Page 6 of Mountain Man's Mail Order Treat

Her eyes met mine again, softer now. I knew whatever she was about to say would hit hard.

“But you?” she said. “You don’t feel casual.”

My throat was dry. I couldn’t have said anything even if I wanted to.

She smiled, slow and bold. “If I didn’t want this, I wouldn’t be up here. I wouldn’t have told you.”

I looked down, gripping the edge of the mattress, trying to anchor myself to something.

All I could think about was getting her naked. Getting my hands on her warm skin. Her bare thighs straddling me, her mouth parting when I kissed her.

I was one breath away from making the worst kind of mistake, or the best kind of memory. And I still hadn’t moved.

“I want this,” I said finally, my voice low, rough. “You need to know that.”

She didn’t say anything, just watched me. Waiting.

I continued. “But I also need you to know…I don’t want it if it’s just for tonight.”

Her brows drew together slightly. I kept going.

“I’m not some checkmark on a list. Not your little ‘first time’ box to tick before you get back to jam jars and farmers markets. I’m in this, Whitley. For real. For life.”

I let the words settle, even though they burned on the way out. I couldn’t stop now. I had to get it all out. All the stuff thathad been bugging me since she arrived in town, obviously more interested in selling her products than marrying me.

“I don’t want to be something you regret tomorrow morning. I don’t want to be a detour on your way to whatever business empire you’re building. I want you to be sure you’re not just here because it’s convenient or because you think I’ll make it easy.”

She blinked. Once. Twice. Then she leaned forward, her palm sliding over mine where it still clutched the edge of the bed.

“You think I don’t know the difference between convenient and right?” she asked quietly. “I’ve done nothing convenient in my whole damn life.”

Her fingers curled around mine. The warmth made me feel more secure than I ever had.

“I came here on a whim, yeah. But I stayed because something in me said this place mattered. You mattered. I’m not trying to build a jelly empire at your expense. I’m just trying to live a life that feels real. And you…” Her lips curled into a soft smile. “You feel very, very real.”

I looked down at our hands, at the contrast of her delicate fingers over mine.

“I’ve waited a long time,” she said, voice barely above a whisper. “I’m not waiting anymore. Not when the one thing I want is right in front of me.”

I swallowed hard. That was it. I couldn’t sit still any longer. I shifted on the bed, turning toward her, cupping the back of her neck as I looked into her eyes.

“Then you better know what you’re starting,” I said. “Because I’m not the kind of man who touches a woman like you and lets her go.”

“Then touch me. Because I don’t want you to let me go.”

That was all the go-ahead I needed. It broke down the last of my resistance.

“Let’s go to my bedroom,” I said.

I hopped off the bed, which put me directly onto the ladder in just one twist and two steps. But I stopped there, noticing she seemed to have no intention of leaving that bed. In fact, she sat up on her knees.

I nearly fell down the ladder because of what she did next. She grabbed the skirt of her dress and tugged it upward. It was meant to be a seductive move, but the skirt was trapped under her knees, so she had to wiggle around to get it free.

It was just about the sweetest sight I’d ever seen. I had to admit, the whole thing had me falling a little deeper.

Finally, she freed the fabric and tugged the sundress upward, dropping it to the bed next to her. All I could see was the gorgeous body in front of me. Curves for days. Rounded hips. Breasts that threatened to spill out over the cups of her black bra.

“I bought this just for you,” she said, following my stare to her chest. “I didn’t own any sexy underwear. I had no reason to until I knew I was coming here.”

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