Page 32 of Claimed By 3 Mountain Men

I hold my hands up. “You’ve been warned.”

Without another word, I turn and walk away, my mind reeling. I don’t look back, but I can feel her eyes on me as I leave the camp, every step taking me further away from the confusion.

But even as I put distance between us, the kiss lingers in my mind, replaying over and over. What the hell just happened? Why did I kiss her? And why, despite everything, do I want to go back and do it again?

I don’t have any answers, and that scares me the more than anything. I’ve always been the one who knows what to do, the one with a plan. But right now, I don’t know what the hell to think.

By the time I reach the lodge, my head is spinning. I push open the door, stepping into the familiar warmth of home.

Neither JT nor Ben are home.

That’s good. I just want to be alone right now. I sure as shit still don’t know what the hell Ben’s doing with Mac out there, but I didn’t want to stay and see if I could control myself around her.

I pour myself a glass of whiskey, downing it in one go. The burn in my chest does nothing to extinguish the fire that Mac ignited in my veins.

I can’t shake the memory of her. Mac’s lips are soft and warm against mine. My body responds to the memory, and I curse under my breath.

And as I stand there, trying to make sense of it all, one thing becomes clear; nothing about this is going to be easy.

This is bad—very bad?—

9

MAC

The camp is quiet, the only sounds are the gentle rustling of leaves in the evening breeze and the occasional hoot of an owl somewhere in the distance. I sit cross-legged in front of my laptop, the glow from the screen casting a soft light on my face.

The footage from my cameras haven’t caught anything, so I had decided to review old trail footage the conservatory originally captured years ago but did nothing with. They had received permission to gather samples on the property way back in the day.

But nobody had gone through it all yet, and they thought if I had time, it could be something I could help with, but I’m having the worst time trying to focus.

Ben didn’t come see me today, but Hank did.

Are they messing with me? Had Ben told them about me being here, about what we did out in the water together?

"Damn it," I mutter to myself, rubbing my eyes. "Focus on the task at hand, Mac."

Did Hank want to come kiss me for himself?

God, Hank. That kiss has left me shaken, and he’s gotten under my skin in a way I can’t ignore. I could still vividlyfeel his hands tangled in my hair, the feel of his lips pressing against mine with a hunger that mirrored my own. The way he had looked at me afterward, a mix of confusion and something darker, something raw.

I should have pushed him away sooner, should have set clear boundaries. But at that moment, all I could think about was how much I wanted him.

How much I wanted to challenge him, to see if he could handle me.

I wanted him to kiss me like I wanted Ben to have sex with me. It must be the stress or something about being here in the forest that’s turning me into some stupid little depraved animal. I know I’ve never had sex, but to act in such a desperate way just isn’t like me.

I rewind the footage, forcing myself to focus. The camera feeds show the usual trees swaying gently, small animals scurrying across the forest floor. No signs of the lynx yet, but I’m patient. This work takes time.

Time I can’t afford to lose because these stupid brothers are messing everything up.

My fingers curl into tight fists.

They have to be messing with me. There’s no doubt in my mind. Or maybe they’re trying to see which one of them can fuck me first.

Well, they've got another thing coming. I'm more than just a pretty face. I'm here to do a job, and I won't let some chiseled abs and broody stares distract me from the task at hand.

I’m a scientist, a conservationist. I’m here to protect a species, to make a difference.

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