Page 14 of The Haunting of the Mountain

“But you should get some sleep. Be good for that leg.”

Immediately I remember the way his hands felt on my skin. It’s so vivid it feels like they’re still there. If only…

“It’s better now that you helped me.”

He makes a guttural noise and then bites the inside of his mouth. Crackle, crackle, crackle. We hold each other’s gaze until his gruff voice fills the void.

“I’ll get you set up in my room.”

“I’ll take one of the other rooms.”

“Afraid they don’t have beds. I don’t get many visitors up here. Use ‘em for storage.”

“Then I’ll take the couch.”

“No,” he says reactively, if a little forcefully. He takes a deep breath, and then says, “The couch is fine for me. After sleeping on the ground for the past week, it will be a luxury.”

I eye him for a moment, taking in the breadth of him. He’s so large. Wide and thick. I can’t imagine him sleeping on a couch, but I could imagine him sleeping on the forest floor.

“You know they make air mattresses. Cots too.”

He smiles. “Need to pack light. Makes me feel closer to Mother Nature. Sometimes I stay at one of the hunter cabins around the mountain. Simple structures with nothing much more than a cot. Some shelves. Maybe a table and chair.”

I cringe. “My muscles are cramping just thinking about it. Do you use logs for pillows?”

“A nice round stone works too.”

For a moment, I think he’s being serious. But then the smile widens and I laugh. “Okay. Remind me never to camp with you.”

“I’ll change your mind.”

I don’t doubt that he will. I take one more bite of his delicious dessert and then stand up. But as it turns out, my muscles were indeed cramping and I have a massive charley horse in my calf that damn near brings me to my knees if not for Stone. He wraps his arms around me so fast that I hardly realize what happened until he speaks.

“Are you okay? What’s wrong?”

He brushes a few stray hairs off my face as his fingers graze my lips. I no longer feel the cramp. I’m feeling a different kind of throbbing as I stare into his concerned eyes.

“Charley horse.” My voice is thin as I urge what little breath in my lungs out.

“Let’s get you to bed, Kyla. Give that leg some rest.”

I nod. “Okay.”

He scoops me up off the ground in one effortless motion. I wasn’t expecting that but I’m not complaining about the rugged mountain man sweeping me off my feet and carrying me into bed. I should probably brush the sugar off my teeth, but I’m not going to stop this train right now…

He sets me down on the bed. “I’ll get fresh sheets.”

“No,” I say, far more forcefully than I intend. I’m not sure where it came from but I think it spooked Stone a little bit. “It’s late and I don’t want to cause you any more trouble.”

He stares at me, eyeing me carefully. “If that’s what you want.” His voice is so low and raspy that I somehow feel it in my chest, vibrating inside me.

I nod. “Thanks for everything.”

“Anything,” he rasps, and I swear he whispers “for you” as he turns.

I fall back as soon as he shuts the door, damn near squealing when my head hits the pillow. I grab it, shoving it into my face so that I can squeal, releasing a bit of the tension that’s been building.

This is insane. Absolute madness. Forget my paranormal investigation. I’m considering an entirely different investigation now that I’ve met Stone. I take a deep breath, and immediately my body lights up at his scent. So much so that I take another whiff. A huff.

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