Page 21 of Mystery in the Mountains

And, fuck, if it didn’t shoot straight to his dick, which he would be unable to hide, given he was holding her in her driveway naked at the day he was born.

“Be more careful,” he growled out.

“I’m sorry . . . I forgot about the step.”

“Are you okay?” he asked, steadying her before examining her for injury.

“I’m okay,” she said with a slight nod and a hopeful gaze.

The moment was full of so many emotions. He was still so angry with her, but a large part of him just wanted to wrap his arms around her and get lost in her sunshine. It was always intoxicating, and with her so close, the warmth was calling to him.

“Can we talk?” she asked quietly.

“Yeah . . . Let me run home and get dressed, and I’ll be back. Try not to hurt yourself in the meantime.”

“I’ll do my best,” she said, smiling up at him.

It’d been a long time since a smile filled him with such warmth, even if the edges singed with his burning anger.

Asher shifted and ran home. His wolf was anxious to get back to her, even if he wasn’t quite as ready to forgive and forget.

Before long, he was in his cabin, pulling on jeans and a black T-shirt.

Pulling up to the house, he took it in. It was run-down and needed major work. Even though he didn’t like the thought of her staying here, it was better than anywhere else . . . except maybe in his cabin on the mountain.

As he made his way to the door, he took note of the shutter stuck in the overgrown bushes, the broken stair, the loose floorboards on the porch—it was worse than he’d thought.

Careful with his footing, he made his way to the door and raised his fist to knock.

But before he could land a knock, Sunny was there. Her long blonde hair was swept back in a ponytail, and she was wearing a rainbow tank top and pajama pants.

Her image was just like he remembered, and he knew she would feel just as good as she always had. But even with all that, his guard was still up. She could leave at any moment, as she literally had another house parked next to this one . . . on wheels.

“Asher,” she said, her eyes wide and vulnerable, lips parted.

All he wanted to do was lower his head and taste her perfect pouty lips, but he wouldn’t.

“You want to talk?”

His voice sounded foreign to him, cold and harsh, nothing like usual.

Sunny’s gaze fell to the floor, and she bit her lip. “Yes. Please, come in,” she said, gesturing to him to enter. “I baked you chocolate chip cookies.”

Only had he stopped to sniff the air, he could have smelled those cookies from the road if he’d been in the right headspace. She’d made them for him many times, his favorite.

“Now how could I say no to that?” he said, following her.

“I know what you like,” she said, grinning over her shoulder at him as she led him into the kitchen.

There, on her beat-up kitchen table, was a plate of chocolate chip cookies.

He picked one up and groaned as he bit into it. “Damn, it’s so good.”

“I’m glad you still like it.” She pulled out a chair and sat while Asher did the same, carefully sitting on the other side of the table.

Temptation of sunshine had always been too much for him.

“Asher . . .”

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