Page 6 of Stranded with the Mountain Man

Our eyes met then, leading me to re-evaluate the words I’d just said. I’ll take abigslice of that. Did that sound flirtatious?I’d never flirted with a guy in my life. It wasn’t my personality. I was bold, assertive, and knew what I wanted as far as a career, but when it came to anything having to do with romance, I was lost.

But something in his eyes flashed in the seconds before he turned back to scoop out a piece of lasagna for me. And that something told me that he’d registered the comment and even enjoyed it.

Oh yeah, I could get myself in deep trouble with this guy.

4

ZANE

“I’d love to slide down that pole.”

Ella’s eyes were wide as she said those words toward the end of our lasagna lunch. Maybe it was her mention of sliding down a pole, or maybe it was just the way her eyes lit up, but the whole thing went straight to my dick.

I shrugged. “Let’s go.”

I tried to act nonchalant, but there was nothing the slightest bit casual about what I was feeling as I led her to the upper floor, which was mostly storage. The chief’s office was up here, but he never used the pole either. The whole thing was mostly for show.

“I’ll go first,” I said. “Then I can catch you at the bottom if I need to.”

She stood behind me, eyeing the hole in the floor. She was a little nervous about it. My goal was to show her it was no big deal while also making sure she stayed safe.

I grabbed onto the pole, wrapped my legs around it, and held her stare as I dropped through the floor. Feeling the pole between my legs reminded me that she’d be doing this next.

In my fantasy, she was wearing next to nothing as she slid down that pole. And she’d be doing it just for me, knowing how much it turned me on.

Shit. I’d gone way too long without sex. I’d definitely rub one out later with that fantasy in mind, though.

Once I was at the bottom, I stood back, hands on my hips, looking at the pole. “Just grab onto it and wrap your legs around it as I showed you. Keep your grip a little loose so you don’t hurt your palms on the way down.”

Was she hearing any of this? All I got was silence in response. But suddenly, I heard rustling, and then those black dress flats appeared, followed by the cuffs of her pants. She was coming down, and I couldn’t take my eyes off her.

Only as she landed with a jolt did I remember I was supposed to be standing by to help if she needed it. I wouldn’t be much help at all standing way back here.

But as she stepped away from the pole, it was clear she’d done just fine without me. In fact, she had a glow about her, and her eyes were practically sparkling.

“It’s like pole dancing,” she said, looking at the pole and brushing her hands together.

She then wiped her hands on her pants. Luckily, Tyler kept the station pretty clean or that would’ve left residue for sure.

“Did you say pole dancing?” I asked as I finally registered the words that had come out of her mouth.

Maybe I’d imagined it. Oh God, I hope I hadn’t imagined it. She’d think I was a total perv.

“For a story in college, some friends and I took a pole dancing class,” she said. “Of course, we didn’t strip or anything.”

Good Lord. Her words were only worsening my erection. Maybe I should change the subject.

“Show me.”

Those words popped out of my mouth before I could stop them. It was exactly what I wanted her to do. But I needed to change the subject if I had any hope of getting this hard-on under control.

“Let me see if I remember,” she said.

She was eyeing the pole. She stepped toward it again and put both hands on it, then wrapped one leg around it, leaned back, and spun her body around. Even though she was fully clothed, it was the sexiest damn sight I’d ever seen.

“Did you wear workout clothes in class?” I asked.

She glanced over at me, seemingly thrown by the question at first, but then she shook her head. “Shorts and a T-shirt. Some of the women took their tops off and wore only their sports bras. I guess it made them feel sexier. I was too shy.”

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