Chapter 5

Devin strode through the bush, anger fueling his stride. He had only managed an hour of solid sleep well after dawn and was irritated—to put it mildly. After he’d shaken the fog from his brain he’d opened the door and inhaled deeply, only to smell gardenias and fresh brewed coffee. His trespasser hadn’t moved on. He was going to make sure she did.

Today. Now.

He slowed when he was closer to her car and listened. Humming? She was humming and talking to herself, unlike the version of her last night. Anger bubbled through his veins. He was exhausted and annoyed and here she was, humming away like she didn’t have a care in the world. Devin crossed the last twenty feet to the edge of the tree line and stopped. Glancing around he saw she had moved her car. Beside the cabin was a grey tent that from the looks of it, wouldn’t make it through a good gust of wind. Shaking his head, he was able to hear her but not see her. She had to be in the cabin. Moving right in wasn’t she? Why was she still here? I could smell her fear last night and if she was that frightened and distraught, why is she setting up camp? Worse still, why was she here?

Stepping out into the open, he moved toward the cabin. The smell of her sweat mixed with gardenias burned his nostrils, not a bad thing. His body stirred in ways that caused him to pause and stand there puzzled with his reaction. Yes, it had been many months, he wasn’t sure how many, since he’d been with a woman, even near a woman, but the scent making his body respond and harden with wanting, shocked him. He didn’t like being caught off-guard and that pissed him off even more.

Shaking off the feeling, Devin moved towards the cabin again. He was two feet from it when she came through the door and shrieked, dropping whatever she’d been carrying to the ground with a loud clatter.

Huge, pale blue eyes looked at him. “Oh! I’m...I...” she swallowed and placed a hand over her heart. “I didn’t know someone else was here.”

Those eyes were the ones from the painting. How? “I live here.” His voice was so deep it surprised him. Clearing his throat, he tried again. “My question is, what are you doing here on my property?” Her long blonde hair was the same shade he had painted it and that annoyed him too.

She hugged her waist and stepped out the door. “I... you own this?” She looked around quickly. “All of this?” Her voice was a soft appealing whisper.

He didn’t recognize the accent she spoke with but found that appealing as well, and didn’t want to.

“I was told it was abandoned...”

Trying to keep his hands off her, Devin placed them on his hips and scowled down at her. “By whom?” He tried to ignore the smudge of dirt on her pale cheek. He shoved his hands into his back pockets before he did something stupid like lean over and wipe it off. Did she have to smell so damn enticing?

“A boy, uh, man that worked at a store...”

Her scent was making his blood hum through his body at an accelerated rate. Devin cocked an eyebrow at her. “Blue, spiked hair?”

She nodded, her eyes lighting up. “Yes. You know him?”

Sighing an annoyed breath, he studied her. “Yes, and sending you here would be his way of riling me.” He found himself stepping closer, even though he told his legs no. When he stopped, he was only a half foot away from her, and it took every ounce of restraint to not move any closer.

She stood there looking at him, panic in her eyes. Part of him wanted to reach out and pull her into his arms. Crossing his arms over his chest, Devin attempted to maintain an annoyed look.

“Oh. I’ll leave.” Her eyes skimmed over her tent and then back to him. “Just give me...” She moved by him with quick jerky movements and went to her car. The trunk popped open as the keys jingled in her hands. “I’ll p-pack up now,” she whispered with a voice filled with so much emotion Devin’s chest suddenly felt tight.

Devin could smell her fear, how distraught she was at the thought of leaving. He watched her flip her long hair over her shoulder as she bent to move something in the trunk. The jeans tightened across the most appealing ass he’d ever seen. Uncrossing his arms, he started to move towards her. Clenching his jaw, he stopped. “Fine,” he barked at her and then turned back to the trees.

He ordered his body to keep moving and come back later to make sure she’d cleared out. It was only a short moment later that he realized he had only circled the area, and was in no way moving away from her. Stopping, he huffed out a breath and leaned against the nearest tree. Watching through the trees, Devin could still see her. He could smell her too, and his body tightened when her scent wafted by his nose and into his system. That was just what he needed, a throbbing hard on from a small appealing woman that clearly had a lot of issues. What am I now, a teenager? I can control my own body—or had been able to until I’d smelled those god damned gardenias through my window last night!

Crossing his arms again, he leaned back to watch. She had all the doors on the car open and was leaning over the hood of the car looking at what he assumed was a map. She sniffled and wiped a shaking hand over her face. She was crying, and for some unknown reason that called to him. The urge to go and shelter her, promising he’d make her world right again came over him. That scared him, to have thoughts like that about a woman he’d never met before. His mind wandered back to the painting he’d created last night. How was I able to paint an exact likeness without having seen her?

Devin ran his hand through his hair in frustration and continued to watch her. So many questions plagued him. She was standing beside her car, looking around with her back to him, but he could see her shoulders shaking. Dammit all to hell! He started walking back. The scent of gardenias has apparently turned him into a soft-hearted pup.

As he approached he could smell her tears. Devin could sense her confusion, she didn’t know what to do. The idea of her being alone and upset gnawed at him in a way he didn’t think he’d ever felt. What is going on with me? Yesterday everything had been normal, and now everything I thought I knew is unclear.