Page 17 of Rescued By the Mountain Man

His words send me hurtling over the edge. I come with a keening cry, clenching around him, wave after wave of pleasure washing through me.

Rhett follows moments later, his rhythm faltering as he groans my name against my neck, his body shuddering above mine. With a loud groan he empties himself inside of me, hot and full to the brim with his seed.

Finally, when every last drop is spent, he presses a tender kiss to my temple and withdraws, leaving a wet puddle beneath us.

I curl into him, my head on his chest, listening to his heartbeat return to normal. His fingers trace lazy patterns on my back, and I've never felt so content, so perfectly at peace.

Then, reality intrudes. Soon the snowcat will arrive. Soon we'll have to leave this cabin, this bubble where nothing exists but us.

"What happens now?" I ask, voicing the question that hangs between us.

His arm tightens around me. "I don't know," he admits. "This isn't something I expected."

"Me neither." I prop myself up to look at him. "But I want to find out where it goes."

Uncertainty clouds his eyes. "Jade, our lives are completely different. You're young, you've got your whole career ahead of you. I'm—"

"If you say 'too old' or 'damaged goods,' I might have to hurt you," I warn, placing my finger over his lips. "And I'm already injured, so that would be inconvenient."

A reluctant smile tugs at his mouth. He kisses my finger. "It won't be easy."

"Nothing worth having ever is." I lean down to kiss him softly. "And you, Mountain Man, are definitely worth having."

The radio in the other room crackles to life, announcing the snowcat's approach. Our time is up.

nine

Rhett

Istandontheporch, watching as the snowcat approaches. Its rumbling engine shatters the perfect silence of the past days. Reality, arriving right on schedule.

Beside me, Jade shivers slightly in the cold, though she's now dressed properly in her own clothes, her injured arm supported in a makeshift sling. The bruises on her face have begun to fade to a sickly yellow-green, but somehow she's still the most beautiful thing I've ever seen.

"That's your ride," I say unnecessarily, my voice rougher than intended.

She nods, eyes fixed on the approaching vehicle. "Looks like it."

Aspen whines at my feet, sensing the impending separation. I know exactly how she feels.

The orange snowcat grinds to a halt, and Jake hops out, his usual grin in place as he trudges through the snow toward us.He gives Jade a quick once-over, professional assessment mixed with undeniable curiosity.

"Miss Wilson," he says with a nod. "Ready to head back to civilization?"

"As ready as I'll ever be," she replies, but her eyes find mine, full of unspoken things.

Jake, never one for subtlety, glances between us, his eyebrows rising slightly. "I'll, uh, get the cabin warmed up. Take your time." He retreats, giving us a moment of privacy.

Neither of us speaks immediately. What can I possibly say? That in the span of forty-eight hours, this woman has crashed through every barrier I've built over the past five years? That I'm terrified of what that means?

"So," she finally says, "this is where I get my dramatic rescue part two, huh?"

"Looks that way." I step closer, unable to help myself. "Though this one's considerably less harrowing than the first."

"I don't know about that." She smiles, but it doesn't quite reach her eyes. "First one just involved almost dying. This one's..." She trails off, leaving the sentence hanging between us.

Complicated. Impossible. Life-changing.

"Jade," I begin, not sure what I'm about to say.

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