Surrounded by Woods (2 page)

God, this Mikaela sex kitten was the hottest thing he’d ever seen! Dark red hair and piercing blue eyes. It was like fire and water in one being. No way would that be possible in the wild. Fire and water couldn’t coexist, but somehow, she’d harnessed those elements beautifully. He was definitely in trouble. Damn his luck for her being taken. She sure didn’t respond like someone who was taken, though. He saw her eyeballing him in the office, and he could hear her heavy breathing right now as he took her to her room. He’d bet his left nut that she’d cream as soon as he slipped his hand up her shirt to play with those nice big tits. It took every bit of his humanity, his human nature, not to claim her here and now.

What was wrong with him? He’d been around other women and never once wanted to mate with them. Fuck them? Hell, yes. But those were carefully arranged encounters to protect everyone. As was this one. So why did Josh want to take and claim her? Why this one?

Rounding the corner, he tried to get his thoughts under control. He knew he couldn’t take her, but his body demanded he do something.

Maybe as long as she was here and willing…
No!
He didn’t even allow himself to finish the thought.

“Here’s your room,” Josh said as he opened the door and pulled her in.

Mikaela looked around and was noticeably shocked at how accommodating it appeared.

“Yes, you have a TV and everything,” he teased.

She narrowed her eyes. “I see that. Internet?”

“Wireless.”

“Cell phone reception?”

“That too.”

“Bathroom?”

“Down the hall. Third door on the left.”

She frowned, looking at the two doors in her room. He figured she was guessing what was hidden behind them, knowing she wouldn’t like the idea of walking down the hall to shower. “Hmm, I thought there would be one in here.”

Josh smiled. “Oh, there is. Through that door. But
my
room is down the hall, third door on the left.” His eyebrows shot up, and he stepped toward her. God, her scent was maddening! Whatever control he held onto earlier was thrown eagerly out the window. He had to have her.

She stepped back, instantly realizing his intent. “I have no need to know where
your
room is.”

He continued his advance. “You might like mine better.”

“How so?”

“I’d be in it.”

That was an
oh shit
look if he’d ever seen one, and he flashed a grin.

“I’m here on official business, Josh. I’d appreciate it if you’d act like it.”

“I won’t do anything you don’t want me to, kitten.”

“It’s Mikaela,” she said sternly, standing her ground.

Josh stared. Damn, but she was a strong-willed woman. That made her even sexier. He wanted to bury his cock inside her, make her scream his name. “Fine,
Mikaela
. Just try not to fantasize about me too much. You’re already blushing. With your fair skin and gorgeous red hair, I’d imagine that blush extends far below the neckline hidden in your designer shirt, all the way down to your pretty pussy.”

She gasped. Just the reaction he wanted. Hell, he’d take any reaction from her.

His smile widened before he realized he needed to get control of himself. He was a grown-ass man, not some horny teenager. Straightening his stance and wiping the grin off his face, he said, “Gym is on the first floor to the right of the stairs. Kitchen is to the left. Den’s on the third floor. Copier, fax, and other business things you may need will be in the section of the house we just came from. Any questions?”

She crossed her arms and shook her head. He figured she couldn’t speak even if she wanted to, though Josh wasn’t sure if it was because of his flirting earlier or the fact that he wasn’t flirting now.

“Good.” He turned and left before she could find her voice.

And he realized he couldn’t flee her fast enough. The woman was taken. Taken! He could not, would not try to take her. His reaction had to be because of his recent lack of female contact, but his body was acting like she was a potential mate. Impossible. And if he was acting like this, how would his brothers act? A possessive growl rumbled in his chest, and he bit it off. She was not his, and he couldn’t act like she was. She was here on business, and he was going to respect that.

If he told himself that enough times, maybe he’d start to believe it, but even as he sought refuge in his room, he couldn’t help but groan at this new predicament that was Mikaela Patterson.
What the hell am I going to do about her?

Chapter Three

What the hell am I going to do about him?
Mikaela thought as she finished unpacking her things to burn up time until dinner. No wonder Bill didn’t want Krista coming here. If Josh was like this, there was no telling how his brothers would be. And what the hell was wrong with her? She just stood there like an idiot when he was coming on to her, trapped like some prey. She was an attorney, damn it! She knew how to argue and stand her ground. Sexy man or not, he’d not get the best of her. And she kept telling herself that all afternoon while she unpacked and fretted about the hot Woods son.

A knock sounded, making Mikaela jump. “Ms. Patterson?”

At least it wasn’t Josh’s voice. She got up and opened the door.

“I’m Jeffery. I am to escort you to dinner.”

“Of course.” She turned out the light and followed him down the hall.

When they rounded the corner, she heard rumblings coming from the dining room. She felt nervous and then silly for feeling nervous. She was here on business. It didn’t matter that she found Josh incredibly hot. He was crude anyway, and she’d never find herself attracted to a man who acted like that if she wasn’t stuck here.

Jeffery opened the door, and she stifled a gasp. She could give herself pep talks till she was blue in the face, but her body knew differently. Josh was quite possibly the prettiest man she’d ever seen.

Thomas and Josh stood talking to three other men, drinking what looked like scotch. All of them were well dressed, but the one who stood out the most was Josh, of course. Yum! He had on a forest green shirt to match his forest green eyes. Who cared about the forest, lumberjack association? It fit! His sleeves were rolled up to show his tanned, muscular arms. Was he that tall before? He stood taller than the rest of them, but just slightly.

Thomas walked toward her as she entered the room. “Mikaela, I’d like you to meet my other sons. This is
Jackson
, Robert, and Toby.”

“Call me Jack,” the one leaning passed Josh said as he took her hand.

“Rob,” the one closest to her clarified, pulling her hand out of Jack’s grasp.

“Just Toby,” Toby said, making no attempt to touch her. “I have no nickname.”

“And I’m Josh, in case you don’t remember.” He winked at her. How could she forget?

She laughed softly at Josh’s comment, but couldn’t maintain eye contact. She turned her gaze to each of his brothers and smiled. “It’s a pleasure to meet you all. You have a beautiful home.”

“Would you like a drink before dinner?” Thomas asked.

“Oh, no thanks. I haven’t eaten much today, and I’m already a lightweight as it is.”

Josh stepped closer to her as the others started for the table. She felt her heart racing but tried to act cool. “And what happens when you get liquored up?” he whispered.

“Normally my panties come off.” Why did she just say that? “But that wouldn’t happen now.” Mikaela smiled to keep the words from being too harsh while she steadied her thoughts and berated herself for saying anything of the sort, only to realize she was flirting. As she thought about that, she smiled bigger; she didn’t mind flirting a little. She liked it.

His eyes gleamed. She could tell he liked the idea of her being playful. “And why not? Do you have no faith in my abilities to charm them off you?” He brushed a strand of hair behind her ear, and she shuddered lightly, unable to control her body’s reaction to him. But she was an attorney; she knew how to turn a situation around to suit her. She could still be flirtatious but maintain the upper hand.

“No. I’m not wearing any.” She turned and walked to the table, but not before hearing his small gasp.
Good
.

She took the seat next to Toby; Josh took the seat next to Thomas who was sitting at the head of the table. It looked like the boys staged across from each other based on age. Josh and Jack sat across from each other with Rob sitting next to Josh and Toby next to Jack. With Mikaela sitting next to Toby, she was diagonal from Josh with a couple of people in the way. At least at meals she wouldn’t have to worry about her reaction to him sitting right next to her.

Jeffery brought out the food, and everything smelled wonderful. She really was famished. She glanced up from the table, and her eyes immediately landed on Josh. He was staring at her, and she could feel the heat of his gaze from across the table. Apparently, where he sat wouldn’t matter. It was going to be difficult for her to be in any room with him. She forced her gaze to the other men—all of them were looking down at their food—before turning her attention back to Josh. She didn’t want to, but she could feel his eyes on her still. It was a reflex reaction to look again, she told herself. She raised her eyebrows in question, hoping for some kind of change in his stare. If she wasn’t mistaken, he had a possessive, feral aura about him. And even with her staring back, he still didn’t move, didn’t change his posture. She cleared her throat and forced her attention to her dinner. Once she started eating, she chanced a quick look at Josh. He was eating now too. Had he just been waiting for her to start eating before he started? She shrugged off that thought. The less she focused on him, the better off she’d be.

“So Mikaela, where did you attend law school?” Thomas asked from the head of the table.

She already felt uncomfortable under Josh’s scrutiny, but this kind of attention was preferable. It would give her the opportunity to hide behind her attorney persona to woo her client and his family. It was a role she was much more comfortable portraying than that of a regular woman. “Loyola. I got a one seventy-five on the LSAT, went under scholarship, made law review, and clerked for the state supreme court. I usually focus on corporate law, but our firm handles all areas for our clients.”

“That’s good for us.” Thomas chuckled.

“Yes, sir.” She smiled.

They spent the rest of dinner asking about her job and her family, and every time she tried to put the attention on one of the guys at the table, they’d find a way to put it back on her. It was an exhausting exchange, not because she wasn’t used to the attention, but because Josh refused to take his eyes off her. She felt like he was critiquing her every word, her every gesture, but she couldn’t fathom why if he was just some guy coming on to her. By the time she finished her meal, she wanted to escape. She was too stubborn to admit that escaping everyone was the same thing as running from Josh, but she was smart enough to know that if she stuck around, she’d be running to him and not from him.

Mikaela knew she wasn’t ready for that.

“If you’ll excuse me, I’m ready to turn in.” She stood, and every man at the table shot up in response.

“Breakfast is at six,” Thomas said with a smile.

“Six?” Her voice cracked. As in a.m.? Who ate breakfast at the butt crack of dawn?

Thomas’s smile became more pronounced. “Is that a problem?”

“No, no. Er, I just usually exercise before eating.”

“You are welcome to wear your workout attire to breakfast. We only cleanup for dinner,” Thomas reassured her.

There was that. “All right. I’ll see you at breakfast.”