Page 21 of Auctioned to the Mountain Man

Fox pins me in place with his gaze as he sucks my juices off his middle finger, and dammit if I don’t want more. But not just this morning. Oh no. My traitorous body wants more of this on a regular basis.

“Fox?”

“Get dressed.”

“Oh.” I feel my body start to wilt, the fireworks he ignited flaming out in rapid succession.

He hooks a finger beneath my chin, drawing me forward until my nipples graze his bare chest. The hunger in his whiskey brown eyes has my lips parted in another softoh, but no sound leaves my throat.

He drags the rough pad of his thumb across my lips before his hand falls to the bathroom handle. “Make no mistake, sweetheart,” he says, slowly closing the door and shutting himself out. “This is definitelyto be continued.”

CHAPTER

TWELVE

FOX

“Man, I could live in a place like this,” Alida says, wonder twinkling in her eyes, as we stroll down the main strip of Evergreen Pass.

It’s no surprise that it’s another full day of holiday plans. My family has always gone all out, and this year is no exception. As much fun as it is to see wonderment in the eyes of the littles—and Alida—I wish I had any excuse to take her back to the cabin now so I can make love to her all afternoon.

“You could move here,” I suggest, easily able to envision a life with her in this quiet town. I’d happily sell my place for a new beginning here with Alida. We’d have a cabin a short distance from town to ensure our privacy. The town is small, but there’s an urgent care clinic. I almost say as much, but Alida doesn’t give me the chance.

“I can’t move,” she says as we stroll along the snow-dusted sidewalk, my family ahead of us.

“Why not?”

“My mom would haunt me if I abandoned that house.”

“What doyouwant, Alida?”

“Doesn’t matter what I want.”

The flippant tone of her words causes frustration to well up inside me. How much has Alida sacrificed in the name of those she cares about? “You don’t think your mom would want you to be happy?”

“I am happy.”

“Bullshit.”

“What would you know about my life, anyway?” she challenges, some of the sparkle leaving her blue eyes and a daring fire kindling in its place.

I’m not about to admit that I’ve kept a much closer eye on her these past three years than she knows. I told myself I did it to honor Brett’s wishes. But truth be told, I’ve done it more for Alida. Until now, I’ve never allowed myself to be honest about my true feelings. I’ve been in love with this beautiful, smart, pain in the ass woman since the moment I met her. After talking with Grandpa Eddie last night, I’m through feeling guilty about those feelings. “I know you deserve to be happy, Alida.”

“Yeah, not all of us can afford that luxury.”

I wrap an arm around her shoulders, pulling her against my side until my lips press against her cheek. “That’s not true anymore, sweetheart.”

“You think you know everything!” she hisses, and I feel her muscles clench. I recognize the fight building in her body as if it’s muscle memory and not her truth. “You don’t,” she insists, trying to convince herself, but then she glances up through her lashes and Iknow. She wants to be happy. She wants it more than she’s ever wanted anything.

I yank us to a stop and tug her against me by her coat. She bites her lip and doesn’t fight me. I didn’t think she would. I cup her cheek and draw her in for an unnecessary kiss. She melts right into me, and dammit if my dick doesn’t get half hard at her enthusiastic response.

“What was that for?” she pants when I break apart the kiss, apparently forgetting she was trying to be mad at me.

“Because I felt like it.”

She licks her lips. “What else do you feel like?”

I press my forehead against hers, completely aware we have an audience nearby. Good to know I haven’t lost all of my training.

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