Page 2 of Seeking the Mountain Man

“If you don’t mind, I’d rather just enjoy my dinner alone,” the woman said.

“Oh, come on,” Bill said. “No lady wants to eat alone.”

He pulled back the chair and started to sit down. The scrape of my chair as I pushed myself to my feet joined his to create an unpleasant chorus.

I slammed my bottle on the table so hard I was surprised it didn’t shatter. “You heard the lady.”

The beautiful object of Bill’s harassment shot her gaze over to me, eyes wide. Bill’s expression didn’t seem the least bit surprised as he set down his glass and turned, a big smile on his face. That smile faded when he saw me standing there, muscles fully flexed under my T-shirt.

Bill and I had exchanged plenty of hellos as I came in and out of this restaurant, but I was relatively new to town. I’d arrived just a year ago. I had a job and a cabin within the first week.

A full year and nobody had seen this side of me yet. Bill was about to, though.

“Oh, come on, man,” Bill said. “There’s no harm in flirting with a beautiful woman.”

“There is if she’s made it clear she doesn’t want the attention.” I glanced over at the woman, who sat, wide-eyed, staring at me. “Why don’t you go grab your usual seat at the bar and leave this nice lady alone?”

“Forget it.” Bill waved a hand at the woman and swiped up his glass.

He downed the remaining contents in one big swig, tossed a look in my direction, and started toward the bar. He had a tough time keeping his balance, but he zigzagged his way toward the bar, nonetheless. Instead of taking a seat, though, he set the now-empty glass on the bar and turned and walked out.

“I guess he’s mad,” the woman said, not taking her eyes off me.

I was standing there, adrenaline pumping, with no way to work off all this pent-up energy. I knew of one way I’d like to work it off.

As if reading my thoughts, the woman picked up her wineglass and nodded at me. “Would you like to join me?”

I was standing there, staring at her like I’d forgotten how to talk. Was she flirting with me or just being nice? I was so out of practice with women, I had no idea how to tell the difference anymore.

“I’ll go check on your orders.”

That came from Bo, who disappeared through the door behind the bar. That left the two of us completely alone. Well, not completely, but he’d be back any second. That meant I couldn’t forget what I’d like to do with this woman if I truly got her alone.

“You don’t mind?” I asked, but I was already snatching up my beer.

A smile teased the corners of those oh-so-tempting lips. “A lady shouldn’t eat alone, should she?”

I crossed to her table, where I’d been watching her out of the corner of my eye for at least twenty minutes. If she’d noticed me after sitting down, she hadn’t shown it. Not until Bill Carney started bugging her.

“Will Threader,” I said, holding out my hand.

She eyed it for a second, then set down her wineglass and reached her hand up, slipping it into mine. “Kenzie Vogel.”

Her hand was cold, probably from the wineglass. But it may as well have been sizzling hot. Up close, she was even more beautiful than she’d been from across the room. She had a light dusting of freckles over her nose, and her eyes were framed with long, dark lashes that matched her long, dark hair.

Does the carpet match the drapes?That old line from the barracks flashed through my mind.These days, most of them have hardwood floors, another of my buddies had joked in response.

Did her carpet match her drapes? Or was it bare down there?

It was at that exact moment that I became aware I was thinking about her pussy. I just hoped my jeans concealed my growing bulge.

She gestured toward the chair across from her. “Please.”

Aside from her wineglass, the table was completely empty. She’d had her phone out when the Bill approached and had been staring down at it. But now, that phone was nowhere in sight.

I pulled back the chair and sat down, settling my beer bottle in front of me. “You ordered the club sandwich.”

“With the fruit bowl,” she added. “I guess I should have asked for your recommendations.”

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