Page 13 of Mountain Man's Redemption

“Oh.” She looks disappointed, like I’ve robbed her of a juicy new piece of gossip.

“And his name is Garrett! Not ‘this criminal’. You have no right to go around calling him that.”

“Daphne, it’s alright.” Garrett sounds weary, like he’s dealt with this situation a million times before. “Let’s get out of here.”

“No, it’s not alright!” Anger rushes through me, and as I look at Rita, I can see the judgment of everyone in Plainville written on her face. I was too scared to stand up for myself then, but I can’t let her speak about Garrett like this. “You shouldn’t gossip about people, Rita. It’s cruel. It ruins lives.”

“A spade’s a spade.” She clicks her tongue. “You want my advice? Stay away fr?—”

“No.” I cut in. “I don’t want advice from someone like you. Not ever. And if I ever hear you talk about Garrett like that again, I’ll…I’ll tell everyone your little secret.”

It’s a bluff. I don’t know a thing about Rita Danvers, least of all her secrets. But everybody has one, right? And to my delight, I see her blanch.

“My little secret?” She laughs, but it doesn’t reach her eyes. “What secret? I don’t have any secrets.”

“Really?” I raise an eyebrow. “That’s not what I heard.”

“Why? What did you hear?” There’s a desperate edge to her voice. “Whatever it is…it’s not true!”

“Bye, Rita.”

I turn on my heel and head back toward Garrett, who is watching me with his eyebrows raised. Once I reach the truck, I look back at Rita, relieved to see that she’s scurrying off down the street, texting frantically.

“I guess she really does have a secret after all,” I say, chuckling despite myself. “It was a bluff, but she looks pretty rattled.” Then my smile drops as I look at the seriousness on Garrett’s face. “I’m really sorry she said that about you. It was so uncalled for! I wish?—”

But my words are cut off in an instant when Garrett grabs me. He pushes me back against his truck with a deep groan, his hands tangling through my hair, and all at once, he’s kissing me hard. His beard is rough against my chin, his mouth hungry and urgent, sucking the breath from my lungs. The world turnswhite, my heart hammering as I lose myself in him—the smell of pine, the hard muscles of his chest pressing against me. He tastes raw and musky, and I can’t get enough of him. My arms loop around his neck, and it doesn’t matter that we’re in the middle of a parking lot. It doesn’t matter who sees. Let people talk. Let them whisper. Let them judge. Because right now, all that matters is Garrett, his lips on mine, our tongues melding, hands grabbing desperately at each other.

All that matters ishim.

8

GARRETT

I promisedmyself I wouldn’t get involved. I promised myself I’d pull back. But fuck, this girl is too damn perfect to resist. Seeing Daphne defend me with so much passion…that was it for me. Nobody has ever stood up for me like that before. She’s an angel—too good for me, too good for anyone—but I can’t hold back anymore. I can’t keep ignoring the way she makes me feel.

I want her.

More than I’ve ever wanted anything.

Fuck, she tastes like heaven. Her lips are plump and pillowy, sweet as cherry pie, and I press myself against her soft curves, my cock throbbing with need. She moans as I slip my tongue between her lips, savoring the warmth of her mouth. My heart is beating so damn hard that it’s threatening to burst out of my chest. Desire pulses through me, threatening to overflow, and I’m desperate to get Daphne back to my cabin. I want to make this goddess mine in every way.

But first, there’s something I need to tell her.

It could ruin everything. It could make her regret ever meeting me, defending me, knowing me. But she deserves the truth, and I can’t take things any further until she knows everything. My conscience won’t let me.

It’s almost impossible to pull away from Daphne’s sweet mouth, but I force myself back, breathing hard. She’s blinking up at me, her pretty blue eyes glazed with longing, and it takes all my self-control not to say “fuck you, conscience” and take her to bed right now.

“Listen to me,” I tell her firmly, my voice hoarse. “I want you, Daphne. So fucking much. I’ve wanted you since the minute I saw you in the bakery. But there’s something you need to know about me first. Okay?”

She reaches up to touch my cheek. “You mean what happened when you were nineteen?”

“Yes.” I look around at the parking lot. “Not here, though. Let’s go back to the cabin.”

Daphne nods, smiling up at me reassuringly. “Okay.”

I can’t help it. I lean in to kiss her again, a soft, gentle kiss.

It might be the last after what I’m about to tell her…

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