Page 3 of Claimed By the Mountain Man

“Enjoy your drink, Gage,” I whispered seductively. Then, I winked at him and swaggered back to the bar—yes, I said swaggered. And when I looked back over my shoulder to seehim staring at me open-mouthed, I knew I was back on my game.Yes! The fuck my swagger was broken.

THREE

GAGE

I stared after Cooper, mouth agape, watching as he walked back to the bar with a little more swing in his hips than I thought was strictly necessary.I cannot believe that little shit winked at me!I closed my mouth and turned my attention back to my phone so as not to be caught ogling that fine backside of his. This was certainly not what I was expecting when I walked in here tonight. I’d never been so affected by a man at first sight like that… or ever, really. I was literally frozen in my tracks when I locked eyes with him. I’d seen my share of attractive men, but Cooper was like a walking dream. If I could have created my ideal man, he would have looked just like Cooper.

The man appeared more like a surfer just off the waves than a bartender in a mountain town. Tall—around 6’2”, I’d guess—leanly muscled, based on the fit of that too-tight t-shirt, with deep-brown eyes and wavy blond hair that sort of looked like he was growing out a military-style cut.Hmmm. I wonder if there’s a story there.Either way, all I knew was I wanted nothing more than to run my fingers through the honey-colored locks and find out if they were as soft as they looked, preferably while he wason his knees sucking my cock.Whoah! Where had that thought come from?

Once the image was in my head, though, I couldn’t shake it. And my thickening cock was obviously on board with the idea. I shifted in my seat, straightening and bringing my legs together underneath the table to hide my predicament. Good thing I had a habit of sitting in the bar and nursing my drink throughout the night, because it was going to be a while before I’d be able to stand up from this booth without giving the entire bar a clear shot at my jean-covered erection.What am I? A teenaged boy now?I usually showed much more restraint and self-control than this. Even when I had indulged in the whole hookup scene after moving here—or maybe overindulged would be more accurate since I was making up for lost time—I still held myself in check better than this. Meaningless hookups had gotten old pretty quick once I had worked that desperate need out of my system, and it had been nearly a year at this point since I’d been with a man, or with anyone, for that matter. Something told me, though, this was more about Cooper specifically than about men in general. And that scared the shit out of me. Because I couldn’t afford to have those kinds of feelings about him… or about anyone. I didn’t deserve to have them.

I spent the rest of the night sipping my whiskey, checking my phone, and surreptitiously sneaking glances at Cooper. Much as I tried, I just couldn’t stop myself. Despite a barely noticeable limp, he moved around the bar with an innate grace and confidence that was honestly impressive. After watching the way he moved, I was even more convinced the man had done a stint in the military at some point. There was something about the way he carried himself that I’d noticed in other men who were former military. Cooper was quick to smile and seemed to have a genuine rapport with the clientele. The man was fuckingcharming, no doubt about it. As I studied him, though, it seemed like not all of his smiles met his eyes, like he was performing—not in a malicious way, though. I didn’t get the sense he was disingenuous, just that he might be occasionally masking his feelings. Most people probably wouldn’t even notice; he was good at hiding it. But I’d been a trial lawyer for too many years in my previous life, and I had gotten very good at reading people. I paid attention more than the average person would. And I got the sense that Cooper was not quite as happy-go-lucky as he portrayed.

Anytime he interacted with his grandfather, though, now those smiles were 100% genuine. It was clear he adored the old man. Jim was a good man from what I’d seen, but he definitely did not suffer fools gladly. And although he gave his grandson a hard time—which Cooper gave right back, by the way—anyone could see the genuine love and affection between the two men. Even though I’d been pretty stealthy in my perusal, Cooper did catch me staring a couple of times and gave me a wide grin that sent a warm feeling throughout my body. If I didn’t know better, I would think I’d actually felt butterflies in my stomach for a second there. But I did know better, because I was a grown man, damn it! And grown men did not get butterflies, especially for someone they had barely even met. I tried to return Cooper’s smile with a small one of my own, but it likely came off as more of a grimace judging by his facial expression.

By the end of the night, my whiskey was nearly gone, and the day was starting to catch up with me. Even though I still was in no hurry to return to my quiet, empty house, I needed to get back home and go to bed. Cooper had been by a couple of times briefly to check on me, but the bar had been pretty lively, so he thankfully hadn’t had the time to really stop and chat… or to unnerve me any further than his mere presence already had.Now that the crowd had started to thin out quite a bit, though, I looked up to see him leaning against the side of my booth.

“Can I get you another, Gage? I’m here to serve, you know,” he purred to me, aiming a grin at me that could only be described as lascivious.

“I’m fine, thank you.”

“You certainly are. Very fine, indeed,” he drawled.

My head snapped up at that blatant flirtation, and I stared into his eyes, once again caught up in their espresso depths. They all bit glittered in the low light of the bar. I couldn’t help smirking at him. “Do those cheesy-ass lines usually work for you?”

He shot me a gorgeous, cocky smile before replying. “Sometimes, yeah, they do. So, are they working on you?”

“Afraid not. Nice try, though.”

“Well, tell you what. I’m about to take a break. How about I join you and try out a few more of my cheesy-ass lines? See if any of them work better. I’ve got a good feeling about it.” He leaned in close, licking his lips and aiming a mischievous smirk in my direction.

I had just lifted my glass to my lips to drink the last bit of my drink and nearly choked at his little display, sputtering out my reply. “N-No, I don’t—I don’t think that’s a good idea.”

“Why not?” he asked with genuine curiosity, as if he couldn’t fathom a reason why I wouldn’t want to spend time with him.

Truth is, I was grasping for reasons myself why I wouldn’t want to do just that. But then Jonah’s and Claire’s faces flashed through my mind, and I was reminded exactly why with startlingand heartbreaking clarity. “I really need to be getting home. I’ve got to get an early start tomorrow.” I couldn’t quite meet his eyes, though.

“I see. Well, I’d better get you your bill then.” He sounded so disappointed that it hurt my heart a little bit, even though I knew it was for the best.

“No need,” I said. “I always get the same thing. I know the amount.” Handing him a twenty, I said, “Here, keep the change.” But as his hand brushed mine to take the money from me, a spark of electricity seemed to shoot up my hand into my arm and straight to my chest. Shocked, my eyes shot to his, which were wide with disbelief. And I knew he’d felt it too.

I pulled my hand back and shot up from the booth, pushing my way past him to head toward the door. And just as I was about to push through it, I heard Cooper call out to me, saying, “See you next time, Gage. I’m looking forward to the chance to serve you again.”

I didn’t dare reply or even turn to face him. I just gave a slight wave of my hand to indicate I’d heard him and pushed through the door and onto the street. I all but ran to my truck and didn’t take a full breath until I was halfway down the street.I have a feeling this man is going to be a problem for me. An infuriating, hot-as-hell problem.

FOUR

COOPER

From the fire lookout tower, I scanned the mountainside through the binoculars for any sign of smoke that might indicate a forest fire. I had just clocked in about half an hour ago for my volunteer shift. And after checking the weather and wind speeds, I had immediately gotten to work. I enjoyed the quiet and the solitude of this small tower tucked into the trees on the mountaintop. It was a hike to get here, but the near-panoramic view was breathtaking. I would be tempted to make the hike even if I weren’t volunteering just for the view from this tower.

The forestry service no longer officially operated the tower since they now more often relied on planes, drones, and other camera setups to monitor the surrounding mountain range. Ashwood was a very small town, though, and still fairly remote even for emergency response personnel. So, the quicker we became aware of a potential fire, the safer for the community.

Years back, the town council had approached the forestry service to allow us use of this decommissioned tower. We agreed to maintain the tower—staffing it on a volunteer basis—and to immediately relay anything we saw directly to them and localfire fighters. In exchange, the forestry service gifted us an old Osborne Fire Finder system along with digital elevation mapping software and provided training on its use to all volunteers. That way, we could more accurately describe the location of the fire to emergency responders.

After moving back to Ashwood, I knew I wanted to give back to the community in some way, preferably in a way that would honor the friends I’d lost prior to moving back home. And working as a volunteer fire lookout ranger seemed like the perfect opportunity. I briefly considered being a volunteer fire fighter, but I knew that would be too triggering for me. Plus, with the slight limp I still had from my injury, I wasn’t sure I would be up to the task physically. My leg was mostly okay now after a severe break while on deployment several months earlier. I had spent some time in a military hospital overseas before being transferred to my base stateside for more rehab on my leg. Eventually, I took a medical discharge and returned to Ashwood. I had been an Army Ranger deployed overseas with my infantry squad when our vehicle hit an IED. My whole squad was killed. The only reason I survived was because I had just opened my door and was already jumping out when the blast happened. The force propelled me from the vehicle, giving me a concussion, various first and second-degree burns, and shattering my right femur in the process. Just the thought of the incident—that’s what the army called it: the incident—took me right back there.

Shaking off all thoughts of that darkness, I walked to a new position in the tower so I could scan a different area of the mountain for smoke. I couldn’t afford to lose myself to the past right now. Not when I had a job to do and people depending on me to do it. I only had a half-shift today, though, since I would be working at the bar again later. Based on the weather forecast and the humidity in the air, the conditions were unlikelyfor any major fires to develop. That meant a likely uneventful shift, which is the best kind, of course. But that also meant we’d likely be getting thunderstorms tonight, a fact that unnerved me a little bit.

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