Page 4 of Rough Mountain Man

But now I knew that wasn’t really necessary. These guys weren’t ogling her or making inappropriate comments. They were probably among the many loggers around here who’d found girlfriends and were now off the market. It would take a lot to turn their heads.

“Not me,” Enzo said, stopping everything to straighten and turn to face us.

He wasn’t the only one. The entire team was looking this way now. That was when I stepped up to stand next to Gennie, making it clear I was her protector. Or maybe I was claiming ownership of her in a way that was typical me.

Yeah, this was exactly why I had to stay single for the rest of my life.

“Dayton has a new chick,” a guy I didn’t recognize said. “He joined us over on the dark side.”

Next to me, Gennie scanned the group behind them, but I knew that was a waste of time. Dayton and I had served alongside each other on tours. I would have spotted him immediately in any crowd, we’d spent so much time together.

“He ain’t here today,” someone else called out. “He’s playing hooky, if you know what I mean.”

How did that work? A guy got laid, then called in sick from work and everybody was cool with it? These guys might be a little too flexible. Or maybe they were all pussy-whipped.

Hell if I knew. It was none of my business, anyway.

“I think that’s the man I’m looking for,” Gennie said. “Where does he live?”

Silence. Nobody said a word. They looked at each other, then immediately jumped back into their work. We were being totally and completely blown off.

I got it. I fully understood nobody wanted to give away the private residence of a friend to some woman who just randomly showed up at their work site. I would have been annoyed if they’d just blurted it out.

“I got you,” I said, reaching over and putting my hand on Gennie’s arm.

It was an innocent move, but it didn’t seem at all innocent when I felt her body heat through the thin T-shirt. Or maybe that was my imagination. All I knew was warmth seemed to spreadfrom my fingertips all the way through my body, going straight to my dick.

Damn, had it been that long since I’d touched a beautiful woman? Yes. But that wasn’t what was going on here. No, this was something I’d never experienced before.

But if Gennie felt it, she didn’t show it. All I saw was gratitude when she turned her eyes toward me. Gratitude wasn’t bad, but I couldn’t help but wish for something closer to pure lust. That was what putting my hand on her had brought out in me.

That thought had me realizing that my hand was still on her, and I definitely didn’t have permission, grateful expression or not. I’d crossed the line.

I quickly removed my hand and took a couple of steps back. “See you guys tomorrow night,” I called out, adding a wave before flipping around and starting toward my truck.

Gennie would follow—at least, I hoped she would. Because the last thing I wanted to do was double back and lead her away from the group of guys.

No, I wanted Gennie all to myself. And that scared the hell out of me.

3

GENNIE

They weren’t at either cabin. The cabin next door to Dayton’s was obviously the rental where my best friend was staying. Vanessa’s sedan was in the driveway, so that made it pretty obvious. Besides, they were the only two houses in this entire area.

Even though he was sure Dayton wasn’t home, he knocked on the door anyway. We were greeted by a series of desperate-sounding barks that seemed to be coming from the back of the cabin. Apparently, Dayton had a dog.

We knocked on the rental cabin door too. No answer, and the lights were out.

“Vanessa wouldn’t be sitting in the cabin in the dark, even if she’s working on her book,” I said as we descended the steps from the porch.

“I’m sure they’re just out running errands or something. We could wait here. Or we could go grab some lunch.”

My stomach growled in response. We’d come to a stop on the front lawn of his friend’s cabin, and there was something awkward about it. Like we were at the end of a date, trying to figure out if we were going to end it with a kiss or not.

We could just hop in his truck and go back to my car. He’d drop me off, and I’d either come back here and stake out these cabins or grab some lunch and come back when they were likely to be home.

But I didn’t want that to happen, and there was no logical reason for it. Not if I had zero interest in this guy. The truth was, I wanted to spend time with him. And if I didn’t see what this attraction was about, I’d probably wonder for the rest of my life.

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