Page 12 of Protected By The Mountain Man

“Stand up,” he shouted above the relentless drone of the waves. Then his strong arms tugged me to my feet.

He wrapped an arm around my shoulder and guided me from the lake. The waves pulled against our legs, trying to take us back out, but West propelled us both forward.

I took in loud, gulping breaths, disconcerted by the storm and the violence of the elements. Chicago had snowstorms, of course, but this felt wild and primitive in a way I’d never experienced in my life.

My legs wobbled underneath me as I staggered onto the shore. All I wanted was to get out of this rain. My rental car was in view. It was the only vehicle left by the shore. Everyone else was long gone.

I rejoiced that I was moments from a dry roof overhead and the power to drive away from here. I was done with lakes for a little while, at least until the weather improved.

“You did good out there, girl. You’re not the type to panic. You’ve got steel inside you. I’m proud of you, Mia.”

Hearing those words meant everything to me. I’d felt… momentarily weak out at the cove. But I’d made it. And it was because of him.

I stopped walking and turned to face him, then pulled him into a hug. His big hands settled comfortably on my back and I rested my head against his chest. “Thank you, West. No words can convey how I feel right now. You saved me from a really bad spot.”

He reached down my hip and tugged my t-shirt down. It was only then that I realized the hem had ridden up to my waist during the swim to shore. Then he tilted my chin up until I met his eyes.

“Let’s get you somewhere warm and safe,” he rumbled.

“What about your boat?”

“I dropped two anchors to hold it stable. The rest is up to mother nature. That boat stays in the water no matter the weather. It will do as well right here as it would tied to my dock. I can get it tomorrow after the storm has passed.”

His eyes were the strangest shade of blue. Almost an ice blue. Vivid, even against this overcast day, with raindrops falling between us. I could lose myself in his eyes.

Maybe Iwaslosing myself.

I stood up on my tip-toes and pressed my lips to his, surprising him with a kiss.

His eyes went wide for a second, but then he wrapped his arms tight around my waist and kissed me back. It was a hungry kiss. One that spoke of restless nights in bed, forbidden pleasures, animal attraction.

He wrapped my tongue with his, tasting me, connecting with me, as his hands slipped down to my ass. He pulled the t-shirt he’d just tugged down back up. Then his hands gripped my bare skin, squeezing me tight.

A bolt of heat shot through me. Were we going to fuck in the rain? I’d fuck this man in the rain if that’s what he wanted.

But then it was like he remembered himself because he groaned and stepped back.

With hooded eyes, he rumbled, “Let’s get you out of this storm, girl.”

At this moment, I’d follow him anywhere, and it looked like that meant I’d follow him to my car.

Pulling the key out of the bag I’d clutched through the swim, I opened my door, then unlocked his. Sliding in to the rental car felt amazing. No more rain. No more wind.

Protection from the elements had never felt more important.

But I couldn’t deny that those elements had made me feel more alive than I’d felt in years. The storm had surfaced primalpassions in me that had been lying in wait, hidden and silent for far too long.

I turned to look at him, only to find him studying me, his eyes fixed on my face.

This situation was too strange. The feelings inside me made no sense. Was there something more than sex humming between us? I felt connected to this man, even though I’d known him for less than an hour.

He drifted a finger down my cheek. “It’s nice to meet you, Mia Brentley. Maybe once we’re settled and you actually have some clothes on you, we could go out on a date together. Would you like that?”

A date. This man wanted a date.

The only date I wanted was one that involved him and a bed.

“Yeah. That sounds…” I started giggling like I was a sixteen-year-old girl instead of a thirty-one-year-old woman. “That sounds perfect.”

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