LOVING MY DAD'S ALPHA BEST FRIEND

I can't get him out of my mind, no matter how hard I try. Charles. Just saying his name makes my heart race. It's stupid, I know. He's my dad's best friend - he's practically family. But I've had this crazy, obsessive crush on him for years now. It started when I was a teenager. He would come over to our house and I would watch him from the stairs, admiring how handsome he was. Charles always dresses so sharp in his suits, his brown hair perfectly styled. And those piercing green eyes that seem to look right through me. For a long time, I pushed the feelings down deep. I knew it was wrong to crush on a man over twice my age who was like an uncle to me. But the older I got, the stronger my attraction became. Now I'm 22 and those feelings are almost unbearable. I should just be grateful for the time I get to spend with Charles now that Dad asked him and his other buddy Larry to keep an eye on me. Dad got a new job clear across the country in some tiny Montana mountain town. He's going on ahead to get settled while I finish up my semester at college here. At least I'll get to see Charles regularly while Dad is gone. He and Larry have been coming over every few days to check on me and take me out to dinner or do activities. Just being around Charles's masculine yet caring presence makes me swoon. Tonight they come pick me up for a hike into the woods outside of town. I purposely wore one of my cutest outfits - a pink tank top that shows just enough cleavage and tight jean shorts to show off my long tanned legs. Hey, a girl can dream, right? "Looking good, Cass!" Larry hollers with a wink as I slide into the backseat of Charles's luxury SUV. "Haha, very funny," I fire back. But I can't help sneak a look at Charles in the rearview mirror. His eyes linger on me for just a second too long before snapping back to the road. Did he check me out? Get a grip, Cassie. We drive for about 20 minutes before pulling into a small trailhead parking lot. As we get out and gear up, I can't help but steal glances at Charles. His tall, muscular frame looks even more impressive and rugged in his hiking clothes - a tight, athletic shirt showing off his sculpted arms and broad chest, with those powerful thighs straining against his cargo shorts. I have to stop daydreaming like this about him. He's my dad's best friend and probably sees me as a kid sister or something. He'll never want me the way I want him. As we start hiking up into the dense forest, I fall a few steps behind Larry and Charles so I can check out Charles's body from behind. Those rippling back muscles working hypnotize me. "You doing okay back there?" Charles suddenly asks, turning his head to look at me with a bemused smile. Busted! "Y-yeah, I'm fine!" I stammer, feeling my face instantly flush bright red. We hike for another half hour or so before coming to a small clearing with a waterfall and creek. "This looks like a good spot to rest for a bit," Larry declares, stripping off his shirt and plopping down to dunk his head in the cool stream. Charles takes a seat on a nearby rock, gulping down some water from his Camelbak. I try not to stare at the sheen of sweat glistening off his muscular arms and chest. Get it together, Cassie! "You go ahead and get a snack out if you want," Charles says, gesturing to my backpack. As I dig through my bag, I realize with horror that I left the granola bars and trail mix back in the car. "Crap, I'm such an i***t!" I groan, smacking myself on the forehead. "I forgot to pack any food." "Well, that's not very well prepared of you," Charles chuckles. "Lucky for you, I come prepared." He rustles through his own pack and pulls out a Ziploc full of mixed nuts and berries. "Here, you can have these." "Oh wow, thanks!" I gush, trying not to look as giddy as I feel with Charles sharing his food with me. I start popping the healthy snacks into my mouth one by one, moaning softly at the bursts of flavor. Out of the corner of my eye, I catch Charles averting his gaze, almost looking a bit flustered. Did my little pleasure noises turn him on? No way, it must be my imagination. Suddenly a loud crunch of leaves and branches snapping makes me jump. Larry sits bolt upright, his eyes darting around the tree line in alarm. "You heard that too?" Charles asks, instantly on alert as well. "Yeah, it came from that way," Larry says in a low voice, jutting his chin to indicate the direction. A sense of dread prickles at the back of my neck. We're not alone out here. There's more rustling, like something huge pushing through the underbrush. My heart thunders in my chest. "Maybe we should head back," I whisper shakily. Then I see it. A massive, hulking shape moving through the trees. At first I think it's a bear, but it looks dangerously bigger. As it emerges from the brush, letting the sunlight glint off its coarse fur, I can finally make out the terrifying features. It walks upright like a man, over 9 feet tall. Powerful, sinewy muscles ripple underneath its thick brown coat. Piercing, amber eyes and jagged, dripping fangs protruding from its snarling maw. A scream catches in my throat. Wolf! But not just a regular wolf... The beast suddenly locks eyes with me and lets out an earsplitting roar, rearing up on its hind legs. Larry and Charles immediately shove me behind them. "Easy there, big fella," Larry hollers through gritted teeth. "We're not looking for any trouble." In the blink of an eye, the creature drops to all fours and charges right at us with startling speed and power. I scream bloody murder as Charles and Larry brace themselves. The wolf slams into them with incredible force, slashing out with its razor-sharp claws. The two men grunt and fight to shove the snarling beast back. "Run, Cassie! Get out of here!" Charles bellows at me over his shoulder. But my feet feel rooted in place, too paralyzed by terror to move. This isn't happening! A vicious swipe from the wolf's paw catches Larry across the face. He goes down hard, blood spraying through the air. Oh God! Charles grabs a thick branch off the ground and uses it to beat the monster back, yelling at me again to run. But I just fall backwards, frozen in fear. With an enraged growl, the wolf lunges forward and knocks Charles off his feet. My strangled scream is the last thing I hear before everything goes black.