Page 23 of My Wild Mountain Man

“I know if I told you to stop or give me a moment or that something wasn’t working for me, you would give me what I needed. You’d never hurt me. But these games? The hot and cold? It’s giving me whiplash. I’m not stupid. I know what this weekend will be. It’ll be us scratching an itch.”

“Scratching an itch?” he growled, but I ignored him.

“If you think I have some misconception that you’re going to confess you’re ever-lasting love for me, trust me, I’m not.”

“What’s that supposed to mean?”

“Look, forget it.” I turned, but his hand on my wrist pulled me back.

“No, what do you mean by that?”

“That you would rather lose me than somehow mess up your friendship with my brother. And I respect that. You two run a business together. I understand.”

“But?”

“But the man I want in my life, the man I want to spend the rest of my life with, would be a real man. One who wants me forever. He’d fight for me. Chase me. Win me. He wouldn’t give two shits about what people might or might not say.”

“Raven––“

“And it’s okay if that’s not you.”

“I never said that,” he clipped. I simply shrugged.

“It is what it is. And right now, it’s late and I’m tired, and I should close up and get home.”

“I’ll help you close up.”

“Fine.” I handed him the broom. “If you can sweep up, I’ll go fold the towels, and we can get out of here.”

“Okay.” He took the broom and got to work. As I walked to the back room, where the washer and dryer were, I felt like I walked with my head held up a little higher.

I knew everyone saw me as a bookworm. Shy and reserved, slightly introverted. Out of all our siblings, I was the most unconfrontational one, but it felt good standing up and telling Bash how I felt. I might be half in love with him, but it didn’t mean I would let myself be his little doormat. And I’d made that abundantly clear.

bash

. . .

Sleep wasn’t easy.I tossed and turned until I gave up trying to sleep and got up and headed to the gym to try and burn off some of the excess energy that couldn’t let my brain shut off.

It was a little after four in the morning when I pulled up to Moonlit Muscle’s parking lot. Even though it was early and the sun still hadn’t risen, the lot was far from empty. I got my duffle and water bottle out when I saw her through the glass walls.

Raven.

The very woman who had put me in my place and made me rethink what the fuck I was doing. Not about my invitation to have her over for the long weekend but about how I was going about shit with her brother.

I knew in my heart, gut, and soul that Raven was mine. Had I really thought it would be that easy to steal a taste of her, to know her completely and walk away? Almost like the universe was setting up against me, I watched as the new sheriff, a good-looking guy about my age, walked up to her. When she smiled brightly at him, like they knew each other, something in my gut tightened.

Just because she’d had a crush on me didn’t mean no one out there had noticed what a beauty she was.

And by the way his blue eyes soaked her in, I knew he appreciated the subtle beauty that lay just beneath the surface. Raven was gorgeous, but it wasn’t a loud, boisterous beauty. She was classy. Reserved. Even at the gym, she might have been wearing leggings that looked like they were painted on her, showing off the curves of her ass and hips and toned legs, but she was wearing an oversized shirt that made you wonder what was underneath.

And now, I knew.

My eyes shut, and I could see her in front of me, topless, her pretty, dark nipples standing at attention just for me. Fuck, I could smell her skin if I tried hard enough.

Just because I’m a virgin doesn’t mean I’m some blushing little girl.Her wordsfloated in my head, and I frowned. I opened my eyes just in time to watch the shiny new sheriff say something that made her laugh. And even though I knew how much of an unevolved Neanderthal it made me, I didn’t like it. I wanted to be the man who made her laugh and smile.

But I couldn’t be.

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