Page 12 of Sheltered By the Mountain Man

She's a curious mix of courage and uncertainty. A mystery I want to solve and savor. Why was she on the hike when she didn't know anyone? Did a friend cancel and she decide to go by herself? I called Bishop at the mountain rescue after Bella went to get a shower. He had only just been notified of her absence. She’d been with me for over an hour. Who knows how long she wandered in the woods. What the fuck? Didn't the hiking leader do a headcount?

Scowling, I open the door and freeze.

Bella is in the dining room, highlighted only by firelight. She's wearing one of my flannels like a damn dress and my socks go to her knees. But seeing her in my clothes? Thatdoes somethingto me.

It's primal...feral. She's wearing my clothes—my scent. As she should, because she'smine.

“Guess it's just us and the storm now, sweetheart.”

I close half the distance between us in two strides before reason catches up with me, and I stop by the dining room table. Bracing my weight on a chair, I drag in a calming breath.

Bella's eyes are wide, her lips parted. Her heartbeat flutters beneath the delicate skin of her neck, calling to me.

Is she afraid? Does she feel this aching pull between us?

Does it matter, Walker? She's too innocent for you.

Dammit, I know that. Even if she wasn't, Bella needs a man she can rely on. That's not me. It hasn't been for a long time.

The soul-crushing admission is finally what it takes to break the spell I'm under.

“Mason?” Her voice is soft in the darkness.

A muscle tics in my jaw. “Warm up by the fire, sweetheart. Let me get dressed.”

“Do you want the med-gel?” She takes it from the first aid kit and holds it out, tentatively closing the remaining space between us.

I do, but the closer she gets, it's not the gel I want. It’s her mouth under mine. Her body pressed tightly against me until I feel every dip and curve.

My body responds to the vivid images I'm painting for it. Yes, Bella, naked underneath me. My cock stiffens in approval, tenting the towel. If she sees it in the flickering firelight, she doesn't acknowledge it.

“Do you want help applying it?”

Having her soft hands on my bare skin a second time would be my undoing. Especially when all that separates us is this towel and a flannel shirt I have no qualms about ripping in half.

My innocent little lamb looks up at me with wide, trusting eyes.

I take in the way the flannel skims her curves, revealing as much as it hides. Sure never thought my shirts were sexy before, but on Bella? I barely suppress the growl that rumbles in my chest. That shirt has never looked so damn good.

She has no idea how close I am to the edge. The realization gives me a breather. A way off the cliff before I take us both somewhere she's not ready to go.

Hell, neither am I.

My fingers brush her palm as I take the tube of gel. “Not this time, Bella.”

She looks like she might protest. Then a thread of uncertainty crosses her face. “I'll get you some clothes.”

She doesn't wait for me to respond, just hurries to my bedroom, head lowered, and her arms crossed.

That's when it hits me like a fucking sledgehammer. Bella's comments about her hiking group, Bishop's late notification that she was missing... my shy little lamb is used to being overlooked.

The thought wraps around my chest like barbed wire. Sharp and unforgiving.

I don't know what's worse—that it took people too long to notice she was missing or that she expected it. Accepts it as her reality.

I made a career out of remaining unseen. My teammates used to tease me for being as big as a bear and silent as a ghost. What would it be like to go unnoticed… not by choice but because no one ever sees you? Not that I can fathom people overlooking Bella. She's shy and quiet, sure. But her soul shines bright—even when she doesn't say a word.

Icouldn’t forget her after a single glance at the bank. Three seconds and she was imprinted in my mind.

---