Brock's Bunny Read Online Free Page A

but only one remained.
    Her
mate had captured her like a wild animal. She had to get away from him, even if
it left her heart in pieces.
    ****
    Brock
didn’t understand why catching the rabbit felt so wrong. He walked toward the
house, rubbing the ache in his chest. He was doing the right thing. The
pristine white animal obviously belonged to someone and he could help. His mind
was convinced, but his heart still ached as if it was a mistake.
    He
closed the sliding glass door and walked over to the animal cage he’d bought the
day before. Now he’d be able to take a good picture and put the word out around
town. Someone would claim the bunny, he was sure of it.
    First,
he had to get the thing in the cage. He knelt down beside the open door and put
the open end of the pillow case through the entrance. Fresh food and water
waited, and he was sure the animal would walk in easily.
    As soon
as he removed his hand, the rabbit cautiously sniffed her way out of the case
until her nose came in contact with one metal bar. He encouraged her with
tender words and put pressure on her rump. The animal dug her feet into the
floor and wouldn’t budge. Brock tried again and suddenly she pushed off his
thigh, and she ran toward the glass door. Brock chased her around the kitchen
and into the living room. He was fast, but she easily dodged him.
    He
would’ve laughed if it was someone else, but he was starting to get concerned.
Every time he grabbed for the animal, she slipped out of his reach. He expected
one of them to get hurt any minute.
    Unexpectedly,
the rabbit missed a jump from the couch to the ottoman and landed on her side
on the floor. Before she could recover, Brock scooped her up and whispered
soothing words as he stroked her fur.
    The
rabbit’s rapid heartbeat seemed to slow until the cage came into view again.
She squirmed, scratched his arm with her nails, and he let go at the same time
she jumped.
    Hollie landed on the floor instead of the rabbit. She was naked and she jumped
to her feet with her arms out as if to placate him. He wanted to run, but shock
kept his feet planted. In one moment she was the bunny he was chasing around the
room, and in the next Hollie stood before him. If he
didn’t see it with his own eyes, he wouldn’t believe it, and yet… He didn’t
believe it. Hollie , his Hollie ,
the girl he was falling in love with, was the white bunny.
    “Brock,
take a deep breath. I can explain.”
    She
meant to soothe him with her words, but she couldn’t break through the barrier
of fear. Hollie had changed before his eyes.
    His arm
stung and he glanced down at the three bloody lines she left behind. The
surface had already started to clot, but he couldn’t stop the hatred he felt
toward her. His stomach started to turn. Hollie wasn’t who he thought she was. She wasn’t even a who .  
    She
wasn’t the girl of his dreams, she was an animal.   A wild animal spent the night with him on the
couch, not a beautiful woman. He’d made love—had sex—with a wild animal.
    “Get
out.” She deceived and disgusted him. He wanted her out.
    “Brock,
no, let me explain. Everything will be okay.”
    “Get
out!” he yelled. Every emotion was bubbling over and he directed them all at
her.
    Hollie jerked as if she’d been slapped and tears rolled down her face. She
flung open the sliding glass door and ran out into the woods.
    Brock
followed her pale naked form until she disappeared in the dense trees.
    His
eyes watered, but not because of Hollie .
    The
pain that squeezed his heart brought him to his knees.

Chapter Six
     
    Hollie could barely see where she was going. She brushed the tears away with
the back of her hand, but it made little difference. She was grateful she knew
the woods well enough to find her way; she was almost to safety. Leaves
crunched beneath her feet and twigs jumped out of the ground to lash her ankles.
She lost her balance and fell palms-first against a tree trunk. Blood seeped
out of the