Page 20 of Mountain Rancher

“The truth is, Abby, I didn’t bring you here for ranch business.” His voice drops lower, and it sends shivers across my skin despite the fire’s warmth. “I wanted to be alone with you. Without interruptions. Without your brothers. Without pretending there isn’t something happening between us.”

My heart hammers against my ribs. “What is happening between us, Hunter?”

“Something I’ve never felt before.” He holds my gaze with an intensity that makes it hard to breathe. “Something that started the moment I pulled you off that cliff and hasn’t stopped since.”

The memory flashes between us of me, slipping on the rocky ledge during a ride inspection, Hunter’s strong arms catching me just before I fell, our bodies pressed together for the first time.

The honesty in his words draws me to him like a magnet. I set my wine glass aside and move from my chair to his, our bodies close in the flickering firelight. He raises his hand to cup my face and brushes his thumb across my lower lip. I lean into his touch, unable and unwilling to resist any longer.

When our lips meet, it’s like a dam breaking. The kiss deepens immediately, mouths opening, tongues sliding together in a dance that feels both new and familiar. Hunter pulls me onto his lap so my thighs straddle his, and I tangle my hands in his hair. His grip on my waist is firm, possessive in a way that makes heat pool low in my belly.

I’ve never been kissed like this, like I’m essential, like the person kissing me would rather die than stop. He slides his hands under my sweater, finding the bare skin of my back, and I arch into him, wanting more.

A distant rumble interrupts the moment. We break apart, breathless, and look up to see dark clouds gathering on the horizon, backlit occasionally by flashes of lightning. Fat raindrops begin to fall and quickly become a steady downpour.

“I should probably get you back to the ranch,” Hunter says reluctantly as we stand, though everything in his posture contradicts his words.

Lightning flashes and illuminates his face for a brilliant second, showing the hunger in his eyes and the tension in his jaw. It’s followed immediately by a crack of thunder that seems to shake the ground beneath us.

I look from the storm to Hunter, and a decision crystalizes in my mind.

The ranch is at least twenty minutes away on these back roads. The storm is directly overhead now, which makes driving dangerous. At least, that’s what I tell myself as certainty fills me.

“Or,” I say, my voice steady despite my racing heart, “I could come inside with you and see where the night takes us.”

The hunger in Hunter’s eyes makes my breath catch. There’s a question there too, a final chance to back away from the edge we’re standing on.

I’ve spent my life being practical, responsible Abigail. The good daughter. The sensible sister. For once, I want to be the woman who takes what she wants.

Hunter extends his hand to me, a simple gesture that asks everything. Without hesitation, I take it, lace my fingers through his, and follow him back inside.

Chapter Six

HUNTER

From the secondwe step inside my cabin, my entire world narrows to just Abby.

The sound of the door slamming behind us is drowned out by the thunder cracking overhead, but I barely notice the storm.

All I can focus on is her.

“You have no idea how long I’ve been waiting for this,” I growl against her lips and back her against the wall. My hands find her waist, and I lift her up so she can wrap those perfect legs around me.

She moans into my mouth as she threads her fingers through my hair and tugs just hard enough to drive me wild.

The lightning flashes through the windows and illuminates her face for brief seconds as I devour her mouth. I groan, pressing her harder against the wall. I need her closer.

“Hunter,” she gasps when I trail kisses down her neck, finding that spot just below her ear that makes her shiver. “Please...”

That single word snaps something inside me.

I hoist her higher against my body, and her legs tighten around my waist as I carry her through the cabin. The path tomy bedroom feels miles long with her grinding against me, her mouth hot on my neck, teeth nipping at my skin.

I kick the bedroom door open, never breaking contact with her skin. The room is dark except for the flashes of lightning that streak through the curtains. I lower her onto my bed, and the mattress dips beneath our combined weight.

She looks up at me, her blonde hair splayed across my pillow, and I have to pause just to take her in.

I’ve imagined this moment more times than I can count. But nothing compares to the reality of having Abigail Clayton beneath me, waiting for me to make her mine.

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