Page 7 of Stepbrothered by the Mountain Man

“Maya—”

“I promise, Levi.”

“Fine, but answer me this. If money is a problem, why haven’t you come to me?” I ask, tucking a curly strand behind her ear. “I’ve seen you busting your ass for months, but I’m just finding out the reason why. Why didn’t you tell me what was going on earlier?”

“Because you’ve been busting your ass, too. We all are and I know you have dreams, just like I do. Dreams to build your own cabin and grow your family, just like Beau’s doing.”

Beau had already begun the framework of his cabin, though he had no family in sight, save for us.

“I couldn’t come to you about my money issues. It’s not your problem.”

“We’re family,” I say, drawing her closer, and the act rakes her across my cock. I hope the zipper of my hard denim jeans is enough of a camouflage that she can’t tell the difference. “Of course it is.”

She shakes her head, placing a hand against my chest. “Levi, I know if I asked, you’d lend me the money, and that’s the problem.”

“What?” I ask, brows knitting.

“You lending me money would put you behind fifty steps. We all have the same goal. To get a property and build. If you gave me your money, you wouldn’t have enough to buy your own land and build from start to finish. Plus, it’d take me ages to pay you back. I’d never ask you to put your dreams on hold for me. What kind of sister do you think I am?”

None. Because I don’t see you as a sister at all.

“I’ve told you a thousand times that money isn’t a worry for me. I’m in no rush to build.”

She frowns. “But why? When we first met, it was all you talked about. Moving up to the mountains, creating the lodge with your brothers, and building your cabin with your own two hands. It’s what we all bonded over. Now suddenly there’s no rush?”

I’d never shown Maya that piece of land once I’d found it because the older she got, the more my feelings changed. My dreams of having a woman and kids turned into me wanting her as my woman who had my kids. I couldn’t separate the two, and the thought of bringing her there to talk about a fictional woman I’d never marry, with a fictional future I’d never have was unbearable. When she found it on her own, I didn’t have the heart to tell her Beau bought it as a hold for me. She’s so full of dreams that had long died in me. She deserves to have it.

“Life has me on a different path.” I smile and hope it doesn’t look miserable. “I’m comfortable here at the lodge.”

Maya doesn’t look convinced. In fact, her eyes are full of sadness. “Well, maybe one day you’ll walk the mountain and find an extraordinary piece of land that sings to your heart too. Once it does, I know it’ll jolt your dreams back to life, and your money will be right there for you to claim it.”

“Maya—”

But she stops me with a kiss on the forehead. As she rises out of the water to reach it, her breasts come up to my mouth, and through the drenched white fabric of her T-shirt, I can see that she’s not wearing a bra. My tongue itches to lick her dark pink, pebbled nipples, and my cock throbs painfully at the sight of them. When I hop in the shower, I’ll have to take care of it.

Like I always did after spending time with Maya.

Oblivious, she gets out of the jacuzzi and grabs her jacket, wrapping it around her.

“Come on Li, the snow’s coming down heavy now.”

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