Page 7 of Mountain Man's Mail Order Treat

“So you aren’t just here to sell your jams and jellies?” I asked, gripping the top of both sides of the ladder.

She looked up at me. “You thought that?”

“You seemed…not all that excited about marrying me.” I shrugged. “I thought that was the point of you coming here.”

“I’m scared. I know we’re supposed to get married, but I went through a pretty bad breakup. We didn’t sleep together. I don’t know—he kept pushing, but it just didn’t feel right. We were only together six months.” She sighed. “So I’m not sure why it bothered me so much that he dumped me. I guess it showed me how much it hurts. Not just my pride, either.”

I didn’t know what to say to that. So I remained silent, watching her, waiting for her to explain.

She swallowed hard. “I guess I saw a glimpse of how much it would hurt if I really did care about someone and he left me for someone else.”

“He left you for someone else?” I asked.

She shrugged. “Yes, and I don’t know, they seem happy, so I guess she’s sleeping with him.”

“I just need to know one thing,” I said. “Am I a rebound?”

Her eyes widened, and she shook her head. “No. I signed up for the website when I was on the rebound, yes, but then I met you. I’ve barely thought of my ex since we started talking. But…”

My heart sank. Here was the bad news. I wouldn’t sleep with her unless I knew for sure that she wouldn’t go back to this moron if his new relationship didn’t work out.

“Our conversations have me scared,” she said. “I know what can happen if I open my heart to you. You could hurt me.”

“I’m not going to hurt you. I’ll never hurt you. I would hurt anyone who hurt you, actually. I’d protect you with my life.”

I knew that much already. And that feeling would only get deeper the harder I fell.

“Good.” A smile spread over her face. “Now get over here and show me what I’ve been missing.”

4

WHITLEY

From the first kiss, I knew this was going to be better than I’d ever imagined. And that was saying a lot, because every time I looked at Jareth, all I could think about was wrapping my legs around his naked body and urging him inside me.

But right now, we were just kissing, him holding himself above me on one arm, hand settled at my waist. I’d fallen back on the pillow, and my hair fanned out around me in a way I hoped was attractive, not messy.

And that was how I knew I was already in this too deep. His approval of my appearance meant way too much to me. That had never been the case with a guy before. Well, not to this extreme anyway.

But then, no man had looked at me the way this one did. Not even close.

His lips brushed mine gently at first, sending shivers through my body. I let him control the kiss as my fingertips explored the contours of his arm. The contrast between his hard ridges and my soft curves made me sigh with longing.

His hands skimmed my hips before moving upward, over my stomach, until he reached my bra. His thumb slid over the curve of one breast, and I moaned against his mouth. It felt so good. If this was any indication of what was to come, I was in for a treat.

The biggest treat of my life.

When Jareth broke the kiss, I couldn’t hold in a disappointed gasp. I didn’t want him to ever stop kissing me. Not until I took my dying breath.

He’d promised not to hurt me. He’d promised to protect me. And somehow I knew I could trust him on that. My heart was safe with Jareth.

He looked down at me for several long seconds, then shifted, putting himself lower on my body, his head close to my chest. He tugged my bra cup down, freeing my breast. Then he lowered his head and ran his tongue around my nipple, finally flicking it over the beaded tip.

I cried out. Oh yeah, this was definitely a treat, and he’d only just started.

He glanced up at me before moving to the other breast, lavishing attention on that nipple. It just felt too good to be real, especially when his fingers trailed a path over the inside of my thigh.

I shifted beneath him, my legs parting slightly, an invitation I wasn’t even aware I was making until his hand settled at the top of my thigh. His fingers hovered just beneath the edge of my panties, sending sparks up my spine with nothing more than the promise of a touch.

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