that intersected his eyebrow and continued down his jaw to the thick mass of beard that covered the lower half of his face.
Holly scrambled backwards like a crab, heart thundering and breath rushing from her.
He glared down at his palm and then back at her.
Bear yanked his hat off, revealing shaggy brown hair and the scar that continued upwards on his forehead. He tossed it aside and his coat followed it, and Holly was quick to dive behind the end of the couch furthest from him, placing it between them.
Fear tried to seize control again but she breathed through it, scowled at the brute and kept her focus on him, even as her eyes darted around the cabin, never straying from him for more than a heartbeat.
There had to be a way out.
Maybe if she screamed loud enough, her pride would hear her.
That thought went out of the only window when the bear advanced on her, a six-seven formidable wall of muscle packed into a black and green checked fleece that hugged impossibly large biceps.
His arms flexed as he clenched his fists and a drop of blood squeezed from between his fingers. She stared at it as it fell to the floor, as it splashed onto the wooden boards, losing track of the world as a strange need came over her. She breathed deeply, caught his scent and growled as it roused a need to fight.
Bear cocked an eyebrow at her. “Threatening me now?”
His deep baritone rolled over her, sending a thousand arcs of electricity tripping over her skin.
She hadn’t been threatening him, but it was better he read it that way than interpret her growl in the right one. She had the terrible feeling her cougar side hadn’t meant it as a threat at all. It wanted him. She wanted him. Oh gods, this couldn’t get any more messed up. She had spent years feeling she was dysfunctional and doomed to a lonely life, and now every inch of her was on fire for a male who had kidnapped her.
There was something seriously wrong with her.
Her body locked up tight as he stalked towards her, refused to move no matter how desperately she tried to run. She could only stare at him as he closed the distance between them, his eyes holding hers, filled with anger.
The brute shoved the hood of her coat back.
Her eyes widened and she braced herself, almost curled into herself and away from him, but stood her ground at the last second.
Mostly because he suddenly stilled.
Just stared at her.
Her heart slowly settled as she stared right back at him, her breathing coming easier and her muscles loosening enough that she could probably make a break for it without tripping on her own feet.
Only she couldn’t move.
She stood as frozen as he was, and she didn’t like it. She didn’t like how her gaze refused to leave him or how her blood quickened at the sight of him, at the scent of him.
She didn’t like the fact she couldn’t seem to bring herself to attack him.
“Why did you kidnap me?” she bit out, feeling a little braver as he continued to just stand there, showing no sign that he wanted to hurt her.
He didn’t answer her, just raked a slow look over her that heated her blood. Panic. That was what was making her hot all over. Not that leisurely once-over he was giving her. Not that look in his eyes that screamed he liked what he saw.
He reached for the zipper of her dark purple jacket.
Holly slapped his hand away, hitting it hard enough that her palm stung, and was quick to move, placing the couch between them again.
His dark eyebrows pinched hard and he advanced on her, trying to close the distance between them again. She refused to let it happen this time, kept on moving at the same pace as he was, circling the couch.
Realising she had passed the damned door and for some damned reason hadn’t made a lunge for it.
Bear growled and went over the couch, and she shrieked as he grabbed her and twisted her towards him. Holly hit him with everything she had, managed to gain enough room to clock him pretty hard in his face with her fist. He grunted and growled, banded his arms around her and hauled her against his chest.
“Settle down.”
His deep voice rolled over her again. Lush. Warming.
She pushed through that weird haziness she felt whenever he spoke and kept fighting him.
“What do you