Page 16 of Taught By the Mountain Man

I can’t help but smile, a mixture of fear and hope swirling within me.

“You really mean that?” I ask, my voice trembling slightly.

He wraps his arms around me like a protective shield from the world's cruelty, then leans in, rolling his forehead against mine. “I want you to feel safe with me, Star. I want to be someone you can lean on, no matter what.”

His confession makes my heart swell, and I want him closer, craving more of his warmth.

“I do feel safe with you,” I admit, my voice gaining strength.

In his arms, I’ve never felt so safe, so protected, and so loved that it makes every single one of my muscles sing. With the moon as the backdrop right behind Barrow, it almost makes him look more angelic and beautiful.

I’m hopelessly in love with this man.

As a matter of fact, I don’t think I ever stopped loving this man from the moment our eyes met.

The nervousness fades as I gaze at him, replaced by a warm surge of something deeper. My tongue glides over my dry lips, and I catch him watching, a flicker of memorization dancing in his eyes. He meets my gaze, and I tilt my head slightly, letting my long lashes frame my gaze as I hold his stare, welcoming and intimate—

Inviting him in.

As if he understood what I wanted before I did, he firmly pressed his body back down, his lips on mine again. Like the very first time he kissed me, electricity zaps through me, igniting my body like an open flame.

He is the match, and I am the gasoline.

He is the spark I never knew I needed, lighting up the darkness within me.

He is the sun breaking through the clouds, illuminating the shadows of my heart.

The fluttering feelings in my stomach only intensify, and every nerve-ending part of me screams for him. All I can focus on is how addicting and soft his lips feel against mine. I could feel my core clenching when we parted our lips, our tongues greeting each other in a sensual dance.

His kisses are tender, slow, and gentle, like he has all the time in the world when it comes to me.

I like that about him: his confidence in knowing what I needed before I even knew.

It’s weird that I’m usually shy about anything like this, but right now I feel anything but shy.

Maybe it was because it’s Barrow.

Maybe it was because everything felt perfect at this very moment.

Maybe it was because of how he looked at me, his deep gaze filled with a mix of desire and tenderness, that made me feel alive in a way I had never experienced before. With each passing moment, the warm feeling building in my chest and at my core only seemed to amplify my boldness.

I bring my hand from the back of his neck forward to cup his face, his stubblescratching lightly against the palms of my hands in the progress. A whimper tumbles into his greedy mouth, and it seems to set off something in us that’s as raw as it was primal.

I’ve never wanted a man as much as I wanted Barrow.

He breaks away from our kiss to grab onto the back of his shirt, yanking it over his head. Then, as quickly as I manage my next air intake, his lips are on mine again. I can’t think straight over how loud my heart is pounding, our kisses growing more intense under the moonlight.

More, more, more.

When it comes to this man, I feel this insatiable hunger unlike anything else.

Then, when he finally broke away, leaving me panting and breathless for more.

Just like when he asked me to be his date for his back-to-school fundraiser, I’m barely able to think properly when he starts to nibble and suckle my skin softly. He hums, his chest vibrating intensely against mine, his mouth tracing my jawline.

What’s happening to me?

Is it supposed to feel this intense?

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