Page 8 of Stranded with the Mountain Man

Why would it bother me? Unless she was thinking the same thing I was—that this was going to turn romantic. Maybe not today, but soon. I’d wait as long as she wanted.

“Guys tend to get freaked out,” she said. “They think sleeping with a virgin means committing to marry her or something. I’mnot saving myself for marriage. I just…” Sighing, she looked down, her hands at her sides. “My sister got pregnant when she was fourteen. I was in fifth grade at the time. My parents put the baby up for adoption, but it just screwed up everything. There was no path she could have taken that wouldn’t have a lasting impact on her.”

“I’m sorry,” I said.

I lost my virginity at fifteen. I’d been so immature, even though I thought I knew everything. I couldn’t imagine fathering a child at that age.

“I went on birth control when I was fifteen,” she said. “My mom insisted, just in case. I’ve been on it since. I just want to make sure when I do have kids, it’s by choice, not accident.”

“I couldn’t agree more. There’s never a perfect time, but it helps to be established in a relationship where you’ve both decided you want to start a family.”

The problem was, I could clearly see starting a family with this woman. In fact, suddenly, there was nothing I wanted more. Well, maybe one thing.

“I never thought I’d feel this comfortable around a guy,” she said. With a laugh, she looked down at herself. “I’m standing here topless, and I don’t even feel shy about it.”

“Well, not completely topless,” I said, letting my mouth tilt up in a hint of a smile. “In fact, you’re wearing way too many clothes, if you ask me.”

I could hear the sheer lust in my own voice. I wanted to see this woman naked more than I wanted to take my next breath.

“I could say the same about you.” She tilted her head slightly. “Maybe you should take off your clothes too.”

It didn’t make much sense for me to get naked to watch her swing around on a pole. But if it made her feel more comfortable, I’d do it. I reached for my suspenders, jerked them off myshoulders, then had the T-shirt on the floor next to where I stood a few seconds later.

I stopped there, though. If she was a virgin, it was too soon for her to see what she was doing to me.

Her hands hadn’t moved as she stared, eyes wide. “Oh, my God, you’re perfect.”

I didn’t know about that, but I’d take the compliment. “Thank you,” I said. “And you’re the most beautiful woman I’ve ever seen.”

At that, her eyes lifted to my face and she sucked in a deep breath. “That’s the most romantic thing anyone’s ever said to me.”

“There’s plenty more where that came from.”

Suddenly, she closed her eyes and reached for the fastening of her pants. She kept those eyes closed as she unbuttoned and unzipped, letting them fall to the floor. I stood frozen, unable to stop staring at the sight in front of me.

Yes, this was a woman who could make every day better. And I would make it my mission to do the same for her.

5

ELLA

My heart was pounding so hard, I was sure it was slamming into the wall of my chest. My legs were trembling. My palms even felt a little sweaty.

The problem was, I was about to execute some not-so-easy maneuvers on this pole. Sweaty palms and knocking knees would not help with that.

“Could you do me a favor?” I asked Zane.

He’d pulled up a chair and now he sat, arms crossed over his chest, waiting for the show. “Anything.”

That word went straight through me, making me feel tingly all over. “Could you play some music? Whatever you think would work for this.”

He focused on his phone, tapping around on the screen, and that oddly gave me a little relief. A few seconds without being watched helped me take some deep breaths and compose myself.

I could do this. I just had to remember what we learned in class.

It took a couple of minutes, but soon he had music coming through the speaker on his phone. It wasn’t the best sound, but itdid the trick. It replaced the silence in the room, which made me feel a little more comfortable moving forward with this.

I was aware of Zane’s eyes on me as I flirted with the pole, moving in circles while holding onto it, wrapping one leg around it and spinning around, then another, then both. The pole dancing instructor said I was a natural. I wasn’t sure how to take that at the time. I was a virgin who could work a stripper pole like a pro. If journalism didn’t work out, I could always do this for a living.

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