Lexia (The Deadwood Hunter Series) by Rachel M Raithby

sprinted to me like I was a long lost lover,” he laughed.
    “God, Lincoln, how can you laugh at everything? Alice was about to meet me and I really don’t want a lecture from her and oh god, I was running in front of everyone.” Lexia started to pace backwards and forwards completely forgetting Lincoln. “He’s going to go nuts if he finds out, I’m going to be in a padded cell before I know it. God, Lex, you’re such an idiot!”
    “Wow Lex, hold on a minute, what’s wrong?”
    “I... I can’t tell you.”
    “Why?”
    “Please Lincoln, I want to be around you because you don’t ask questions, I don’t have to explain everything to you.”
    He looked at her for a minute. “Okay Lex, but if you ever want to talk…” He started walking further down the alley away from the street.
    “Where are you going?” she said frustrated.
    “Well, I didn’t really plan on spending my time with you in an alley.” And he hopped over a fence which bordered the forest.
    “Lincoln, wait, we’ll get lost.”
    “Chicken,” he called, laughing again.
    Lexia paused at the fence, she could just leave him and walk back to the street but really she wanted to spend more time with him. What she didn’t understand was why he wanted to spend time with her. She was just a school girl and right now she was acting crazy and he was a sexy man that could have any woman he wanted.
    “Don’t have all day, Lex.”
    “Coming,” she sighed. Putting her foot onto the mesh fence, she winced as she put all her weight onto her ankle.
    She felt quite pleased with herself as she climbed to the top of the fence without much effort, but as her foot swung over the top it got caught. It twisted painfully and Lexia lost her grip, falling to the ground. She braced for the impact but it never came because she landed in the strong, warm arms of Lincoln.
    “Got ya,” he whispered, his eyes burning with hunger and Lexia found her eyes dropping to his parted mouth. She licked her bottom lip, biting it slightly as an image of him kissing her popped into her head. Her heart beat faster as his head lowered towards her; she held her breath waiting for the moment when his lips would touch hers. Her whole body tingled with anticipation, then it dawned on her what she was doing. This was Lincoln—this was stupid—they’d never work. What am I doing?
    She looked one last time into his eyes and pulled back, his lips millimetres from hers. She struggled out of his arms until he placed her feet on the ground; her foot throbbed as it took her weight. She paced off through the trees limping for real this time and cursing herself for being so stupid.
    Lincoln watched Lexia as she marched off into the trees. She was limping again and she wasn’t even going in the right direction. He’d been so close to kissing her; what was he doing? He’d set out to find her weakness and now he was falling for her. He should have let her hit the ground but his instincts had taken over; he wasn’t the type of man to let a women fall. What he couldn’t quite understand was why she was so clumsy. The fence shouldn’t have been a problem for someone like her but the more he watched her the more she just seemed like an ordinary girl. Well, maybe not ordinary, god dam sexy and confusing!
     He couldn’t see her anymore but he could still hear her noisy path through the forest. “Lexia! You’re going the wrong way!” Lincoln shouted.
    He laughed when her mad face appeared through the trees.
    “Why are you limping, beautiful?” He smiled walking towards her.
    “I... well, I was attacked by a panther last night and I hurt my foot again in the fence.”
    “A panther, really? Well, may I carry you? I’d love to feel that body of yours close to mine.” He winked at her.
    Lexia couldn’t believe him, he was so crude and yet she wanted to laugh at his comment. “Lincoln! I am fine to walk, thank you.”
    They walked in silence. Lexia stumbled along, cursing every rut and