Page 19 of Brewing with the Mountain Man
"I thought that any chance I had at a real life, a real relationship, was gone. But then you crashed into my world and..." He strokes my cheek with his thumb. "I’m wondering if it’s not too late. That maybe I've been punishing myself long enough."
I smile at him. "So what should we do?"
"Give it a try?" he asks.
I lean in and kiss his cheek. “I’m game.”
He covers my hand with his and squeezes.
"We take it one step at a time," I say. "No running, no hiding."
He leans in and kisses me, soft and sweet this time. "Okay."
"Okay?"
"Yeah." He pulls me against him, and I settle into his arms like it’s exactly where I belong.
Bear scratches at the door, whining pitifully.
"Someone feels left out," I chuckle.
"He'll survive." Ledger's hand trails down my back, making me shiver. "I'm not done with you yet."
I turn in his arms, and straddle his lap. "What else did you have in mind?"
His hands grip my hips, and I can feel him getting hard again beneath me. "Let me show you."
CHAPTER 6
LEDGER
I'm driving Sadie to her vehicle in my old truck, both of us quiet.
Now that the storm has passed, everything feels different. The world looks sharper somehow, more vivid, like I'm seeing it for the first time in years.
She's wearing her uniform again—and she’s irresistible in it. I can’t believe I’m so attracted to her as an officer, but damnit, I am.
Her hand keeps finding mine on the gear shift, fingers tracing patterns that make it hard to concentrate on the rutted forest road. Each touch is a reminder of how those same fingers felt on my skin just hours ago.
Bear's in the truck bed, tail wagging like this is all perfectly normal. Like our entire world hasn't just shifted on its axis.
Part of me wants to turn around, take her back to the cabin, keep her there where this thing between us makes sense. But I know she has to go. She has a job, a life beyond my hidden world.
The question eating at me is what kind of part I’ll have in it.
I know she said she wants me, but it’s hard to know for sure.
We reach her ranger truck, still parked where she left it days ago. Pine needles cover the windshield, and there's a branch across the hood that I move aside while she checks that it starts.
The engine turns over on the first try, and we're left standing between our vehicles, neither of us knowing how to navigate this transition back to reality.
"I'll call tonight," she says, turning to face me.
I reach for her, unable to help myself, and she comes willingly into my arms.
The kiss starts soft—her mouth tentative, the starch of her collar rough under my palm. Then her teeth catch my lip, and for three heartbeats, it’s all tongue and hunger.
She pulls back, cheeks flushed, then leans back in for a gentle press of our mouths—tender but with promise, like we're sealing something between us.
