Forbidden Mate Read Online Free PDF

imagined.
    Why had he just ditched her? She’d been ready to
give her body to him without restraint, and he flatly refused. It was for the
best, that she was certain. Helen didn’t recognize the lusty woman from last
night. It couldn’t have been her. She prided herself on living a
conservative—boring—lifestyle. Messing around with gorgeous strangers in the
wilderness at night was on her top ten list of no-nos.
    There was a sudden knock on her door, giving her a
fright. Before she even stood up to answer it, the bus driver called out that
she had fifteen minutes before they had to board. He hated her. She could feel
the animosity the second she stepped onto the bus yesterday. He was probably
pissed that he had to tow around a replacement guide with no experience. Helen
just kept to herself and tried to make the best of it. Surely she’d survive four
days.
    She gathered the most informative brochures into a
neat pile and then tucked them into her oversized purse. Helen glanced out the
window before leaving. It was an overcast day, no comforting rays of sunshine
to perk her up. Everything was a shade of gray. She looked down to the street
below.
    That’s when she saw the body.
    Helen swung her purse over her shoulder and rushed
out of her hotel room. When she reached the main floor, she shoved open the
front door with exaggerated force. He was only a few feet away from the
entrance, his body face down in the dirt. She felt a small
twinge of disappointment when she realized the man wasn’t the one starring in
her new fantasies from yesterday. They looked so much alike at first
glance—tall, built, and littered with tattoos. But this man was a new stranger,
probably homeless or a drunk if he’d slept on the street.
    To make sure he was okay, she squatted down on her
heels next to him. She looked side to side, wondering why no one had stopped to
help him by now. The town was small but surely someone would have passed by
since sunrise.
    “Hello?” She gave him a slight nudge, surprised by
how firm his muscles were, even when relaxed. The cotton shirt pulled tight
over his shoulders, leaving nothing to her imagination. Nice.
    The stranger lunged out and snagged her wrist in a
too-tight grip. She squealed from the shock and fell on her bottom as she bolted
back. Helen thought he was oblivious to the world, asleep in some drunken
state. He stared at her with unblinking focus, his eyes glowing an inhuman yellow, taking her breath away.
    “Who are you?” he demanded. The man took in his
surroundings with a look of complete confusion, as if he’d woken up on the
other side of the world. He had a strong jaw covered in a few days’ worth of
stubble. The man definitely worked out, so she doubted he was homeless. Then
why was he asleep on the ground?
    “Helen. Helen Cooper.”
    “Helen? What are doing here?”
    “I–I’m working with the tour bus company.” She
pointed to the bus parked about half a block away. Why was everyone shocked she
was in town? There were other tourists besides her on the tour. “Can I get you
something?”
    She was thinking he might be thirsty, but the look
in his eyes was a different kind of hunger. Helen swallowed hard, wanting to
look away but unable to.
    He slowly shifted off the ground and rose to his
feet, pulling her up with him. The man was massive when standing. He brushed
some of the dirt from his pants and then ran his hands through his dark, unruly
hair.
    “I remember that scent. It’s even stronger today. When
did you arrive here?” He clutched the side of his head as if suffering from a
massive headache. She didn’t doubt it, if he’d been fall-down drunk last night.
    “I came yesterday…around dinner. And I showered this
morning, by the way.”
    He looked puzzled as he raked his eyes up and down
her body. She felt naked, like he was undressing her slow layer by slow layer.
Those eyes were capable of preforming foreplay without a touch.   “You’re human.”
    “I hope