Page 10 of Scolded By the Mountain Man

Tyson swings his axe and splits another log in half like it was nothing, then turns around to face me. His upper half rises and falls as he gulps deep breaths of air. I wave to him, beckoning him inside. He looks at me for a second, then strikes the axe into the large cutting block and leaves it there before he walks over to the house.

I remember when I first made analyst at Goldman Sachs, I had to pitch a stock buy to Jerry, and I knew that bringing it to him as my own idea was super risky. But I did it anyway. I managed to convince him, and we made a lot of money on the trade, and that feeling of elation I felt then is nothing compared to how I feel now just wanting to give Tyson the sandwich I’ve made for him so I can see how he reacts. I don’t even know how to process that.

“Don’t you know when to quit?” I joke with him as he comes inside. This time I reach out and help him out of his poncho andhang it up for him. “You’ll pass out with that axe in your hand. Come on, I made us some sandwiches.”

This time, I’m sure I see him smile as he takes off his boots and walks over to the table with me. We both sit down and dig in. He nods with approval at the first bite, and my entire insides light up like a Christmas tree.

He likes it. Thank God.

“It may not be ‘cooking,’” he says. “But it’s good. Thank you.”

“Of course.” I smile. “And I’ll work on my custom meatballs next.”

Tyson nearly finishes his sandwich before I’ve even eaten half of mine. But I guess that’s how it goes when you’re a massive man more than twice my size and have been working hard all day.

His build is hypnotic. He’s massive, like a primal brute, giving nothing away. But there’s also something more to him. I can tell. He’s like a mystery wrapped in pure sex appeal, and I’ve never felt so drawn to anybody before.

“So, Mr. Mountain Man,” I say, flirtatiously. “What’s a big, handsome guy like you doing way up here in the woods all by himself?”

As if I’ve pressed a button or squeezed a trigger, Tyson rockets up from his chair, causing his plate to slam down on the table and nearly knocking his glass in the process. I yelp as it scares me and causes me to nearly jump out of my chair at the same time.

“Why don’t you stick to what you’ve got to do and mind your own business?” he growls, going back to his boots and his poncho.

Before I can even catch my breath or react, he slams the door behind him and is back outside in the rain. Moments later, I hear the sound of the axe again, rhythmic chops from the blade splitting wood.

What the hell was that?

6

TYSON

I wakeup on the couch feeling like an asshole. I shouldn’t have snapped at her like that yesterday, but she pushed the wrong button, and I reacted. So to make up for it, I gave her the bed.

I get up and notice the rain has mostly stopped. It looks like today will be the day that Penny will demand I take her home. A hollow feeling forms in my stomach when I think about leading her down the mountain and hiking back up here on my own.

I climb the stairs, expecting to find Penny still asleep in bed. Instead, I find her already awake and standing naked by the window. She turns and sees me, and for a moment I see a look flash across her face as she contemplates leaping back into bed to cover herself. But when she realizes I’ve seen it all before, she stands right in place where she is, almost defiantly, allowing my eyes to drink in the beauty of every inch of her curves. She really is unbelievably sexy.

“Looks like I was up before you this morning,” she says.

“Uh, no,” I lie in an attempt to save face. “I was just going to let you shower before me.”

She’s clearly not buying it and gives me a look up and down, then nods. “Uh huh.”

She steps past me and goes over to her clothes, which she picks up and then tosses back down on the bed. “You know, if I don’t get something new to wear soon, I’m gonna feel like I’m living on the streets–”

“Listen,” I interrupt. “I apologize for yesterday. I shouldn’t have snapped at you like that. It was wrong of me.”

Penny stops and turns around. I can see the need for what I’m saying in her eyes. She was more than likely going to just let what happened yesterday go and be the better person, but now that I’ve brought it up, her entire demeanor has shifted. She shakes her head warmly.

“It’s all right–”

“No, it’s not,” I reply, taking her hand in mine. “I was a total dick, and I apologize. And if you accept my apology, I have the world’s greatest joke to tell you.”

“The world’s greatest joke?” she asks, cocking her head to the side.

“That’s right,” I reply. “But only if you accept my apology.”

A tiny smile curls across her lips. She pretends to think about this for a moment, then nods. “Okay. I accept your apology. Now let’s hear it.”

---