Page 6 of The Mountains Edge

"The one that's about to be snowed in?" Finn frowns.

"I tried to warn them, but they had some fancy GPS thing." She wrinkles her nose. "Said they didn't need local advice."

"I'll check it tomorrow," Jake says. "Rather prevent a rescue than perform one."

Daisy doesn’t move. The others are all trying to hide tier grins, until I sigh and sit down as well. If she is going to stay, she might as well join in. Scout takes up residence next to her chair.

Great. Now she has another fan.

The meeting falls into its usual rhythm with trail conditions, weather reports, tourist idiots to watch for. But I can't focus. Daisy's perfume keeps drifting over, something warm and spicy that makes me want to bury my face in her neck.

She catches me looking and she winks at me. The movement draws every eye in the room. These men are trained and don’t miss anything.

Fuck me. We need to find another place to meet.

Chapter 6: Daisy

The mountain men try to pretend they're just sharing trail reports, but I'm fascinated by their dynamic. The way they communicate in half sentences and subtle gestures. The respect they show each other's spaces. The quick glances at exits and windows.

Marcus keeps stealing looks at me when he thinks I'm not watching. Each heated gaze feels like a physical touch, making it hard to sit still.

Two can play that game.

I slide off the counter and stretch, deliberately letting my sweater ride up. "Anyone want coffee?"

A muscle jumps in Marcus's jaw. The others hide smiles.

"None for me," Jake says. "But heads up, Marcus. The new female doctor's asking about trail access to remote cabins. The doc might come knocking."

Marcus stiffens. "No. She can see you."

"She's persistent," Cole warns.

"Then I'll be persistently unavailable. You can handle it. I have my own shit to handle."

I bite back a grin, remembering our confrontation in the pet food aisle. "Yeah, how's that working out for you so far?"

His eyes snap to mine, dark with promise. "You're a special kind of trouble."

"Funny, my mother says the same thing."

Finn chokes on his beer. Even Cole cracks a smile.

I head for the coffee maker, very aware of Marcus's gaze following me.

"Trail's washing out near Miller's Creek," Cole says, dragging the conversation back to business. "Saw fresh slide damage yesterday."

I tune out their technical discussion of erosion patterns, focusing on making coffee. The ancient machine gurgles to life.

I can feel my skin prickle with need as Marcus crowds close, reaching past me for a mug. His chest brushes my back.

"You're doing this on purpose," he murmurs, voice pitched low enough that only I can hear.

I look up at him through my lashes. "Doing what?"

His free hand settles on the counter beside my hip, caging me in. Heat radiates from his body.

"Annoying me." His breath stirs my hair.

---