Page 5 of Arctic Mountain Man
Behind me, her voice followed—lighter now, almost teasing. “By the way… rescuing me back there? And punching Aaron? Honestly, I’ve wanted to do that a time or two myself.”
I huffed out something close to a laugh. I didn’t laugh much anymore. “Seemed like he had it coming.”
“Oh, he did. Trust me.” There was a smile in her voice, but underneath it, I heard the edge of truth.
“You’re not going back down the mountain tonight, Sadie. You’re staying away from him.” It was an order that I was more than willing to enforce.
“Thank you,” she whispered. “I don’t have any place to stay. We were supposed to camp out tonight. Although I have the tent. I suppose I could set it up in your, um, front yard.”
I shook my head. “No, you’ll sleep in my bed.”
Of course, every filthy thing I wanted to do to her raced through my mind. I shook my head trying to clear it. Damn, I felt like I’d been drugged. My heart was racing, my thoughts were foggy. And my dick was hard as a rock.
She fidgeted with the hem of her shirt, not meeting my eyes. “Actually, could I... would it be okay if I stayed for the weekend? I know it’s a lot to ask, and I don’t want to impose, but I just don’t want to go back home just yet.”
Her voice got smaller with each word, like she was expecting me to say no. Like she’s used to being turned away. That wasn’t going to happen.
“I’ll pay the going rate,” she quipped, trying to lighten the mood. “What do mountain men charge for couch privileges these days?”
“You’re not paying me anything, Sadie.”
Because looking at her now, with her hair messed up from the wind and her shirt stretched across her curves and her mouth slightly open like she wanted me to kiss her, I knew one night wasn’t going to be enough.
Not even close.
I was already thinking about how she’ll sound in my bed—breathless, needy, whispering my name in the dark.
I was going to keep her. The certainty of it should have scared me, but it didn’t. For the first time in a long time, something felt right.
She felt right.
Now I just had to figure out how to make sure she never wanted to leave.
CHAPTER THREE
Sadie
I woke up in Blake’s bed feeling like I’d been hit by a truck. Not because of my ankle—that was actually feeling much better—but because I’d spent the entire night tossing and turning. My thoughts filled with my unexpected host and what he made me feel.
The smell of coffee and bacon drifted down the hallway, and my stomach growled loudly enough to wake the dead. I walked carefully to the bathroom and when I caught sight of myself in the mirror I immediately wanted to crawl back under the covers.
My hair looked like I’d stuck my finger in an electrical socket, there were pillow creases on my cheek.
And I was antsy with anticipation of seeing Blake again.
“Get it together, Sadie,” I muttered to my reflection. “He’s just being nice. Don’t read into it.”
Except the way he’d basically ordered me to stay with him hadn’t sounded nice. It had sounded possessive. Final.
It should have pissed me off. Instead, it made me wet.
I pulled my oversized sleep shirt over my head, wishing I’d had enough courage to ask him to borrow one of his. Falling asleep wrapped in his scent—would have been dangerous, but oh, so satisfying. I’d dreamt of the weight of his chest pressingme down, the scrape of his beard between my legs, the low sound he might make with his mouth full of me.
I picked up my backpack and rummaged through it, suddenly disappointed in what I’d packed for the weekend. I’d wanted to be comfortable hiking up the side of a mountain so I’d brought sturdy jeans, the not-so-practical sneakers, and oversized long-sleeved shirts. Nothing frilly or delicate—I wasn’t that kind of girl.
Except for the black teddy buried at the bottom of my overnight bag.
I pulled it out, the silky fabric slipping between my fingers. I’d bought it for Aaron, but even before he ditched me, I’d known he wouldn’t have appreciated it. But Blake? Blake would tear it in half just to get to me faster. The image had my pulse thundering in my throat.
