Page 7 of Savage

“Me?” I glance around to make sure I’m the one she’s asking.

“Yeah, you. Speak, before I change my mind.”

Laughter settles in my throat. “You’re too mouthy.”

She narrows her gaze and shakes her head back and forth slowly. “You know, I gave you an in. I asked about your life.”

“My life is simple. I grew up here, I work here, and I’ll die here.”

“Okay,” she rolls her eyes, “what do you do outside of birth, death, and work?”

“Fish, hunt, and take care of my sister.”

Scarlett twists toward me and leans forward as though she actually gives a shit about what I’m saying. “Why do you take care of your sister?”

“Her husband died out in the desert last year. Army. She has two small kids so I do what I can to help her. Right now, they need a new roof, so I spend a lot of time working on that.”

“Shit,” she lets out a sigh and shakes her head before taking a sip of coffee, “that’s terrible. I’m sorry to hear that. And here I am, giving you a bunch of shit daily.” Her gaze drops to the fireplace and back toward me again. “I’m sorry. Life is so unfair.”

“Why’s that?”

“I mean, I’m born into this pit of privilege and someone else can’t afford to put a roof on their house.”

“Life is fair enough to those of us who can see the gifts,” I groan, remembering why the two of us would never work. “The problem is that people like you are raised to believe that money is what equals success.”

She narrows her brows toward me as though she’s not sure where I’m going with this, which is also quite sad. This woman needs a few weeks out here with real folks doing real things. “What are you talking about? Moneyissuccess. The more money I have, the more opportunities there are. The more money I have, the more stable life is.Success.”

“Yet here you are, sitting in the prettiest lodge I’ve ever seen, on the most beautiful mountain in the world… miserable.”

A grin lifts her cheeks. “I appreciate that you have an affinity for this mountain, but it’s not the prettiestI’veever seen. It’s… a mountain, and I’m not miserable. I’m introspective. Maybe you should try it sometime.”

I laugh and shake my head. “You know some people might say that relationships are what define success in life.”

“And those people are poor.” She stands from the couch and turns toward me, her nipples still rock hard.

I grin wider and stand as well, taking a step toward her. “Money can’t buy fulfilling connections. And if you ask me, it seems you could use some of that.”

“And let me guess… you’re going to be the guy who gives it to me?” She stares at me as the flames flicker in her eyes. “You men are all the same. Always some big revelation about what’s wrong with a girl before you slap them with how you can fix it. Ya know… I’m sure I look like some spoiled little brat to you, but I worked hard to get here.”

I laugh. “Well, I guess I wouldn’t know how hard it is to spend my father’s money. I always had to make my own.”

She narrows her gaze toward me and steps forward. “Something tells me your father didn’t have any money to spend.” Her mouth is moving, but all I’m thinking about is that big ass that needs a spanking.

“Nope. Sure didn’t.” I move closer, watching a strand of her hair fall out of her vision. “He worked his ass off, came home, and loved his family. I remember him sledding with us, teaching me how to throw an axe, how to tack a horse, and how to treat a woman. What did your dad teach you?”

She narrows her gaze and steps so close that we’re nearly touching. “He taught me how to avoid assholes like you.”

“How’s that working for ya?”

Heat rises in the room and suddenly her lips are on mine, her hands on my shoulder. My tongue plunges into the kiss and I’m tasting the sugar that she’s put in her late-night coffee.

“Fuck,” I groan into her mouth and take her deeper, pulling her curved frame against me until I’m holding a handful of her big, round ass.

“Jesus, I bet you’ve been dying to do that, haven’t you?” she pants as she speaks.

“My cock was hard just thinking about it.”

Half a smile lifts onto her face as she leans into me for another kiss.

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