Page 8 of Big Merry Miner

“Ah, my boy, please, call us Mom and Dad,” she says. “Come! Meet the rest of the family!”

Chapter 4

Matt

Lucia falls face first on the bed with a groan the second I close the bedroom door behind us. Quite frankly, I don’t blame her.

I knew her family was big, but I didn’t really realize how big she meant. I’ve lost track of all the aunts and uncles and cousins, not to mention all of the young kids running around. I’m never going to remember all their names. I’ll be lucky if I remember half their names. And with all the weirdly personal questions they asked shortly after introducing themselves? It’s no wonder Lucia was terrified of facing them all. I can’t imagine doing something like that alone, related or not.

I’m a grown-ass adult man. I’m thirty-four and have been working at the mine for over a decade. I’ve been in some shitty and dangerous situations in my time, ones that required me to be cool and collected under pressure and make decisions that would help keep people alive and safe. I don’t think anything has ever been as stressful as looking down to see three different toddlers trying to climb my leg like a tree trunk as a random aunt feels my bicep and asks what I do for a living.

Lucia turns her head and mumbles, “I’m sorry. I know they’re a lot.”

“It’s okay,” I say. “Are you alright?”

“I’ve been here for five minutes and I’m already ready to leave,” she pouts.

She’s so cute with that look on her face that I feel something low in my gut stir. I try to ignore it. Now’s not the time to start feeling the full weight of my attraction to her. “I don’t know how you keep track of all of them. I can’t even tell most of the kids apart, let alone remember which uncle is which.”

“We should make them wear nametags, just for you,” she smiles up at me. “Sometimes, I get their names wrong on purpose just to get on their nerves. Makes me feel better when they’ve been rude to me.”

“You don’t have to worry about that this year.” Or any other year, if I have anything to say about it. I never want her to have to deal with this alone again.

She turns to her side, and her position on the bed shows off how curvy her hips are. This is the first time I’ve seen her without her coat on and it’s making my blood bubble with want. “At least no one’s going to forget who you are,” she says with a knowing look. “You’re taller than literally everyone else here.”

“I’m used to that,” I say. The more I look at her stretched out on the bed like that, the harder it becomes to ignore the way my cock’s trying to harden in my pants. “Uh, should we bring in our bags?”

“Ugh, yeah,” she grumbles, flopping onto her stomach. “I think you’re in the next bedroom down.”

The relief that washes over me is bittersweet. On the one hand, this is probably more comfortable for her. I’m a complete stranger, so being in the same bed was going to be weird. I was going to offer to sleep on the floor anyway, just so that she wouldn’t be uncomfortable. Then again, after that kiss earlier, I can’t stop thinking about the way she pulled me closer and opened herself up to me. Fuck, I’m getting even harder just thinking about it.

If I were left alone with her like that again, I’m not sure I’d be able to hold myself back from ripping her clothes off and sinking into her hot, tight cunt. God, her ass in those pants she’s wearing looks amazing. I push past the arousal and head back to the bedroom door. “Great,” I grit out. “Stay here. Rest a little. I’ll grab our bags.”

Lucia grunts in response as I leave the room and start down the hallway.

It’s better that we’re in separate bedrooms. This isn’t real, and I can’t start thinking it is. The kiss was just practice, no matter how good it was. The connection I felt earlier can’t cloud my judgment. A young woman like her would never actually want a worn out blue-collar guy like me. Hell, her parents rented out this whole place! It’s a resort of cabins in one of the nicest parts of the mountains! With money like that, she could have anyone she wants. I’m just the guy helping her get through a tough time, convenient and willing.

I need to keep reminding myself of that.

***

The noise of my door opening and closing rouses me from half-sleep. It’s always hard for me to sleep in unfamiliar places, so I’ve been tossing and turning all night. And being here among unfamiliar people isn’t helping.

It was a rough evening for Lucia and I. We were the center of attention for much of it and I could tell it made her uncomfortable, but there wasn’t much I could do aside from getting us to bed a little early. Because we’re in separate rooms, however, I couldn’t do anything but give her a kiss on the cheek to reassure her that she was doing well around her family.

I’d thought it was a misstep, but then I saw her smile as she closed the door.

Yeah. I’m fucked. I’ve got it bad for this sweet little thing and I don’t even care to fight it at this point.

When my bedroom door clicks closed, I sit up. Lucia is standing there, her hand still on the doorknob, in nothing but a slinky little nightgown under a soft cotton robe. Her long hair is in a braid that brushes over her shoulder, eyes are wide as she takes me in.

I’m sure I look rough. I can feel my hair sticking out at weird angles and my beard definitely needs a brush to straighten it out again. I’m not even wearing a shirt, so she can see all the tattoos and old scars from work I’ve tried so hard to hide.

“Everything okay, sweetheart?” I ask her, willing my eyes to stay on her face even though they’d rather be roaming her body. That nightgown is sinful, thin enough that I can see her nipples poking into the fabric. Instantly, I feel myself get hard.

“I can’t sleep,” she murmurs. She twists her hands together nervously and looks away. “Talking to you always makes me feel better, but I don’t want to bother you. I can go—”

“It’s okay,” I rush out. “I can’t sleep either. C’mere.”

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