Page 25 of Broken on the Mountain
"See you in the morning, Mountain Man?"
I look at her, trying to read her expression. Does she want this to end? Or does she want more too?
I cup her face in both hands, thumbs brushing her cheekbones. "Wouldn't miss it."
The kiss is slower this time. Deeper. Tasting like honey and chocolate and promises neither of us is allowed to make.
When we finally break apart, she's breathless and beautiful and dammit, Iwantto ask her to stay. Not just for tonight, but forever. To forget Chicago. To build something real instead of pretending weekends might be enough.
But I don't.
Because I'm not enough for someone like her.
I'm the guy who labels Tupperware and brings gummy bears to work and gets teased for being the team's pushover.
She's sophisticated. Brilliant. From a world where I don't belong.
So I kiss her forehead, watch her slip inside, and walk home alone.
Chapter Six
Piper
BANG. BANG. BANG.
I shoot upright in Brooke's guest bed like a vampire avoiding daylight.
Oh god, bears. Mountain lions. Axe murderers.
BANG. BANG. BANG.
The noise gets louder and I fumble for the nearest weapon, which turns out to be my ridiculously soft silk pillow.
I hold it like a shield anyway. "Back, you woodland creature! I went to Swiss finishing school!"
The banging continues somewhere behind me.Right. The windows.
I rub my eyes, squinting at my phone. Four-thirty in the morning.
Four. Fucking. Thirty.
"You've got to be kidding me," I mutter, stumbling out of bed in Chase's flannel shirt that I definitely haven't stolen forever.The floor is freezing against my bare feet, and I'm half-convinced I'm being murdered by an overly punctual mountain bear.
I crank the window open anyway, ready to deliver a scathing lecture about appropriate visiting hours, and find Chase Morrison grinning at me.
He's holding a thermos and a brown paper bag that smells like cinnamon and butter. He's already dressed, wearing that stupid flannel that makes his shoulders look unfairly broad.
"Morning, sunshine."
"Fuck off."
He just laughs and blows a breath that fogs the window. "Not a morning person, eh?"
"It's not morning. It's the middle of the night."
His laugh is warm and unapologetic. "Come on, city girl. Get dressed. We're going to Silver Falls."
"Now?"
