Page 2 of Jolly with the Mountain Man
I needed him to cut my tree.
Abandoning my axe next to the tree, I hurried over to him. “Hey! Wait up! Excuse me, sir!”
He stopped in his tracks and turned towards me. A playful smile stretched across his sexy mouth. “Hi.”
The muscles in his arms flexed beneath his tight flannel and my mouth watered. If ink covered those arms of his, I swear my ovaries would burst into flames.
Where the hell has he been hiding in this small town?
“I know you’re a little pre-occupied right now, but would you mind helping me?”
“With?” He cocked his side to the side and smirked.
“I was trying to cut my own tree down, but it’s a little harder than I thought.”
He placed his tree down gently and walked towards me. Every step he took caused my heart to race a little faster as his handsome features fully came into view.
Green eyes reflected at me from underneath his backward ball cap, tufts of brown hair peeking out. If my ovaries hadn’t exploded already, they sure did now.
A dark brown beard covered his face, with neatly trimmed hair and lines, down to his broad, strong shoulders, and wide stance. Like a tall, burly, large teddy bear, he made me feel protected, comforted, and fucking turned the hell on.
An ache throbbed between my legs, an intensity I’d never experienced before and fuck if I didn’t want to climb him like the sexy beast of a man he was.
“Which one?” He practically growled, and I melted into a puddle of swoony goo.
Is that what my friends meant when they talked about meeting a sexy mountain man for the first time? Because holy shit…
I nodded toward my tree and he followed along. I swear I could feel his eyes on me, and I nearly tripped on an imaginary branch.
“This one.” I pointed to the tree while picking up my axe. “I tried myself, but as you can tell, I failed miserably.”
He chuckled, the sound low and deep in his throat. He held out his hand, and I handed him the axe. “Step back.” He instructed as he got into position.
Again, I nearly tripped while moving out of the way and keeping my eyes focused on his sexy, muscular body.
The muscles in his arms and shoulders flexed as he swung the axe hard, the tree bark instantly snapping.
One, two, three more swings, and the tree toppled over. “Timber!” He called as he watched it proudly.
“Thank you! I would’ve been here all night.”
“Not a problem. Do you need help carrying it out?”
“I’ll find someone who works here. You have your own tree to carry. But thank you, seriously. I kind of went a bit overboardthinking I could do this on my own. I’m Crimson, by the way. Nice to meet you.”
“Crimson. Like your pretty red hair. I’m Ridge. It’s nice to meet you too.”
My cheeks flushed at his compliment.
We stared at each other as silence fell between us.
Something happened between us, something electric and terrifying all at the same time.
“Would you like to drive around and see some Christmas lights with me?” Ridge asked, breaking the quiet stillness.
I hardly knew the guy, but before I could stop myself, the answer slipped out loud and clear.
“Yes.”
