Page 13 of Devoted Mountain Man

The work I was doing up here in Seduction Summit was perfect for me. It was a life I couldn’t have imagined for myself. Only one thing was missing—a woman by my side. I had exactly that right now, but it might not last.

I was so caught up in our conversation, I almost missed the turnoff. At the last minute, I flipped on my turn signal and swung a hard left, forcing Vanessa to grab the armrest to steady herself. But if she minded, she didn’t show it. In fact, she was still deep in our conversation, going by the next thing she said.

“I’m in control. I get to decide whether or not I write another book. And I’m going to write another book. And another. And another. You’ve inspired me.”

She looked over at me, and I puzzled over what she’d just said. I’d inspired her to write more books? I had no idea what I’d done, but I was proud to be her inspiration.

“Whatever I can do to help,” I said. “Here we are.”

She seemed to notice her surroundings for the first time. Had all her focus been on me? I sure as hell hoped so.

“This is beautiful,” she said.

“This isn’t the final destination.”

I pulled to a stop and cut the engine, looking out at the view in front of us. Straight ahead was a large rock people loved to perch on—people who weren’t afraid of heights, anyway. It boasted a beautiful view of the mountains.

I didn’t even want to think about how many people had done much more than kiss on that rock. I much preferred my private spot.

“Come on,” I said, opening my door and hopping out of the truck.

I started toward the trees to our left, then stopped at the clearing, turning and waiting for her. For a second, when I saw she was still in the truck, I feared this was where she’d put a stop to things.

“Are we allowed to be here?” she asked. “Can we get arrested?”

I smiled. “Yeah, this town doesn’t really have a police force. They come up from the next town over, if necessary, but nobody’s patrolling. Besides, this is public land. Ready?”

When she looked at me, her expression reminded me of what I’d asked her to do earlier.Trust me. And she did. My heart swelled as, once again, she trusted me.

I went first, trudging up the path I knew so well. Sometimes I came here just to get out of my cabin. Normally, my policy was ladies first, but not while trudging through the woods. If anything was going to jump out at us, I wanted to be the first line of defense.

We walked in silence for the few feet it took to get to our destination. I always felt at peace here. Nature never let me down.

“Oh wow,” Vanessa said as I moved aside to let her pass.

She was staring straight ahead. The view stretched as far as the eye could see—rocks and trees and even some yellow flowers mixed in. It looked like a painting that would hang on someone’s wall.

“I come up here just to clear my mind sometimes,” I said. “The walls of my cabin can feel like they’re closing in on me.”

“I do the same, except I go to a bookstore.” She was still staring straight ahead and seemed to be lost in thought. “There’s one near my apartment. It has a cozy little seating area in the corner. Most of the time, it’s available. I just grab a book and sit and read. I could do that in my apartment, I know, but there’s something about being surrounded by people while hiding in a corner. It makes me feel safe.”

Fuck, this woman was perfect for me. That was exactly how I felt. There were few things I liked more than working alongsidemy fellow team members, listening to them banter while I kept quiet.

Suddenly, she looked at me. “So, when are you going to kiss me?”

As our eyes met, my heart skipped a beat. My pulse began pounding, warmth rushing through my body.

It wasn’t that I was working up the nerve. I was mostly waiting until the right moment. But now that she’d turned to look at me, I couldn’t wait another second.

I wasn’t sure who moved first. All I knew was that as she pressed her body against mine, sliding her hands over my shoulders, I had to hold myself back.

First kiss, I reminded myself. As much as I wanted to go full force into the kiss, I had to make this special. I had to take things slowly.

But as I stared down at her, I realized this was far more than physical attraction. This was the only woman I wanted for the rest of my life.

So I took a deep breath, lowered my head, and captured her lips in what started as a slow, sweet kiss.

7

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