Page 35 of Haunted By the Mountain Man
"Seven figures is life-changing money," he said when I was done.
"It is."
"You should take it."
I blinked at him, confused. "What?"
"Take the deal. Get rich. Leave." His voice was flat, emotionless. "We both knew this was temporary. You have a career. A life. Subscribers waiting for content. This was just a weird week that got out of hand."
"A weird week that got out of hand?" I stood up, angrily. "That's what this was to you?"
"What else could it be? You're a traveling content creator. I'm a paramedic in the middle of nowhere. You were always going to leave."
"You bastard." I was genuinely furious now. "You absolute fucking coward."
His eyes flashed. "Excuse me?"
"You heard me. Coward. You're so terrified of being abandoned that you're pushing me away first. Classic foster kid bullshit, Shane. I should know. I’ve got my own abandonment issues."
"You don't know what you're talking about."
"Don't I?" I pulled my shirt over my head, standing there in just my bra. "You think I'm leaving? You think I'd choose money over you?"
"Everyone does, eventually."
"I'm not everyone." I unhooked my bra, let it fall. "I'm yours. You claimed me. You don't get to unclaimed me because you're scared."
His hands clenched at his sides, his control visibly fraying. "Raven—"
"Shut up." I pushed my jeans down, stepped out of them. "You want me to leave? Make me. You're so good at being in control, at making decisions for everyone else. But you can't control this."
"Put your clothes back on."
"Make me."
He broke. One moment he was across the room, the next he had me pressed against the wall, his mouth crushing mine. The kiss was brutal, desperate, full of fear and need and anger.
"You think this is a game?" he growled against my throat.
"I think you're worried that you’re about to lose the best thing that ever happened to you because you’re too scared to believe it's real."
He lifted me, carrying me to the kitchen counter, sweeping everything off with one arm. "You want real? I'll show you real."
His hands were everywhere, demanding and possessive. He bit my shoulder hard enough to leave a mark, soothed it with his tongue, then bit again.
"Mine," he snarled. "You're mine. Say it."
"Make me stay," I challenged. "Give me a reason."
He yanked my panties aside rather than removing them, thrust two fingers inside me without warning. I cried out, already embarrassingly wet.
"This enough reason?" He worked me ruthlessly, adding a third finger, his thumb finding my clit. "The way you're dripping for me? The way your body knows exactly who it belongs to?"
"Shane—"
"No." He withdrew his fingers, spun me around so I was bent over the counter. "You don't get to challenge me and then say my name like that. You want me to give you a reason to stay? Fine."
I heard his zipper, felt him press against me. "I'm going to fuck you until you can't remember why you'd ever want to leave. Until the only word you can say is my name. Until you understand that you belong here, with me, forever."
