Page 9 of Savage Mountain Man

“I’ve never done this before,” she said.

“Been naked with a guy in a hot tub?” I joked, relieved that this was why she’d been frowning. “Me, either. If that’s what your friends consider fearless, they probably would dare me to do a few things too.”

Kacie looked like she wanted to say something, but the words weren’t coming. Instead, she just stared at me, making me wonder if I’d scared her off with my massive erection.

Yes, it was clear she turned me on. If she didn’t have sex with me in mind, she might be looking for a way out of this.

“I probably should tell you something before this goes any further,” she said.

A rollercoaster of emotions followed those words. She was thinking about this going further. That was a good sign. But she wanted to tell me something.

She was married. Engaged. Dating someone. All those things would bring this to a screeching halt. No way was I going to be someone’s side dude. Besides, I wouldn’t do that to another man. Cheating sucked.

“This morning, when you saw me on the gondola, you were the first man to ever see me naked,” she finally said, the words coming out in a burst. “I’ve never done any of this before, and that’s why my friends think I’m living my life in fear. I want to prove them wrong. And I want you to help.”

5

KACIE

The stakes were high. I didn’t realize how high until my confession was met with complete silence. It was a silence that seemed to stretch for hours as I held my breath, awaiting his response.

What if I scared him off? Worse, what if he thought less of me? He wouldn’t be the first guy who’d written me off as some sort of uptight goody-two-shoes.

It was always the same. They’d say they respected me, but they’d never ask me out on a date—or call me back if we’d been out a time or two. Not that I was ever all that heartbroken over it. It just was frustrating.

But this time, I wasn’t sure what I’d do if the guy wrote me off as a bore. I couldn’t do anything about my past, but I was pretty sure I wanted this guy to be my future.

“Are you saving yourself for marriage or just for the right person?” he asked.

“For the right person,” I said without even thinking about it. “I never pictured myself as losing my virginity on my wedding night. My parents didn’t even demand that. They were just sure everyone in town was after their money, which made itimpossible to date or make friends. When I went off to college, I felt free for the first time in my life.”

And that was the truth. In college, I no doubt could have found someone to take my virginity off my hands if I really wanted. But after a while, I decided I wasn’t going to let my peers pressure me into doing something I wasn’t ready to do. Taking the dare this morning had been all about proving to myself that I wasn’t afraid.

“It’s one of those things that becomes a bigger deal the more time passes.” I sighed. “Part of me wants to just get it over with, but I’m the type of person who can’t get naked with just anyone.”

Heat rushed to my face at the words. I was suddenly all too aware that I was naked with this guy. Not only that, but we’d both seen each other without clothes on.

“I feel that way too,” he said. “It’s been a while since I was a virgin, but that doesn’t mean sex isn’t a big deal to me. Some people can get naked with anyone. That’s not me.”

Our eyes held in a long stare that made my heart do flip-flops. So much was being said in the looks we were exchanging. It wasn’t just me. This was special to him too.

And suddenly, I knew what I wanted. I wanted him close to me. I wanted to feel his hands on me. I wanted to run my hands over his body. I wantedhim.

“There’s plenty of room on this bench over here,” I said, suddenly not feeling a bit shy.

His eyebrows lifted. “Is that an invitation?”

“More of a request,” I said. “Feel free to say no.”

I hadn’t even gotten the last word out when he was on his feet, crossing the small space between us. There really wasn’t all that much room on the bench, but if he noticed, he didn’t say anything. Instead, he settled in next to me, his thigh snuggled against mine.

My breath caught at the first contact with him. We hadn’t even touched hands, but our naked thighs were pressed together.

“Did you lure me here because you knew the door locked?” I asked, looking over at him.

Turning my head put our faces breathtakingly close. All I’d have to do was move forward a little, and if he met me halfway, we’d be kissing.

I wanted that more than I wanted anything.

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