Page 44 of Protected By the Mountain Man

Maybe it was true…I didn’t know.

She didn't answer, just kept moving, her rhythm picking up speed. She clenched around me like a vice, her moans vibrating against my tongue when I captured her lips in a desperate kiss. It was slow at first, but the passion flared, and soon it was all teeth and tongues, messy and urgent.

This wasn't supposed to happen—not here, not now—but damn if I could stop.

“Harder,” she gasped against my mouth, and I obliged, thrusting up into her with everything I had. There was no holding back, no more pretense of control. We were two forces of nature colliding in the night, on some forgotten backroad where nobody could see us, hear us, judge us.

“More, Gabe, give me more,” she demanded, nails digging into my shoulders.

“Anything,” I replied, because in that moment, under her spell, I would have given her the world if she asked for it. But all she wanted was me—all of me—and I was powerless to deny her anything.

“Right there,” she moaned, finding that spot inside herself that turned her breaths ragged and her movements erratic.

“God, yes,” I choked out, feeling her tighten even more.

We chased the edge, pushed each other closer with every thrust, until…

…the dam burst, and we came together.

The shockwaves rolled through us, the two of us holding on to each other in the aftermath. My lips found hers and I kissed her hard, wanting her more than I’d ever wanted anything else.

As the tremors subsided, she crawled off me, slipping back into the passenger seat. Her chest heaved as she caught her breath, and I tucked myself back into my pants, the fabric rough against sensitized skin.

“Take me home,” Kat said, her voice rough. She swallowed hard, eyes not quite meeting mine. “I need…I need more.”

It was the last thing I’d expected to hear—but I wasn’t going to deny her when I wanted it so badly myself.

So without another word, I put the car in drive and pulled back onto the road.

SEVENTEEN

Kat

I wanted him so bad I could barely even will myself out of the car.

I slammed the truck door shut after climbing out in front of the house, my skin tingling. The need for Gabe was a fire in my veins, undeniable, unquenchable.

Pretenses be damned; I was done playing coy.

“Kat, wait.” His voice was rough, throaty, but I was already halfway to the front door. If I stayed here, we were going to end up having sex on the porch.

…maybe that wouldn’t be so bad.

“Bandit's losing his mind in there,” I said over my shoulder, jangling keys in hand. The sound of the dog's frantic barking sliced through the still Montana night. I wanted to make sure he was taken care of before I was taken care of.

“Let him out then,” Gabe grunted.

“That’s the plan,” I shot back. I thrust the key into the lock and twisted, throwing the door open wide enough to let Bandit barrel past us and into the freedom of the yard.

I didn’t stop moving; I needed to do something, anything, with my hands. I rounded the corner into the kitchen, my senses only processing Gabe, Gabe, Gabe. My hand was steady as I filled a glass with water from the tap, but the silence between Gabe and me was louder than Bandit's barking had been.

“Thirsty?” he asked.

Jesus…the way he said that, voice rich and deep. I wanted him again right now, but I also wanted to play it cool. I tipped the glass to my lips, the cool liquid barely quenching my desire?—

His hand landed on my shoulder.

I sucked in a breath.

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