Savage Desires (1st in Savage Series)

Chapter Four

Worry filled Hawke as Lily's scream reached his ears. He urged Trigger into his fastest gallop. All sorts of scenarios played through his mind. From grizzly bears to mountain lions to trappers… Each threat was more dangerous than the next.

"Hawke! Hawke help me!" Hawke felt his heart do something funny at the sound of her voice calling his name. He knew he had to save her from whatever was threatening her. She trusted him enough to believe he would protect her and he would not let her down.

When he finally caught sight of her he felt all his worry vanish. She was as safe as she could possibly be. She was sitting on the ground with her back against a tree and Wolf was standing guard over her. No doubt she was screaming because she thought one hundred and fifty pound beast was going to kill her.

Her eyes fell on him and he saw her relief in their brown depths.

"Hawke help me." she said in a tear filled voice. Hawke nodded and jumped down from Trigger.

"Wolf, come." he said and Wolf happily walked over to him and Hawke patted his head.

"He listened to you?" Lily gasped, her eyes wide with disbelief. Hawke nodded.

"I saved him as a pup. He sees me as a friend." he replied as Lily stood up and dusted herself off. She raised her hand to the back of her head and winced when pain shot through the lump she felt there. Hawke was at her side in an instant and she felt her breath catch in her chest at his closeness.

Hawke turned her head and parted her hair and bit back a curse at the bloody lump he found.

"What happened?" he asked. "Where is your horse?" Lily couldn't seem to speak so she pointed instead and Hawke's eyes fell on the fallen beast. His eyes narrowed as he walked over to it and realized that it was winded and its leg was broken. Without a word he pulled his rifle off his back and Lily barely managed to cover her ears before a single shot filled the air.

"How did that happen?" Hawke demanded in his deep voice as he looked at Lily and pointed down at the horse.

"She tripped over that limb." Lily replied as she backed up against the tree. The intensity in Hawke's eyes as he looked at her was filling her with fear. He looked angry.

"You killed this horse." he said. "Your foolishness killed her."

"I am not foolish!" Lily argued although even she realized that her actions had indeed been foolish.

"Why did you run from me?" Hawke asked as he walked toward her. Lily wished she could become a ghost and pass through the tree behind her and escape him. Her fear of him was being replaced by a raging desire that she couldn't explain. She could already feel his heat and power as he stopped a foot away from her and looked down at her. The anger was gone from his eyes and had been replaced with something else. Though she did not recognize the look it made her blood pump faster.. Hotter.

Hawke saw the flush in her cheeks and the darkness of her eyes and knew that she felt the same passion that he did. There was something about this woman that set his body on fire. Every part of him was yearning to touch her, taste her, feel her. Hawke had never been a weak man but she made him feel weak. He barely managed to hold onto his self control and stop himself from taking her into his arms.

"Answer me. Why did you run from me?" he asked again.

"I was afraid." she replied and then she licked her lips and she noticed that Hawke's green eyes followed the movement.

"Why do you fear me? I would never hurt you." Hawke replied and he knew it was the truth. Hawke had never believed in hurting a woman. Only a coward of a man would take pleasure in harming someone so much weaker than himself.