Page 9 of Seduced By the Mountain Man

I hesitated, then settled back into the chair. "Fine. But only because the sunset's pretty."

"Just the sunset?" His tone was teasing as he draped the towel around his neck and took the chair beside mine.

"Just the sunset," I confirmed, fighting a smile. "The company is decidedly average."

He clutched his chest in mock pain. "You wound me, Dee."

"You'll survive," I said dryly, but the old nickname sent a flutter through me. Tyler had been the one to originally coin the moniker, a habit that began one summer when he decided 'Delaney' was too many syllables for shouting across the lake at our family's cabin. Jace had quickly adopted the custom himself after hearing it from my brother.

We sat in silence for a moment, watching the sky deepen from gold to orange to crimson.

"About yesterday—" he started.

"Let's not," I interrupted. "I get it. You were filling in for the regular masseuse. Awkward coincidence."

"That's not what I meant," he said quietly. "I meant what happened after. When I brought up Jackson Hole."

My heart kicked against my ribs. "Ancient history."

"Six months isn't ancient."

"It is when you get a text making it crystal clear it meant nothing," I said, unable to keep the edge from my voice.

He winced. "I deserved that."

"Yes, you did."

Jace turned in his chair to face me fully, water still dripping from his hair onto those unfairly sculpted shoulders. In the fading light, his blue eyes were darker, more intense.

"It didn't mean nothing," he said softly. "That's the problem."

Something in my chest cracked open at the honesty in his voice. I'd spent six months convincing myself that night was a mistake, that Jace regretted it, that the connection I'd felt was one-sided.

"Then why the text?" I asked, hating how vulnerable the question made me feel.

"Because I woke up next to my best friend's sister," he said simply. "And I panicked. All I could think about was how Tyler would react, what it would do to our friendship."

"And now?" The question slipped out before I could stop it.

He stood up, moving closer until he was standing directly in front of my chair. Water droplets clung to his eyelashes, and the familiar scent of him filled my senses.

"Now I'm wondering if some things are worth the risk," he said, his voice dropping lower. "If you're worth the risk."

My heart thundered in my ears. "That's a convenient realization to have now that I'm here."

"Or maybe seeing you again just made it impossible to ignore," he countered, reaching out to tuck a strand of hair behind my ear.

I stood up abruptly, needing to level the playing field. We were too close now, my back against the dock railing, Jace barely a breath away. The dying sunlight caught on his damp skin, turning him golden.

"I think you're confusing attraction with something more meaningful," I said, fighting to keep my voice steady. "What happened at the wedding was a mistake. A one-time thing."

"Was it?" he challenged, stepping closer. "Because I remember every second of that night, Dee. Every touch. Every sound you made. Every whispered word."

Heat bloomed low in my belly. "That's not fair. I’d had too much to drink and clearly wasn’t thinking straight."

"That’s not true, and you know it. But you are right about something not being fair," he agreed, his hands coming to rest on the railing on either side of me, caging me in without actually touching me. "It’s not fair the way I can't stop thinking about you. Not the way I've spent six months regretting that text. Not the way you're looking at me right now."

"And how am I looking at you?" I whispered.

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