Page 6 of Stuck with the Mountain Man

I huffed out a breath. I couldn’t stand how I was turned on and irritated at the same time.

He watched me work?

My heart soared. My brain short-circuited. My blood boiled.

Jack moved another step closer, and I froze on the spot. Why did he have to keep doing that? I needed space between us to keep my head on straight.

“You know, Suzie Q, this side of you does something to me.”

It was the first time Jack flirted with me without a snarky joke behind it. I wasn’t sure how to react, and it totally threw me off my game. My sarcastic retort was nowhere to be found. “This side of me? I’ve always painted, Jack.” I swiped a loose piece of hair out of my face and prayed I didn’t have any paint on my face like I did on my hair.

“But the way you paint my apple trees…” His voice was low and growly in a way I’d never heard before, and it did something to my insides. Twisted them up and spun them around like a blender on high speed.

When I looked up again, his face was mere inches from mine. I sucked in a breath, and my blood pounded in my ears.

And then he did the last thing I ever expected from Jack Miller.

He kissed me.

My body reacted first. I kissed him back, all the fantasies and thoughts of wanting to kiss him for so long pouring forth.

I lost myself in the passion, in his hands on my hair, one grasping the back of my head as we devoured each other’s mouths, tongues exploring and searching like a hunt for long-lost treasure.

But then my brain caught up.

I pushed him away, our kiss broken, the moment gone, as I gasped for air, my chest heaving. I wiped my mouth with the back of my hand and glared at him.

“What the fuck was that for?” I snapped.

Then I turned and stormed off, ignoring his voice calling me back.

CHAPTERFOUR

Jack

I stood there,reeling from what happened, trying to make some sort of sense of it.

I didn’t know why I kissed her. It came over me out of nowhere, and I jumped into action without thinking.

Seeing her blond hair and blue eyes shining in the warm sunshine as she painted gorgeous art ofmyorchard did something to me.

Something I never expected. Something I could no longer ignore.

My fucks turned into flying airplanes as I walked across my deck with purpose and swept her into my arms, planting my lips on hers.

I’d pretended for far too long. I’d ignored it for too long. I wasn’t ignoring it anymore.

Suzie was into it. There was no doubt about it with the way she kissed me back. But then she pushed me away and looked pissed as hell.

What the fuck?

I sighed and ran a hand through my hair as I turned and leaned against the deck railing. I stared at the orchard and then looked at her painting, going back and forth between the two.

You need to apologize.

“Jack? What’s going on? Suzie called me upset, saying she doesn’t think she can finish painting,” Adalynn said as she walked out onto the deck from the sliding door. Looking over my shoulder, I saw her storming toward me with a not-very-happy expression.

Shit, this whole thing was a big fucking mess.

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