Page 12 of Devoted Mountain Man

Her first kiss should be special. I couldn’t believe I was even thinking this, but it shouldn’t be here, in my cabin. No, it should be something romantic.

By the time she knocked on my door again, I was fully dressed. She’d gone next door to brush her teeth. I’d done exactly that too, saving the breakfast cleanup for later. There were more important things going on right now.

Her eyes widened in surprise when I opened the door, her gaze scanning me from head to toe. “You changed.”

She was right. I now wore a collared shirt with khaki shorts, not the workout shorts and tee I’d had on earlier.

“So did you,” I said.

She’d slept in her clothes from last night, so it was no surprise she’d changed. But she’d also put on a full face of makeup—minus lipstick. I assumed that was to keep her lips kiss-ready. My heart sped up at the thought that she wanted me to be her first kiss.

I assumed that also meant she hadn’t done anything else. She was a virgin. That immediately made me feel guilty for all the dirty thoughts I’d had about her while she was seated across from me at breakfast. But the idea that I could be the only man who ever kissed her took my erection to the next level.

I felt like shit for thinking that. I’d only ever been with experienced women, going back as far as my pre-military days, but it had never really mattered that much to me. But after meeting Vanessa, I saw the value of being the only guy to ever touch a certain woman. A woman who brought out things in me that I hadn’t even realized were there.

“I’ll take you somewhere a little more romantic than my cabin.”

She looked past me. “Your cabin is plenty romantic.”

“I want your first kiss to be special. Trust me.”

The nod she gave me right then meant everything. She trusted me, and I’d do everything I could to honor that trust—including taking her to my favorite lookout.

“It’s in town,” I said. “There are a lot of places to find a view around here, but most see pretty decent traffic, even if it’s just locals coming up here to picnic or whatever else. I found a spot very few people know about, but it does take a little extra work to get there. Do you mind a little bit of a walk?”

From her reaction, I guessed hikes weren’t her thing. Her expression shifted to a frown. I thought she might change her mind altogether.

“Just a walk,” I said. “It’s uphill, of course, but it takes no longer than ten minutes.”

Was ten minutes too long to walk uphill? I really had no idea. I’d spent so much time alone lately, I’d kind of checked out on how other people felt about things.

“That would be great,” she said. “Let’s go.”

What I hadn’t counted on was how it would feel to have her in my truck, seated next to me in the passenger seat. She was answering my question about her previous book, but it was hard to focus on her words.

This just felt right. I could easily see taking long trips with her. Maybe even in an SUV to hold the kids we’d have.

It was absolutely mind-boggling, but somehow, I’d managed to form a solid bond with this woman in less than a day. And most of that time was spent sleeping in separate bedrooms.

“What if it was a fluke?” she asked.

“A fluke?” I asked, hoping it didn’t give away that my mind had drifted.

“My first book. I’ve heard people say everyone has one book in them. Maybe that was all I had. One book. And I’m doomed to a blinking cursor for the rest of my life.”

“I don’t think everybody could write a bestseller, right?”

She’d said it was a bestseller. I remembered that much. And although I’d never been a reader, even I knew writing a bestselling novel was a huge achievement.

“No, but there are authors who had one big success. Emily Brontë, J. D. Salinger…and of course, Margaret Mitchell.”

I knew all those names, but I’d read none of their books, so I kept my mouth shut. I wanted to do what it took to boost her confidence and get her writing again.

“Even if I can get words on the page, that doesn’t mean I’m going to have the same level of success,” she said.

“Maybe you won’t. But maybe you’ll write books that will make money and pay your bills for the rest of your life. Would that be so bad?”

Long silence. I knew nothing about being an author, so I could have completely missed the mark. But when someone had a job they loved, life was far better than…well, anything else.

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