Page 11 of Saved By the Mountain Man

“Oh yeah,” I say, pressing my hands to my hips. “What’s that?”

Me. I’m the thing missing from your life.

“I have nowhere to live. You have to build me a cabin.”

“No.”

“No?” Emma says. “I’m not sleeping in the forest, Mr. Navy SEAL. You can keep that for yourself.”

I chuckle and hold my arm out, gesturing down the pathway.

“That’s not what I’m saying.” I step forward, boots crunching on the path. “I’m saying I don’t have to build you a cabin because you can have this one.”

The clearing surrounding my old cabin is moist from the morning mist, the old logs laying around covered in overgrowth. We move in closer to see the old wooden structure has green moss creeping up the sides, and some of the panels on the siding have fallen off and rotted.

“Oh, Jack,” Emma slides in beside me, her arm looping through mine to link together. “It’s the cabin from my photo.”

I nod and clench my jaw. She’s standing so damn close, her warm arm locked in mine as we move around the cabin.

“It’s like a dream, seeing this.” Emma bounces up and down, her mouth open with amazement at the derelict old structure. “I’ve stared at the photo so many times, Jack. It’s… it’s… it’s like they’re here with me.”

She falls back on her heels, emotion moving across her pretty face.

“Thank you for bringing me here,” she says.

“Anything for you.”

I step forward and grab Emma by the shoulders. I set her up in the exact spot her parents stood, holding the woman before my eyes, over twenty years ago.

Like a shock to my heart, my palms heat at the slightest touch of Emma’s body. I manage to keep her steady and breathe in her floral scent as she bats her long lashes, peering up at me as I move her to the exact right spot.

“Stand there and show me that gorgeous smile.” I open my camera app and take the photo. “All grown up... beautiful.”

Emma skips back to me and clings onto my shoulder as I show her the photo. She swoons adoringly as her flowing hair covers my face, encasing me in her sweet natural perfume. I bite down on my jaw. Fuck.

I feel my teeth grind together, my hands shaking with the temptation to grab her and slam my mouth on hers.

She spins around, smiling as she grabs both my arms. I’m fucking biting the inside of my cheek, trying to fight this.

“Would you really let me live here?”

She slides her hands down my forearms and lifts my hands out of my jeans to clutch them. My heart starts to race, fucking pounding as she looks up at me with those big, beautiful eyes.

“No. I changed my mind.”

She moves in closer, giggling and flashing those eyes up at me. Her breasts are pressing against my stomach now she’s that damn close. What the hell is she doing?

“Oh, is that right?”

She’s killing me, but she doesn’t care.

“Did you think of somewhere better I can live?” Her eyes drop to my lips. “Somewhere… closer?”

I go to step away, but her grip tightens on my hands. She stares at me, lust-filled eyes begging me to stay.

“Emma,” I breathe, my voice barely escaping my mouth. “We can’t do this.”

She leans in closer, her lips almost touching mine. “We can.”

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