The forest was thick with the scent of pine and fresh-cut wood, but nothing smelled better than him.

Maddie watched from the shadows, heart pounding as she took in the sight of the man swinging his axe. Jack. He was raw power—tall, broad, every inch of him carved by years of hard labor. His sweat-slicked flannel clung to his muscular frame, sleeves rolled up to reveal thick, veined forearms. With each powerful swing, his body flexed, his chest rising and falling, damp from exertion.

She bit her lip, heat curling low in her belly.

God, he was beautiful. Dangerous. The kind of man who could break a woman in the best possible way.

Maddie stepped out from the trees, making sure he saw her. His movements stilled, sharp eyes locking onto her. A slow, knowing smirk spread across his rugged face, and her pulse quickened.

“You lost, sweetheart?” His voice was deep, husky, the kind of voice that made her thighs clench.

She let her gaze drag down his body, past the open buttons of his flannel, the dusting of dark hair over sculpted abs, the thick belt slung low over his hips. A hint of something bigger, harder, pressing against the denim.

Her breath hitched.

“Maybe I like watching a man work,” she said, voice teasing, but her body betrayed her. Her nipples pebbled against the thin fabric of her tank top, and Jack noticed. His smirk deepened.

“You’re playing with fire,” he murmured, stepping closer. The heat of him hit her first—warm, intoxicating, a promise of everything she craved.

Maddie tilted her chin up, licking her lips as his fingers traced over her bare arm. His touch was rough, calloused, sending a shiver straight to her core. “Maybe I like getting burned.”

His low growl sent a pulse of need between her thighs.

Jack moved fast, backing her against a tree, his hard body pressing against hers. She gasped at the delicious friction, her hips instinctively rolling against the thick ridge in his jeans. His hands slid up her waist, thumbs grazing the underside of her breasts, teasing, making her whimper.

“You feel that?” His voice was a whisper against her ear, rough and demanding. “That’s what you do to me, sweetheart.”

Maddie’s fingers gripped his chest, nails raking over taut muscle. She wanted him—no, needed him. “Then don’t make me wait.”

Jack chuckled, dark and sinful, before crashing his mouth against hers. His tongue teased past her lips, tasting, taking, while his hands explored every curve, every dip. When his thigh pressed between her legs, grinding against her aching need, a moan slipped from her throat.

“You’re soaked,” he murmured against her lips, fingers trailing lower. “You want me that bad?”

Maddie arched into him, desperate for more. “I want all of you.”

Jack’s smirk was pure sin. “Then hold on tight, sweetheart.”

And as the wilderness swallowed them whole, she knew—this man was going to ruin her in the best way possible.

Maddie’s Page
Jack’s Page