Page 10 of Savage Mountain Man

He looked over at the door, and the moment was gone. “I didn’t even know it locked until Georgia told me.”

I frowned. “Georgia?”

“The woman at the front desk,” he said.

The gorgeous, curvy woman at the front desk with long, blonde hair and a perfect smile?ThatGeorgia. Yeah, I might be more than a little jealous.

“I think she was playing matchmaker,” he said. “She asked about you, then told me the door locks from the inside, so be careful not to get locked out. It wasn’t just that she said it, it was the way she said it.”

“Oh.” Within seconds, I went from being jealous of Georgia to wanting to give her a big hug. When it came to romance, I could use all the help I could get. At the risk of sounding too self-involved, I had to know. “She asked about me?”

“Just where you were,” I said. “I guess she assumed you’d be with me. Watch out, people around here are already seeing us as a couple.”

I dared to look over at him again. “Is that a bad thing?”

He shook his head. “Not for me. I just didn’t know if you’d want to be linked to the former rival of the guy who owns the place.”

“I’ll be linked to you anytime.”

What did that even mean? It meant I was flirting. And flirting wasn’t like me at all. This guy just brought that side out of me.

But now we were staring at each other, and the air between us had gotten heavy. Charged. Like the outdoor sky just before a storm.

“So exactly how much experience have you had?” he asked.

Oh crap. I hadn’t expected that question.

“I’ve kissed guys, but it never felt right, you know?” I shrugged. “I’m sure they’re great for someone else. I guess I’m looking for…magic.”

“Magic,” he repeated.

I didn’t want him to think I’d set the bar ridiculously high or anything. All I knew was that I’d spent my whole life looking for what I’d shared with this guy in just the few hours I’d known him. Some sort of magic that I couldn’t define, but now I’d seen it firsthand, and nothing else would do.

“The guys were all juvenile and gropey,” I said. “Hands wandering, trying to cop a feel. I wanted my first time to be with someone who wasn’t so…”

I didn’t finish that sentence, mostly because I didn’t know exactly how to describe it. I’d never been able to tell anyone what was missing from the few kisses I’d shared with guys over the years, and I doubted I could start now.

“They weren’t like you,” I finally said, summing up exactly why I was having such a hard time explaining myself.

I held my breath as I waited for his response. I could have gone a step too far. What if he didn’t feel the same connection?

It was probably best to know before we went further. If I lost my virginity to this guy, I wanted it to be more than just a one-time thing. I didn’t just want him to be my first. I wanted him to be my last.

“I feel the same way,” he said. “I might not be a virgin, but I’ve spent my entire life looking for something more. I’ll try not to let my hands wander. But I want to kiss you.”

I couldn’t breathe. It wasn’t just the heat from the hot tub. It was the way he was looking at me. Plus the possibility that a kiss was in my very near future.

6

BRANDON

Her hands were wandering.

I barely noticed it at first. The kiss had taken over every cell in my body. The second our lips met, I learned the meaning of the term “sparks fly.” Sparks were shooting all around this room.

But gradually, I became aware of her hand moving up my thigh. I’d been keeping my own hands on the back ledge of the hot tub, doing everything I could to avoid becoming like the guys she described—instantly going for the grope when I should be focusing on the kiss.

I moaned against her mouth when she reached my upper thigh. She hesitated and pulled back slightly.

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