Page 96 of Knot Her Mountain Men

“Whoever you want, little fox. It’s your space.”

I swallowed hard. “Everyone,” I said more firmly.

“Get settled with Bear,” Maverick said. “We’ll clean up from dinner and be there soon.”

My probably trauma-induced independent streak demanded I get on my own two feet and walk, but I was so comfortable in Bear’s arms I couldn’t open my mouth to ask for it. I didn’t reallywantto; I just always felt like Ihadto.

Bear went on a quick detour to the study, and it took me a few moments of staring at it before I realized what he intended to show me. A fifth desk. A computer was set up along with a microphone on a boom arm.

“For me?”

Bear nodded.

“Can I go see?” I asked. Bear walked us over and set me on my feet next to the desk. “This is way nicer than what I was working with before. When did you guys even get this? You have to let me pay you back.”

He shook his head and signed, “Ryder and Maverick have money. Don’t worry about it.”

“You can’t tell me not to worry. That’s not how my brain works.”

He smiled indulgently and drew my attention back to his hands again. “Maverick has a trust fund.”

I stared at him for so long that he repeated himself. “I’m sorry,what? Why is he living out here if he has a trust fund?”

“Because I like it.”

I turned, the rest of the pack joining us, Maverick at the lead.

“I was a country boy cursed to be born in the city,” Maverick said with a laugh.

“He funded the lodge,” said Kit. “Ryder too. Bear and I had the knowledge and connections out here. Those two had the dollars.”

“You’re under strict orders not to worry aboutanymoney we spend on you,” Maverick told me. “I promise it’s no hardship.”

I struggled with the concept. “But won’t you worry I’d bond you for the money? Isn’t that a thing people with money worry about, or is that just on TV?”

Maverick laughed. “Sweetheart, I think we all know you’d rather rip out your own fingernails than bond someone for money. You’re the polar opposite of a gold digger.”

A nervous whine dropped from my lips. My family had made a lot of money, but that didn’t mean we had much. Ten kids, five parents, and a farm burned up most of the disposable income. Maverick had bought me a professional-grade computer without even telling me. Anything I’d gotten growing up was presented to be part of a whole production where I’d have had to profusely thank whoever had deemed me worthy of some small gift.

“Hey, it’s okay.” Maverick crossed the distance between us and pulled me into a hug. “I wanted to do something nice for you. I don’t even know if I bought the right thing. I asked the people at the store to put together something that would be good for making videos.”

“Thank you.” I squeezed him tightly, trying to push back the compulsion to behave for him the way I had for my family. “It’s perfect.”

Bear tapped my shoulder, tilting his head back toward the door, and signing something to the others that I assumed was ordering us upstairs. Maverick took over carrying me, his purr rumbling as if he was just happy to touch me and not holding on to an assumption I couldn’t get there myself. It wasn’t fair to any of them how much I had to untangle inside my own head, but I was working on it.

We sprawled out on the nest, Bear on the bottom with me draped over him, Ryder and Kit to each side, and Maverick using my ass as a pillow, his hand curled over my calf.

I lost track of how long we lay there. Everyone stayed physically connected, gentle touches and soft purrs filling the quiet and calming down my overwrought nervous system.

“You all touch the same stuff, but it feels different with each of you.”

“How so?” Kit asked, lifting his head so I could get lost in the amber brown of his eyes.

“I don’t know. Everyone touches me with a different energy.”

“Think you could tell us apart with your eyes closed?” he asked.

“Scent might give you away, but I think so.”

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