Page 3 of Possessed By the Mountain Man
“Is chaos your aesthetic too?”
I smile. "Wouldn’t be the first time someone said that."
He closes the book and sets it aside. “You’re seriously gonna film here this week?”
“Yep, that’s part of the deal. Just need to spruce up the decor a little before I showcase this place on TikTok. My theme? ‘Whimsical Gothic Holiday.’"
He blinks. “What does that even mean?”
“Skeleton carolers. Velvet stockings. A black Christmas tree. You’ll see."
He shakes his head slowly. "Jesus."
"Nope. Just me. And I come bearing bedazzled antlers and enough fake snow to suffocate a small town."
His gaze drags over me again, this time slower.
“Should’ve locked the gate,” he mutters.
“You’re lucky you didn’t. I’m very bendy."
He rubs a hand over his jaw, clearly torn between exasperation and amusement.
"You always like this?"
"Only when I’m trying to distract myself from shirtless mountain men who look like they bench-press moose for fun."
His grin is slow. Dangerous.
"You’re playing with fire, Aspen."
"Good thing I packed marshmallows."
Silence stretches between us, thick with heat. The kind that makes your skin buzz and your stomach flip.
He leans closer. Just a little. Enough to make the air between us crackle.
"You kiss all your boyfriends with that mouth?"
I lick my lips. “Wouldn’t you like to find out?”
His eyes darken. His voice drops.
“Yeah. I would.”
Before I can move, before the spell can break, a loudcracksounds outside. Ice shifting on the roof.
He pulls back, jaw clenched.
I swallow the lump in my throat.
Well then.
Let the haunting begin.
Chapter 2
Thorne
