Page 12 of My Ruthless Mountain Man

“That’s low, Kendall.”

I sink into the nearest chair, suddenly feeling hollow. Spent. Sometimes I don’t recognize my brother anymore.

“You know why we aren’t friends. Fuck, you were there for half the fight. He wrote me off long before that party, Kendall. So don’t count on him to be there for anyone but himself.”

“Like you?” The words are out before I can censor them. They’re how I feel, but I never wanted to hurt him by saying so.

He sucks in a sharp breath. “I’m nothing like him.”

No, he’s not. Stone has done nothing but protect and care for me in the one day I’ve been here. I haven’t had that from Ryan in years. “I’m sorry.” For my words, and my feelings. Because it feels like Ryan just set fire to the last bridge connecting us.

“Tell it to my face when I get there.”

He’s coming here?

“Is that your brother?” All of a sudden, Stone is beside me pulling the phone out of my hand. “What the fuck, Ryan?” he barks. “Leaving your baby sister to a man like Petrova?”

I hear a string of muffled curses, then a click and a dial tone. Ryan hung up.

Stone tosses the phone on the counter and turns to me. That’s when I realize that he’s standing in the kitchen wearing only a towel around his waist. Rivulets of water trickle down from his damp hair, over the hard planes of his chest and the dusting of hair there.

I follow a droplet as it courses over rock hard abs, dipping in and out of the intriguing ridges in a winding descent toward a thick blue towel. The desire to catch it with my tongue is nearly overwhelming. I lick my lips.

“Kendall.” Stone’s voice sounds strained.

It snaps my attention back to him. God, I was ogling him after everything that just happened. I can’t do this. I can’t be near a half-naked Stone when I’m confused about his actions, angry at my brother, and afraid that I put people I care about in danger.

“I’m going outside.” Maybe a walk in the fresh air will settle my rioting emotions long enough to think straight.

Stone catches my wrist. “It’s not safe, honey.” He points to the black box he took off my car. “That’s a tracker. There’s an excellent chance Petrova knows exactly where you are. He might already be here.”

I tug my arm from his grip and look out the window. Thick, dark clouds obscure the sky, promising rain. With the storm rolling in, I wouldn’t have gone far anyway. Now I’m trapped in a cabin with an extremely sexy man who would marry me just to protect me but doesn’t want me because I’m too young for him. And even if he did, Ryan would see our relationship as a betrayal. Hell, if Ilya shows up, maybe he’ll drag me away and none of this will matter.

I’ve got a headache. The pain stabs at my temple, making it throb.

“Give me a minute to get dressed, Kendall. Then we can talk, okay?”

No. Nothing is okay. But what choice do I have? “Fine.”

A strange look crosses his face. He strides into his bedroom, and a few minutes later, returns wearing jeans and a gray T-shirt that molds to his muscles and matches his eyes.

It’s unfair to be stuck with a man this hot who’s only interest is in protecting me. Somehow, that makes my head hurt more.

Now that he’s dressed, I’m uncomfortable wearing only his flannel shirt. Last night, it felt warm and comforting, even a bit sexy. Now I feel exposed. I hurry to the bedroom and dig through my bag, pulling out a pair of black leggings. Unfortunately, the only shirt I packed that’s long enough to cover my ass is a frilly pink blouse I wear to work. Looks like I’m sticking with the flannel. At least I can have leggings under it.

Rain is already pouring when I rejoin Stone. He’s sitting on the couch with a fresh cup of coffee in hand. On the small sidetable, I see a cup for me. One sip and I realize he’s made it exactly the way I like, with plenty of milk and a spoon of sugar.

Ryan’s lived with me for three months and has no idea how I like my coffee. I sink onto the couch beside him. The coffee soothes the tightness in my throat and my headache begins to ebb. Stone wants to talk, but I have nothing to say. These last two days have been overwhelming.

“Kendall, I’m sorry for storming in here and ignoring you earlier. Seeing that tracker pissed me off. I should have found it yesterday. I should have thought tolook.” His eyes squeeze close. When he opens them again, there’s a pain I’ve never seen before in their depths. “I just hope my mistake doesn’t come back to bite me in the ass again.”

There’s a story there causing him to doubt himself. It’s written on his face. “Again?”

“First Ryan and our friendship. Maybe if I hadn’t been so caught up in my own life… paid more attention to what he wasn’t saying… Then a few months ago, I almost got some friends hurt. Wasn’t paying attention to my surroundings, and even though I used to be a fucking SEAL, some dirtbags took me down fast. They used me as leverage to draw my buddy and his woman out of hiding. It could have ended badly. Would have, except Derek’s a badass. He’d bury anyone who tried to hurt his girl.”

Our gazes meet. A fire begins to burn in my veins from the intensity.

“The same way I feel about you.” He brushes a lock of hair off my cheek and tucks it behind my ear. The move is tender and makes my belly flutter.

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