Chance — Susan A. Bliler

Heart filled with regret, and a failed relationship under her belt, Isabelle is hitchhiking home when a winter storm leaves her holed up in a quaint cabin with what she at first thinks is a snarly loner.

Predator hunter and shifter, Chance Howlett, doesn't have it in him to ignore the shivering female hitchhiking on the highway in the midst of a Montana blizzard. Reluctantly, he picks her up and instantly knows something is off. His inner beast is raging at him to care for her, but he can't get attached. Isabelle's going home, and he has no intentions of stopping her.

***WARNING*** This book contains an explicit rape scene that may not be suitable for all readers. Reader discretion is advised.

*****

“Shit. Road is closed.” Chance jerked his chin toward the road ahead of them. “My place is just a couple miles back. You can stay there tonight. I'm sure the plows'll push through in the morning, then I can get you where you need to be.”

“No.” Isabelle shook her head, setting her shoulders in a hard line.

When he glanced at her, brows furrowed in irritation, he finally got a good look at her.
She was facing him now�"hell, she was looking right at him�"and he couldn't tear his eyes from hers. Behind that silky wall of black tresses, she was hiding these f***ing amazing eyes. Eyes he couldn't look away from. With his heightened sight, he could see every vibrant detail.

“Your eyes,” he breathed, realizing he was staring like a psycho. “They're…”

“Yeah,” she ducked her head, the fall of her hair sweeping forward and hiding her from view again. “I know. Weird. People tell me all the time.”

She sounded a little insulted and a lot annoyed, but he hadn't been about to call her eyes weird. They were odd for sure, but they were breathtaking. He tore his gaze away from where she was hiding from him and clenched the steering wheel. Shaking his head, he thought back to the conversation they'd been having. She'd said something… No. She'd told him no when he'd offered her a place to stay.

He cleared his throat. “Listen. I know you don't know me, but…”

“I'm not staying at your place,” she cut him off. “Thank you, but if you could just give me a ride to the nearest town.”

“Sure,” he gritted, jaw bunched in annoyance. “Only it'll mean taking you back to where you started.”

Isabelle paled, and her slight frame trembled. He wanted to tick up the corner of his mouth in triumph, but he simply wasn't feeling it. No, his animal was riled, and this woman wasn't helping.

She huddled in her seat once more, head angled away from him as she gazed out her window. The fall of her dark hair shielded her face from his view again, but he could see her reflection in the glass, worry written on her soft features. His nostrils flared and assaulted once more by the scent of her pain, his beast growled at him to do something about it. He'd been content to ignore it when he thought he'd just be dropping her off somewhere, but now it was his problem.

Finally, he ground out, “You hurt?”

“No,” she immediately lied, and it pissed him off.

Damn her! If she was going to sit in his truck and lie to him, then she could just as soon get out and walk. Throwing his hand across the center console, he slammed on the brakes, catching her weight before she could slam into the dash. Her head jerked in his direction, but he didn't even bother looking at her or her big startled eyes.

“If you're gonna lie to me then you can just get the hell out.”

His head jerked toward her in surprise when she immediately reached down and opened the door. He had been sure she'd just come clean. Instead, she climbed wordlessly from the warm cab of his truck, and that pissed him off even more than her lying. He stared straight ahead, contemplating leaving her ass on the side of the road even knowing his animal wouldn't permit it. His head snapped to the side when, from the corner of his eye, he saw her go down.