Page 1 of Fearless Mountain Man

1

ANA

“Everyone has a price.”

Those were the words my client had left me with when I called him with what I’d learned since arriving in Seduction Summit. He wouldn’t take no for an answer. The problem was, it was on me to make the guy who owned this land say yes.

I crossed my arms over my chest, pressing my tablet against it as I took a deep breath, inhaling the mountain air. I couldn’t blame my client. This was prime land. Whoever ended up living here would be one lucky bastard.

But that wouldn’t be my client or me. My client was a real estate investor. His plan was to buy this hot property and plop a multi-million-dollar home on it. Two stories and an attic with a beautiful covered back patio area that would overlook the pond.

A strange noise interrupted my thoughts. I’d heard splashing when I got out of the SUV and assumed it was coming from the pond. It stopped briefly, but now picked up again—splash,splash,splash,splash. The sound was either someone swimming or a very large creature in the pond swishing around.

Frowning, I started walking toward the pond on the relatively narrow strip of land between two modest cabins. Both were one story, with the same cookie-cutter design seen in most of the cabins up and down this mountain. They were built to be rentals, and some were, but apparently this was a city full of former military guys who moved up here to work on the logging crews.

Those crews were chopping down trees everywhere to build neighborhoods. And premium lots like this one, that had a view of the pond with the mountains on the other side, were rare. This spot had the best view of all the mountain properties we’d seen in the southeastern United States.

The splashing sounds grew louder the closer I got to the pond. That would make sense if it was coming from the water, but it wasn’t. It was coming from my right. From the cabin of the guy who owned this property I was standing on.

Carter Powell was his name. I’d tried digging up information on the guy and had found very little. He’d served seven years in the military, then settled here a couple years ago, buying up his property and the land next to it. I’d assumed he maybe had plans to someday build a home next door. Some people did that for aging parents or close siblings.

Or maybe he’d purchased it as an investment. The land in this town was only going to go up in value. If that were the case, it would be a heck of a lot easier to offer him top dollar and get him to bite.

But now that I’d spent a couple of days in this town, I had my doubts. It was very likely he’d bought this land because he didn’t want anyone living here. He liked the privacy of not having an immediate neighbor on either side. On the other side of him was a clump of trees on marshy property—not ideal for a home, in other words.

But my client would build his multimillion-dollar house and sell it to no telling who. Chances were, it wouldn’t be a bunch of frat boys or even someone with young children. At worst, Carter Powell would end up with neighbors who put in a pool and had parties back there in the summertime.

Splash, splash, splash.

What was making that noise? I had to know. Now that I was standing closer to the pond, I could tell exactly where the sound was coming from. The pool next door.

Carter had a black wrought-iron fence around a long, narrow lap pool. I felt like a voyeur as I watched his muscles ripple while he swam from one end of the pool to the other. Overlooking him was a covered patio area similar to the one my client envisioned for the property, complete with a big-screen TV and a bar.

Maybe Carter wouldn’t mind having a neighbor who threw parties. He might just jump right in and they’d become fast friends. I had to convince him to sell first, though.

Suddenly, the splashing stopped. The form disappeared. He was underwater. I should get out of here before he?—

With a sudden splash, he emerged, plunging through the surface like a fish lunging after something on the surface. I had to go. I had to rush off this property. Hop in my SUV and hightail it back to my room at the lodge. Otherwise, he’d turn at any second and see me standing here like some sort of nutjob stalker.

I didn’t move, though. I couldn’t move. I was trapped, gawking at the most beautiful sight I’d ever seen.

He was all tanned skin and toned arms and chest and abs. I could only see him from the side, so I couldn’t really make out the details of his front, but from here the view was straight out of a beefcake calendar.

In front of me, the guy in the pool wiped his eyes and shook his head, sending beads of water flying off him. It was just before sunset over the pond, and I’d planned to snap some pictures of it for my client. But the view in front of me was far better than any sunset. There was no comparison.

One thing was certain. My client did not want pictures of the breathtaking sight in front of me right now.

Suddenly, the swimmer pushed himself up out of the pool, landing in a squat position on the concrete next to it like he was executing some sort of military operation. If he was a former soldier like the other guys around here, that made sense.

But when he stood, he didn’t start walking toward the patio like I expected. Instead, he turned as though he were going to look out over the pond. In the process, his gaze landed on me, his full body now facing me. He was naked. Head to toe. No swim trunks, no underwear…nothing.

For the first time in my life, I was staring at a naked man. And he was staring right back at me.

2

CARTER

The woman had been spying on me. Like a voyeur. And I liked every second of it.

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