back in his chair, placing a napkin in his lap. You could just look at him—his posture, his oozing confidence—and know he came from wealth. “I’m a real estate developer. A ‘land shark’... I buy up a lot of property and build resorts.” He said as he oddly sniffed the wine.
And suddenly for Everly it clicked. She just realized she sipped wine with the biggest, and most infamous, real estate developer in all of California. Forrest hotels had frequently been slammed in the news for buying up untouched land and mowing it down for another run of the mill luxury resort.
“ Oh , now I see,” Everly aired while squinting her eyes. “You’re the jerk whose been chopping down those trees, making it harder for bears to hide away from humans.”
When she noticed Cade’s eyes darkening, Everly knew she finally hit on his nerve.
“I’m not some bleeding heart for wild bloodthirsty bears. The less bears prowling around the better...” Cade grunted, visibly upset. And then, he fell silent.
“Why are you being so quiet all of a sudden?” Everly asked, staring concerned at Cade’s locking jaw.
“That’s not what I’m doing...” Cade grunted.
“That’s exactly what you’re doing,” Everly replied.
Everly could never like a man who would hurt innocent animals. It disgusted her to her stomach to think he used his money and influence to destroy natural life. For whatever reason, he clearly had a hatred for wild brown bears. She changed the subject.
“What will it take to get my farm back?”
Cade finally cooled off. “The real question is... what are you willing to do to get it back?” He grinned with a sexy smile.
Everly dropped her napkin on the table. I can’t even!! She thought.
“You’re such a son of a bitch...” she hissed.
There was no way she was going to spend another second with this cruel heartless man. She rose to her feet, veered around and strutted out of the restaurant door.
*
T hat night, Everly was much too lazy to rinse off the mascara and blush off of her face. She snored deep in the pit of her soft pillow. Abruptly, she flipped around, hearing a loud crash out on her farm. Grabbing her flashlight, Everly took off out of her front door and ran into the field. The buzz of bees hummed in her ears as she frantically swung the flash light to and fro.
Everly staggered back at the sight of a burly beast rising up on its haunches to its full frightening furry length. A hulking brown bear stood, looking confused with honey dripping from its mouth.
“ Shoo! ” Everly cursed, trying to make it scamper off. Instead, the bear fell on its back, clutching its stomach as though it had eaten way too much. Then her eyes widened not believing what she saw. The fur vanished slowly from covering the bear’s body. A musclebound naked man lay down in the soft dirt. Everly stepped up close and then dropped her flashlight when she recognized the man’s face.
“ Cade!? ” she blurted.
Chapter Four
E verly looked at Cade sleeping nearly naked on her couch. She still tried to wrap her head around exactly what she saw last night. And she was going to do whatever it took to get answers out of the snobby businessman resting on her couch. Everly kicked one of the cushions.
“Okay, sleep time is over...” Everly screeched.
Cade roused upright, jerking back and frantically sniffing the air.
“Wh-where am I?” He grunted. He then turned his firey red eyes on Everly.
“Wh-who are you?”
Everly glared at him not sure if he was just playing one of his stupid head games.
“I’m Everly Rose, you and I went out on a date...” Everly only too late realized her stupid mistake. “I-I mean we went out for dinner .”
Cade cocked his head to one side. He got up fast from where he sat and rushed naked into the kitchen. With a forceful swing, he opened the fridge door and shoved whatever he could find in his mouth.
Why is he acting like some wild animal? Everly asked herself. She just
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