Page 13 of The Mountain Man's Mail Order Temptation
Maybe in closed-off mountain men, it does.
“Talk to me about Grant and why you’re ripping apart my cabinets.”
I huff a laugh. “I bake when I’m stressed. Except you don’t have flour, or sugar, or anything.”
“I saw the muffin pan.” His hand rubs slowly up and down my back.
Ugh. “It’s weird, right? Who travels with their own muffin tin? But when I was packing, I thought you might not have one, which you don’t, so I brought my favorite.” I risk a glance at him.
There’s warmth in his expression that I’ve never truly seen before. There have been hints of humor that almost reached his eyes and plenty of grimaces. Never the warm, sweet tenderness I see now.
“Smart thinking,” he says.
Right. Not crazy. Planning ahead. At least, that’s what I told myself when trying to zip an overflowing suitcase with bakeware sticking out the side.
“And Grant?”
His heart beats steadily beneath my fingers. I trace a little star on his chest, avoiding his gaze. “He owns some big tech company and is super rich. I used to work at a florist. I had this dream of opening my own. One day, I delivered flowers to his mansion, and I guess he took an interest in me. He started ordering flowers all the time and showing up at my work.”
Anson stiffens.
“We went out one time. Just to some terrible fancy restaurant. I didn’t feel a spark, you know? But he kept comingup with ways to see me. I think he expected me to be flattered by his attention. I wasn’t and when I wanted him to stop, he pressed harder. And he always found ways to touch me. My hand, my arm, or my back. I’d move away, and he’d wrap his hand around my waist, anchoring me to him.”
Anson’s hand stops moving on my back, as if he’s unsure of his touch.
That hesitation means everything. It says he would stop if I asked. Grant wouldn’t. I snuggle closer to Anson and wrap my arms around his waist.
He strokes my back again. “Tell me the rest, sunshine.”
“What he wants, he gets. The more I pushed him away, the more intent he became. I think he liked it when I said no. He’d get this look in his eyes… like it excited him. It scared me, but my parents wouldn’t listen. They said I was selfish for not helping out the family. That I should be grateful to get the attention of a man like him, looking the way I do.”
He looks down my body, and I feel that gaze as it skims my breasts, tummy, and legs. “What? You’re gorgeous.”
I wave at my hips. “I’m… extra.”
He growls low in his throat and pulls me closer. “Everything about you is fucking beautiful. I have no doubt that’s why Chamberlain is obsessed.”
No one’s ever said I was beautiful. No one’s made me feel like Anson does when he looks at me like this. I wish it were real. “He and my mother are planning a wedding I never agreed to. One I don’t want. That’s why Perfect Pairings made sense. If I had to marry someone, it was going to be my choice.”
“Jesus.”
“Anson, I know you didn’t sign up for this. Let me pack my bag, and I’ll call an Uber. Is there a hotel in town?”
“No.”
I didn’t think White Falls wasthatsmall. Where do people stay when they visit? “Where’s the closest one? Is there another town nearby?”
“No. You’re not leaving.”
“But—”
He cups my cheek and angles my head until our eyes are locked. “You’re staying here. I’ll keep you safe until Chamberlain is dealt with. He’s not going to scare you into running from me, Ellie.”
He says it like he means it. “He’s relentless.”
A dark smile graces his lips. “He’s never met me.”
It’s the first smile I’ve seen from him, and it sends a shiver down my spine.
