Page 14 of Chosen for the Mountain Man

She gasps, arching as my fingers find her pussy. “Prove it.”

And I do—working her into a writhing mess, until she’s begging me to tip her over the edge…

“Max…” she finally yells, coming apart under the water, her body spasming against me.

Last night waseverything, and I’m riding on such a high I can barely stand it.

I towel her off, stealing kisses and making her giggle as we slip into bathrobes. Ciara’s robe hangs off one shoulder, revealing a constellation of love bites I planted earlier. Mine’s tied so haphazardly it’s a miracle it’s holding on.

That’s when the doorbell rings, and someone pounds on the front door. I frown. No one just drops by my cabin.

“Expecting someone?” Ciara asks, wincing as she adjusts her footing. She waves me off when I reach for her. “I just stepped wrong. No big.”

“I’m not expecting anyone,” I reply, cinching my robe tighter, then heading out to get the door.

I swing it open…and freeze.

Duke and Ro stand on the porch, flanked by a pissed-off Lennox Steele (yeah, the rock star), a guilty-looking Hallie, and an older couple who look like they’ve just sniffed expired milk. Ciara’s parents, if I had to guess.

Ro’s eyes widen at my robe, while Duke’s grin is downright diabolical. “Looks like we crashed a party, folks.”

Lennox steps forward, jaw ticking, like a thundercloud about to unleash its fury. “Where thehellis Ciara?”

“Right here,” Ciara says, hobbling into view. Her face pales when she looks past me. “Hallie? Mom? Dad? What the?—”

“Youliedto us!” her mom snaps, eyeballing our robes. “You said you were staying with Hallie!”

Hallie raises her hands. “I’m sorry, CC—Lennox mentioned you weren’t with us and Mom panicked?—”

“And you didn’t think to text or call?” Ciara’s voice cracks.

“We’ve been blowing up your phone all morning!” her dad barks.

Oh. Right.Our phones are still charging in the bedroom, untouched since last night. We were…busy.

Lennox jabs a finger at me. “You think it’s cool to prey on a girl with a chronic condition?”

“Chronicwhat?” I blink. What is he talking about?

“RA,” Hallie mutters. “Rheumatoid arthritis? She’s had it since she was nine.”

“And she’s probably in agony right now,” her mom finishes.

I turn to Ciara, who’s gone statue-still. Her throat bobs.Is she in pain?

“You... didn’t tell him?” her mom whispers, horrified.

The guilt on Ciara’s face guts me. All those times she winced, the “sprained ankle”...

“She didn’t mention it,” I say, voice thin.

Ciara flinches. “Thisis why!” She gestures at the tribunal on the porch. “You all treat me like I’m made of glass! I wantedoneweekend where I wasn’t ‘Ciara, the fragile patient.’ Just…’Ciara the woman’.”

Her dad crosses his arms. “You’re coming home. How you think you can run off with a man you met online is beyond me. Besides, you’ll be laid up for weeks if you pushed yourself?—”

“No.” The word rockets out of me before I can stop it. Everyone stares. “She’s an adult. She makes her own choices.”

Lennox snorts. “Says the guy who’s taken advantage of her. How many times did you bang her?—”

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