubble darkened his chin. One shining lock drooped playfully into his eyes, and he ran a hand absently across his brow to push it back. Alisa wished it were her fingers raking through his hair. Frustrated, she bit her lip and twisted a lock of her white-blonde hair around a finger.

The long-sleeved black T-shirt he wore clung to his chest and shoulders, and Alisa let her eyes slide down his perfect outline. He had the solidly sculpted look of a man who worked out to keep himself fit but wasn’t obsessed about pumping iron. Right now, she thought his nipples were the best part of him, upright and firm, pressed against the material of the shirt. She wanted to bite them.

He sat some distance away from her reading a book that absorbed him completely, giving her freedom to study him at her leisure. She’d noticed him earlier in her neighborhood bookstore and was intrigued the moment she laid eyes on him. Tall, beautiful, he smelled like a forest. She knew this, because she’d brushed against him “accidently” as she’d followed him around through the aisles.

What? No, no. It’s not stalking. Naw, I’m just browsing like you. Looking for a new book. Isn’t it funny that we both still read real books? Really, I wasn’t following you, or staring at your oh-so-tasty body. Sorry to rub up against you, but these aisles are just sooo narrow!

At least that’s what she might’ve said to him. But his gorgeous eyes had blazed when she brushed her body against his—literally glowing, their fierce amber beauty marred by the slight frown that creased his brow when their gazes locked. Little butterflies in her stomach took flight, beating soft wings frantically beneath her skin.

Sparks! Those are definitely sparks. The wash of his scrutiny was a living, palpable thing that gripped her by the throat and held her up for inspection. For a few breathless moments, she had actually felt pressure on the sides of her neck. Her heart had sped up and a frisson of fear shivered through her, urging fight or flight. Spurred to bolt rather than to hold his gaze and flirt as she’d intended, she’d dropped her eyes, murmured an apology, and hurried down the aisle.

Reaching the end of the stacks, she’d berated herself for chickening out and for her hasty retreat from Mr. Perfect, disgruntled that she’d wasted the opportunity to chat and get his digits. Alisa had a bad streak that often prompted her to do something enjoyably sinful, but it failed her utterly here. She didn’t want to look pathetic by going back into the maze of shelves and seeking him out again, so she paid for her book and wandered outside to read.

Mr. Perfect strolled out a few minutes later thumbing through his selection. Alisa hummed with pleasure when he sat down a few tables away.

Man-watching! One of my favorite activities. Her friend Krista referred to it as “observing wildlife.” Which was funny coming from a girl who never set foot off the paved and manicured paths of the local city parks. She’d appreciate this one! Alisa let her lips curve lightly. She pulled out her phone and snapped a quick pic of Mr. Perfect. In a flash, she sent it on to Krista with the message:

—Yummy day—look what I found!—

Krista always had her phone with her and texted back immediately:

—Go git ’im, grrl!—

—Hotter than those super-muscled comic book heroes you fantasize about!—

Alisa snickered as she tapped.

—You’d jump a thunder god too if given the chance.—

The man in front of her had it all over her movie crush. Her phone buzzed; Krista agreed with her, but also urged:

—It’s Friday! Take the rest of the day off and have some fun!—

Alisa tapped back:

—Wish I could. Gotta get back and chase a couple of leads.—

Krista sent back a frowning face, then one sticking its tongue out. Alisa laughed.

It was beautiful and sunny, so she and Mr. Perfect were both enjoying the weather and warmth after the last few days of spring rain in Seattle. Alisa donned large-framed sunglasses. All the better to study him covertly. She held a new copy of a classic romance open in front of her, but how could she focus on reading?

Shamelessly, Alisa feasted her eyes on him, trying him in different scenes in her head. Although undecided which one pleased her most, they all involved skin and sweat and heat. At last he seemed to sense he was being watched, for his head twitched like a wild animal that has caught the scent of a predator.

Or prey, Alisa thought. The tension in his shoulders, and the way his eyes flicked from side to side told Alisa he was actively searching for something. Looks like he wants to catch and eat whatever it is. She had no trouble picturing him as a lean and feral hunter.

Dreamily, a new image rose in her mind and sketched an unexpected theme in her fantasizing—him hunting her. Deep inside her core, a fiery liquid energy woke and threaded through her, leaving a delicious, heated trail along her nerves. Her breath quickened as she played it out in her mind—the chase and the catch. The images were so vivid, she could smell his scent and feel his body pressed into hers when he caught her and took her to the ground.

Watching his finely tuned body thrum with the quiet intensity of his search, made her fantasy stronger. She could make out the hard swell of his pectorals from where she sat, and his biceps bunched and slid with casual power under his sleeve as he turned the page. Closing her eyes, grateful to have them hidden behind her sunglasses, she visualized them together, entwined. She wanted to straddle him, and her loins tingled at the thought of his hard cock pressing eagerly against her, between her thighs. A feathery phantom weight landed on her lips when she thought about kissing him, and Alisa wondered what he’d taste like with that amazing scent of cedar surrounding her. She wanted his hands on her. Barely holding back a groan, she imagined him cupping her breasts and thumbing her nipples, which ached sweetly and tightened in response.

She caught herself before she sighed out loud, almost regretting such a lurid fantasy in this very public place. Then she opened her eyes and feasted her eyes on tall, golden, and handsome once again. Her guilt vanished.

With a groan and another glance at her phone, she realized it was time to go. Unable to resist a last peek, she unexpectedly locked gazes with Mr. Perfect. Even from her seat some distance away she could see those gorgeous eyes still cast out gold sparks. Her arousal throbbed harder in response, accompanied by little warning tingles up her spine.

Seconds passed, during which Alisa forgot to breathe normally. Then, at last, her flirty side came out of hiding and decided to play. Lifting her sunglasses, she returned his intense gaze, then smiled. A coy, heated smile that said, “Yes, you caught me. What are you going to do about it, anyway?”

Then, she deliberately lowered her eyes and popped her sunglasses back into place, returning to her reading—actually reading her book, resisting the urge to look up at him, even covertly. Despite her thumping heart, Alisa took a deep inhale to collect herself and feigned casual. She needed to be sure she could walk down the street without her knees knocking.

So hot! Oh my, sweet Forest Man, what I would love to do with you! Echoes of her fantasy reverberated through her, making her breathless and tingly again.

When her heart resumed its regular pace, Alisa folded up her book and stood to walk back to her office, which would take her right past Mr. Perfect. Holding her head high, she strolled toward him. The fine hairs on her arms rose while the air between them actually shimmered, sizzling delightfully across her skin when she walked through the tangible skein draped across her path. She might have wondered more about how weird it was to walk through an almost-invisible veil, but was distracted by the tingly sensations his devouring gaze woke in her core.

Alisa’s adventurous streak prodded her again, driving her pulse and the throb in her belly. Although she didn’t have time to stop and flirt, she could still give him something to remember her by. She deliberately swayed her hips and exaggerated her stride.

Oh, that is definitely one of my best shimmies. Her lips curved in a satisfied grin.

Alisa slowed as she passed him, lifting her sunglasses and matching his vivid stare. With tantalizing care, she ran the very tip of her tongue deliberately along her lower lip and gave his body a lingering caress with her eyes. She let all the heat she felt flow over him, wishing all the while she really could run her hands over his beautifully sculpted body.

Up close again only confirmed her earlier impression. He was the most gorgeous man she’d ever seen. She let her gaze touch him everywhere, gliding on the carved planes of his cheeks and the marble hardness of his pecs and arms before traveling down to the taut ridges of his abs. Then, she retraced her route, sweeping back up to his fierce amber eyes.

She held their locked gaze the whole time she walked past, even turning her head so she could keep him in her sights. To really give him something to remember, she smoothed out her cute little black pencil skirt, letting her hand trace lovingly down the swell of her ass.

Then, with a careless toss of her long hair, she turned and left him behind, stilettos punctuating her stride with sharp raps on the pavement. As she sauntered to the corner, the hair on the back of her neck prickled and her shoulders felt warm and tight. He was watching her still. Shivering deliciously, she relished the sensation, but didn’t turn around to confirm it.