Page 41 of Knot Her Mountain Men

Ryder shrugged. “I know which one of you I’d look at if I had to choose.”

My cheeks warmed as I pushed the shutter button to capture the image. The fox eyed us curiously, fully aware of our presence but apparently deeming us a minimal threat.

I glanced over to the screen on Ryder’s camera as he held the shutter down to capture a burst, the fox giving its head a shake that slowly rolled down its whole body. “You have the timing of a wizard.”

“He always does something cute when someone stops looking.” Ryder’s eyes locked on me, a warm chestnut brown that had my breath catching. “Hit your button.”

I held it down, turning to look at the fox and finding it rolled onto its back, staring at us upside down. “Oh my god. It’s so fucking cute.”

Ryder grinned at my side. “Told you. He’s been coming by for years. At least with two of us, the little asshole can’t save all his antics for when a camera isn’t ready.”

“Does he have a name?”

“Not really. Did you wanna give him one?”

“If you didn’t already have a dog named Pumpkin, I would suggest that purely for the color.”

“Pumpkin would get indignant as fuck if we gave her name to a fox.”

“It’s so much easier to think of girl names for orange and red things,” I lamented.

Ryder laughed. “I don’t think the fox is going to be too concerned about human gender binaries. Name him whatever you want. He won’t know the difference.”

“I guess that’s true. How do we feel about Ginger?”

“Suits him fine.”

Staring at the beautiful fox rolling around made me think of Maverick’s suggestion. “Mav thinks you should do a photo shoot with me in the snow.”

Ryder’s whole body tightened next to me. “Does he now? Are you bringing it up because you want to or because you think his idea is dumb?”

“I’m not a model,” I said slowly, “but I’m not opposed to the idea.”

The heat in his eyes had my stomach and pussy clenching, my scent erupting around us. Being around these alphas was like being transplanted into a whole new body. The more I let them touch me, the more I wanted them to, and the greater my curiosity became about what else they could show me. Ryder was the current mystery to me in this pack and I was getting impatient to solve him.

“You’ve gotta stop looking at me like that while smelling so sweet.”

“Or what?” I asked, throat dry.

His nostrils flared, hands curling tighter around his camera. “I’m not going to touch you without permission, but you’re triggering a lot of instincts.”

I swallowed hard, choosing my next words carefully, the syllables bouncing around in my head both enticing and terrifying. “What if you had permission?”

“I don’t think we should work in hypotheticals. My brain already runs wild without you giving it a helping hand.”

“It’s…not a hypothetical.” I tilted my head, examining him, curiosity stronger than sense—a common occurrence these days. “I’m giving you permission.”

In the next moment I was on my back in the snow, his mouth against mine, and every cell in my body was lighting up with desire. Maybe even without his scent, my omega instincts recognized him. It wasn’t quite the same as the helpless draw I felt toward Kit and Bear, but he and Maverick did create an insatiable curiosity I craved satisfying.

I moaned against his lips, need pulsing like one big bang of a kettle drum. I drank down his eagerness, already frustrated with the necessary layers between us.

I was primed from Maverick railing me in the sauna earlier and Bear cuddling all over me in the nest, my slick dampening my thighs since my lone pair of panties was air drying back at the lodge.

Ryder lifted up, his breath like dragon smoke as he panted. “You are a dangerous little thing.”

“How so?”

“Because all those sounds of yours are getting me to imagine making you come up against one of these trees.”

---