chapter 5

Ridge

Goddammit. This isn’t how I wanted to get a half-naked girl in my arms.

Normal guys, they go to parties. Go to bars. They talk up the first hot woman who shakes her ass in their direction, then fuck her senseless against a bathroom wall covered in graffiti that probably includes her phone number.

Not me. No, my dumb ass has to find an unconscious woman in the wilderness and bring her home, only for her to strip to her panties and race madly through the village in an attempt to escape.

I mean, I know I’m not People’s Sexiest Man Alive, but damn.

The girl’s head slams back toward my face, and I have to crane my neck sideways to keep from getting a busted nose.

“Hey! I’m not going to hurt you!” I snarl as she tries again, whipping my head back the other way.

“Then put me down and let me go!” she gasps, struggling against my hold. She has a light, bell-like voice, though the bite to her statement takes some of the melody away. One bare foot catches me in the shin, and I grunt at the