Page 5 of Her Mountain Man Recluse

“No.”

She waits for me to elaborate, but I don’t. It’s been a long time since I talked to anybody, and I’m not used to telling people my business. The silence stretches on, filled only by the crackling fire and the wind outside. Lila frowns at me when she realizes I’m not going to continue.

She must think I’m a miserable old bastard.

She’s not wrong, but for reasons I can’t explain, I care about what she thinks. Usually, I don’t give a shit if people think I’m cold or grumpy. When I go into Cherry Hollow for groceries or supplies, people don’t even bother trying to talk to me anymore. They leave me alone. That’s how I like things. But some stupid part of me wants this girl to like me. It doesn’t make sense.

“Well, I’m on vacation,” Lila says eventually, determined to fill the silence. “Kind of. It’s a long story, but I lost my job and some other stuff happened, and I figured hey, why not get out of Denver and head to the mountains for a couple of days?”

I mentally note everything she says about herself.

Lives in Denver.

Lost job.

On vacation.

I want to know more, but I can’t find the right words. Making conversation was never my strong suit, but since I left the military, it’s almost like the ‘social skills’ part of my brain has stopped working altogether.

“You…you live in Denver?” I grunt, feeling like a caveman who just learned to speak.

“Not for much longer.” Lila smiles wanly. “I’m moving back in with my parents in Colorado Springs. The rent in Denver is kicking my butt right now.” At that moment, Middy jumps onto the couch beside her, curling up in a black furry ball. “She really is the most adorable kitty. How long have you had her?”

“Four years.” I reach down to pet Middy’s head. “She was a stray. Found her outside my cabin.”

Lila’s eyes flicker back to me. “You live in a cabin? That’s cool. Is it like this one?”

“Bigger.” I shrug. “Guess that’s not saying much.”

She smiles at me, her plump red lips curving upward, and I swear my heart does a backflip.

“You’re right,” she says. “This place is cute, but it’s like a shoebox. Where is your cabin?”

“About ten minutes from here.”

Lila blinks at me. “Oh. So, uh, why?—?”

“A tree fell on the roof,” I say. “Came here to wait out the storm until I can get it fixed.”

Her eyes widen. “Shoot! I’m sorry. How bad is the damage?”

“Pretty bad, but not beyond repair.”

She lets out a whoosh of breath. “Well, thank God you both got out okay.”

I nod, feeling a rush of affection for her. She sounds genuinely relieved, and as she smiles adoringly at Middy, something squeezes tight in my chest. I’ve said more to this girlin the past five minutes than I’ve said to anybody else in five years. But that still doesn’t explain why I feel like my skin is on fire every time she looks at me.

Why does she have to be so damn pretty?

“Well, I don’t know about you,” Lila says with a yawn, “but it’s past my bedtime.”

She gets up from the couch, and as she walks toward a door leading out of the living room, I get another eyeful of her plump curves. My cock swells, blood rushing downward, and I bite back a groan. I’ve never felt this kind of longing before. It thrums like fire in my veins, hot and raw, and I’m so distracted that when Lila speaks next, I barely hear her.

“What did you say?” I ask, clearing my throat.

Lila is peering into the bedroom, not looking at me as she says, “There’s, uh…there’s only one bed.”

Still fighting down my hard-on, I join her at the doorway. The bedroom is small, the king-size bed taking up almost all the space. When I booked this place, it said there was only one bedroom, but I check the other doors just in case. There’s nothing but a bathroom and a kitchen that’s just about big enough for one person to cook.

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