Chapter 4 Gunnar
GUNNAR
I roll out of bed early the next morning, my muscles stiff from tossing and turning. I couldn’t get my brain to shut up last night. All I could think about was Everly, and the memory of her perfect curves made sleep impossible.
Goddammit.
Still groggy, I gulp down a cup of strong coffee before I start to get dressed.
As I pull on a gray flannel shirt, pushing my right arm through the sleeve, my shoulder stiffens, the tendons seizing up.
It hurts like hell, a sickening spasm of pain that makes me grit my teeth.
A reminder that I’m still not back to normal—that my injury isn’t done with me yet.
Swearing to myself, I breathe through the pain until it dissolves into a more manageable ache.
Then I finish getting dressed and head outside into the crisp dawn air, watching the golden sunrise through the trees.
It’s Sunday morning, my day off. No hiking groups, no tourists, just me and the wilderness.
I usually spend my days off roaming the forest, setting off into the trees with no destination.
But today, I know exactly where I’m going.
I stride away from my cabin, determination thrumming through my veins as I head for the familiar trail. The sun lifts higher in the sky as I walk, the air getting warmer, and by the time I catch sight of bright blue water, my chest is tight with anticipation.
Lover’s Lake.
I figured this was my best shot at seeing Everly again.
If I wait long enough, there’s a good chance she’ll come back this way, running along the same trail.
Hell, I’ll wait as long as it takes. I’ll sit here every day if I need to.
But I’m praying she shows up sooner rather than later.
It’s been less than twenty-four hours since I first set eyes on her, and I already feel like I’m in withdrawal. Don’t know how much longer I can take.
I emerge onto the lakefront, standing in the exact spot where I first saw Everly appear from the trees.
But there’s nobody on the shore. Even the water is quiet, rippling gently in the breeze, and I turn my back on it, keeping my ears pricked for the sound of running as I stride up and down the trail. Watching. Waiting.
I know I’m acting crazy. Hell, I’m stalking the area where I last saw Everly on the off-chance I’ll see her again, scanning the woods like a predator looking for prey.
Even if she shows up, I have no idea what to say.
I haven’t thought that far ahead. For now, the only thing I care about is catching a glimpse of her. Even just for a second.
Hours pass and she doesn’t come. Nobody does. It’s midday now, even hotter than yesterday, the sun blazing overhead as I continue my patrol. Sweat is dripping down my back, frustration clawing at my whole body as I head back to the lake edge for the hundredth time.
Still nothing.
I need to cool off. Freeze some of the burning tension inside me.
The lake looks so damn inviting, blue and sparkling in the sun, and I strip off in the trees, sinking into the water.
It hits me with a jolt, warm on the surface but cold underneath—exactly what I need.
I wade in up to my chest to avoid submerging my bad shoulder, tearing my gaze from the trail for a moment as I splash my face and wipe the sweat off my skin.
It feels good. Makes me feel awake. Alive. Like an electric shock to the system.
But it’s nothing compared to how I felt yesterday when I saw Everly.
I’m getting more restless as the hours pass with no sign of her. Hell, it was always a long shot, expecting her to come back to the lake today. But something inside me was so sure that she would. Some unnamable instinct, filling me with a false hope that I still can’t quite shake.
“You shouldn’t be out here alone.”
My whole body jerks at the familiar voice, going taut as an angler’s line. I look up from the water, shaking my wet hair from my eyes, and suddenly, there she is.
Everly.
She’s standing by the lakefront in her running gear, pink-cheeked and twinkle-eyed, only a few yards from the trail.
I meet her gaze, half convinced that I’m dreaming.
Maybe she’s a trick of the light, or the lake water is making me hallucinate.
But then she smiles at me, and I know she’s really here.
My imagination could never match the beauty of that smile.
“What did you say?” I ask, mouth dry.
“I said you shouldn’t be out here alone.”
“You stealing my lines?”
Everly chuckles. “Maybe.”
I swear she looks even more beautiful than yesterday.
How the hell is that possible? My hungry gaze roams her curves, her big blue eyes, the way her warm brown hair shines when it catches the sunlight.
She looks so fucking sweet standing there on the bank, watching me with a smile on those plump pink lips, and I have a sudden urge to climb out of this lake and take her right here on the edge of the water.
I want to claim her. Possess every perfect inch of her body.
It’s a dangerous thought. A savage thought. But it rages inside my head as Everly takes a step closer to the water and sits down cross-legged on the bank.
“I’m serious, though,” she says. “You shouldn’t be swimming alone.”
“Won’t be alone if you join me.”
The words are out before I can think better of them, tearing from my throat in a gruff voice that sounds more like a command than a question.
I see Everly raise her eyebrows, her pink cheeks turning a deeper shade of red.
I’m expecting her to say no. Hell, why wouldn’t she?
I’m a grumpy old man with a bad shoulder, and she’s a beautiful young woman who barely knows me.
But fuck, I’m desperate for her to stay.
I can’t watch her disappear into the trees again like yesterday.
“Is it cold?” Everly asks tentatively.
“Only for a minute. Surface is pretty warm.”
She seems to consider this for a moment, worrying her lip between her teeth like she’s debating something with herself. She stands up, and my stomach clenches, convinced she’s about to turn and walk away. But this angel is full of surprises.
“A little privacy, please,” she says pointedly as she reaches for the waistband of her leggings.
I’m barely breathing as I turn to face the opposite bank, my pulse thumping in my ears.
I hear the muffled sound of clothing falling to the forest floor, then a splash of water as Everly wades toward me.
I can’t resist turning around. She’s already in up to her thighs, and I can make out her dark green panties, her plump breasts filling out her matching sports bra.
It’s only a second before her curvy body is submerged, hidden beneath the water.
But fuck, that quick glimpse was enough to set my whole body alight.
Hell, I can’t even feel the cold water anymore. I feel like I’m on fire. Every nerve in my body is burning with a deep, possessive need as I watch Everly swim toward me, so beautiful, so fresh-faced and innocent. It should push me away, but it just makes me want her more.
She stops a few feet away, droplets of water sliding down her sun-kissed skin, and every instinct I have is screaming at me to close the distance between us.
To pull her against me and never let go.
Twenty-four hours ago, I didn’t know this angel existed, and now she’s the only thing that matters.
The only thing I need. And I already know that nothing will ever be the same again.