Kellan’s right. The pain in my ankle lessens over the course of a few hours.

After our kiss, it seems that he can’t get away from me fast enough. Or maybe he really is busy.

From the open window in the kitchen, I watch him take Brenna, saddle and mount her, then kick her into a trot. His eyes meet mine. I give him a short wave before he disappears with Sniper by his side. I stare into the open space for a long time, alone with my thoughts, confused.

One moment, he tells me he doesn’t like me, the next he’s expressing his readiness to beat up my ex.

He’s a man shrouded in mystery and contradiction.

Eventually, I sigh and hobble to my feet, giving up trying to make sense of him.

I’ve no idea what to do with myself in this strange house as I head through the hall to familiarize myself with all the rooms.

The space is huge. All the rooms are tastefully furnished in a rustic style, but carry a male touch. The ensuite bathrooms are clean but empty. Devoid of life. Like Kellan hasn’t had any visitors in a long time.

I inspect the contents of the fridge and decide to make us ham sandwiches and salad for dinner, then head to my room to take a short nap.

It’s early afternoon when the sound of chopping wood and hammering carries over through the open window. The dog barks a few times, and Kellan laughs—the sound causing a strange jolt in my chest.

Even though I shouldn’t even be thinking about making an effort, I apply a bit of lipstick and straighten my clothes before I head back into the kitchen.

Kellan seems surprised when he sees me standing in the doorway, juggling two plates and two glasses of lemonade.

“You didn’t have to.”

I shrug. “I wanted to. You’re kind enough for letting us stay.”

He mumbles a “thanks” and we eat on the front porch in silence.

“The mechanic is going to pick up your car later today,” he says.

I swallow the last bite of my sandwich before I reply. “I thought the landline wasn’t working.”

“It isn’t.” He gives me an amused glance. “But the one in the barn is.”

“You have a working phone in the barn and didn’t tell me?”

“I never got the chance because you just took off.”

“You were rude.”

“I was.” He turns his head to me and playfully bumps his shoulder against mine. “I need to apologize.”

“I wasn’t nice either, so don’t.”

“I knew the hill was slippery. It’s my fault you fell. How about I make it up to you?” He takes another sandwich, bites into it, and chews slowly.

“How?”

“I want you to stay for a few more days,” Kellan says.

“I’m not sure I can.”

“Because you know I’ll keep making passes at you?”

I shake my head. “No, that’s not it. I know you will. Strange as it may sound, I think I’ve gotten used to you being annoying.”

A smile lights up his face. “Then stay. I want to see how far I can go with you.”

“You don’t give up, do you?” I roll my eyes in mock exasperation.

“Never.” He grins. “Wait here.” He gets up and rounds the house, then returns with a pair of brown hiking boots. “These are for you.”

I take them out of his hands and turn them around to inspect them. “How did you know my size?”

“I removed your shoes from you, remember?”

The sound of tires hitting gravel carries over, followed by Sniper barking.

“Here, boy.” Kellan grabs his collar and guides him to the garage, locking him inside.

A moment later, Mandy calls out, “Are you guys decent?”

I roll my eyes at her and shoot Kellan an exasperated look. I find him gazing at me, but his expression isn’t quite as irritated as mine.

Because he doesn’t want to be decent with me. He’s made that part pretty clear. And because he’s not a guy who beats around the bush; he seems to like to keep all women informed about his intentions.

“I can’t believe you just said that,” I say to Mandy as we head back inside.

She shrugs and squeezes out of her jacket, tossing it at the foot of the couch the same way she does back home. Kellan glares at the jacket like it’s the poor fabric’s fault, but doesn’t comment.

So, he’s the tidy kind. I add that to my mental drawer of information I’ve gathered about him.

“Did you find the town?” Kellan retrieves the jacket and drapes it over the back of a chair.

Mandy freezes as she hears insistent barking, ignoring Kellan’s question. “Wow. Is there a dog in there?”

“It’s Sniper,” I say.

Mandy watches us with a knowing smirk on her face. “Look at you, guys. You already look like an old married couple.”

“Not a fan of marriage?” Kellan remarks, brows raised.

“Actually, quite the contrary,” I say, amused. “She finds old, married people cute.” I grimace at him. “Don’t get her started, unless you want a rendition of The Notebook with all its literary merits and its relevance to today’s society.”

A blank question mark flickers on his face, and I smile.

He has no idea what The Notebook is.

 If he continues to be a big jerk, I’ll let Mandy unpack her all-time favorite movie, which I’m sure is safely stashed in her suitcase because she never travels without it, and dare him to watch it from the beginning until the very sappy ending.

“Did you know there’s a freaking western movie out there?” Mandy ask and plops down on the sofa.

“She’s probably talking about the landscape,” I say and look at Kellan, barely able to hide my smile. Something—is that amusement?—flickers in his eyes.

He’s looking at me intently as he asks Mandy, “How far did you get?”

Holy shit.

Is there something growing on my nose, or why the fuck won’t he look away? If he continues to be so weird, Mandy will get all suspicious and then will start drilling me for details, her dirty imagination making up things that will never happen.

“I got as far as the next town,” Mandy says slowly.

“You drove all the way?” I ask incredulously.

“Why wouldn’t I?” Mandy retorts, slightly annoyed. “I wish I hadn’t bothered though. All I found was a string of taverns glued together. And get this. There are no shops. Not even a Starbucks. I don’t know how those people survive. It was literally impossible to find a working phone. Or an Internet café. Even the post office and the police station were closed.” She raises her brows the way she always does when something strikes her as unbelievable.

“That’s probably the storm’s fault,” Kellan says patiently. “Phone lines are often down during and shortly after bad weather. The main roads are also blocked by uprooted trees. It takes a while to clean it all up, which takes all the manpower the sheriff can get.”

“Yes.” Mandy draws out the word. “But that usually only happens in movies. I need to get a manicure and make a very important phone call. Not to mention the fact that I really need to check my emails. Maybe you could point me to the nearest hotel, preferably one that has a spa and deluxe rooms. And I wouldn’t mind a well-stocked mini bar. Anything to help me sleep through the days I’m stuck in the middle of nowhere.”

“Of course.” Kellan winks at me. “The hotel’s down that way.” He points out the window, in the direction of the barn, and I can barely stifle a snort.

Now that Mandy thinks I’m interested in Kellan, she no longer sees the need to pretend, so she’s basically returned to her true NYC persona. Gone is the pretend off-the-grid nature fan she was about to morph into last night when she thought Kellan and she might turn into an item…if only for a night.

“I didn’t see it,” Mandy says.

“That’s because there’s nothing there,” I say.

Her eyes narrow on Kellan and me. I can see her little head working. “Did you guys have fun?”

“She sprained her ankle.” Kellan points to my bandaged leg, ignoring her question.

“Oh.” Mandy looks at me, disappointed. “In that case, we can’t leave just yet.”

“I can walk around, though it still hurts a little,” I say. “But my ankle’s not the reason why we need to stay. It’s the car. The mechanic’s not been here yet, so I don’t know how long it’ll take to get it repaired.”

“Damn. And there’s no way we can borrow his?” She gestures at Kellan like he’s not standing there listening.

“Mandy!” I give her my usual ‘don’t you dare’ glare. “We’re already imposing.”

“What?” She shrugs. “We need to check into our hotel. We’ll be losing a day.”

I shoot Kellan an apologetic look. “Even if we could leave, the streets are still blocked.”

“What are your plans for tonight?” Kellan asks, his gaze cemented on me.

He doesn’t want me to leave.

The realization hits me like a wall.

I shrug and look at Mandy, her attention jumping back and forth between Kellan and me, like a ping pong ball, as she’s analyzing our every move and word.

“What are your suggestions?” Mandy says. “Ava likes to go out just as much as she enjoys an evening in.” Now she sounds like she’s in a TV reality show and trying to get the guy to choose me instead of the two other desperate floozies.

“I was planning on getting to bed early. You know, catch some sleep,” I say.

Mandy shoots me a dirty look.

“What?” I mouth and frown.

“You’re a lost cause. I’m going to take a shower because I’m most certainly not staying in tonight,” she mutters and walks out. She calls over her shoulder, “And you’re not staying in either. There’s got to be something remotely exciting to do in this town. And I’ll find it, dammit.”

“I think she wants you to go out with me,” Kellan remarks, amused, as soon as a door slams down the corridor and we’re alone again.

“Yeah, she’s not very subtle at expressing her wishes.” I brush my hair out of my face and look all the way up to meet his impossibly green gaze.

That was a big mistake.

“Is there a bar somewhere around here?” I ask.

“Sure, there is. And it serves the best beer in the state.” Kellan’s arms are crossed over his chest as he regards me with that challenging flicker in his eyes.

Does he want me to go out with him?

I can’t imagine a guy like him needing someone like me to keep him company. And yet, his expression says it all.

He wants me around.

I heave an exaggerated sigh as I consider my options. I’m not afraid of being on my own, but the idea of being stuck in my room with no one to talk to isn’t exactly appealing.

Wherever Kellan’s going, there are bound to be people.

I won’t even have to sit at the same table.

Or talk to him.

I won’t even have to look at him.

Heck, I bet I can shut him out completely until I won’t even know that he’s around.

“Let’s hit it.”

His brows shoot up.

“I mean the town.” I gesture with my hand. “You know the saying.”

He shakes his head.

“Everybody knows the saying ‘let’s hit the town’,” I say. A thought occurs to me—I don’t even know how old he is. “How old are you?”

“Twenty-eight. I thought you would have Googled me by now,” Kellan remarks. I stare at him, unsure whether he’s joking or being serious.

Did Mandy say something? Because I swear to God his stunning green eyes are twinkling with knowledge that yes, I tried to Google him after our first encounter, even though I didn’t know his name.

“Not everyone’s obsessed with you,” I say through cringed teeth, already regretting my decision to go out with him. But I can’t go back on my word now, lest he think his words might carry a morsel of truth to them.

“Hmmm.”

That look again, like he knows more than he should and is annoyingly smug about it.

I swear to God, I’m on the verge of saying something I might come to regret to wipe that grin right off his face.

“I’ve never been obsessed with a guy, ever.”

“That is, until you met me, right?”

“No.” My tone comes out defensive, my voice conveying my annoyance because he’s so damn right. “Honestly, you could own all the nightclubs in the world, and I wouldn’t be interested.”

He shakes his head. “Like I said, you got the wrong Boyd, baby. I’m just an investor in my brother’s business.”

I look up at him to see if he’s lying. Yeah, that’s what my cheating, lying ex did to me.

Kellan keeps denying it, and his expression is honest, so it must be true.

“I’ll leave you to get dressed,” he says and heads down the corridor to his bedroom, I assume.

“What’s wrong with my jeans?” I mutter and grimace at the air.

Of course guys like Kellan like a woman all made up and probably wearing barely more than a piece of fabric to cover their modesty.

It’s what they’re used to.

If he expects me to turn into Mandy, then he’ll be thoroughly disappointed. Not in the least because I don’t own Mandy’s wardrobe…or long legs to show off. So I refrain from squeezing into clothes that will only accentuate my shortcomings.

I sigh and head for my room, where I change into a dark blue pencil skirt that reaches down to my knees and a white button-up blouse—my usual work attire. I top it all off with ankle boots and a thin jacket.

It’s all very demure.

It’s all rather suited to an office environment.

I stand back, disappointed.

I look like a secretary or a librarian.

Regarding myself in the mirror as I apply a thin layer of red lipstick, I’ve no idea why I packed the kind of clothes I did. But it’s too late to ask Mandy for help because a knock raps at the door. Before I can answer, Kellan’s voice bellows, “I’m leaving in two minutes. Don’t be late, woman.”

Without a doubt, he’s piling on the caveman charm.

I swiftly roll my hair into a bun, then, deciding that it might be too much, I let my hair cascade down my back in a waterfall of brown, messy waves.

“I thought I might have to drag you out of there,” Kellan remarks as soon as I join him in the hall. There’s an easy smile on his lips as his gaze brushes over me, his eyes narrowed, expression veiled.

My hands turn damp and my skin begins to tingle just a little bit.

Damn!

I have no idea what he’s thinking, and it makes me nervous.

Even though I shouldn’t give a fuck, I want him to find me sexy.

Kellan inches closer and places his big hands on my hips, keeping me at arm’s length as his gaze drinks me all in.

“Is that what you’re wearing?”

There’s a twinkle of amusement in his eyes.

He’s laughing at me.

I can’t believe the audacity.

“You said you wanted me to change. Well—” I push his hands away from my body and take a step back. “—here I am. Take it or leave it. I’m a grown-up woman, not one of your usual floozies who dress to impress you. If you want a hooker, I can call one for you. This is all you’ll be getting from me.”

His head shoots back, and a roar of laughter erupts from his chest, the sound vibrating all the way down to my core.

In spite of this man’s arrogance and the fact that I know that’s something you don’t want in a guy, I can’t help but want him.

I want him with all my body.

I crave his hands all over me.

Crave feeling his fingers slip beneath my clothes and enter all those places I didn’t know could come to life from a man’s mere voice.

“What’s so funny?” I narrow my eyes as I take in the shirt stretched over his broad shoulders. The top button is undone, revealing taut, tanned skin. His jeans hang low on his hips, and there’s that clearly defined bulge that keeps drawing my attention to it.

The picture of him stroking his cock flashes before my eyes.

For a moment, I lose focus. It’s all a bit too detailed—especially the part of his face drawn in pleasure. The telltale heat of a major blush rushes to my face.

Damn, he looks so good I want a piece of him.

“Can you handle it?” Kellan asks.

“What?” I frown at his irritating grin.

Holy shit!

He just caught me staring at his crotch. I can only hope my face isn’t on fire. Though, judging from my burning skin and his smug expression, I’m most certainly wrong.

“I’ve handled way more than this,” I mumble.

“I was talking about your ankle and a night out in those shoes, but…” He winks and lets his gaze brush over my lips. It’s all so lascivious, I can almost feel him on my skin, and it sends a shiver through me. “…I’m glad to hear you’ll be able to handle certain parts of me.”

I smirk. “You’re such a—” I shake my head, lost for words. Whatever I say couldn’t possibly deflect from the fact that I was thinking about handling certain parts of him.

Either he has mind-reading abilities, or he’s so full of himself, he assumes that his dick’s every woman’s fantasy.

“Jerk?” Kellan prompts. “I think we’ve already established that.”

“Oh, God, Ava,” comes Mandy’s voice from the door. “You didn’t!”

She’s dressed in a short denim skirt and cowboy boots with fringes, the ruffled low-cut top putting her cleavage on display. Her outfit suits Kellan’s blue jeans and snug shirt to a T. It’s like they coordinated in advance, which annoys me to no end.

Mandy and Kellan seem to have so much more in common than Kellan and I do, starting with the looks and attitude, to the dressing style.

I don’t need to ask what Mandy’s thinking because, as usual, she’s quick to share.

“You look like a secretary.”

“I like secretaries,” Kellan leans in to whisper in my ear, his hot breath brushing my earlobe. “In fact, they’re my favorite kind. You sure know how to stoke a fire in a man’s pants. I wouldn’t mind pinning you to that couch, pushing your panties aside, and licking your hot pussy until you’re ready and I can take you hard from behind.”

My pulse thuds in my ears, drowning out all the dirty things he’d like to do to me. But I don’t need his account to help me get the picture.

The image of my face buried in his sofa while Kellan’s hands hold my hips in place, entering me from behind, makes me jump in my skin. I almost choke on my breath as I jump a few steps back, freeing my heated body from his sweltering breath.

“Let’s go.” I swoosh past him, walk down the stairs, and yank the door wide open in the hope the darkness will hide my burning face.

Kellan laughs, and I know I am what amuses him.

I thought my outfit would put him off.

That he’s the kind who likes double Ds spilling out of push-up bras and short skirts riding up oiled legs. That he might not be into that never even occurred to me.

He likes a challenge. I should have known it. And of course his caveman ego would make him think I dressed like this to get a reaction from him.

I got a reaction big time. I can see it in the swelling of his pants.

Now I’m screwed.

I know it.

It’s the memory of our kiss that’s making me lose it, and there’s nothing I can do about it.

I can’t help myself. I want more.