Page 9
Story: Ferocious Mountain Man
Okay, now I really had to know what she meant. “Why is it weird for you?”
“I’ve never felt this kind of…electricity before. Is it one-sided?”
Hell, no. But I was still puzzling over why she wouldn’t have felt it before. Did that mean all the guys she’d dated were meh? No, that wasn’t the case for me, and even I could say that I’d never felt anything like this before.
“It’s not one-sided,” I said.
“What happens next?”
Now I was staring at her. The tent created a sort of cocoon, shutting us off from the world outside.
“What do you mean?” I asked.
“When you’re…you know, sexually attracted to someone. What happens next?”
I frowned. I didn’t get it. Not at all. She couldn’t possibly be asking what happened when a man and a woman got together.
“I guess I should just spit it out,” she said. “I’m a virgin.”
And then, as I tried to process those words, the tent started shaking again. Something was outside.
5
SAHARA
Iscreamed. Not just a little scream, either. A big scream. A scream that would probably carry to the next house…wherever that was.
The only good thing about having something—or someone—shake the tent again? Rafe could see I wasn’t making things up. Nope. I had good reason to scream earlier.
But Rafe kicked into hero mode, exiting the tent so fast, it may as well have been on fire. That left me alone inside while everything went very still around me. Nothing but the sound of rustling outside my tent.
Silence was the absoluteworstin a situation like this. I couldn’t tell what the heck was happening, and I was sick to my stomach at the thought of harm coming to Rafe. Especially if it was because he was saving me.
No, it had very little to do with that. It wasn’t guilt. I legit didn’t want anything to happen to him because…
I cared about him?
How was that possible? I’d met him only hours ago. Sure, I’d looked at him, shirtless, hurling an axe toward logs, for the last few days, but that didn’t count as “knowing someone.”
I let the silence stretch on for another few minutes. Or maybe it was just a minute or two. Every second felt like hours right now.
“Rafe?” I asked, surprised by the shakiness in my voice.
Silence. I’d welcome the rustling sounds at this point. Anything to let me know he was still alive out there.
Finally, after what seemed like a lifetime of holding my breath, the tent flap opened. The sight of those black-striped, white sneakers brought the biggest sigh of relief of my life.
“Just a raccoon,” he said. “I chased it off.”
A raccoon. I tried to feel relief, but something held me back. This guy probably wouldn’t tell me if it was a bear or coyote or bobcat.
Bobcat? Was that even possible up here? I didn’t know. What I did know was that this guy would tell me it was nothing even if it was. And then he’d stay here all night to keep me safe. Or stake out the area outside the tent. Or watch from his window with binoculars.
He zipped up the flap and turned to face me. He was in a squatting position—the only position that would work for him with this short ceiling. His expression made it clear he wasn’t sure what to do. Obviously, he’d decided against rushing out of here and retreating to the safety of his cabin, but he wasn’t advancing into the tent, just hanging out by the flap he’d closed.
“We aren’t in danger?” I asked.
I sounded a lot less shaky now. That was a good thing. But I couldn’t help but remember the conversation we’d had before. I’d confessed my deepest, darkest secret to him and left it at that. Most guys would’ve made some excuse and gotten the heck out of here by now, but not Rafe. Did that mean he was okay with it?
“I’ve never felt this kind of…electricity before. Is it one-sided?”
Hell, no. But I was still puzzling over why she wouldn’t have felt it before. Did that mean all the guys she’d dated were meh? No, that wasn’t the case for me, and even I could say that I’d never felt anything like this before.
“It’s not one-sided,” I said.
“What happens next?”
Now I was staring at her. The tent created a sort of cocoon, shutting us off from the world outside.
“What do you mean?” I asked.
“When you’re…you know, sexually attracted to someone. What happens next?”
I frowned. I didn’t get it. Not at all. She couldn’t possibly be asking what happened when a man and a woman got together.
“I guess I should just spit it out,” she said. “I’m a virgin.”
And then, as I tried to process those words, the tent started shaking again. Something was outside.
5
SAHARA
Iscreamed. Not just a little scream, either. A big scream. A scream that would probably carry to the next house…wherever that was.
The only good thing about having something—or someone—shake the tent again? Rafe could see I wasn’t making things up. Nope. I had good reason to scream earlier.
But Rafe kicked into hero mode, exiting the tent so fast, it may as well have been on fire. That left me alone inside while everything went very still around me. Nothing but the sound of rustling outside my tent.
Silence was the absoluteworstin a situation like this. I couldn’t tell what the heck was happening, and I was sick to my stomach at the thought of harm coming to Rafe. Especially if it was because he was saving me.
No, it had very little to do with that. It wasn’t guilt. I legit didn’t want anything to happen to him because…
I cared about him?
How was that possible? I’d met him only hours ago. Sure, I’d looked at him, shirtless, hurling an axe toward logs, for the last few days, but that didn’t count as “knowing someone.”
I let the silence stretch on for another few minutes. Or maybe it was just a minute or two. Every second felt like hours right now.
“Rafe?” I asked, surprised by the shakiness in my voice.
Silence. I’d welcome the rustling sounds at this point. Anything to let me know he was still alive out there.
Finally, after what seemed like a lifetime of holding my breath, the tent flap opened. The sight of those black-striped, white sneakers brought the biggest sigh of relief of my life.
“Just a raccoon,” he said. “I chased it off.”
A raccoon. I tried to feel relief, but something held me back. This guy probably wouldn’t tell me if it was a bear or coyote or bobcat.
Bobcat? Was that even possible up here? I didn’t know. What I did know was that this guy would tell me it was nothing even if it was. And then he’d stay here all night to keep me safe. Or stake out the area outside the tent. Or watch from his window with binoculars.
He zipped up the flap and turned to face me. He was in a squatting position—the only position that would work for him with this short ceiling. His expression made it clear he wasn’t sure what to do. Obviously, he’d decided against rushing out of here and retreating to the safety of his cabin, but he wasn’t advancing into the tent, just hanging out by the flap he’d closed.
“We aren’t in danger?” I asked.
I sounded a lot less shaky now. That was a good thing. But I couldn’t help but remember the conversation we’d had before. I’d confessed my deepest, darkest secret to him and left it at that. Most guys would’ve made some excuse and gotten the heck out of here by now, but not Rafe. Did that mean he was okay with it?