CHAPTER 3

Amanda

He’s a fucking god.

From the moment he parted the dusty haze and strode toward me in that cabin, I was breathless. He had dark brown hair and deep blue eyes. His chiseled muscles were coated in sweat from doing fuck-knows-what before I fell through the damn stairs. He lifted me from that pile of rubble like it was nothing before he carried me to my grandmother’s couch, and his touch had been gentle as he rolled up the leg of my pants.

That hadn’t been expected, considering the calluses of his hands rubbing against my skin.

I couldn’t stop staring at him. The way his rippling chest flowed into chiseled abs. The way the veins in his arms throbbed with every movement he took. His skin was tanned, kissed by the sun itself and shining even with the dust clinging to his body.

I knew I was staring, but I couldn’t help it.

The way he carried me to his house effortlessly was riveting. He picked me up as if I weighed nothing and held me as if I was a delicate porcelain doll. I felt his exposed muscles twitching underneath my skin as he kept me close to his body, forcing a warmth to rise in my gut. It had been years since I’d been this captivated by a man, and never in my life had I felt so vulnerable and so safe at the same time.

But when he sat me on the kitchen counter and locked his eyes with mine, I was spellbound.

Instead of putting a shirt on like he really needed to, he looked around for a first aid kit. An older woman stood in the corner with a little girl who looked about two or three. She had dark brown hair the same color as—

I didn’t know his name.

“I’m Amanda,” I said. “Amanda Scott.”

But the tall man with the throbbing muscles and the tanned skin didn’t do anything but take my leg in his hands.

“Do you have a name?” I asked.

“Yep.”

“Are you going to share it with me?”

“Nope.”

“Fine. I’ll call you Dan.”

His eyes flickered up toward me, but he made no move to tell me anything about himself.

“Thank you for saving me, Dan. It was very kind of you.”

I watched as he slipped the shoe off my foot before he rolled my sock down.

“What are you doing?”

I tried to take my leg away from him, but instead of getting very far I only winced at the pain that shot up my leg.

“You done?” he asked.

“You going to tell me your name?”

“Will it get you to stay still so I can patch you up properly?”

“Sure,” I said.

“Brian.”

“Do you have a last name?”

“No,” he said.

“Murphy,” the little girl said.

My eyes peeked over his shoulder to the small girl standing across the room as his head whipped around.

“Hush, Lanie,” Brian said. “What have I told you about talking to strangers?”

“Don’t do it until you’re here,” she said.

“Sounds like she’s got ya there,” I said, grinning.

Panning his gaze back to me, he propped my foot against his chest. The wet warmth of his skin sent goosebumps up my skin as I sighed. I clenched my body, trying not to shudder as I curled my toes into his muscles. My body wanted to feel any part of him he would allow me as my tits stood at attention behind the material of my bra. What the hell was wrong with me?

I watched as Brian took out some antiseptic and a pair of tweezers. I knew exactly what he was gunning for first, and I tried to pry my leg away. His eyes flew up to mine as his hand came down onto my foot, steadying his hold on me as my eyes began to water.

“I’ll make it quick,” he said.

One by one, he plucked every splinter out from beneath my skin. Some I couldn’t feel at all, while others hurt like hell, but not once did his hand let up from my foot. His touch was strong. Commanding and domineering. But it wasn’t forceful, like my ex’s. He wasn’t trying to control my movements, he was only trying to steady them.

Tossing the tweezers into the sink, he took out some alcohol wipes. With every swipe he took, my leg jumped. Pain shot up my thigh and I hissed and bit back curses, trying not to startle the little girl in the corner. I saw the nanny trying to hurry her out of the room as a tear rolled down my cheek, but the little girl was pitching a fit every time she was moved.

“Leave her be, Tanya. The crying’s distracting.”

My leg jumped as Brian rolled over a deep gash and his hardened gaze flickered up to mine.

“And so is that,” he said.

“Sorry, it hurts.”

“Then don’t go walking on wood that looks unstable.”

“I had no idea it was unstable,” I said.

“Shining a simple light on it would’ve told you everything you needed to know.”

“Oh? And how’s that?” I asked.

“If it’s splintering from the floor, it’s not to be walked on,” he said.

Fuck. Like the splinters on the front porch I had seen as I walked up.

He tossed the bloodied alcohol wipes into the sink as well then grabbed gauze and an ace bandage. He layered some sort of goopy solution on my shin, causing me to wince as I tried not to jump.

He wrapped up my leg and then offered me some Tylenol and a glass of water.

“You good?” he asked as he took the glass from me.

“I think so, yes.”

“Good. Can you walk?”

I jumped down from the kitchen counter as his arms reached out to catch me. I collapsed against him, hissing as pain shot up through my knee. I’d really done a number on my shin , which meant I wasn’t going to be able to clean the house like I’d planned.

And how the hell was I going to afford to repair that damn staircase?

“Yep. I can walk,” I said.

“Doesn’t look like it,” Brian argued.

“Would you put on a damn shirt, please?” I asked.

His eyes locked hard onto mine before he turned his head toward the little girl in the corner. I sighed before I mumbled an apology, then began limping over to the doorway.

I needed to get back to the cabin and figure out what the hell my next move was going to be. I’d had enough in savings to last me three months, but now that the cabin would need extensive repairs, I had no idea how I was going to make it livable on what I had.

I was feeling overwhelmed, and I was ready to leave.

“I’m Lanie,” said a little voice.

“Lanie, back up,” Brian said.

My watery gaze drifted over to the child in the corner as she came up to me.

“Hello, Lanie. I’m Amanda,” I said.

“I hear with my ears,” she said.

“That’s good. What do you do with your eyes?” I asked.

I could feel everyone’s eyes on me as a smile broke out across Lanie’s chubby little cheeks.

“See!” she said.

“Good girl.”

I turned toward the door, but I was halted in my tracks by a small little tug at my jeans.

“Lanie, let her go,” Brian said, sternly.

“Food?” Lanie asked.

My eyes looked over to her nanny who was now scurrying to her side.

“Let’s get you something to eat,” she said.

“No. Amanda food,” Lanie said.

“Are you asking me if I’m hungry?” I asked.

“I think she is,” the nanny said.

“Tanya, right?” I asked, recalling the name Brian had used when he’d spoken to her.

“Yes, ma’am.”

“No ‘ma’am’ necessary,” I said, smiling. “I have food back at my place,” I lied. It was clear Brian didn’t want me here, and though he was nice to look at, he was kind of a cocky asshole.

“Food with us?” Lanie asked.

“No.”

Brian’s voice was stern and caused me to jump. It was a tone of voice I’d heard many times when I was with Daryl. That tone of voice that spoke of controlling intent and disapproval. Hearing that tone drip from Brian’s lips only fueled the anger that bubbled in my gut whenever I thought of that pathetic bastard.

“How about this?” I asked as I looked at Lanie. “When I get my cabin repaired, you can come over anytime you want, and I’ll cook us something.”

“Pancakes?” Lanie asked.

“That’s enough, sweetheart,” Tanya said.

“If that’s what you want, that’s what you’ll get,” I said.

“Pinky?”

The little girl held out her pinky finger, and my eyes drifted up to Brian. There was a storm of emotion rolling over his face. Anger and apprehension and sadness. There was a wall coming up over his entire face that set it in stone. His brow was furrowed with a deeply-set frustration that made me curious about him.

What was a man with a child doing on a mountaintop that had nothing to enrich a child at all?

“Pinky promise,” I said.

I reached down to link the little girl’s finger, and she smiled broadly. She let go of my pants and allowed me to leave the house, her eyes following me as I left. I hobbled down the porch steps and began limping back toward the cabin.

My mind started running through all the things I could do to make it better before I had to get creative.

I looked back at Brian’s home and saw Lanie standing on the porch. Tanya was behind her, holding the little girl close to her side. Lanie was waving with a big smile on her face that warmed my heart.

But Brian was standing inside, watching me from his kitchen window. I could tell by the set of his broad, sculpted shoulders that my mere presence had made him uncomfortable. I couldn’t help but be intrigued as to what his story might be. I highly doubted I’d ever find out though, that man was as guarded as they came.

I nodded once in his direction and turned toward home, hobbling as I went.

I had to figure out what to do about the cabin. How I was going to get it fixed? It was rundown, and it needed a great deal of love and care. It would take going into town and pricing out some things to figure out how much money would need to be spent on my end, but I could no longer think straight with my stomach as empty as it was.

I grabbed my purse from the house, threw open some windows to let out the dust, then got into my car and went into town.

I needed food, quiet, and some time to think.