Page 128 of Grumpy on the Mountain

All of it makes me actually whimper out loud.

When's the last time I felt this immediate, visceral attraction to anyone? This desperate urge to climb a man like my personal jungle gym?

Never. The answer is never.

He sets up another log. The axe lifts over his head, and holy hell, the way his entire torso elongates and tightens is like watching pure sex in motion.

I can see the definition of every ab muscle, the way his chest expands with each breath, the tantalizing trail of dark hair that disappears below his belt—

And then he stops.

Completely freezes mid-swing and turns his head directly toward my hiding spot behind the fence.

Shit, shit, shit.

Deep blue eyes lock onto mine through the gap in the wooden slats, and the intensity of his stare sends liquid fire straight to my core. His gaze is molten, assessing, with a heat that suggests he's fully aware of the effect he's having on me.

My entire body flushes with arousal and embarrassment in equal measure. Those eyes aren't just blue—they're the deep blue-gray of a stormy ocean, with gold flecks that seem to burn right through me.

"Enjoying the show?" His deep voice is low, rough, with a gravelly edge that vibrates through me and settles between my legs like a caress.

The sound alone is enough to make me clench my thighs together again, fighting the urge to moan out loud at how stupidly turned on I am by three simple words.

I should probably say something.

Apologize for creeping on my neighbor.

Introduce myself like a normal human being instead of a sexually frustrated voyeur.

Instead, my brain leaves me speechless and trembling with want as I stare at this gorgeous, half-naked man who just caught me eye-fucking him through a fence.

Because holy hell.

If this is what the locals look like in Stone River Mountain, my three-month recovery plan just became infinitely more complicated.

And Piper's joke about sexy mountain men who chop wood shirtless?

Yeah. That woman is clearly psychic, and I owe her a very expensive bottle of wine.