Page 11 of Protected By The Mountain Man

“Thank you, West. I don’t know what I would have done if you hadn’t shown up when you did. I was actually considering swimming back.” She shuddered, and it was the first time I saw fear flash across her face. “Now I can see that could have turned out disastrously.”

The idea of her trying to swim that far in this weather made my heart clench. It could have been a fatal decision for her.

Grabbing her hands, I said, “But I found you. That’s the important thing.”

She blinked rapidly, like she was holding back tears. “Yeah.”

I met her eyes. “I know we just met, but can you trust me?”

Mia nodded. “Yeah. I can.”

That felt monumental somehow.

“Good. I’ll get you to dry land safely, okay? Just put your faith in me and do as I say.”

She nodded again and squeezed my hands.

“You ready to hop in? The water might be colder now since it’s been raining for a while.”

“Yeah. Let’s do this.”

I went in first, then helped guide her down the boat ladder.

The second she hit the water, I tugged her into my arms. Then stayed there in shock for a beat too long. Holding Mia feltincredible, even with the waves rocking us treacherously in the water.

Her eyes locked on mine and I swear I saw the same breathless wonder reflected back at me that I felt inside.

An almost overwhelming urge to kiss her overtook me. But that would beinsane.

Wrong place. Wrong time. I needed to get her to safety.

So I pulled back from those instincts and rotated her around so she was on her back with my arm gripped around her waist.

With each kick of our legs, we got closer to shore, but each wave knocked us back until we lost half the ground we’d gained. But at least we were gaining. That was the important thing.

I could hear her breathing hard, legs kicking fiercely. She was a fighter. If she had tried to make the long swim on her own, I had no doubt that she wouldn’t have given up without a fight.

Chapter 5

Mia

We were almost to the shore now.

Any panic that might have been simmering under the surface had disappeared the second West wrapped his strong arm around me.

It felt so good; his arm around my waist, hand pressed to my belly, the feel of his thick chest pressed firmly against my back.

I knew this was a life or death type of situation, but I couldn’t get my mind out of the gutter.

And what was that hard, hungry something I felt jamming into my ass?

He was hard for me, even in the middle of this crazy situation, and Iwantedthis man.

Bad.

I kicked my legs as hard as I could. The waves were trying to suck us back out to the middle of the lake. But West was stronger than the lake. He was like a wild beast, swimming me to shore.

Finally, we dragged against the lake bottom, our feet touching for the first time.

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