Page 5 of Challenged By the Mountain Man

The park was deserted, not a car in sight. I would have expected it to be crowded on a Saturday, but it probably had to do with Biker Blast. Nate and his friends may have taken off early, but I spotted motorcycles still lining the parkway on our way up here, with streams of people traveling the sidewalks on foot in either direction.

We passed the main area with the pond and picnic benches, continuing back toward the playground they’d built a few years ago. Rosewood Ridge wasn’t a town with tons of families, but with the way people were coupling up these days, I had a feeling that would change.

Finally, Nate pulled into the lot next to a playground and parked, knocking the kickstand down and whipping off his helmet.

“When was the last time you went down a slide?” he asked.

Using his shoulders to balance myself, I stepped off and pulled the helmet off. I handed it to him. A storage compartment was attached to the back, but he set the helmets on top of it, then turned to face me.

“When I was a kid,” I said, looking over in the direction of the equipment.

I’d left the cardigan back at the bookstore, which had been a good move. The wind had kept me somewhat cool during the ride, but now the June sun bore down on us, blasting heat everywhere. I just hoped the playground had enough shade.

“Let’s go,” I said, circling the back of his bike and starting toward the sand-covered area filled with swings, a slide, and a teeter-totter, along with a few other items.

My worries fell away as I took long, purposeful strides toward the slide. I was determined to show him and the world at large that I could let loose. What can be more spontaneous and fun than tossing myself down a slide in broad daylight?

But as I ascended the steps, I had second thoughts. Would I look ridiculous—a full-grown woman, five-foot-five with curves for days, squeezing myself down a kids’ slide? Would it even hold up under an adult’s weight?

What if it broke? Oh God, I’d be mortified.

I squeezed my eyes closed, telling myself to stop thinking. Then I pushed myself to squeeze through the small, covered deck area and settle at the top of the slide, legs straight out in front of me, hands gripping the lip on either side. Nate was standing a couple of yards away from the end of the slide, like he planned to catch me, but his arms were crossed and he wore a big smile, his sunglasses hiding his beautiful eyes.

I took a deep breath and shoved my body downward, twisting around slightly, then hurling toward the ground. Both feet were straight out in front of me as I prepared to slam into the land. But I came to a sudden stop several feet before I would have touched ground. My body was just stuck there, hips pinched between two sides of the slide, which had for some reason narrowed toward the end.

Ugh. Embarrassing. Humiliating.

Nate was staring straight at me, waiting to see what I’d do next. He probably expected me to be all uptight about getting stuck. No. Fun. Carefree. Today I was the girl who ripped off all her clothes at a pool party and jumped in.

Okay, so that girl probably would need a few drinks in her before she did something like that. But I didn’t even drink.

What was wrong with me? Why was I so serious all the time?

With a stubborn shove, I hurled my body the rest of the way down. Then I pushed myself to my feet and stepped away from the slide…and toward him.

“Your turn,” I said.

He shook his head. “No way. I wouldn’t even fit through that little opening up there.”

He was right about that. In fact, his muscular frame would probably strain the structure.

“Come on,” I urged, moving toward the seesaw.

I didn’t wait for him, rushing straight for the bright yellow piece of equipment. Once there, I positioned myself, placing a foot on either side of one end. I turned to see Nate following at a much slower pace, a skeptical look on his face as he eyed the contraption between my legs.

“Seesaws work best when both ends are somewhat equal in weight,” he said. “I’m too heavy.”

Now, he was the one being a fuddy-duddy. I made a sweeping gesture with my right hand and said, “Just get on.”

“Your wish is my command.”

There was something about that old saying that made my stomach flutter. I was wishing for a whole heck of a lot of things right now. Maybe I should command him to do some of them. Like kiss me. Touch me. Take off his clothes and let me explore that body of his.

Nate slowly pushed his end of the seesaw downward, which brought it up to my crotch then propelled me into the air. I was hardly a tiny little waif who’d blow away with a strong wind, but this guy was all muscle. With his weight, he had the power to shoot me up into the air with one thrust, but instead, he used his legs to control the long piece of plastic.

“Am I getting you in trouble?” I asked.

His eyebrows arched as he slowly pushed me up, squatting until his side of the seesaw was almost on the ground. “Trouble?”

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