Page 29 of Mountain Grump
Not masking her feelings.
And I like it so much I have to work to keep my expression even.
“Well?” She drops her hand.
“Well, what?” I step closer, leaving only a few feet between us.
“Well, aren’t you going to argue?”
I lift a brow. “I’ve been called worse.”
She huffs. “I believe that.”
The urge to smile grows, but I keep my lips flat. “Plus, you’re not wrong.”
Tilda puts her hands on her hips, drawing my attention down her delicious body. “What, that you’re a jerk, or that you were born out of wedlock?”
This time my smirk wins.Wedlock? Who says that?“Both actually. Though, considering my parents aren’t alive to defend themselves, I’ll just admit I’m a jerk.”
Her shoulders slump, and her fists fall from her sides. “Oh… I’m sorry.”
Probably shouldn’t have casually mentioned the orphan detail. But it’s been twenty years, and I didn’t really consider how fucked up that might sound.
The pretty girl presses her lips together.
Better for Tilda to be mad at me than pity me, so… “You need to pay better attention to your surroundings.”
Her mouth drops open. “Excuse me?”
I gesture around. “I’ve been here since you decided toillegallycross through the fence, and you didn’t notice me at all.”
She glances back at the fence, and I know we’re both remembering how that went.
My smirk grows.
Chapter 17
Tilda
“Well, I’m sorry.”I shift, planting my right foot on the ground, then I press my hand against my raised knee and push up to standing. “I was told I’m supposed to make noise while in the forest.”
“You are.” He lifts that annoying brow again. “But you can still listen. Or use your eyeballs.”
Previous sympathy gone, I mumble under my breath as I bend down and pick up the flower I cut and my scissors. “Youcould useyoureyeballs.”
“Okay.” He points at the flower in my hand. “That’sillegal.”
I look down. “Flowers?”
“Picking flowers in a state park. They’re protected.”
“But I didn’t pick it. I cut it.”
His eyebrow stays up.
“It’ll grow back.” I argue, raising my voice over the music.
He sighs. “The law doesn’t carehowyou retrieve them. Just that youdon’t.”
