Page 21 of Montana Silence

Mara’s breath was as shallow as mine, and her gaze dropped to my lips before returning. I could see desire there. It threatened to put me on my knees.

“All of that to say, this isn’t a whim for me. It’s not a fling. I want you. I want all of you, and if that’s something you want too, I want to try this.” I took a breath. “And if you’ll let me, I very much want to kiss you.”

No sound penetrated the silence around the two of us. Mara was so still she’d stopped breathing, staring at me. Her knuckles were white, squeezing my shirt, but she wasn’t pushing me away.

She was pulling me closer.

“Yes.”

The softest, smallest word in the world.

And it changed everything.

I leaned in, pressing my lips to hers. The number of times I’d imagined this moment…

This was so much better.

Mara made a soft noise, which made me go blind with the need to yank her against my body and kiss her harder. To consume her the way she’d consumed my mind all this time.

But I held back, keeping the kiss between us soft and slow. She tasted like the tea she’d made for us and a sweeter flavor that reminded me of her floral scent. God, this woman undid me.

Dizziness wrapped around me like I was falling and she was the only thing keeping me grounded.

Drawing back, I pulled her close and kissed her forehead, wrapping her up tightly, one hand in her hair and the other low on her hip. She was so small, yet I felt the strength in her. Anyone who had gone through what she had was made of steel.

And still, I wanted to protect her however I could.

It wasn’t lost on me how Mara was holding me back just as tightly as I held her. Just like we had at Grant and Cori’s wedding, but so much more than that.

Many times in my life, I’d wondered if I’d ever hold someone like this again. And with Mara?

Nothing had ever felt more right.

Who knew how long it took the two of us to pull away from each other. Neither of us was in a hurry. No people waited to see where we’d gone, and no one would judge us for the indulgence.

But slowly, we leaned apart so we could see each other, and Mara was relaxed. She smiled at me, no more fear or worry in her eyes. They were calm and happy, like I always wanted them to be.

Still, I nearly held my breath when I asked her, “Will you try this with me?”

She nodded, tucking her face briefly into my shirt. But not before I saw the blush on her cheeks. I would keep it there permanently if I could. “Will you go on a date with me?”

A silly grin crossed her face when she pulled back to look at me, eyes sparkling withyeseven before she nodded.

I couldn’t stop the smile on my face either. “I have one more question.”

She raised her eyebrows, and I smiled again. It didn’t matter if Mara wasn’t talking. She was still one of the most expressive people I’d ever met.

“At the wedding, I’m not sure if you noticed, but people were watching us.”

“Yeah,” she whispered quietly.

“Jude knows that I’ve liked you, and the rest of them are all over me to make sure I’m good to you. Even though it was only one dance.”

Mara laughed softly. It wasn’t completely unexpected. The Resting Warrior family protected their own, and she had to know she was a part of it.

“But I want to know how open you want to be about it. I won’t be offended if you don’t want to tell anyone yet. Seems like you have a lot going on.” I glanced over at the box with the bridal veil inside it.

Something I needed to process later. It wasn’t like I didn’t know men like the ones she described existed. My awareness was even greater because of everything that had happened since we’d moved here and opened the ranch. But hearing this beautiful woman talk about being groomed to be a toy for an entire population of men wasn’t easy. While she was achild.

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