Page 9 of Mountain Man Grinch
Her breath hits my chest in uneven bursts, and my arms tighten around her before I even register the movement.
Hell.
I’m holding her.Reallyholding her. And I don’t want to let go.
I shouldn’t. I know I shouldn’t.But her fingers curl into my shirt like she’s afraid I’ll vanish, and something inside me—something old, dented, rusted—shifts.
She’s been running alone. For God knows how long.
Her tears soak through my shirt. I feel every shudder in her body, and it guts me.
“Easy,” I murmur, the word scraping out of me.
She buries her face against me like she’s absorbing the sound.
We stay like that longer than I should allow. Longer than I’ve let anyone get close in years.
Her scent wraps around me, captivating and sweet—fruit and vanilla mixed with the leather and smoke of my flannel.
I shouldn’t notice. I shouldn’t care.
But I do.
Her breathing evens out eventually. Not calm, but coming down from the shock. She pulls back a little, sniffling, trying to wipe her cheeks with the edge of the blanket.
I grab a clean corner and do it for her.
Her breath hitches.
I pretend I didn’t notice.
“You all cried out?” I ask because I don’t know how to be gentle without disguising it as gruffness.
She nods, then laughs weakly. “You must think I’m a disaster.”
“I’ve seen disasters,” I say. “You’re not one.”
Her eyes go wide.
Arielle has been hit with compliments before—hell, she probably collects them like ornaments—but not like this. Not from me. Not this quiet, honest kind.
She doesn’t know what to do with it. Neither do I.
Screech!The kettle screams from the kitchen.
She clears her throat. “Thank you. For … all of that.”
My fingers flex on her shoulder before I force myself to release her. Immediately, the cold rushes back in.
I dart to my feet, head to the kitchen, and turn off the gas. I return with two steaming mugs and set them on the coffee table.
I have to get out of here. Get away from this curvy little troublemaker and the things she makes me feel. I wheel back around.
“But where are you going?” she stammers.
“I need to check the perimeter again.”
She grabs my sleeve.
