Page 18 of My Wild Mountain Man

“Yeah.” He scratched the back of his neck. “My parents… well, they were a mess and a half. Always fighting. Maybe that’s why my grandma insisted I visit her during school breaks. She would always put me to work at the end of the day because her back would be killing her.”

“It happens. Being on your feet all day will definitely do that to you.” I nodded. I hated how close I felt to him in that moment. I had a feeling it wasn’t something he shared with other peopleusually. “Come on, let’s go eat.” I waved, and he picked up the bag of food.

We set up and sat down in the break room. I was shocked at how comfortable it was to sit and share a meal with him. A real one and not just one where I ate and he stood on the other side of a bar.

“This is really good.”

“Barrett, the new chef, knows his stuff,” he mumbled.

“Onyx hired him, right?”

“Yeah.” Bash nodded. His eyes connected with mine, and suddenly, his hand reached across the table to take mine. “How was your day?” he asked. My lips suddenly felt dry. I licked them quickly before I went on to share about the cuts and colors I’d done through the day. Not to mention how I’d been booked for hair and makeup for an upcoming wedding out at the resort.

“That’s awesome. That’s what you like to do, right? Special events?”

“Mostly,” I mumbled, not sure how he knew that.

“I heard you talking to Olive one day,” he started to explain, almost like he could read my thoughts. “About what you missed from being in San Fran.”

“Oh.” I blushed.He accidentally overheard? Or did he snoop?Could Bash like me the way I liked him? Could this be a mutual thing? “I love helping people get ready for special events and maybe with the resort reopening after all the restorations, more weddings and things will be held there.” Or at least, that was my hope.

“You should talk to the event manager. Show them your work and what you can do so they can refer you,” he suggested as we ate.

“You think so?” It had been something I’d thought about, but maybe because of my age, I still felt like a newbie. Too young to ask for something like that.

“You never know what someone might say if you don’t and ask, and you never lose anything by asking.” His thumb stroked the top of my hand absentmindedly.

Just like I’d asked him to kiss me.

To give me a night so I could get him out of my system and move on.

“Thanks for dinner,” I said, pulling my hand away. “This was really good.” I smiled politely. “It hit the spot. I didn’t have lunch.”

“I know.” I could have sworn he muttered those words, but there was no way he’d know something like that unless he’d been watching me. I shook the thought away as I stood and took my container to the trash. I didn’t hear him move. For a big guy, Bash was stealthy. But I felt him. Right behind me. His hands rested at my hips, and everything in my body was yelling at me to lean against him. To press my back against his front and let him wrap his arms around me and melt my day away.

“Thanks for having dinner with me, Raven,” he whispered against my cheek. “Best date I’ve had in a long time.”

“This was a date?” I turned around. My eyes widened at just how close he was and how far up I had to look up to find his gaze.

“Dinner and candlelight aren’t a date?”

“Candlelight?” I laughed, and he pointed at the little battery operated tealight Claire had left behind. “That doesn’t count––“

“It counts in my book,” he muttered, dipping his head down lower, so close his breath fanned against my mouth, making my body buzz with anticipation. “I missed you.”

“You’re just saying that,” I rasped, my eyes suddenly heavy and ready to flutter shut. God, I wanted him to kiss me so badly. The warmth pooled between my legs made me more than aware of how much I wanted him.

“Why would I say something I didn’t mean?”

“You want a free haircut?” I guessed, knowing I was wrong. He chuckled and brushed his nose against mine. A breathy little moan escaped from my lips as my hands rose to his shoulders. Then, as if they had a mind of their own, they searched for the ends of the hair at the back of his head. “You do need a cut, you know.”

“You offering, pretty girl?” I nodded, pressing my forehead against his. It was comfortable and exciting.

But mostly, it was a stupidly dangerous game we were playing.

I pulled away, suddenly feeling a little bolder than I could have ever thought possible. When I took his hand in mine, Bash wordlessly let me lead him towards the hair washing station. I started the water, making sure it was just the right temperature before I made him sit down.

“Lean back,” I whispered even though it was just the two of us in the empty salon. He did as I asked.

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