Page 4 of Her Mountain Man Giant

“I was on my way home when I found this,” he continues, holding up the notebook. “Recognized it from earlier.”

I take it from him, stuttering a thank you. Despite his grumpy expression, I swear there’s a twinkle in his eye, a gleam of amusement that wasn’t there before.

Crap. I think he read it.

My cheeks burn as I hurriedly stuff the notebook into my pocket, racking my brains for something to say.

“Uh…I…how did you know where I live?” I ask.

“Lucky guess.” He stuffs his hands into his pockets. “You said you lived out here, and I know Emma and Brody have been renting this place out. Don’t get many newcomers around these parts, so figured you were probably their new tenant.”

“Oh.”

Now is the moment for me to say something cool or interesting, but this man has me totally tongue tied. His gaze burns into me, heating me all over until I feel like I’m about to melt into a puddle at his feet.

“I’m Tanner,” he says.

“Violet.” I force an awkward smile. “Nice to meet you.”

“You too.” Tanner inclines his head. “Listen, I wanted to apologize for earlier. It was a misunderstanding. Didn’t mean to be an ass.”

Some of the tension seeps out of me at his words.

“It’s okay,” I say. “I shouldn’t have been on your land in the first place.”

He grunts. “Don’t worry about that. I don’t mind you walking around there.”

I smile at him again, a real smile this time. And despite the scowl on his face—which I’m starting to think is permanent—there’s a flicker of warmth in his eyes, almost like he’s smiling back. He holds my gaze for a beat too long, and a million questions bubble inside me as we look at each other.

“Can I ask you something?” I say.

He cocks his head. “Sure.”

“Back in the woods, you asked if I was writing for a newspaper or a blog…”

Before I’ve even finished the question, I see Tanner’s expression cloud over, walls rising around him. He takes a step back from the doorway.

“I was just being paranoid.”

He’s closed off, not looking at me, but I’m too curious not to ask.

“I know it’s none of my business,” I say cautiously, “but why would somebody be writing about you in a newspaper?”

“It’s nothing.” The muscles in his jaw tighten as he runs an agitated hand over his beard. “I was in an accident a long time ago. People still talk about it sometimes. Like I said, I was just being paranoid.”

His answer is too vague to satisfy my curiosity, but I don’t push the subject.

“Well, thanks for returning my notebook,” I tell him. “It means a lot.”

He softens, finally meeting my gaze once more. “Don’t mention it.”

There’s a heavy pause, a second that feels like a lifetime as we look at each other. Behind Tanner, the forest is completely dark now, the moon high in the sky. Everything is still. It’s so quiet that I’m sure he must be able to hear my heartbeat thudding against my rib cage.

I’m alone with this gorgeous mountain man.

Just the two of us, out here in my cabin.

A thrill of excitement skitters up my spine at the thought. There’s something about the way he towers over me, huge and hulking, the weight of his eyes pinning me in place. It’s intoxicating. I’m a big girl, thick and curvy, but I feel impossibly tiny next to Tanner, devastatingly aware of everything he could do to me. Desire burns between my thighs, stealing the breath from my lungs.

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