Page 3 of Wanted Mountain Man

I’m not meant to let anyone know where I am staying, but I’m not about to leave this sweet girl out here on her own. And so I keep a firm hold of her as we make our way deeper into the forest towards my cabin.

Though heaven help me when we get there. I am not the greatest at talking to women. I never know what to say. My sister is always on at me to date more, but I’m no good at small talk and in my experience, women always have an agenda. Usually they are attracted to the uniform or they know about my family money. Just once it would be nice to meet a girl who says exactly what she wants without playing games. A girl I could imagine a future with.

This girl might be all innocent, sweet smiles. But I have fallen for sweet smiles before. Best I remember that I am onthe job and she is under my protection and I need to keep this professional.

Chapter 4

April

His cabin doesn’t hold much in the way of personal items. There is a single bed in the corner, an empty crate turned on its side acts as a bedside table. There is a small kitchen area, one wooden chair facing the fire. A one man cabin, the lack of personal items speaks volumes. He is a drifter. Not to be tied down.

My eyes keep darting over to that bed. Isn’t this exactly what I wanted? He is attractive. Clean. A stranger, never to be seen again. And we do seem to be stuck here with not much else to do.

He is a stranger but already there are acts of kindness. Him telling me to warm myself by the fire. The way he stepped in and rescued me. How he kept me by his side.

And he is attractive. There is an energy about him, with the body of an athlete and his warm smile. I find myself staring at his arms, the front of his t-shirt that indicated hard muscle underneath.

“Would you have sex with me?”

“What??” He turns so fast. His frown dark. He looks annoyed like I've asked a stupid question.

And it is a stupid question. What other girl has to go around asking if a stranger will have sex with her? But I really feel likeif I could just do it once, then I would understand how to look sexy. I would have more confidence to flirt with a guy. I could stop thinking about sex all the time, so many questions would be answered, and then I could move onto other important things.

But because I’ve not yet had sex, I’m not yet brave enough to push the matter. Or have any idea how to seduce this guy into it. And he looks so annoyed and tense.

“It’s not important. I was just asking if I was the type of girl you would want to have sex with?”

“You are very pretty.” His words are terse. Like someone telling a child what they want to hear.

I watch him as he turns back to fixing the food. But then he turns back to me. “What sort of question is that? You can’t just go around asking strange men if they would have sex with you. Don’t you know that just asking about sex makes men think about it?”

“I don’t know anything. I’ve never had sex. I don’t think I’m the sort of girl men want to… I’ve never…” Fuck, this is awkward with him staring at me like that.

He shakes his head. His hands curled into fists at his side as he seems to be debating with himself. And then he walks over, pulls up a crate and sits down opposite me. I look into his eyes and pick up a note of caring mixed in with frustration and anger.

“Look, April. You are still young. You are a beautiful girl. But you can not go around talking to strange men about sex. Do you know the trouble you could get yourself into? There are bad people in this world. People who would just take what they want. You have to be smart and protect yourself. I’m sure, one day you will meet someone special and everything will work out fine for you.”

“You think I’m beautiful?” Those words had struck a chord in me and made my heart race faster.

“You heard the rest of what I said, right?”

I nod but all I really heard was that he thinks I’m beautiful. No man had called me beautiful before and I had a feeling he meant it.

“Would you kiss me?”

Jack jumps up as if I’d asked him to set himself on fire. “Damn it, April. No. You’re too young.”

I get up and follow him back to the kitchen area. “I’m twenty three. And it’s just a kiss.”

He grabs me by my arms. I feel he is close to shaking me. But I can also feel a heat radiating off his body that I want to get closer to. I’m close enough to pick up the smell of wood smoke, soap and pine needles.

“There is no such thing as just a kiss between a man and a woman when they are attracted to each other. Now, enough of this. Go sit down, far over there. And I don’t want any more talk of sex or kissing.”

“I’ll help with the food.” Any excuse to stay close to him. Especially now he has admitted he is attracted to me. But what now? I still don’t know what to do to stoke his passion. Other than his anger.

But as I stand chopping vegetables, I can feel his eyes on me. I try not to blush when I see his gaze hover on my breasts. I breathe deeply, my heart racing. His frown gets even darker as he turns away from me to stir the pasta on the stove.

When he is next looking my way, I make a point to stop and stretch. Arms back, breasts out.

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