Page 3 of Fascinated with the Mountain Man

As she waved goodbye and walked away, I watched her gorgeous hips sway back and forth. My idea was dumb. Stupid. Insane.

But I didn’t care. Every part of me craved to be around her.

I was tired of pretending otherwise.

CHAPTER TWO

Jolene

“I…fuck,Jolene, I can’t resist you any longer.” He hooks one finger under my chin, and my body goes still.

Kiss me, Aster. Please kiss me. It’s all I’ve ever wanted. All I’ve ever dreamed of.

“But my brother…” I look behind me, making sure Caden isn’t around.

Aster touches my cheek and turns me back toward him, his deep hazel eyes so easy to get lost in. It’s as if all my troubles melt away, and only he and I are present in the moment. “I don’t care anymore, Jo.”

My stomach swirls, and this afternoon’s lunch is ready to make an unwelcome appearance. Is this real? Are we really going to do it this time?

He moves his lips closer…closer…when finally, they land on mine, and electric currents run up my spine, my dream coming true at last.

“Aster! Get your hands off her!”

Beep! Beep! Beep!

I woke with a start,shooting upright in bed, my chest pounding. I reached over and hit my alarm clock, cutting off the shrill beeping noise.

With a groan, I lay back down and pulled my comforter over my head. My cat, Smuckers, meowed, and I cuddled up close to her, her soft purrs relaxing my panicked breaths.

If I had one more of those dreams, I was going to lose it. Lately, it seemed like every night, I woke up in a frenzy, hot and bothered from the same dream that played on repeat—Aster and I finally kissing.

And every time, my brother burst through the door.

“Why can’t I just love who I want, Smucks?” I pet my pretty orange calico girl. Smuckers was given to me as a Christmas gift from my parents when I was ten, right before my world imploded.

She’s been with me ever since, and honestly, she’s gotten me through a lot of shit. She knew all my secrets, my woes, my dreams, and she was a great listener. Never gave any unwanted opinions.

“Now he asked me to photograph his farm. It’s an excuse to see me, right?” I rubbed her head and scratched behind her ears. “You know, Smucks, if things ever happened between Aster and me, we’d be moving to a farm, and you’d have a whole new life with lots of animal friends.”

Smuckers purred in response, and I chuckled at myself. I probably looked like a looney tune talking to my cat like she was my best friend, but Aster would understand. He loved his animals the same way.

I drifted back to sleep until my alarm blared again a half hour later. Usually, I’d stumble out of bed and grumble my way through my morning routine, but not today. Today, I had a smile so wide it made my cheeks hurt.

Today, I was photographing Aster’s farm.

I steered away from my usual attire of sundresses and low-top sneakers and went for jeans, a T-shirt, and boots. Better safe than sorry when it comes to walking through a farm. With my hair in a messy bun, a light touch of makeup, and a quick breakfast, I grabbed my camera gear and bag and headed over to Aster’s.

With each passing minute, my heart rate bumped up a notch as I got closer. No matter how often I saw this man, my emotions never failed to ramp up. A crazy mix of excitement and nerves rushed through me.

What if today was the day?

The day he finally kissed me.

Sure, I’d kissed a few boys back in high school. Dated a few and lost my virginity to one who turned into a jerk shortly after. A bit of a wild streak mixed with some rebellion, and I caused Caden all kinds of headaches. But I’d always remember the day Aster strolled onto the orchard.

Sparks flew when our eyes connected. I might’ve only been seventeen, but I’d never felt that way before. I hung around as much as I could, but the day my brother made it very clear to both of us that dating was off-limits, I limited my time there.

Yet I never dated, never found interest in any others. I kept on secretly pining for Aster.

---