Page 20 of Awakening the Wild
"In my life." He kissed me softly, different from last night's hunger. "But yeah, in my bed too. Preferably naked."
I laughed despite the emotion clogging my throat. "You're impossible."
"I'm yours." He pulled back to meet my eyes. "If you want me."
Did I want him? This gruff mountain man who'd saved me from a storm and somehow saved me from myself? Who made me feel capable instead of helpless, powerful instead of weak?
"I want you," I said, meaning it. "I'm scared, but I want you."
"Good." His smile was pure satisfaction. "Because you're not leaving this mountain. I don't care what papers that bastard waves around or what threats he makes. You're mine now, and I protect what's mine."
This time when he kissed me, I stopped overthinking. Stopped analyzing. Just felt—his weight, his warmth, his absolute certainty that this was right.
Maybe he was wrong. Maybe we were moving too fast, feeling too much too soon. Maybe I'd wake up tomorrow and regret everything.
But right now, wrapped in his arms with morning light turning his eyes almost bronze, I couldn't make myself care about maybe.
Right now was enough. I snuggled back into his arms and fell back asleep.
Much later I woke to the scent of coffee and bacon, and the sound of deep voices rumbling from downstairs. Kevin's side of the bed was empty but still warm, and I could hear him talking with someone—multiple someones, actually. After pulling on one of his flannel shirts over my own clothes, I went downstairs to find all three of Kevin's foster brothers sitting around his kitchen table. They'd clearly arrived early, their mud-caked boots by the door and steaming coffee mugs in their hands.
"Morning," Neil said, his greeting warm but assessing. "Hope we didn't wake you."
"Not at all." I accepted the coffee mug Kevin handed me, noting how his fingers lingered on mine—a small claim in front of his brothers. "Is everything okay?" He must have rallied the troops this morning while I was sleeping in.
"We came to help with the cottage," Shane said. "Figured you could use some extra hands on weekends and our days off. I've got vacation time saved up, and Sam's guide season doesn't startfor another month. Neil can swing Saturdays once his logging contracts wrap up."
I looked between the four men, seeing the family bond that went deeper than blood. They'd dropped everything to help rebuild a stranger's cottage because Kevin had asked them to.
"I can’t pay you," I said.
“You don’t need to,” Kevin said.
"Family helps family," Sam said with a shrug. "And you're Kevin's woman now, which makes you ours to protect too."
The casual way he said it—Kevin's woman—sent heat spiraling through me. There was no question in any of their minds about where I belonged now. Apparently, Kevin had told them about last night or they had guessed. Either way, I should have been embarrassed but I wasn’t. I was proud to be included and proud to be Kevin’s woman. And yeah, maybe things were moving a little too quickly and I still had to get Michael out of my life, but it was nice to know I wasn’t alone. Even if I was destitute and homeless until my grandmother’s cottage could be rebuilt.
"Besides," Neil added with a grin, “We've been looking for an excuse to play with power tools."
“I’m thinking of starting up a marketing business online. I could make you all websites,” I said.
They looked at each other. “We could stand to come into the twenty first century.”
I nodded. There. I wasn’t a charity case anymore. We were trading services.
An hour later, we were heading for the cottage with a truck bed full of tools and building supplies. The brothers had brought everything from circular saws to nail guns, lumber and supplies. I’ll say one thing about the Burke Mountain crew, they came prepared.
The cottage looked even more damaged than it had before, but Kevin's confidence was infectious as he outlined the renovation plan.
"Roof first," he said, walking the perimeter. "New shingles, replace any damaged rafters. Then windows, insulation, electrical if we can swing it."
"Plumbing?" Shane asked.
"Basic. Well water's good, septic system just needs some work." Kevin looked at me. "Question is, how modern do you want to go?"
The fact that he was asking my opinion, treating this as my project instead of just helping me out, made me feel ten feet tall.
"Functional but simple," I said. "I don't need luxury. Just... livable."
