Page 10 of One Night with the Mountain Man

I held back as long as I could, straining to make sure she’d crashed over the edge before I let myself follow her. Then I shot my seed into her. Gave her every fucking drop. Filled the entire condom until it almost spilled out at my base.

We held each other for a long time after. Until our heartbeats synced into a slow rhythm.

“You okay?” I eased out of her and rolled onto my side.

She snuggled into me. “More than okay. That was wild.”

Nodding, I cradled her in my arms. “You’re amazing.”

“You’re amazing-er.”

Knowing I’d been keeping her in the dark put a damper on my good mood. I needed to tell her the truth. As much as I didn’t want to, she should hear it from me before someone else told her who I was. We were about to become family in a weird way. “Be back in a second, okay?”

She tugged a pillow into her arms to take my place. I pressed a kiss to her forehead then headed to the bathroom to clean myself up.

“You still awake?” A few minutes later, I climbed back onto the bed and curled my big body around hers. I’d hoped we could share one night together, and I’d get her out of my system. Deep down I knew there was no going back now that I’d had her.

“Mmm hmm.”

“Barely.” I let out a soft chuckle.

“Where did you come from?” she whispered. “How does a man like you end up living all alone in the mountains?”

I trailed my finger along her bare arm. “It’s a long story.”

“I’ve got time.” She wriggled her ass into me, scootching closer to my crotch.

“I’m afraid if I tell you, you might not want to stay.” Saying it out loud sent a piercing pain through my chest.

Adelaide turned in my arms, rolling around so we were nose to nose instead of back to front. “Are you one of those prison escapees the kid’s camp counselors used to warn us about?”

“No.” At least I had that going for me, though after I told her the truth, she might wish I’d committed some white-collar crime and fled the state pen.

“You’re secretly married and have a dozen kids?”

“No, again.” I let out a soft laugh. Knowing she was trying to lighten the mood made me wish I didn’t have to tell her anything.

“You’re not on the run, are you?” She pulled back and studied me with a serious look.

I shook my head as I ran my palm down her back and drew her closer. It would be easier to talk to her if I didn’t have to look her in the eyes when I told her how I’d failed my friends, my country, and myself.

“What is it then?”

Filling my lungs with a deep breath, I summoned whatever courage I had left. “I was in the Army. Stationed in a war zone in Iraq for a few back-to-back tours.”

“That must have been awful.” Her palm flattened against my chest. Though I wished I could give into her touch and put the past behind me, I’d never be able to outrun the truth of what I’d done. It was better that she knew up front.

“It was, but we made the best of it. Lucky for me, I was stationed with a great group of guys. Unlucky for them, I was the one leading a mission into town when enemy fire hit us.”

Adelaide sucked in a breath. “Oh no. Was anyone hurt?”

My chest felt like someone drove a stake through the middle of it and cracked it wide open. “Two guys died. I walked away without a scratch on me.”

“That’s awful.” Her lower lids brimmed with tears. “Is that why you’re out here all alone in the woods? Are you punishing yourself?”

“It should have been me flying home in a casket, not the two soldiers I was supposed to protect.”

She cupped my cheeks and pressed gentle kisses against my lips. “It wasn’t your fault, though. You couldn’t have known what would happen that day.”

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