Page 26 of Naughty With The Mountain Man
“We’re pulling footage. Might take a day or two—some of the systems are old, and the weather’s glitching them out.”
“Anything else?” I ask.
“There’s someone new on staff at the center,” Nate says slowly. “Hired a few weeks ago. Custodian. Name’s being checked, but it might be fake. Troy vouched for him.”
Ellie sits up straight. “What? Who?”
“Name on file is Jonah Marks,” Nate says. “We’re digging.”
I file the name in my head and look at Ellie. Her expression’s guarded, but I can see the edge in her eyes.
Fear.
She knows this isn’t just about scaring her anymore.
It’s personal.
Nate finishes his coffee in two gulps, glancing toward the kitchen where Greta’s laughing with another waitress. “I’ve gotta run. I’ll let you know the minute I get something solid.”
Ellie watches him go. Then, casually, “You sure you and Greta aren’t a thing?”
Nate gives her a lazy grin as he backs away. “That woman’s too good for me. I’m just trying to keep up.”
Then he’s gone.
Ellie picks at the edge of her fry. “So… Jonah Marks?”
I nod. “We’ll look into it.”
“You think he’s the one?”
“I think we’re getting close.” I pause. “And that means he’s getting desperate.”
Her eyes meet mine, soft and fierce all at once. “Then we end it. Together.”
My hand finds hers under the table.
And this time, I don’t pull away.
11
Ellie
I don’t remember the last time I felt this torn—like my heart is fighting my head and my body’s stuck somewhere in the middle.
Micah’s fingers are still wrapped around mine as we leave the diner, his grip warm and strong, grounding me in ways he probably doesn’t even realize.
I should be terrified.
There are stalkers and threats and broken ornaments and a man named Jonah Marks whose name probably isn’t even real.
But all I can feel ishim.
The heat of his skin.
The way his thumb keeps brushing mine like he can’t stop touching me.
The way he glances at me every few steps, like he’s checking to make sure I’m still beside him.
