Sitting in the cab for an hour while they took the rugged inner road to the ridge was pure hell. Mack’s scent drove him wild in one way, and her determination to reduce his clan insane in another.

“Tell me about you.” Her voice was soft and sweet and as satisfying as the cherry pastry she’d brought. But the problem with sweets was they rarely satisfied for long and Finn’s appetite for her was growing by the minute.

“I’m one of two sons. My brother is also a ranger and manages the station on the far side of the forest.”

She sat up taller. “So, does he agree with your claim that the numbers are exaggerated?”

“No doubt. We do not have an overpopulation of bears in Grayslake.”

Mack twisted a section of her hair around and around her finger then let it fall in a curl over her shoulder. “I hope you’re right.” She pulled her upper lip between her teeth and nibbled it back and forth. “It’s not like I want to tag bears for termination.”

The word termination made the hairs on his back rise. It was a natural instinct to shift when someone was talking about exterminating a branch on the family tree. It took all of Finn’s reserve to keep his hair from sprouting and his teeth from breaking free.

“Then don’t.” Mack let out a long exhale, and Finn caught the scent of honey on her breath. “Take a few days to simply observe the population and then you’ll be able to make a more educated decision.”

When they got to the ridge, Finn pulled the truck in front of the shack that held supplies. It wasn’t more than a small box with a twin bed and shelves that contained first aid supplies and extra food, but it was a nice location that gave a bird’s-eye view of the surrounding forest and the valley below.

Mack was out of the truck before it came to a full stop. “This is magnificent.” She lifted her arms in the air and twirled in a circle. Her hair spun around her shoulders like a sexy cyclone. Finn’s dick twitched and his animal instinct was set to mate, but he couldn’t just lay the woman down and tell her she was his for life.

He had to figure out how much she knew—if anything—about shifters. The way to a woman’s heart wasn’t to scare it straight out of her chest.

“We keep this place up here in case of emergencies. The weather can change on a dime and the last place you want to be stuck is in the middle of the forest without supplies or a dry place to wait it out.” Finn walked to the small cabin and pulled a key from above the doorframe. “You thirsty?”

“You keep the key right there for anyone to get?” She placed her hands on her beautiful wide hips.

His motto was big ass, big sass, and in both cases, the bigger the better. Finn liked his girls with plenty of sass. He glanced at the wooded area around them. “We don’t get many people up here. Besides, all they could take is a case of water and a box of protein bars.”

“What about the wildlife?”

“Opposable thumbs would be the first obstacle. Besides, most of the wildlife here prefer the diner.” He unlocked the door and walked into the room. It was a simple structure with a bed on one side, a shelf full of miscellaneous supplies, and a wood stove in the corner.

“Ha ha.” She walked into the room. A slant of light shone through the window and picked up the dust that floated in the air. It surrounded her in an ethereal fashion. “There’s more than protein bars here.” She picked up a can of chili and a can of soup.

“I don’t think the wolves in the area will be breaking in and using the can opener for those either.” An image of the alpha wolf Reid Bennett breaking into the cabin for a can of soup made him chuckle. There was no way a can of anything would satisfy that bloodthirsty bastard’s appetite.

Mack set the cans down and walked toward the door. “A wolf with a can opener is a funny image.”

“You have no idea.”

She brushed past him and all he wanted to do was pull her into his arms and kiss her. Those red lips with the scent of honey called to him like a bullhorn. There was nothing subtle about this attraction to her, his bear roared to be let loose, and his human was barely keeping him contained. He grabbed two bottles of water and hoped for the best.

She stood in front of the door and waited for him to join her. “What should I expect to see up here?”

The truth was she’d probably see very little. It was too far from town for many of the shifters, which was why he brought her up here. She’d see some wildlife for sure, but it wouldn’t include four-legged beasts with bad attitudes.

Most likely the highlight of her visit to the ridge would include birds, rabbits and many a mountain goat if she were lucky. Then again, old man Hilliard hadn’t been out much since his wife passed. There were no more treks to watch the sun rise and set with his mate. Those ended when a hunter took her out. Finn remembered the day they found her in the woods. The damn poachers hunted for sport and left her to rot in the forest.

“Let’s go.” The brusqueness of his voice surprised him, and then again, it didn’t. He was torn between wanting the woman beneath his body and wanting her gone. He shoved a bottle of water toward her. “You’ll need this.” His plan was to hike until his bones were weary and his need was gone.

When she pulled the bottle from his hand her fingers lingered for a moment too long. A crackle of energy passed between them, hot and raw and animalistic. A burning pulsing that made him rock hard. He was aware of her in every pore of his body—her nearness, the honeyed scent of her, the heat that floated from her body to his. And lingering in the background was the unmistakable notes of her arousal.

Her eyes took on a predatory look until she pulled them from his. “You lead, I’ll follow.”

Finn knew exactly where he wanted to lead her—back to the bed in the shack where with their limited provisions, they could survive for days on chili, soup and sex. “This way.” He looked over his shoulder at the cabin. His inner bear roared with unhappiness the minute he walked away.

It was two hours before they stopped for a break. It took that long for his cock to soften.

“We haven’t seen a thing but a chipmunk and a snake.”

“Yes, and the snake had you running in the opposite direction. Imagine if you ran into a bear or a wolf?”

“I didn’t run from the snake.” She sat on a fallen log and opened her bottle of water. “There was a bee in my hair.”

Finn let out a roar of a laugh and sat beside her. “That’s even worse.” He continued to chuckle. “You ran from a bee?”

Her annoyance was evident in the stiffness of her spine. “I don’t like bees.”

Without thought he brushed the dampened hair that stuck to her face aside. “You like their byproduct.”

“Yes, and if there were a way to get honey without bees, I’d be all for that plan.” Mack’s face turned into his palm like a flower searching for the sun. There was no doubt in his mind that she felt the same attraction for him as he did for her. It vibrated off their bodies. He dropped his hand to his side before his bear, who was already grumbling to come out, made an unwelcome appearance.

“Make sure I don’t introduce you to Brody and Eli. They have a special love for bees and honey. They own BE’s Brews.”

Her eyes grew huge and bright at the mention of honey. “Oh, their syrup is to die for. You could lick that off of anything. It would make bark taste good.” Her tongue swiped over to moisten her lips and that was all it took for Finn’s dick to harden—again—for about the tenth time that day.

“I’ll keep that in mind.” He shot up from the log and walked ahead of her to keep his discomfort hidden. The woman was going to be the death of him.

“I’d like to start tagging tomorrow. What about the land across from the lake? Do you think I could get permission from the owner to enter his property?”

Finn came to an abrupt stop and Mack ran straight into him. Her arms wrapped around his waist for purchase, but they both fell with her coming to rest on top of him. She bolted upright to her feet but not before Finn scented her desire again. His dick should have been hard as the log they were sitting on but the mention of visiting clan lands killed any desire he had in that moment.

“Absolutely not. You are not to enter that property under any circumstances.” Anger thickened his voice until he barely recognized it himself. “Do you understand?” He towered over her. Anyone else would have cowered in his presence but not her. She stood taller and stuck that beautiful chest out in defiance.

“It was a simple question. You don’t have to grumble at me.” She pushed against his chest and stomped around him, making her way back to the shack in record time. By the time Finn arrived, she was sitting in the truck waiting for him.