Page 34 of The Mountain Man's Untamed Bride
"Come for me again," he urged, his rhythm increasing as his control frayed. "Want to feel you."
His words pushed me over the edge, my second orgasm even more intense than the first as I clenched around him. He followed moments later with a guttural groan, his hips jerking against mine as he found his release.
We collapsed together, limbs entangled, hearts racing in tandem. He was careful not to crush me, but kept me close as we caught our breath.
Afterward, he returned to gather me against his chest, pulling the soft sheet over our cooling bodies. I nestled into him, feeling strangely at home in this wild man's arms.
"Okay?" he asked quietly, pressing a kiss to my temple.
"Mmm," I mumbled sleepily. "More than. Though I may never move again."
His chuckle rumbled beneath my ear. "That would be convenient. Keep you right here where I can see you."
"Possessive much?" I teased, but secretly thrilled at the implication.
"Only of things that matter," he replied, his arms tightening around me.
As sleep began to claim me, I realized with perfect clarity that somewhere between fire extinguisher disasters and banana seductions, this cabin had become more home to me than anywhere I'd ever lived. And this man—this gruff, tender mountain hermit who talked to chickens and carried me like I was precious—had claimed a piece of my heart I suspected I'd never get back.
For someone who'd come to Promise Ridge to lose her virginity and gain independence, I'd found something far more valuable: a place to belong, exactly as I was.
"Stay," he whispered against my hair, already half-asleep himself.
"I'm not going anywhere," I promised, meaning it more than he could know.
In his arms, I drifted off to the chorus of night sounds through the open window—crickets chirping, an owl's distant call, and the steady rhythm of Bodhi's heart beneath my cheek. For the first time in my life, I felt completely, authentically free.
Chapter Eleven
“Mountain Man Tamed”
Bodhi
I woke to the unfamiliar but oddly right weight of another human using my chest as a pillow. Scarlett's hair was spread across me like a wildfire, her breath warm against my skin. In the early morning light filtering through the window, I could see a small damp spot where she'd been drooling slightly in her sleep. Something about that tiny imperfection made my chest tighten. She wasn't performing now, wasn't trying to seduce me—just sleeping, vulnerable and real.
My instinct for years had been to wake before dawn, to check the perimeter, to start the day with silent vigilance. But for the first time since Afghanistan, I felt no urgency to move. The cabin was secure. Colonel would sound the alarm if anyone approached. And the woman in my arms needed rest after last night's... activities.
Last night. The memory sent heat coursing through me again. I'd been with women before, but never like that—never with someone who looked at me like I was her entire world while I was inside her. Never with someone whose pleasure became more important than my own. Never with someone I wanted to wake up beside.
She stirred, nestling closer, one leg sliding between mine in her sleep. The movement brought her thigh against me, and I stifled a groan. No need to wake her just because my body had ideas.
Too late. Her eyes fluttered open, momentary confusion giving way to a slow, sleepy smile that made something in my chest crack open like spring ice on the lake.
"Morning," she mumbled, voice rough with sleep. Then her eyes widened as she realized the dampness on my chest. "Oh god, I drooled on you. Smooth, Scarlett."
I laughed, the sound rusty but genuine. "I've survived worse. At least yours smells better than Colonel's."
She pushed herself up, looking adorably disheveled. Her hair was a tangled mess, her lips still slightly swollen from our kisses, a small bruise forming where I'd gotten carried away on her collarbone. She was the most beautiful thing I'd ever seen.
"How do you feel?" I asked, suddenly concerned about potential soreness after her first time.
She stretched like a cat, seemingly cataloging sensations. "Like I've discovered muscles I didn't know existed." A mischievous smile spread across her face. "And like I want to use them again."
Before I could respond, she leaned down to kiss me, morning breath be damned. The hesitancy from last night was gone, replaced by a confidence that was intoxicating. Shestraddled me fully, her body golden in the morning light, all inhibition vanished.
"Someone's feeling bold," I managed, my hands settling on her hips.
"Consider it practical application of last night's lessons," she replied, grinding against me in a way that made rational thought impossible. "I'm a quick study."
