Page 78 of Broken on the Mountain
I force a smile, her mother's words still frozen inside my head. "No promises."
I turn back to the pot and keep stirring, face neutral, trying to process what I just heard while the chili bubbles and hisses.
Inside, something goes sideways.
History wants to repeat, to make me expect the worst. I see the distance opening, slow and silent, just like it was when I lost everything before.
I know I can’t stop it.
But then she grins at me, hoodie strings swinging, and I realize…
Fuck this.
I’ll risk it. I’ll choose her anyway.
Even if it hurts.
Chapter Sixteen
Piper
The morning sun filters through the pines as Chase and I climb the trail toward Lone Pine Lookout. I'm currently walking like someone who got thoroughly ravaged last night…
Which I did.
God, did I ever.
Through a clearing in the towering pines, I catch a glimpse of the lookout tower perched like a crown jewel against the morning sky, its rustic wooden frame gleaming honey-gold in the dappled sunlight that filters through the canopy above us.
My thighs protest with every step, a delicious reminder of exactly how Chase spent three hours reminding me that Knox and Travis winning the chili cook-off didn't matter.
And that my attempt at redemption later last night—challenging Knox to darts at Timber Tavern and losing spectacularly—also didn't matter.
Those smug bastards.
Knox with his stupid victory dance, Travis buying rounds and announcing to the entire tavern that 'Team Chaos reigns supreme.' Charlie didn't help. He hung a tiny gold trophy behind the bar with their names engraved on it.
I can still see their faces, grinning while I nursed my wounded pride over a whiskey sour.
But then Chase brought me home.
Andoh.My boot slips on a stick as a shiver runs through me at the memory.
The way he pinned me against his apartment door before we even made it inside, his mouth hot and absolutelydevastatingon mine. He stripped me bare in the hallway, leaving a trail of discarded clothing all the way to his bedroom, ours mouths locked the entire time.
It only got better from there.
The intensity in his eyes grew darker as he spread me open on his bed, eyeing me like prey before proceeding to absolutelywreckme with that talented tongue of his.
I lost count of the orgasms somewhere around the second hour.
I breathe a heavy sigh as up ahead, Chase's shoulders flex beneath his flannel. The trail pitches upward, the incline transforming from gentle slope to something that demands real effort.
I notice a flash of blue in the trees closer to me, and when I look across, a tiny mountain bluebird lands on a twisted pine branch, its feathers so vivid they look hand-painted against the weathered bark.
The little cutie tilts its head, studying me with bright curiosity before letting out a sharp, clear trill. I swear to God it knows how many orgasms I had last night, because the trill is the exact pitch Chase wrung out of me when he went down on me against his kitchen counter at three AM.
But despite feeling lighter than air this morning… there's one thing still bugging me.
