Page 13 of Protective Mountain Man

“Where did you sleep?” the dude with money asked. “I haven’t seen you.”

“Back there.” I hitched my thumb in the direction of the pool. “Anyway, I can give someone a ride.”

That was my way of expertly shifting the subject. The last thing I wanted to do was explain how I’d gotten into the pool area and why I’d slept there. I didn’t want anyone to know exactly where I’d been sleeping.

What if there were security cameras? Security cameras could’ve been recording the whole time. Why didn’t I even think to check for that?

My heart was racing as again I looked around for signs of Porsha. Asking about her would only make things worse.

“Why don’t I get Porsha out here and we’ll make a plan?” Alex asked.

Only then did I realize how tense I’d been over whether she was still here or not. My body relaxed. She was on site. Her job was okay. I hadn’t destroyed her entire career before it started.

Suddenly, though, her quick exit made more sense. I’d been beating myself up all night for getting so involved with someone who clearly wasn’t all that into me, but that wasn’t why she’d run out of the pool area.

Of course, she’d panicked. What we’d done had been highly unprofessional. I shouldn’t have let it happen. I’d put her job at risk. And that was the last thing I’d ever want to do. But she’d been hard to resist.

All I could do was vow never to do anything like that again. Not in her workplace, anyway.

“I can only fit one in my truck,” I said. “It’s a tow truck. It’s not really meant for passengers.”

“I’ll sit on his lap,” the wealthy woman said. “Just get me out of here.”

It had to be pretty bad for this woman to agree to sit on her husband’s lap all the way down the mountain. I didn’t know much, but I knew that.

“I think that’s illegal,” a woman’s voice said.

I knew that voice. I was pretty sure I’d hear that voice in my dreams for the rest of my life.

I turned to see Porsha entering from behind me. She was coming from the same hallway I’d just emerged from. There was more down that hallway than the pool. The linen closet, wherewe’d gotten all the blankets and pillows, was just one example. Still, I couldn’t help but wonder if she’d been peeking in the pool area to see if I was still there.

Our eyes met and held, and suddenly I knew everything was going to be okay. We just had to keep things professional in front of her boss. The warmth in her eyes was exactly what I needed right now.

A laugh behind me pulled my attention away from Porsha. I turned to see the wealthy woman shaking her head.

“There’s no police in this town,” she said. “It’s not like anybody’s going to give us a ticket for it.”

“Authorities shut down the road,” the man told his wife. “They could still be patrolling the area. I don’t want to risk it. Who else can take us?”

“Like I said, I’ll take you,” Alex said. “You just need to give me a few minutes to get everything squared away here.”

“I could use a ride too,” Porsha said.

I turned back toward her. She shrugged, giving me a weak smile.

“My dad drove me here,” she said. “He was worried about my safety. He thought my car couldn’t make it.”

“He was probably right,” Alex said. “I can squeeze you into my car too.”

“I’ll take you,” I rushed to say. “I’m heading down the mountain right now. I need to get to work.”

We walked to my truck in silence, keeping plenty of distance between us. But as soon as we were inside, doors closed behind us, we came together like we’d agreed on it beforehand.

It wasn’t a passionate kiss—not the kind that leads to sex. It was a sweet, romantic kiss—the kind that told her I was hers. And the kind that made me very hopeful she was on board for spending the rest of our lives together.

Finally, I pulled back. “We should go. But how about I take you to dinner tonight before your shift?”

I held my breath, waiting for her answer. This was it. I was pretty sure she’d say yes, but there was a small chance my heart would be broken here.

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