Page 30 of Saved By the Mountain Man

“Of course you did,” I said, my voice harder.

Tanner shook his head and clenched his jaw, looking toward the window.

“No one chooses to leave the world they know and love behind,” Tanner said, his voice gruff. He still looked pissed off. I was angry with him for leaving, but God, I was so tired of fighting.

“I used to work with numbers,” I said softly, changing the topic again. “In the city. It was a good job, but…”

“But what?” He turned his face to me, those eyes deep and impossible to read.

“But it wasn’t enough,” I admitted. “I felt like I was drowning in the noise and the chaos. And then when hell showed up on my doorstep…” I sipped my coffee. “I had to get out.”

“Did he hurt you?” His eyes were dark and dangerous now, a different side of him bubbling to the surface. Cold, calculated, but protective, too. I didn’t feel like his darkness was aimed at me.

“No,” I said softly. Something about Tanner was scary as hell, but I didn’t get the feeling that I had to fear him. “He just did some things I found out about. I had to leave.” I couldn’t tell him more. If Tanner knew too much, it would put him in a position I didn’t want to put him in.

“He’s not going to hurt you,” Tanner said, his voice hard.

“He’s dangerous. He has connections. It’s not as simple as that.”

“If he so much as looks at you, he’s a dead man,” Tanner threatened.

I shook my head. “You have enough trouble of your own, remember? You can’t deal with mine, too.”

Tanner shifted closer to me.

“If he so much as looks at you,” he said in a deep voice. “He’s. A. Dead. Man.”

Tanner was so close now, his eyes drowning deep, and I stared at him. Tension crackled between us, but it was loaded withneed. Tanner would give everything to protect me. I didn’t know how I knew. With him, Jethro wouldn’t stand a chance.

He left you, a little voice screamed at the back of my mind.You had to fend for yourself until now.But I squashed the voice and before I could think or do anything else, Tanner kissed me.

His lips were strong on mine, but his kiss was tender, questioning.

I answered, kissing him back. Our lips melded together, and his tongue slipped into my mouth, swirling, tasting, probing.

I moaned softly, and Tanner pulled me closer, his arms strong, his body taut with muscles. He could do anything to anyone—he was strong, and when his eyes became cold and hard the way they’d been at first, I imagined he could do a lot of damage.

But the way he kissed me, the way he touched me, gentle despite his strength, told me that no matter what, he would never hurt me.

Not physically, the little voice shouted again.But emotionally…

Tanner pulled me on top of him, careful of my ankle, and I straddled his lap. His cock pressed against my crotch, and I rocked my hips back and forth. I wore his oversized sweatpants, and the material was thin. He groaned; one hand wrapped around me and the other slid under his flannel shirt and onto my breast. I wore my bra, but he pulled down the cup, and his fingers found my erect nipple. He rolled it between his fingers and pulled me closer toward him as I rocked on top of him.

He growled at the back of his throat.

“Fuck, Rae,” he muttered into my mouth. “You’ll be the end of me.”

His fingers pinched, and I gasped, electricity running through my body, heat following on its heels. I ached for him, the need inside me growing. It was more than just physical, too.

The thought scared me, but not enough to stop what we were doing. I’d fought myself for long enough. I was losing the battle.

He was the one who ended our kiss. He lifted his head, his breath coming hard. He stared into my eyes, and his hands were tight on my body.

“I want you,” he said.

My own breath was ragged, and I nodded. “I want you, too.”

His gaze didn’t waver. “If I start now, I won’t stop.”

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