Page 14 of Kept By The Mountain Man

I pay before she can try anything and then follow her over to a booth.

“Thanks for dinner,” she says, and I nod.

“Anytime,” we say at the same time, and she giggles.

“Am I that predictable?” I grumble, and she laughs harder.

“Yeah. Whenever I say thank you to you, you always say anytime.”

Her voice drops lower as she tries to mimic me, and I smile as she laughs at her attempt. Our food is dropped off a moment later, and we both dig in.

I do my best to not react as Evie moans at the flavors, but it’s hard. My cock hardens in my jeans, and I’m just so thankful that there’s a table covering that area from view.

We make small talk over dinner. Well, she does. I listen, hanging on her every word. By the time that we’re done eating,I’m full and dreading dropping her off at her place. I don’t want tonight to end, but I don’t know how to prolong it.

I pull up to her apartment and park, the hum of the truck’s engine the only sound between us for a moment. She unbuckles her seatbelt and turns to me, her smile soft but full of something unspoken. Something that’s been building all day.

“Thanks for today, Hendrix. I had a really nice time,” she says.

“Anytime.”

She smiles, and I climb out, grabbing the bags and following her up to her door. She turns back to me, her mouth opening to say something, and my heart races in my chest.

This is it. This is my chance to tell her how I feel.

Before either of us can talk, though, a loud, unmistakable moan echoes from somewhere close by, breaking the moment and causing both of us to blush. I freeze, my hands tightening on the bags as another round of enthusiastic, verypublicmoans reach my ears.

Evie’s face turns bright red as she stares at the apartment next door in horror. “Oh my God…”

I clench my jaw, the tension in my body shifting from anticipation to frustration. There’s no way I’m leaving her here withthatgoing on. The idea of her going inside alone, hearing her neighbors having the time of their lives while I drive away? Hell no. Not tonight.

“Uh, does this… happen often?” I ask, my face heating as another loud moan pierces the quiet between us.

“More than I’d like,” she grumbles.

Then she sighs, turning to me and reaching for the bags.

“It’s okay. It usually doesn’t last that long,” she tries to assure me, and I grit my teeth.

“You want to come back to my place?” I blurt out before I can stop myself.

My voice is rougher than I intended, but I can’t help it. The thought of ending the day like this, leaving her here…it’s not happening. Not tonight.

Evie’s eyes widen, and for a second, I think I’ve crossed a line. But then she nods, quickly glancing back at the building before looking at me again.

“Yeah. I don’t think I can handle listening to that tonight,” she says, her voice a little shaky, but there’s relief in her eyes.

I let out a breath I didn’t even realize I was holding, and without another word, I turn and motion for her to lead the way back to my truck.

I can’t help but watch her as we head back to my truck, and she climbs inside. I set the bags in the back again and then climb behind the wheel. When I glance over at her, she’s smiling, and I take that as a good sign as I shift the truck into gear and pull away from her building. The drive back to my place is quieter than before, but the tension between us has changed. It’s heavier now, more charged, and I can feel it in every glance, every accidental brush of her arm against mine.

When we pull up to my house, the sun has nearly set, and the sky is painted in shades of pink and orange. I park in the driveway and get out, circling around to open her door. The air feels thick as I guide her inside, my hand resting lightly on her lower back.

She’s here all of the time for work, but tonight feels different. Maybe because this is a date and not work-related. Maybe because I know that we’re both still thinking about her neighbors having loud sex.

“Wanna watch a movie or something?” I ask, trying to keep things casual, even though my heart is racing.

Evie nods, glancing around as she sits on the couch. I see her shiver and I move to build us a fire to warm up.

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