Page 9 of Falling for the Mountain Man
He reads me like a book, and he’s not even looking my way.
“Something like that.” Not able to lie to the man, I don’t want to outright spell out the truth. I’m already fighting a war not to let everything spill right out every time we’re left alone with each other.
Drifting over toward the counter, I glance over my shoulder to see him looking my way despite his fingers continuously moving. I wish I had the power to multitask like that. Unfortunately, with this man involved, I can’t do anything else at the same time. I’m useless when it comes to him.
Finding the cups in the same spot, I pluck out one that’s familiar. Drifting toward the pot, I feel his eyes with every step. It’s a miracle I don’t spill the coffee once I get my fingers wrapped around the handle.
“Shame we have to fly out so soon.” Stirring my cup, I watch the creamer disappear into the coffee and breathe in the sweet smell. “This isn’t going to help my lack of sleep in the slightest, but hey. At least I’m not spending this night alone. I’ve got you.”
Like the wall I’ve built to keep my feelings contained suddenly has large jarring cracks running through it to let out a little bit of the truth without the ability to stop a confession from seeping out.
For a short moment, it’s complete silence surrounding us with the exception of my spoon against the glass as I keep moving. If I stop, I’ll have to turn around and face him after saying something so daring.
There’s the creak of a chair and the thump of footsteps. I hardly get enough time to turn before he’s suddenlyright here.Right within my reach. Just like earlier, but without the risk of getting caught. That is, if we’re quiet.
“Ryder…” His name comes out so wobbly, so unsure.
He looks…frustrated.Exhausted.Like he’s been fighting a battle for a long time, and I’m not helping out in the slightest by speaking freely.
“You have no idea how hard it is to keep my distance, Zaria.” He groans like he’s in physical pain. Even more when he reaches out for me, his fingers grazing my heated cheek in one slow stroke. “I’m trying my hardest to be a good man.”
“Youarea good man.” My lungs burn as the obvious truth comes out of me. “You’reyou.”
He cracks a smile, a small, devastating thing that feels like a direct punch to my heart. It throbs, a painful, beautiful ache in my chest.
“You’re young, Zaria.” His brows pinch together, his gaze tracing every feature of my face as if memorizing it. “So gorgeous. It’s a miracle those college boys leave you alone. They should be falling at your feet. You deserve someone you can grow with, not someone who’s already lived a lifetime without you.”
My skin tingles, burning under the weight of his compliment. I never dreamed he saw me that way. But the practical words that follow are a cold splash of reality, tightening my stomach into a hard knot.
“I don’t want them.” The confession is a whisper, a dangerous truth expanding in my chest, stealing my air. I have to let it out. My fingers curl into tight fists, nails biting into my palms. “I want… I want you. I don’t care about the years. The only thing stopping me is…Kallie.”
He nods, his expression somber. She’s the thread that binds us, the reason and the obstacle all at once. Without her, we wouldn’t be standing here in this breathless, small space. He wouldn’t be cradling my face as if I were made of glass.
“I’ll talk to her.” He says it like a vow, a solution that sends a treacherous bolt of hope straight through me. The idea of him lifting this weight from my shoulders is so profoundly tempting that it makes me dizzy.
His thumb lifts, brushing the curve of my bottom lip. The touch is feather-light, but it sends a shockwave of pure heat straight to my core, a prickling awareness that coils low in my stomach. My breath hitches, a tiny, betraying sound.
“We shouldn’t.” The words leave me, weak with a ghost of a protest I don’t truly feel.
“I know.” His voice is a low, rough murmur. Yet he doesn’t move. He just holds me there, his eyes narrowed and hungry, tracing the path his thumb just took. His gaze drops to my lips, lingers, and my own part slightly on a shaky inhale. “But I want to, Zaria. There’s nothing in this world I want more right now.”
I know that if we do anything, I’ll be gone. There won’t be any changes of pushing Ryder from my mind and moving on to someone else.
As if there’s any chance to begin with.
Even if I’m denied this man, no one will ever come close to making me feel this way again.
So, even if I know I should wait, I can’t help it. I lift on my toes and I kiss him.
5
Ryder
She rises on her toes, and without another word, she closes the distance.
Her lips meet mine, and the world explodes in color.
It’s not tentative. It’s an answer. A soft, desperate press that ignites every nerve ending I possess.
