Page 10 of Haunted By the Mountain Man
He turned, and his eyes immediately tracked down my body. His gaze lingered on my neck, my collarbone, the exposed skin at my throat, and passion blazed through me at the naked hunger in his expression before he shuttered it.
"You're up." His voice was scratchy, like he hadn't been sleeping well. "Walt already had breakfast and his morning meds. He's inspecting the old ski lifts. Thinks they need maintenance before the season opens."
"Is that safe?"
"Yeah, he just looks at them." Shane poured coffee into a battered metal cup and held it out. "Black okay?"
"Perfect." I took the cup, and when our fingers brushed, electricity shot up my arm. His hand lingered a moment longer than necessary, his thumb grazing my knuckles, before he pulled back.
The silence stretched between us, charged and weighted. His eyes kept dropping to my mouth before jerking away.
"You look tired," I said.
"Didn't sleep much." His jaw clenched. "Had to keep checking on Walt. He wanders at night."
"I heard footsteps. Above me, then below. Was that him?"
"Probably. Or the building settling. Hard to tell the difference sometimes. Did your equipment picked up anything unusual?" He moved closer.
"Depends on your definition of unusual." I held my ground even though my pulse kicked up. "Lots of creepy atmosphere. Some sounds I can't quite explain. But nothing definitively supernatural."
"Good." He was close enough now that I had to tilt my head back to meet his eyes. "Because there are no ghosts here. Just an old man who can't let go of the past, and a building that's falling apart around him."
"And you,” I said, touching his arm. "Taking care of both of them."
His eyes darkened. "Someone has to."
"That doesn't mean it has to be only you."
"Doesn't it?" His voice dropped low and intimate. "You'll be gone in a week. Back to your subscribers and your next abandoned building. I'm the one who stays."
The truth of it hung between us. I would leave. That was the deal. But standing here with him looming over me, feeling the intensity of his gaze, the thought of leaving in six days made something twist in my chest. I didn’t want to leave here without getting to know him better.
"Then let me do what I can while I'm here to make things easier," I said.
His hand came up slowly, giving me time to pull away. When I didn't, his fingers tucked a strand of hair behind my ear, the touch gentle despite the size of his hand. His thumb grazed my cheekbone, and I bit back a whimper.
"You have no idea what you're offering," he said, his voice barely above a whisper.
"Then tell me."
His thumb traced my lower lip, the touch making my whole body shiver. "I'm not good at accepting help. Not good at letting people in. And when I do let someone in, I don't do it halfway. I'm all or nothing. And you don't want all of me."
"Why not?"
"Because all of me is possessive and demanding." His hand moved to cup the back of my neck. "Because once I claim something as mine, I don't let go. Ever."
My toes tingled at the dark promise in his words. "Maybe I wouldn’t want you to let go."
His grip on my neck tightened fractionally, not painful but definitely possessive.
"Dangerous words," he growled.
Before I could respond, Walt cheerfully humming "Deck the Halls" reached us as he came closer.
Shane pulled back abruptly, his hand falling away, leaving me cold and aching. I wanted more. I wanted to grab him and pull him back. I wanted him to kiss me.
"Get your camera equipment," he said. "I'll show you the areas you can film. But you stay where I can see you. Understood?"
