Page 26 of Harvested By The Mountain Man
Jake spits dirt, snarling, but it doesn’t matter. He’s trussed like the coward he is, hauled toward the cruiser with Colton’s firm hand at his back.
I stand there in the dark, chest heaving. The cams blink their silent record. Proof enough to bury this bastard where he belongs. My lungs draw a full breath. Hannah and Ivy are safe. I don’t have to worry about this bastard any longer.
Turning back toward the cabin, Hannah stands in the doorway. She has her hands clutched at her mouth, eyes wide, as if she doesn’t recognize the man who just fought for her. I can tell she’s freaked out. I might’ve shown her too much of the beast I keep leashed inside.
I walk up the porch steps, adrenaline still surging. I try to slow myself down. I don’t want to appear as some unhinged animal, even if that’s what I feel like right now.
The porch light throws Hannah into relief with tangled hair and bare feet. Thank God, Ivy wasn’t there to see what just went down. I don’t stop until I’m standing close enough to see tears in her eyes. I want to say a thousand things, but all that comes out is: “You okay?”
The sound of it is roughened, choked out of me. She nods once, placing one hand to her chest like she’s steadying herself.
I reach for her, slow and careful, and she folds against me with a sudden force. Her arms lock around my ribs. I feel her pulse fluttering through her ribs and mine like a trembling bird. I press my palm to the back of her head, fingers tangled in her hair, and just hold her. My chin rests atop her temple. She’s warm, breathing me in. I don’t let go.
I think I could hold her for the better part of an hour. I don’t say anything. Maybe I should. Instead, I just stand there, breathing alongside her, wanting to take the weight off her and carry it myself.
Her body relaxes first, as if she’s dropped anchor. Only after a minute does she lift her head, eyes glassy but.
“I thought you’d …” she starts, and shakes her head, embarrassed. “Doesn’t matter. You handled it.”
She looks down at my hands. “Are you hurt?” she asks.
I give her a tired smile, flex my knuckles so she can see them. “Not a scratch. He was never going to hurt me. All bark and no bite.” I force a laugh.
The wildness is still fizzing in my blood. I want her to know I'm still Levi, not some overgrown attack dog. “Was Ivy …?”
“She slept through it. She’s a heavy sleeper.” Her hands stay on me. I want to tell her she can let go, but it’d be a lie. I don’t want her to … not yet.
“You kept us safe. You’ve done nothing but protect us,” she says, squeezing me hard.
She’s still trembling and her muscles feel more tense than mine. Not from fear of me, but the dangerous, charged aftermath of me facing off with her ex. But he’s taken care of and I’ll make sure any and all charges that can be held against him will be, including the stalking charge.
I tell myself, it’s all going to work out. I hold her tighter as the beast inside me finally lies down, knowing who it belongs to.
Chapter 23
Hannah
The night feels colder than it should, even with the fire crackling somewhere behind me. I can’t remove the image of Levi restraining Jake, fists clenched. At that moment, I didn’t see the man who carried me to bed last night. I saw someone fierce, his inner protective rage revealed. It was jolting.
The sheriff’s truck door slams. Levi approaches the doorway. When his eyes lock on mine, the fierceness softens. The kind man in him seeps through. I see the thoughtful one who made coffee for me this morning, who kissed me long and sweet just hours ago.
My brain hurts with the whiplash of it all.
My breath is shaky, my body trembling, but when he stops in front of me, so close I can feel the heat coming off his skin, I don’t back away.
“You’re safe,” he says quietly. “He’s not coming near you again.”
The words are such a relief that my knees nearly give. When Levi comes toward me, I grab him tight, leaning into his chest and holding him. He steadies me with his strong body. I glue my body to his. I need to know everything will be alright. I need to feel that this raging, fierce side of him is rare.
When I lift my eyes to Levi again, the tight leash he’s kept on himself is right there in his gaze.
“You kept us safe,” I murmur. “You’ve done nothing but protect us. And I…” My throat thickens, but I press the words out anyway. “I can’t keep pretending I don’t want you.”
He exhales hard, like I’ve just released a weight from him. “Hannah,” he rasps, the word rough with restraint. “I’ve wanted you almost since the beginning when I saw you at the harvest festival. But I don’t want you to feel like you owe me anything. Because you don’t. I adore you and Ivy. It’s that simple.”
I shake my head, sliding closer, my fingers curling into the hard muscle of his arms. “This isn’t obligation. It’s me … wanting you.”
His mouth crashes down on mine, hungry passion he’s been holding back. I melt against him even more, desperate to feel every inch of him pressed to me.
