Page 37 of Grumpy on the Mountain
"Would that be so terrible?"
I search her face, looking for doubt, for hesitation, for any sign that this is a mistake. Instead, I find only clarity. Certainty. The same pull I've been fighting since she climbed into my truck at Betty's café.
"No," I say, closing the distance between us. "It wouldn't."
I pull off my gloves, needing to feel her skin when I touch her. My hand rises to her face, her skin so soft, so warm despite the freezing cold.
She leans into my touch like she's been waiting for it just as long as I have. Time seems to suspend, the moment stretching out like an indrawn breath.
And then I'm kissing her.
It starts gentle, a brush of lips, a question of my own.
But when she makes a small sound in the back of her throat and her hands grip the front of my jacket, something breaks loose inside me.
My arms wrap around her, lifting her slightly as the kiss deepens. My tongue lashes into her mouth as her body fits against mine, our mouths colliding in a way I never imagined they would.
For a man who's spent years building walls, it's terrifying how quickly she dismantles them. How easy it is to lose myself in the feel of her lips, the small sounds she makes, the way her fingers thread through my hair.
A brief flash of guilt cuts through the fog of desire.Riley's fiancé. But it dissolves the moment I pull back from the kiss and look at Molly's face, flushed and beautiful in the moonlight.
This isn't about him. It never was.
When we finally break apart, both breathing hard, she lets out a soft "Oh" that might be the most perfect sound I've ever heard.
I rest my forehead against hers, trying to make sense of the storm inside me.
"I've wanted to do that since you climbed into my truck tonight."
Her smile is slow, a little dazed. "Only since tonight?"
My laugh is low, surprising me again. "Well, maybe not. But that's a conversation for another time."
Above us, stars wheel in their ancient patterns. Below, the lights of town twinkle like earthbound reflections.
But here, on this ridge, there's only us…
Molly and me.
And something new and fragile and powerful building between us.
Chapter Nine
Molly
I'm glowing.
There's no other word for it. My skin is humming, my cheeks hurt from smiling, and my lips still tingle twelve hours after Beau Callahan kissed me under a sky full of stars.
I pour coffee into Sienna's mismatched mugs, one featuring a sassy cartoon cat for me and another declaring "World's Okayest Mom" for my sister. The rich aroma fills the kitchen, but I'm too busy replaying last night's kiss to truly appreciate it.
Beau's hands cupping my face. The initial hesitation melting into something urgent and consuming. The way his beard felt against my skin, which, by the way, is surprisingly soft.
I can't seem to forget how his body pressed against mine, all hard muscles and heat. Heat that's currently rushing to my cheeks as my mind wanders to what might have happened if that phone call hadn't interrupted us.
"And good morning to you," Sienna's voice breaks through my fantasy. She slides onto a stool at the kitchen island, eyebrows raised knowingly. "You got in pretty late last night. And with that smile, I'm guessing it wasn't just dinner..."
I focus intensely on stirring sugar into my coffee. "Well, as it turns out, Beau's good at more than just being grumpy."
