Reasons to Leave (Reasons #1) Read Online Free PDF Page A

forehead, suddenly feeling rather feverish. Quite a strong reaction to quite a magnificent specimen of male.
    No doubt he must have the face of a bulldog chewing a wasp or at least the personality of an ogre . She surmised. He couldn’t be that perfect, really. Could he? After looking behind her to ensure she wasn’t being observed in all her voyeuristic glory, she leaned in the direction of the hunk to get a closer look, squinting to try to make out the tattoo on his right side or at least get a glimpse of his face to prove her point.
    She tried to step forward slightly, but her foot caught on a low branch causing her to lurch in the direction of the hunk and land on her hands and knees with a squeal. The sharp stony ground beneath her knees dug into her flesh as her eyes began to water. Biting down on her lip she tried to fight the urge to yelp even more and draw attention to her faux pas.
    Her heart pounded in her chest, hammering at her ribs as if to make its own escape from the embarrassing situation she now found herself in, and she clamped her eyes shut. She quaked inwardly when she heard heavy footsteps rapidly coming toward her. She opened her eyes and stared down at a pair of dirty work boots.
    A deep husky voice with a slight Scottish accent asked from overhead, “You okay down there?”
    Feeling the heat rise in her cheeks, she wished that the ground would break apart beneath her feet and swallow her whole into its yawning chasm. “Oh…yes…sorry… I’m fine…I um…got a little lost.” She rambled and stammered her flustered words.
    “Here, let me help you up.” A large calloused, dirty hand appeared in front of her face. She gulped down her shame and reluctantly grasped it, allowing herself to be pulled up to her feet. “You should be careful out here. Lots of things to…you know…trip over.”
    She slowly lifted her gaze up from his toned stomach where his ridged abdominal muscles were clearly defined and a V disappeared into his waistband. Up…up to his pecs…hard as rock. She could now see that the tribal tattoo on his back continued over his shoulder and part way down his chest. His body was, of course, just as delicious from the front as from the rear. The smell of pure male was pulled into her nostrils as she inhaled a deep shaking breath. As her eyes raked upwards she noticed the line of stubble that graced his strong, chiselled jaw, and his full lips were pulled into a hard line. He was clearly not amused. Her eyes continued their journey northward as if in slow motion until she was gazing into the eyes of the man she had been ogling from her hiding place, deep chocolate brown eyes that she could happily melt into. Familiar eyes. Wait a minute … She gasped a sharp involuntary breath. Her eyes widened and her heart almost stuttered to a halt.
    “ Jason? ”

Chapter Two
    The puzzled look on the man’s face told Stevie he wasn’t quite sure who he was looking at. But his expression suddenly changed. Darkened somehow as apparent realisation dawned on his stunning features. A cold shiver travelled her spine, her stomach knotted and dizziness struck as she stepped back, almost falling again.
    He grabbed her around the waist and pulled her against his hard body. “You need to be careful. You’re going to get hurt.” His voice was a low, husky rumble that filtered through his gritted teeth.
    She snorted. “Yeah? Well, you’d know all about that, wouldn’t you?” Placing her hands flat on his bare, damp, tattooed chest, she pushed him, struggling in vain to free herself from his vice-like grip. “Get your hands… off …me!” Her voice was a strangled sob.
    “Not until you stop struggling. If I let you go now and you fall, you’ll be poleaxed by the huge, sharp branch sticking up behind you.”
    She noted the difference in his accent and wondered why that was. She stopped struggling and looked directly into his now cold eyes. “Like you’d care if that happened.”
    He grimaced