Page 4 of Challenged By the Mountain Man

At least the box stopped. Then it lowered, and those two beautiful dark brown eyes peered over the top of it.

“Oh,” she said.

She lowered the box even more, giving me a second glimpse of that adorable button nose and those big, plump pink lips. I’d love to remove that box from the equation and plant a big, long kiss on those lips, but I’d have to work up to that.

“Ready for your ride?” I asked, trying to keep things light.

The box dropped lower, reminding me I was being an ass. I reached out to grab the box at the same time she moved to set it down. That placed my hands directly on her forearms, causing one of my hands to land on her shoulder. Just as before when we shook hands, the sizzle of electricity shot all the way from my fingers to my toes, leaving behind warmth—too much warmth. In fact, it was spreading directly to my cock, which was coming to life.

Terra stepped back, dislodging my hand, and stared at me. She felt it too. I could see it in her eyes, which had widened and seemed to be sparkling under the overhead lights.

“I can’t leave here,” she said. “We’re still open.”

“I’m taking you for a ride on my bike,” I said, turning all my charm on her.

There was no question in that statement. We’d made a deal. I was a man of my word, and I expected others to be too.

But she very well could back out of the deal. It wasn’t like I had a logical reason for wanting her to go for a ride with me.

Yes, I sensed this woman was long overdue for a carefree couple of hours where she focused on having fun. I hadn’t missed the worry in her expression when she talked about her business. I’d seen clear desperation.

She was struggling. This bookstore was struggling. I’d bet my last dime on it.

Instead of answering me, though, Terra squatted and picked up a few dislodged books, tossing them back into the box. Taking a cue from that, I began gathering the books on my side. As I tossed them in, I noticed the box was practically full. Shit, that thing had to be heavy.

“I guess it couldn’t hurt to shut the place down early,” she said, “After the parade and all the motorcycles lining up along the street, shopping seems to be the last thing on anyone’s mind.”

It was Biker Blast weekend. I knew everyday life in Rosewood Ridge seemed to pause for this event, and I suspected she did too. This wouldn’t have been the first year she’d worked while this event was going on all around her.

“Let’s go,” she said, but the box was blocking her path.

I lifted the box, pretending it weighed less than a feather. It was heavy, though—so heavy, I wondered how long this woman had been working herself to the bone without a break.

Something stirred within me then. A part of myself I’d never really seen. A strong desire to take care of her—to pull her into my arms and ensure she never suffered again.

I attempted to push those thoughts out of my mind as I carried the box out to the floor and placed it in the corner as she instructed. But I had a feeling it would linger with me long after our afternoon ride was over.

Could it be? Had it finally happened? Had a woman come along who could melt the ice around my heart?

3

TERRA

Icould hold onto this guy forever.

I closed my eyes and savored the feel of the wind whipping around us as we sped up Rosewood Ridge Parkway. Warmth had taken over my entire body, running through me like molasses on a warm summer day. I wasn’t sure what was causing it—the feel of his perfectly sculpted body or the seat vibrating under me.

The bottom line was, this guy was doing things to me. Things I’d never experienced before.

You need to get laid.

One of my friends had said that to me, and she wasn’t the first—or the last. I’d been called uptight, boring, and an old soul. I wanted to be none of those things.

But one thing people didn’t know about me was that I was scared. Terrified. It was easier to escape into books than face the dangers that came from partying it up and sleeping around.

Really, I was scared to put myself out there at all…putting myself out there meant I could be rejected. I’d learned that lesson as the second youngest of four children who was constantly ignored and told “no.”

On the way back down the mountain, Nate pulled into Rosewood Ridge Park. My curiosity was piqued. Exactly what adventure was I headed toward now?

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