Page 4 of Falling for the Mountain Man
“You still have that pepper spray?” His voice is gravel-serious, the kind of tone that makes my pulse stutter. “Can’t trust anyone nowadays. Since I’m not there to watch your backs, you’d both be better off playing it safe.”
My stomach clenches at the way he includes me in his protectiveness as if I’m something fragile. As if I need guarding.
He doesn’t have to worry.
I’m a woman with blinders on, my path narrow and unshakable. There’s only one man I’d ever consider giving myself to, and he’s twice my age.
And currently lecturing me about self-defense.
“Yeah, yeah.” Kallie sighs, slumping back in her seat before rolling her eyes. “When I do find the right guy, you’re just going to scare him off anyway.”
Ryder doesn’t deny it. Just smirks, the curve of his mouth lazy and knowing. Then—finally—his gaze slides to me, the intensity softening only slightly. “That goes for you, too. Don’tlet some idiot sweet-talk you into anything just because he gives you a little attention.”
I swallow hard, my throat suddenly tight. “Of course.”
Can’t remember the last time I heard such ironic advice. All Ryder had to do was welcome me into his home that very first time, and I was gone for him that same day.
“Oh, don’t worry about her, Dad,” Kallie cuts in, grinning. “She’s basically vowed to die a virgin.”
Heat explodes across my face. “Kallie—!” I choke out, mortified.
Ryder clears his throat, his grip tightening on the wheel.
God, I love Kallie—she’s saved me in more ways than one—but this? This is the kind of help I don’t need. The last person who should be thinking about my virginity is the man I’d want to lose it to.
Pathetic. The word echoes in my head every time I think about it. A man so out of my league that it’s not funny. Someone who hasn’t shown any proof of even wanting a woman since I’ve known him.
The truck’s tires hiss against the snow, the sound a merciful end to the conversation.
“Almost there,” he reassures softly, like he’s distracted by more than the risky drive.
I try not to overthink it.
* * *
The cabin stands unchanged—except for the towering stacks of firewood lining its side. Enough to survive a blizzard. The sight makes me smile. So like him—always prepared for whatever’s to come.
I barely finish unbuckling before Kallie’s gone, a blur ofenergy bolting for the porch. The screen door slams behind her, leaving me alone with him.
“We haven’t eaten since this morning,” I explain, nodding toward the house. “If I had to guess, she’s probably starving.”
Ryder clicks his tongue, a frown flickering across his face—there and gone, but long enough to make my stomach clench.
“You both need to take better care of yourselves.” His voice is low, almost scolding, but the way his gaze lingers on me turns the words into something warmer. “I bet Kallie lives to give me gray hairs. Don’t tell me you enjoy making me suffer, too.”
My lips part, but no sound comes out. I can’t grasp words while he’s looking at me.
His eyes aren’t angry. They’re filled with amusement, crinkling at the corners in that way that makes my pulse stutter.
I shake my head, flustered, and his chuckle rolls through me like thunder, low and warm and too close to my heart.
“I—I don’t,” I finally manage, but it comes out breathless. Too honest.
He tilts his head, studying me with that same unbearable fondness. “Yeah? Then prove it. Come inside and let me get some food in you before you risk starvation, too.”
Just like that, I’m drowning again.
How am I supposed to resist him when he says things like that? When he looks at me like that?
