Page 17 of Seduced By the Mountain Man

Reality began to creep back in as we gathered our scattered clothes, the silence between us growing heavier with each passing second.

"Dee," I started, reaching for her, but she shook her head.

"I can't do this right now," she said, voice still rough from our activities. "I need to think."

"About what?"

"About everything." She pulled her tank top back on, not meeting my eyes. "This doesn't solve anything, Jace. It just makes it more complicated."

I caught her hand before she could retreat completely. "It only makes it complicated if you run away again."

Her eyes finally met mine, conflicted but no longer cold. "I'm not running. I'm just... processing. This is a lot."

"Take all the time you need," I said, meaning it. "But know that I meant everything I said. This isn't just sex for me, Dee. It never was. And I think you feel the same."

She nodded slowly, then stretched up to press a brief, soft kiss to my lips. "Goodnight, Jace."

I watched her walk away, the boathouse door closing quietly behind her. But unlike six months ago, this time she left me with hope instead of regret.

This time, I wouldn't let her go so easily.

Chapter Five

“Just a Fling”

Delaney

I didn't breathe properly until I was halfway back to the cabin.

My legs wobbled with each step, my body still humming with aftershocks that made every movement a vivid reminder of what had just happened in the boathouse. Jace's calloused hands on my bare skin. His mouth claiming my breasts. The way he'd filled me so completely I'd forgotten where I ended and he began.

The night air cooled my flushed skin, moonlight silvering the path just enough to guide me back. I raked my fingers through my tangled hair, wincing when they caught in the knots his eager hands had created. My lips throbbed, tender from his kisses, and my neck stung where he'd sucked hard enough to leave marks.

I was a wreck. A thoroughly satisfied, completely conflicted wreck.

By the time I reached the cabin door, I'd pulled myself together as best I could—hair smoothed, clothes straightened,face composed into what I hoped passed for casual normalcy. I drew in a steadying breath, exhaled slowly, and stepped inside.

Three pairs of eyes instantly locked on me.

Whitney froze mid-sentence, wineglass suspended halfway to her lips. Kayla's eyebrows lifted slightly as she scanned my appearance. Amber, sprawled across the sofa with her legs dangling over the armrest, bolted upright with the predatory interest of a cat spotting a wounded bird.

"Well, well, well," Amber drawled. "Someone's been busy."

"I have no idea what you're talking about," I said, heading for the kitchen to pour myself a much-needed glass of wine. "I just went to check on equipment for tomorrow."

"Uh-huh." Whitney followed me, leaning against the counter. "Is that why your shirt is inside out?"

I glanced down. Sure enough, the seams of my tank top were clearly visible. Heat blazed across my face.

"And your hair looks like you stuck your finger in an electrical socket," Amber added helpfully.

"And you've got what appears to be the beginnings of a hickey right... there." Kayla pointed to a spot just below my left ear.

I slapped a hand over the spot, mortification completing the trifecta of emotions swirling through me—satisfaction, confusion, and now embarrassment.

"Fine," I muttered, gulping half my wine in one go. "I ran into Jace at the boathouse."

"And then you ran into him again. And again. And again," Whitney said with a wicked grin. "Horizontally, I'm assuming? Or was it vertically? Against a wall perhaps?"

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