Page 1 of Masked Mountain Man
one
Clover
Four Weeks Ago
The warm night airbrushes against my skin like a lover’s kiss, or at least how I imagine one would feel. A soft melody drifts through an open window at the community center, which has been transformed into a magical end-of-summer masked ball.
If I were brave, I would walk through the flower garden and into the town's annual event. But even with a mask to hide most of my face, my hair, normally tied in a bun but now flowing loosely around my shoulders and down my back, along with the spandex shapewear smoothing out all my curves, I still lack the confidence to go to the party.
Tonight was the night I was going to showcase my latest creation, a stunning ball gown fit for a princess. My three sisters and I recently moved to town and opened a dress shop called Curvy by Design, which caters to full-figured women like us.
My oldest sister, Fern, is the brains behind the business, so we let her handle the legal side of the company. Next is Rue, a natural-born influencer, who manages all of our advertising and social media. Then comes Laurel, who could sell water to a goldfish. I once saw her convince a bride’s father that the bride really needed four wedding gowns, just as she requested—one for pictures, one for the wedding, one for the reception, and one to wear when leaving for her honeymoon.
Then there’s me. I love designing beautiful gowns for all body types, especially for curvy girls, because everyone deserves to feel beautiful on their wedding day, regardless of their size.
Fern, Rue, and Laurel are already inside—they can network with the other attendees and hand out business cards as we planned. As for me, I’m headed back to our shared rental house to change out of this dress and into a pair of yoga pants and a T-shirt.
It might be nice to have the house all to myself for a few hours since my sisters and I spend every single minute of the day together, between home and work. Or at least I tell myself that to forget about the dream I had of meeting one of the sexy mountain men I’ve seen around town. And how he would look at me and fall helplessly in love with me at first sight, just like the instalove romance books I read.
The words of my favorite love song reach my ears, stopping me in my tracks. I close my eyes as the singer’s words of love and longing, as she dreams about him every night, echo my own. Lost in the song's melody, I begin to sway from side to side, imagining the man of my dreams holding me tight like he never wants to let me go.
“Can I have this dance?” My dream man’s deep voice rumbles through my body, vibrating deep in my core. Keeping my eyes closed to avoid breaking the fantasy, I smile and give a slight nod. “I’ll take that as a yes.” Warm, strong arms wrap around my waist and pull me tight to a hard, muscular chest.
My eyes snap open at the contact. A black mask covers his eyes, but thanks to the bright stars shining down on us, I can see a pair of striking blue eyes gazing back at me. Add to that his square jaw, with just a hint of stubble, and his dark brown rakishly long hair that kisses his shoulders, and I’m a goner.
Rakishly?
Now I know I’ve read way too many romance novels.
Clearing my thoughts with a shake of my head, I pinch my arm to make sure I’m not dreaming. “Ouch!”
“Did you just pinch yourself?” My dream man, who is actually real, smirks.
"I..." The words catch in my throat as I realize who I’ve summoned—none other than Bale Blackwood, the hottest firefighter in town, and Mr. February on the fireman calendar hanging in my office at work that I bought for charity.
“Here.” He takes my hands and places them on his shoulders before wrapping his arms around my waist again. “Try not to hurt yourself. I don’t want anything to happen to what’s mine.”
I blink at him in surprise. “Excuse me?” I try to sound offended that he would claim me in such a Neanderthal way, but for the life of me, I can’t seem to muster any bite to my words.
“You’re mine, Princess.” His fingers brush my cheek as he tucks a strand of hair behind my ear. “I’ve been waiting a long time for you.”
It’s a good thing I don’t read dark romances because he’s starting to sound a bit unhinged. But I still decide to proceed with caution. “Um, okay.”
“I should have explained myself a little better before claiming you," he laughs. “I’ve been waiting a long time for someone who, with one look, would set my soul on fire, and that’s what you did.”
Now I see he’s just messing with me, using that obvious fake pick-up line, 'soul on fire,' from a firefighter. “Let me guess.” I lift my head and look into his eyes, feeling braver than I ever have before. “You took one look at me and knew instantly that I was your soulmate.” I snort. “What’s next? Are you going to throw me over your shoulder and take me back to your lair to have your wicked way with me?”
“Actually, that’s not a bad idea.” I expected him to laugh, letting me know that he was joking, but he doesn’t. His intense gaze bores into mine as if he’s searching for an answer only I can give him.
The weight of his stare begins to trigger all my insecurities. “Why me? I’m nobody special.” I shrug, trying to play it off as no big deal, giving him the chance to gracefully step away from this conversation.
His eyes narrow as he searches my face while tightening his grip on me. “I’m not sure who hurt you, but if I say you’re mine—I mean you’re mine. Nobody had better say anything bad about my woman—even you. And if you do, I’ll take you over my knee and spank your naked ass.”
“Oh,” is the only response I have. His possessive tone makes my body hum in pleasure.
“Oh, is right.” His eyes flicker from anger to desire in a split second. “Now, I’m going to hold you close and dance to every song with you tonight. Whether we stay out here or go inside, it’s your call. But once the night is over, I’m going to take you home and make love to you until I put a baby in your belly, linking you to me forever.”
I should be disturbed by his primal words about wanting to stake his claim on me in such a raw way. Instead, a warm feeling settles in my heart at the thought of being his woman forever.
