Page 40 of Mountain Men Heroes

“What? Being a boy scout or being good?”

“Both, Ethan Savage. Both.”

She had him there.

Another bout of heat worked up the lower part of his back until it seeped into his blood with a fierceness he couldn’t rein in. Didn’t want to control. His heart pounded and every one of his senses locked in on her.

Her lips parted but the only sound she made was moans of pleasure as he slipped his lips over hers. When she gasped, he moved the kiss deeper.

Blood pounded in his ears.

Fear. Doubt. It all swirled in his gut like a hot ball of uncertainty, but every time he touched her, hell, looked at her, his world righted itself somehow.

Since losing his twin to a brutal death, he feared sharing that special bond again. Feared the ruthless, bloodthirsty human he knew he would turn into if anything ever happened to her. History always repeated itself, but if he lost her, blood would spill.

A growl unfurled deep within and ripped from his throat.

He broke their kiss to work his way down her neck, devouring the taste of her essence one lick and nibble at a time until all he wanted for the rest of his life was the taste of peaches and sunlight on his tongue. She’d discovered his favorite fruit and deliberately teased him with lotions and soaps that had him fucking turning in circles.

With her hair wrapped around his fist, he angled her head to the side for better access.

He wanted to believe he could have her.

Had too. Because neither of them would leave the Savage lands unmarked.

Desperation wound tightened in his chest. Heat consumed him, fire hotter than anything hell could cook up tore through him to leave nothing but ashes in its wake, and it was all he could do to pull away from her and the pain of the past. He rubbed a hand over his chest.

Slowly he regained his jumbled thoughts and eased her away from him. When his twin brother had been killed it took weeks for him to form sentences and months to regain enough passion for life to continue on. Now not even his brothers could see the pain hidden behind the mask. He couldn’t imagine a world where he could survive that kind of soul-deep bond again.

“Let’s finish up,” he husked.

A soft hand on his shoulder stopped him. Her gaze begged him for an explanation, but he didn’t trust himself to answer. She saw deeper into him than anyone ever had. Then again, he never let a woman get closer than a one-night stand allowed.

At some point, the hot water had gone and the steam faded to leave the room cold. Cringing at her frustrated sighs, with his cock still hard as iron, he stepped back and let her push past him. She reached to the left, fetched a towel and passed him another.

Remy made quick work of drying off, leaving him to his own devices and suddenly he felt like the biggest ass in the world. He could have that warm mouth on him sucking him into oblivion, instead he let fear cripple his chance at happiness. He was the biggest fool.

Six

Go on a wild Alaskan adventure, they said. It will be fun and give you a new perspective as a wildlife vet, they said. They, being her brothers. Her father and mother not so much.

Remy outright snorted. She sure put the wild in wildlife veterinarian. So far her Alaskan adventure had landed her smack in the middle of a one-sided shootout. Well, not technically. But close enough her father may not ever let her leave home again. Then there were the constantly chapped lips, a nasty bruise that took up half her face, and her first fight. Then there was the sex with her temporary Alaskan hottie. That almost made up for the scariest afternoon of her life.

She angled her head to the side, keeping the rest of her body still. Dark lashes kissed slightly flushed cheeks. Another couple of hours and if his fever didn’t drop along with his ragged breathing, then she’d worry. That shower nearly killed him whether he wanted to admit it or not. And it almost did her in too.

Sometimes men really could be single-minded.

Just looking at his gorgeous face made her breathe hitch. He hid something from her and he wore it like a shield. Every time they became close it triggered something in him that shut down even the slightest of emotion. Fighting him on it proved to be a losing battle. The way he held her, touched her, proved there were layers to him she didn’t know anything about. But why wouldn’t he open up and share?

She watched him now. His body looked relaxed, but the normally soft set of his eyes crinkled up with pain.

Remy cupped Ethan’s cheek and leaned in to press her hand to his forehead. He’d fallen asleep the second his head hit the pillow almost two hours earlier.

“Woman, if you don’t get some sleep, I’ll find a way to use that pent-up energy and make good on what we didn’t finish in the shower.” He touched a hand to hers. “Sleep, Remy. I’m fine.”

Fine my ass. “Liar,” she tossed back remembering just how good he felt pressed up against her, all dripping wet and hard.

“Don’t make me haul you beside me and make sure you get some sleep. Stop fussing over me and rest. Or, you can curl up here by me.” Ethan shifted to make room for her on the couch beside him.

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