Dax

Vivi

I was surprised at how disappointed I had been to not hear back from Sage about getting my hair braided before I had to return to the forest to work, though, in all honesty, there hadn't been that much time. I had to leave the next morning. I didn't often think that much about my appearance, but something about the intricate braiding had called to me.

As I stood there, fingers absently combing through the ends of my ponytail, I couldn't help but wonder why I suddenly cared so much about how I looked. Was it because of him? The brother? Dax she had called him. The name sent an unexpected shiver down my spine. I shook my head, trying to clear the image of his piercing eyes and impressive tattoos from my mind.

It was strange, really. I hadn't thought much about the man at first, other than how he had interacted with Sage. He'd just been part of an interesting interaction, albeit an intimidating one. But then, as I was leaving, something happened that I couldn't quite explain.

I was pushing my cart past his truck, where he sat waiting, glowering at the front door of the store. As I passed his open window, something suddenly grabbed my attention. Our eyes locked for the briefest of seconds, but in that moment, it felt like the world shifted beneath my feet.

I shook myself from the recollection. "Oh, well, ponytails have worked up to this point," I murmured to myself, as I finished packing my Jeep for the hour-long trip to my campsite for the next several weeks. "They'll just have to continue doing the job."

But even as I said it, I felt a twinge of regret. Why did I suddenly wish I had made more of an effort? It's not like I was going to see anyone out in the woods, least of all Dax. And even if I did, why should I care what he thought of me?

I paused in my packing, lost in thought. What was it about Dax that had me so captivated? I'd met plenty of attractive men before, but none had ever affected me like this. It was as if he had awakened something primal within me, something I didn't even know existed.

I wasn't usually attracted to the he-man, testosterone-laden type but I couldn't get him out of my mind. His presence had been overwhelming, filling the room with an energy that was almost palpable. And those intense blue eyes... they seemed to look right through me, as if they could see every secret I'd ever kept.

Shaking my head as if I could physically clear the tattooed man from my thoughts, I started the Jeep and set out. I'd have to ask around about them when I was back in town, but for now, it was off to the woods. I had more important things to do than moon over some man.

As I drove, however, my mind wandered back to our brief encounter. The way his muscles had rippled under his shirt when he moved, the deep timbre of his voice that seemed to resonate in my very bones. But most of all, I kept coming back to that moment our eyes met as I passed his truck. There had been something in his gaze – a mix of surprise, recognition, and... hunger? The memory made me grip the steering wheel tighter, my knuckles turning white.

What was wrong with me? I'd never reacted to anyone like this before, especially not from such a fleeting interaction. I tried to rationalize my feelings. Maybe it was just the novelty of it all. I'd been so focused on my work, on my research, that I hadn't allowed myself to really notice anyone in a long time. That had to be it. Dax was just a momentary distraction, nothing more.

But even as I thought it, I knew it wasn't true. There was something more to this, something I couldn't quite put my finger on. It was as if there was an invisible thread connecting us, pulling me towards him even now as I drove further away.

I shook my head again, harder this time. "Get it together, Vivi," I muttered to myself. "You're here to work, not daydream about some guy you didn’t even meet."

Later that afternoon, I had gotten my camp set up and was getting ready to boil some hot water for coffee when I first caught sight of disconcertingly light blue eyes watching me from the edge of the woods. I froze. Wolves didn't usually venture so close to a campsite, especially before dark. I hoped something wasn't wrong with it. My air horn and shotgun were both still in my Jeep. It was only a few feet away but felt like a mile. I knew I couldn't outrun the beast if it decided to attack me.

"Hey there, beautiful," I called tentatively in a singsong voice, as I slowly came up from my crouch. "You don't want to eat me, right? I'm sure I'd be all tough and stringy. And my lotion probably tastes really yucky as well."

The animal cocked its head at me and sat without any aggression in its posture. The expression was so much like Mimi, the German Shepard I had grown up with, that I was taken aback. Could this be someone's pet rather than a wild wolf? I hadn't come across any other campers on my way into the forest, but wolves could roam for miles.

The eyes were so unusual on this one, too. Maybe it was a half-breed with a Husky? I'd never seen a full-blooded wolf with ice-blue eyes. The fur was extraordinary as well, long and silver with just a hint of black at the root and over her eyes like someone had taken an eyebrow pencil and fashioned her perfect brows to accent her beautiful eyes. She was obviously female with the more delicate bone structure and silkier coat.

"You're just curious, right?" I continued to talk softly to the wolf as I slowly tried to make my way to my Jeep. "Never seen anyone out this far in the woods before?"

The wolf continued to stare at me unblinkingly with those bright blue eyes. Her ears were the only part of her that moved, as if she was contemplating what I was telling her.

I finally reached my Jeep but as I raised the back hatch, the female suddenly leapt up and gracefully loped away through the trees. I took a long, deep breath in relief and rested my head against the cold metal. I'd been shocked at the sight of the wolf so close and nervous about not having any way to defend myself, but, somehow, I had never truly felt in danger.

And those eyes…they were so familiar.