Page 3 of Mountain Man Savior

“Thank you.” Her voice was tight, and her teeth hadn’t stopped chattering since I put her in the cab of my truck. Ah, hell, her lips are turning blue.

I light the kindling, but there’s no time to make sure it stays lit. Retracing my steps in three large strides, I know I need to get her out of those wet clothes. Quickly, I rip away the blanket from her small hands. “We don’t know each other, but I promise you, on my years of service to this country, all I want is to make sure you don’t go further into shock. Need you to strip out of those wet clothes.”

“You—you’re a veteran?”

“Served eighteen years in the Army, got out a little over three years ago. Names, West. My buddies and I took my uncle’s old hunting cabin and are turning it into a type of sanctuary for former service members.” I tried my best to keep my eyes above her neck, but it was getting harder by the second.

“So, I heard. I’m Lauren. Um, where can I….” She looked around the room, but I had nothing she could change into. And now that we’ve been out of the cab’s warmth for a few minutes and she still hadn’t moved closer to the fireplace, her shaking intensified. There wasn’t time to be embarrassed. “I promise I won’t look.”

Thankfully, I have a large hand knit blanket my cousin made me as a gift when I moved in. Grabbing it off the back of the couch, I hold it up and stretch it out like a wall between us. “See, I’ll turn my head and close my eyes. When you’re done, wrap this around you.” Man, I’ve never broken a promise, and I hope Idon’t start now. As much as I wanted to see what she looked like under her wet clothes, I wanted her trust more.

But first, this little spitfire I met on the side of the road needs to stop looking like I’m going to eat her up, because I would like nothing better.

Rustling and another cute sneeze erupts from her. “Um, okay. You can open your eyes now.”

Still in my wet clothes, I quickly whipped off my soaked shirt. I kept my jeans on since I hadn’t done laundry in a while so, yeah, no briefs for me today. I wasn’t too worried about getting hypothermia since I had more muscle mass and at least thirty pounds or more on her and the shakes hadn’t found me so far. But she continued shivering. She needed more heat. My body heat.

A faint whimper escaped her as I swept her up into my arms and carry her over to the couch. I sit with her in my lap and awkwardly make sure the blanket keeps all the important parts of her covered. Cursing myself for not stripping off my shirt so we can share body heat, I stroke her arms, thighs, and feet to help increase her circulation.

Soon I feel her body shudder, then relax against mine. Letting out a sigh, she snuggles her head against my chest.

Minutes tick by and I’m pretty sure she’s fallen asleep. Staring into the flames, I let the heat from the fire and her tempting body lull me into a state I haven’t felt since…yeah, I’ve never felt this before.

Is this what it feels like to be at peace? To recognize the other half of your soul?

Shaking my head, there’s no way I can let myself get sucked into this false sense of security. These feelings I’m having for someone I just met can’t be real. It was just lust, not having sex in a while and circumstance.

Besides, there’s no way she’d return these feelings. Men like me don’t have instant connections. Men like me aren’t built for anything except fighting, building things, and being alone.

And she was too damn young for me.

I’ll do well to remember that, but my dick is still protesting its need for her while my heart is threatening to jump out of my chest.

“West, is that you?” Ridge’s voice boomed from the hallway. His heavy footfalls echoed and before I could prepare him, he’d soon walk into the lodge’s great room. What would he think about seeing the curvy caterer he wanted to hire curled up in my lap as if she were mine?

Because yeah, the van with the company logo and the food she wanted me to go back for, it all added up. And made her more off-limits than just her age and my commitment to getting the Triple R up and running.

I don’t know if she’ll believe me when I tell her I’m all in—yet. And I definitely don’t know if she’s into hardened, possessive, older men, but I plan on it becoming my next mission. And yet, I know, deep down, that if there were ever a woman out there in this world for me—she was it.

Her lids fluttered, her color returned and her lips now regaining their former rosy color. Like a beacon, they drew me closer as I continued rubbing her arms. With a sweet puff of air, her lips formed into a perfect O, her piercing hazel eyes still unfocused. She released a sexy sigh.

“Thank you, I think” From grateful to embarrassed, I watched with amusement as she dipped her chin, took in the blanket she was bundled in, then my bare chest. Her eyes filling with heat before they went wide with what fear, excitement, a combination of both?

If West hadn’t bellowed, I’d planned on unwrapping her, then plastering all her shaking curves against me. Guess that pleasure will need to wait for later.

“Let me up!” She wiggled, and I almost lost my damn mind, but I reluctantly let her. She scooted off me, dragging her sweet ass across my lap, my growing erection, and she stilled. Then she moved even quicker, stood up, then wobbled slightly but quickly recovered. She tightened the blanket, jutted out her chin and glared at me. She was glorious.

And embarrassed. I could work with that.

Holding out my hands, I did my best to keep any hint of lust off my face from my voice. She already got a full dose of how my body felt with her snuggled up against my cock.

She continued glaring at us. At least she’d split her attention between Ridge and me so I could readjust the aching appendage in my pants. And I took heart that more anger and embarrassment and less fear appeared on her lovely features.

“Wait, you knew who I was when you found me and you still read me the riot act?” She focused all that lovely aggression on me. Most women would have cowered or cried, but not her. This woman had fire, and I planned on tapping into it as soon as I figured out how to disarm and find out everything I can about her.

“You’re safe. We didn’t have time to swap names and resumes when I was saving you.” I looked to Ridge for help. With his constant companion Beatrix perched on his shoulder, the idiot was grinning, a rarity for him. Well, so glad I could amuse him. The last thing I wanted was to have Lauren upset with me. I wanted her to, well, I just wanted her, and I’d figure out the rest later.

“Welcome to the Triple R, I’m Ridge Beauchamp. I think we can bypass the interview. I’ve tasted your mom’s food when she worked at O’Malley’s Pub. That sound good to you, West?”

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