Page 17 of My Forbidden Mountain Man

Clueless to the turmoil happening in my head, she lets out a yawn. With another day wrapping up, we spend our night watching a film older than her to pass the time.

All curled up on the couch, she almost takes up the entire length. What few feet she can’t claim, the few that I’m sitting against, she uses her feet to rest comfortably against my lap.

In return, I give her ankles a light squeeze, stroking them both with my thumbs.

She’s so soft.

“We can finish it tomorrow, if you don’t want to fall asleep.” Already reaching for the remote, she sends a tired nod in my direction before I power down the television.

Darkness swallows us whole except for the light coming off the flames in the fireplace.

She stretches, arms arching over her head in a lazy curve, fingers flexing toward the ceiling.

“Carry me?” she teases, voice thick with sleep, her grin all mischief. I know she’s joking. She has to be joking—especially when she immediately backtracks, waving a hand. “Kidding, kidding. I’m way too—”

I’m already moving before she can finish her sentence. My hands find her waist, lifting her before she can wrap her mind around what’s happening. Her gasp is sharp, legs instinctively wrapping around my hips as I haul her up against me.

“Too what?” I murmur, fingers digging into the supple give of her thighs just to hear that little hitch in her breath again. “Tell me exactly how heavy you think you are.”

She’s weightless. Effortless. Perfect in my arms in every way possible.

For a heartbeat, she just stares at me, lips parted—then her hands slide into my hair, her thumbs brushing the stubble along my jaw. The firelight paints gold across her cheekbones, her lashes, the slow curve of her mouth as she drinks in my appearance.

“God, I think I’m addicted to you,” she whispers, the words a confession wrapped in smoke.

And then she kisses me.

It starts soft—just the brush of her mouth against mine, testing, savoring. But when I groan, her fingers tighten in my hair, pulling me closer. Her lips part, inviting, and suddenly the kiss deepens, slow and searching. The tip of her tongue traces the seam of my lips, and I let her in, let her take whatever she wants.

Her breath hitches when I squeeze her thighs in response, my grip firm enough to remind her that I’m here. I’m not letting go.

The logical part of my brain screams that I should carry her to bed—her bed, alone, where she can sleep like she needs to. But the way she nips at my lower lip, the way her hips press closer, tells me sleep is the last thing on her mind now.

Firelight flickers over us, shadows dancing across the walls as the kiss turns hungrier, wetter. Her teeth graze my tongue, and I swear I see stars.

Fuck.

I’m the one addicted.

Pulling away, she pants softly. Pretty and pink, she teases me with the swipe of her tongue against her lips.

Hard to believe Violet can flush so easily while taking what she wants from time to time.

Remembering how to make my feet work, I carry us out of the living room and toward the hall full of doors. Despite being swallowed up in darkness, I move with ease as I’ve already memorized this cabin over the years.

Just as I reach her door, I’m not prepared for her breath to tickle my ear.

“Let’s go to your room. I don’t want to sleep alone tonight.” Whispering the words against my ear, she makes me question what she means as her mouth brushes my neck.

Fuck, she’s not talking about only the bed.

“You’re sure?” Rasping out the words, my hands shift to her ass. One full squeeze and I’m already taking a step toward my door.

Feeling the motion of her nodding, I’m toeing open my door before stepping inside.

Just like the cabin, I know my way to my bed. Reaching it in all of ten strides, as I’m putting her down, she’s dragging me right along with her.

Knee sinking into the mattress, she’s mapping out my face until she can find my lips through the darkness. Once she finds what she’s looking for, I’m the one to groan as she wraps her legs tighter around me, lifting her hips in a way to rub against my growing arousal.

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