Page 35 of The Maverick of the Mountain
And forever.
“Fifty-two messages.Twenty-nine missed calls. Thirty-one voicemails. How in the world did she leave me more voicemails than calls?”
Corinne stares at her phone and then back at me. It was a chore to get up early, but Corinne has a wedding to get to and a bride who’s a little… a lot. But even with Hank damn near destroying the kitchen to find food, and waking up before the sun on less than a few hours of sleep, I’m happy, content, and completely in love.
I shrug. “I can call her back. Get her to ease up.”
Corinne laughs. “I wouldn’t mind that, but honestly, I don’t care anymore. After getting chased down by a gang of chipmunks, scared out of skin by a raccoon, and?—”
Hank chitters.
“Excuse me, a very handsome raccoon.” Hank nods and goes back to sleeping. “Tackling a chainsaw-wielding maniac mountain man in a damn mountain hurricane.”
I laugh. “You certainly did tackle me last night.”
Again and again. My girl’s insatiable.
Corinne blushes. “Not what I meant, but okay. Yes. Yes, I did.” She pins a stray curl behind her hair before continuing. “What I’m saying is that there are far scarier things in life than an overbearing bride. I’m going to do my job, and we’re going to have a great time at the wedding.”
“We?”
“Of course,” Corinne says, moving toward me, her dress fluttering. “You’re my plus-one.”
“What will Mackenzie say about the late addition?”
She hitches up her dress and straddles me, draping her arms around my neck. “Are you really thinking about Mackenzie right now?” Her voice lowers as she kisses my neck, nips at my ear.
“Not at all.”
“Besides, I can’t wait to see the look on her face when you roll up in flannel. If she really throws a fit, I’ll just say you’re my assistant.”
I wrap my hands around her waist, run them up her ribcage. “Sounds like a plan, but there’s one snag.”
“What’s that?”
“If you keep grinding on me like this, we’ll never make it to the wedding. This dress will be in tatters.”
“Mmm,” she moans into my ear. “That’s a tempting offer.”
“It’s not an offer,” I rasp. “It’s a guarantee.”
“Good thing I have a room at the venue.”
I groan as she grinds against me. This girl. My girl. I can’t get enough of her.
“You’ve got five seconds to get off me, or this dress is toast.”
“One.” She kisses me, hands gripping my face, pulling me into her as she keeps rocking against me. “Two,” she mutters.
Say five. Just say five so I can?—
Before she makes it to five, she slides off me.
“Fuck me,” I rasp.
She smiles. “Oh, I plan on it.”
I shake my head as she extends her hand. I almost pull her back on top of me, but I won’t. Corinne’s got a job to do, and I’m not going to blow it up for her.
