Page 4 of A Very Mountain Man Wooing

“Your heart is racing,” she comments as we sway back and forth.

“I know. You tend to bring out that reaction in me.”

She smiles and ducks her head, burying it in my chest, and I relax, wrapping my arms around her waist.

“You’d tell me if something was wrong, really wrong, right, Anise?” I ask her quietly, and she hesitates, looking up at me.

“Yeah,” she finally admits, and it feels monumental.

She’s finally starting to trust me. This is huge!

The song ends, and we head back to the booth where Anise seems to chug her second Long Island iced tea.

“Maybe we should get out of here,” I suggest, and she shoots me a crooked smile.

“Are you finally going to try to sleep with me?” She asks, slurring her words slightly.

“Uh, no. You’re clearly drunk. I just don’t like the idea of you drunk and surrounded by other guys.”

She looks around, waving for Nancy to bring us another round, and I try to shake my head no but she’s already turning to order the drinks.

“Dammit,” I grumble, and Anise giggles.

“What did you do in the military?” She asks, sucking on her straw to get the last of her drink.

“I was a sniper.”

“Ohhh,” she coos. “Did you like it?”

“It was alright. It paid the bills,” I say, and this time it’s me being vague.

“What did you not like about it? The hours? The deployments?”

“The killing,” I tell her, and her smile drops.

“Whit,” She starts, and my stomach sinks.

“Can I get the check, please?” I ask Nancy as she sets down another drink for Anise.

“Sure thing, dear.”

She heads back to the bar, and I sigh as I turn back to see Anise halfway through her third drink. It’s only been half an hour since we sat down, and I know that she’s going to be feeling that in the morning.

I grab my wallet, throwing some money down on the table as I stand.

“Come on. Let’s get you home,” I say as she slides out of the booth.

We start to head for the door, and I almost trip over my feet when Anise reaches out and wraps her fingers through mine.

I look down at her, but she’s just smiling, and I know she won’t remember any of this in the morning.

TWO

Anise

“Oh my god.Why do people drink?” I groan as I roll over in bed the next morning.

Sunlight pierces my eyes, and I hurry to bury my face back in the pillow. I breathe in the scent of pine trees and lemons, and that’s my first clue that I’m not in my tiny twin bed.

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