Matthew's Return [Wolves of Climax 3] (Siren Publishing LoveXtreme Forever - Serialized) by Stacey Espino Page B

others jagged. The shadow of dancing flames revealed every pit and fissure. The ground was littered with natural bedding, making her think they’d stolen an animal’s home for the night. Her confidence was partially restored thanks to her returned vision and the warmth of the fire.
    Where was her mystery man? She’d heard him breathing in the night, sometimes irregularly as if in the fit of a nightmare. Now he was nowhere to be seen. Cassidy had to get her act together. She had to find the road and Patrick, discover if Garret, Evan, and Travis were safe and sound, too. At least she knew to follow the forest uphill to get to the road. She stood up, her body sore from sleeping on the rocky mattress. Cassidy quietly padded to the entrance and squatted down to peer out the low tunnel and only means of entrance. The world beyond this little place was still encased in blackness. She dare not leave until the light of day, especially now that she had fire.
    She stood up and turned, bumping into a solid wall of hard muscle. Cassidy looked way up. Was this her mysterious stranger? His hair was a tousled brown, slightly overgrown, his face rough with scruff, his eyes a penetrating green. Had she ever seen eyes like his? She was momentarily mesmerized by the intensity of his gaze.
    “Sorry, I didn’t see you,” she managed to say.
    He held up one hand, displaying a skinned rabbit. She bolted back. That was when she noticed he was wearing some sort of loincloth and nothing else. His body had been etched in marble, every ripple of muscle pronounced. There was more—he was underweight. For such a large bone structure and broad shoulders, he should have more bulk. She could see the slight outline of his ribs in the shadowed light. She instantly felt concern for her strange rescuer. Who was he?
    Now that she thought about it, she realized he had saved her from the elements. He even attempted to give her food and warmth. God, he was handsome.
    “Are you hungry?” he asked.
    “I’m not that hungry.” The kill he carried didn’t look appetizing. Her stomach grumbled in protest and she hoped he didn’t hear it.
    “Again, you lie. Why?” He crouched over the fire pit he made, the black smoke escaping through the opening high in the rock. Wood crackling under the flames was the only sound after he spoke. The man was made for rural living. He had a quiet, old-soul aura surrounding him. He staked the rabbit over the fire with a few sticks and then brushed his hands off before standing.
    “I’ve never eaten rabbit before.” She softened her tone, not wanting to offend.
    “It’s good for you. You need to eat.” He approached her, reaching for her wrists. Her breath caught in her throat, but she didn’t fight him. His thumbs painted soft circles at her pulse points. Then he released her hands and tilted her chin up. “You have blue eyes. Beautiful blue eyes.”
    She swallowed hard. Her dried-up voice wouldn’t allow her to tell him she’d never seen such exotic eyes, a green to rival the acres of forest under the light of the new sun. The man was a stranger so she shouldn’t be doling out compliments anyway.
    “I remember everything now,” he said. Why was he so calm about it? If she’d suddenly remembered her identity after running around the forest naked, she’d be a little more exuberant. This man was quiet, stoic, and a complete mystery to her.
    “What’s your name?”
    “Matthew.”
    She bolted back, her hands seeking something to stabilize her. When she hit the rock wall, she slunk against it. Her mind processed so many thoughts at once. If this was the Matthew, Garret’s search would be over. She felt the wash of relief she knew the Gregor foreman would feel when he laid eyes on his missing miner.
    “Matthew? Where have you been? Everyone’s been looking for you. Garret’s been worried sick.”
    He smiled, making him devastatingly handsome to look at. “You know Garret?”
    “I work at the mine as a