Page 7 of One Night with the Mountain Man

“Okay. Thank you.” No one was coming to get me. That meant I either needed to avoid the tall, dark mountain man, or find a way for the two of us to co-exist until tomorrow. I set the mic down and headed for the back door. If I could survive as a single professional woman in New York City, I could make it anywhere.

I slid my feet back into the tall rubber boots and slowly made my way to the outbuilding where I’d seen Samuel disappear. Loud music made the metal walls vibrate. I pushed the door open and stepped into the space.

Metal clanked against metal, drawing my attention to the far corner of the room where Samuel laid on his back and pumped a bar loaded with weights up from his chest. He didn’t give any indication that he’d noticed me yet. I awkwardly moved his way, trying to not to set any weight on my injured ankle.

His muscles bulged with the effort of lifting the bar, lowering it down to his chest, and lifting it again. Focused on giving him a piece of my mind, I ignored my surroundings. Until a gorgeous piece of furniture caught my eye. It was a rocking chair but looked more like a piece of art than a functional piece of furniture. I stopped to run my hand over the smooth arm, in awe of the way the artist had taken a raw hunk of wood and turned it into something so beautiful.

A clang rang out over the music. “What are you doing in here?”

I turned to find Samuel stalking toward me.

“Who made this?”

His brows drew down over his eyes and he reached out to flip a switch on the stereo system. The music stopped. We stood a few feet apart, my hand still resting on the arm of the chair.

“You shouldn’t be walking on that foot.” He gestured toward the giant rubber boots.

“You made this, didn’t you?” It had to be him. The sawdust he had on his arms earlier guaranteed it. But how could someone so gruff create something so beautiful?

“It’s a hobby.” His jaw clenched, and he spread his arms wide. “The guy I bought this place from left all of his stuff here, so I picked it up.”

I had so many questions about the furniture, but they’d have to wait. First, I needed to know why he’d left in such a huff. “Why did you storm out of the cabin?”

His shoulders rose and fell as he drew in a deep breath. Then his eyes locked on mine. Heat burned bright in their depths. Need drew me toward him like an invisible force I was helpless to resist. “Tomorrow, I’ll get you down the mountain. Come hell or high water, I’ll—”

“You’ll what?” I leaned toward him, irresistibly drawn to him, helpless to resist. As I stepped on my foot, my ankle gave. I stumbled, reaching out to grab the edge of the workbench to prevent my fall.

His hands clamped onto my hips, and he pulled me against him. Time stood still. The only thing that mattered in the moment was the way his gaze burned through me… the way his head tilted down… the way his lips slanted over mine.

8

SAMUEL

Iwouldn’t have blamed her for rearing back and slapping me across the face, but instead, she leaned into me. Her breasts smashed against my chest. Her arms circled my neck. Her scent invaded my nose.

The desperate need I felt for this woman didn’t make sense. I’d tried denying it, fought it with everything I had, but it was stronger. So, I stopped fighting. Stopped trying to resist her.

Our tongues tangled. Her fingers brushed the bare skin at the base of my neck, sending goosebumps racing down my arms. I moved my hands over the hips I’d fantasized about and cupped her gorgeous round ass in my palms. Then I lifted her onto the edge of my workbench to sandwich my hips between her thighs.

She moaned, a deep guttural noise that only urged me on. I braced myself against the workbench with one hand and slid the other up her side. Her soft skin pebbled under my touch. The scent of my soap on her skin made me think of her naked in my shower again. My dick stood at rigid attention, ready to engage.

I wanted her. Wanted to tug those sweats down her thighs, bare her pussy, and thrust into her. But an outbuilding was no place to take a woman like Adelaide. Not even when my cock begged me to claim her.

Gathering her into my arms, I staggered toward the door. She gripped me with her thighs and clasped her hands together behind my neck. I tried to keep one eye on the uneven ground as I carried her toward the cabin. The last thing I wanted was to trip over uneven terrain and drop her.

I fumbled with the back door while she ground her hips against me. I didn’t even bother kicking off my shoes as I entered the cabin. With Adelaide in my arms, I made a beeline for the bedroom and shut the door behind us, preventing Lucky from witnessing what was about to go down.

Gently, I laid her back on the bed, denying every cell in my body from claiming her right then and there. She was the first woman I’d ever had in this bed. The first woman I’d ever had in this cabin. We might only share this one night together, but I wanted to make it last.

I hovered over her, blinking in disbelief at the sight of her. Dark red hair fanned out over my pillow. Her breasts rose and fell with each breath. I’d never thought of a gray athletic shirt as being so fucking sexy, but Adelaide could wear a burlap bag and I’d be rock hard for her.

“Do you want me?” She reached up and smoothed a palm over my overgrown beard.

The throaty roughness in her tone sent my pulse into a wild, erratic freefall. “Isn’t it obvious?”

She lowered her hands to grip my arms as she glanced down at the sliver of space between us. There was no hiding the fact that my cock was more than ready for her. “You can have me. But first, tell me why you walked out on me.”

“It was nothing.” I dipped my head to nudge my nose into her hair. She smelled like rain and pine needles with something sweet underneath. I’d been able to resist her, to keep my needs at bay, until I’d tasted her lips. Now, every beat of my heart sent the same word pounding through my veins.Mine. Mine. Mine.

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