racing back over all the self-defense classes her dad had made her take, dredging up all the moves and maneuvers she could use to immobilize an assailant twice her size.
There weren’t many.
“You shouldn’t be out here. It’s not safe,” the young man told her, now stepping off the road and into the tangle of the woods.
Lanie was quickly coming to that realization.
She was still moving backward through the thick vegetation when her back suddenly hit something, causing another shriek to fly out of her, but her racing mind quickly told her that it was the rearview mirror of the car she’d bumped into and not a second bloodthirsty murderer who had been hiding in the woods behind her.
The young man’s eyes widened as she shrieked and he went still, his handsome features softening somewhat. “You…you don’t have to be afraid,” he told her.
Lanie tried to swallow down her heart, which was lodged in the center of her throat. “I-I’m not afraid,” she told him, trying to sound as confident as she could, which under the circumstances, wasn’t very.
Maybe if she sounded like she could handle herself, which she actually could, at least in a supervised setting, he would think twice before trying something…depraved. If that was what he had in mind.
There was a moment of silence during which Lanie and the young man regarded one another and during which Lanie, looking at the young man’s ruggedly handsome face and large green eyes, abruptly realized that she…wasn’t afraid of him. Certainly, she wasn’t going to invite him to her house for Sunday dinner, but she…wasn’t afraid of him.
Her gut was telling her that this young man didn’t want to hurt her and wasn’t her dad always saying that a person should listen to their gut?
Boy, did she hope that her gut was right, because if it wasn’t…
The young man opened his mouth to speak when his gaze suddenly landed on the phone Lanie was clutching in her hand. His jaw clenched hard and something akin to anger wafted through his eyes. “Did you call someone?” he asked, his wheat colored brows lowering over his green eyes, which were flashing little sparks at her. “Did you tell someone my car was here?”
Lanie shook her head, stepping around the mirror and taking a few more steps away from the young man. She might not be afraid of him, but she wasn’t crazy. “I-I…I didn’t,” she denied hoarsely, her heart hammering in her chest and trepidation shooting along her nerve endings. “I-I didn’t tell anyone.” She hoped he couldn’t tell that she wasn’t exactly speaking the truth.
The young man stared at her, his sparkling green eyes narrowed and his hands fisted at his sides. Looking at him, Lanie became painfully aware of how tall and lean and… muscular he was, and of how little effort it would take for him to catch up to her if she tried to run, how easy it would be for him to stop her screams with his large hands.
But, he wouldn’t. This person wasn’t here to hurt her. She…she believed that. She did. Because, looking at him, she could see there was something about him, something she couldn’t put a name to, but it was something that she felt she could…trust. Unless she was wrong, and in that case, well, she was pretty much toast.
“I-I’m sorry,” she croaked out, sounding a bit too much like a nervous little girl. “I-I wasn’t bothering anything.”
She was slowly moving away from him, knowing that just on the other side of the small span of woods there was a street that was lined with houses. And houses meant people, which mean she could get help, if it came to that.
But, it wouldn’t. She believed it wouldn’t.
“I’ve seen you before,” the young man stated, still looking at her with narrowed eyes.
Lanie halted her backward movement, a little jolt going through her. She opened her mouth to deny that he’d seen her before because his tone did not
There weren’t many.
“You shouldn’t be out here. It’s not safe,” the young man told her, now stepping off the road and into the tangle of the woods.
Lanie was quickly coming to that realization.
She was still moving backward through the thick vegetation when her back suddenly hit something, causing another shriek to fly out of her, but her racing mind quickly told her that it was the rearview mirror of the car she’d bumped into and not a second bloodthirsty murderer who had been hiding in the woods behind her.
The young man’s eyes widened as she shrieked and he went still, his handsome features softening somewhat. “You…you don’t have to be afraid,” he told her.
Lanie tried to swallow down her heart, which was lodged in the center of her throat. “I-I’m not afraid,” she told him, trying to sound as confident as she could, which under the circumstances, wasn’t very.
Maybe if she sounded like she could handle herself, which she actually could, at least in a supervised setting, he would think twice before trying something…depraved. If that was what he had in mind.
There was a moment of silence during which Lanie and the young man regarded one another and during which Lanie, looking at the young man’s ruggedly handsome face and large green eyes, abruptly realized that she…wasn’t afraid of him. Certainly, she wasn’t going to invite him to her house for Sunday dinner, but she…wasn’t afraid of him.
Her gut was telling her that this young man didn’t want to hurt her and wasn’t her dad always saying that a person should listen to their gut?
Boy, did she hope that her gut was right, because if it wasn’t…
The young man opened his mouth to speak when his gaze suddenly landed on the phone Lanie was clutching in her hand. His jaw clenched hard and something akin to anger wafted through his eyes. “Did you call someone?” he asked, his wheat colored brows lowering over his green eyes, which were flashing little sparks at her. “Did you tell someone my car was here?”
Lanie shook her head, stepping around the mirror and taking a few more steps away from the young man. She might not be afraid of him, but she wasn’t crazy. “I-I…I didn’t,” she denied hoarsely, her heart hammering in her chest and trepidation shooting along her nerve endings. “I-I didn’t tell anyone.” She hoped he couldn’t tell that she wasn’t exactly speaking the truth.
The young man stared at her, his sparkling green eyes narrowed and his hands fisted at his sides. Looking at him, Lanie became painfully aware of how tall and lean and… muscular he was, and of how little effort it would take for him to catch up to her if she tried to run, how easy it would be for him to stop her screams with his large hands.
But, he wouldn’t. This person wasn’t here to hurt her. She…she believed that. She did. Because, looking at him, she could see there was something about him, something she couldn’t put a name to, but it was something that she felt she could…trust. Unless she was wrong, and in that case, well, she was pretty much toast.
“I-I’m sorry,” she croaked out, sounding a bit too much like a nervous little girl. “I-I wasn’t bothering anything.”
She was slowly moving away from him, knowing that just on the other side of the small span of woods there was a street that was lined with houses. And houses meant people, which mean she could get help, if it came to that.
But, it wouldn’t. She believed it wouldn’t.
“I’ve seen you before,” the young man stated, still looking at her with narrowed eyes.
Lanie halted her backward movement, a little jolt going through her. She opened her mouth to deny that he’d seen her before because his tone did not
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