Page 168 of Mountain Men Heroes

“Look, I don’t need an escort and I don’t owe you any explanations. And despite what your brother, Sawyer, might think because of Birdie or just sheer stupidity on his part, I’m not the town whore looking to land any man who will take me. So I really wish you’d go back to the bar and leave me the hell alone.”

My bitter words stung him as much as they did me from the shocked look on his face and the deep burn in my chest.

Mac grabbed my shoulder and stopped us both short.

I jerked back in his grip and whirled to face him. “What the hell?”

He dropped his hand as if he’d been scorched and then raised both hands, palms out. “Sorry. I’m sorry. Damn I’m screwing this up before I can get started.”

I pressed my lips together and fisted my hands at my side. “Okay. You’ve got my attention. What could you possibly want from me, Mac?”

“It’s about Sawyer.” He grimaced and pushed a hand through his short dark hair.

Under different circumstances, I might giggle at his obvious discomfort. It was so different from his usual wisecracking, confident self. But right now, it was all I could do not to burst into tears at the mere mention of Sawyer’s name. I couldn’t even begin to think about the throbbing grief that held my heart in its fist when he stormed out of the bar at what Birdie said.

Then again, I failed to stand up for myself out of fear of losing my job.

“Look, Sawyer’s going to be kicking his own ass when he comes to his senses. I’m sorry he acted like such a jerk, but you have to understand, he’s at his limit when it comes to you. There’s a lot of things he keeps bottled up. Dark moments he’s gone through in the last couple of years. Shit that has fucked him up in ways he’ll never talk about. But you and how he feels about you...” Mac shook his head as if gathering his thoughts. “Tonight is the first time in a long time that I’ve actually seen him smile and when it happened his eyes were on you.”

“How he feels about me?” For a second my insides started to flutter with hope. And then I remembered. Sawyer was here today gone tomorrow on whatever secret job that took him away for years at a time. And by the look of him tonight, when he did come back, he had new scars and a darker vibe about him.

I wrinkled my nose at Mac. I shook my head. “You know what, Mac? I’m not sure of much, but I do understand one thing. It really doesn’t matter whether Sawyer thinks I’m sleeping with every man in this town or not.” I somehow managed to hold back the humorless laugh his words brought to the surface. I definitely didn’t want to examine just how much it did matter to me.

“I’m leaving soon. I just lost my job at the bar. I’ll give my notice at the Sugarbush Stand as soon as I can afford it, and after that, I’m heading off to Syn City to get my degree in business while I show my portfolio of jewelry to the high-end shops there.”

Fear crossed Mac’s face. Actual real fear as though my plan caused him pain.

“Uhh, you can’t do that, Trinity. You have to forgive Sawyer.”

I stared at Mac, totally bewildered. “Why? Why could it possibly matter whether or not I forgive Sawyer?”

He turned away, blowing out a harsh breath before he turned back to face me. “It’s not for me to say. But trust me, you can’t leave town.”

“I’ve had these plans for a while now. I have no clue what’s going on tonight. Maybe it’s some moon phase that’s making all you men crazy or something, but Mac, I am leaving town. As soon as I have enough money saved, I’m out of here.”

“I have an offer for you.” Mac’s voice held a note of panic. “Sawyer, Dyson, Eeli and I are starting a business. We need to hire an office manager. I want to give you the job.”

I shook my head. “I just told you I’m leaving town. Not to mention, you have no idea if I have the skills needed to manage your office. Why would you offer me a job?”

Suspicion grew inside me and my temper grew along with it.

“Despite what Birdie Holt or anyone else in this town might think, I’m not like my mother.” I bit each word out. “If you and your friends think you’re going to pass me around your office like some fuck toy…”

“Trinity, no. God.” Mac stepped closer and put a finger under my chin, holding it there so I had no choice but to meet his gaze. “None of us think that. I’m offering you a job because you’ve always been smart and friendly and a hard worker. I have no doubt you can figure out how to do everything you need in order to get the job done.”

His voice was soft and earnest. I stared into his handsome face and blinked at his emphatic words. He seemed completely sincere.

As I stood close to him, his finger still under my chin, his warm, masculine scent filled my nose and I couldn’t avoid taking in every feature of his striking face. And for the first time, a thought hit me.

Mac was hot. I’d known him as long as I’d known Sawyer. But not once had his good looks or hard body ever impacted me the way Sawyer’s had.

Don’t get me wrong, I might have admired him. Maybe even ogled him a little when he walked past me wearing a certain pair of jeans. I’m not dead, after all.

But…I’d never felt like I couldn’t control myself around him. Never had the urge to throw myself into his arms. Never had the sense that he was anything but a nice guy.

Every once in a while, I’d catch a glimpse of the warrior beneath the man’s skin, but even in those moments, I wasn’t attracted to him with a craving I could barely control.

That feeling only surged through me when I was near one man.

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