Page 15 of Guarded By the Bigfoot (Mystic Ridge Monster Mates #1)
PARKER
T he mountain was quieter in the spring.
The snow had melted weeks ago, leaving the trails lined with wildflowers and the air warm and fresh. From the window of the main hall, I could see sunlight streaming through the trees, casting shimmering highlights across the ground below.
I shifted in my chair, glancing down at the latest report from ARC on my desk. A polished oak table Brock insisted on calling “mine” now, even though the office belonged to both of us. Half a dozen folders and maps, shimmering with enchantments, lay spread across it.
“Do you ever stop working?” Brock’s voice rumbled, low and familiar, sending a tingle down my spine.
I looked up, catching his golden eyes as he leaned against the doorframe. He had a mug in his hand, his hair wild and messy from his morning patrol of the mountain. He was still barefoot, dressed in torn jeans and a faded black T-shirt.
He was power.
Undiluted. Unapologetic. Unshakable.
The world could fall apart around me, and I’d know exactly where my center was.
“I could say the same about you,” I teased, leaning back in my chair and crossing my arms. “Or did you forget the two-hour meeting you dragged me into yesterday?”
He grunted, stepping inside and setting the mug down on the edge of my desk. “That was important,” he said. “Unlike whatever you’re doing right now. Which, judging by the look on your face, involves way too much paperwork.”
“It’s not paperwork,” I said, grinning faintly. “It’s diplomacy.”
“Uh-huh,” he said, raising an eyebrow as he gestured to the stacks of folders. “Looks like a lot of paper to me.”
I rolled my eyes, but before I could respond, the door behind him creaked open, and Tali poked her head inside.
“Hey, boss,” she chirped, waving a piece of parchment in her hand. “The gargoyles just sent over the treaty revisions. Want me to go over them before the meeting tomorrow?”
Brock sighed, shooting me a look. “See? You even stole my assistant.”
“She’s happier with me,” I said sweetly, earning a grin from Tali before she slipped back out the door.
“Traitor,” Brock muttered under his breath as she disappeared, but his lips twitched into a faint smile as he stepped closer, circling around the desk until he was standing right in front of my chair.
“Maybe you just need to learn to share,” I teased lightly, leaning my head back to look up at him.
He braced his hands on the arms of my chair, his eyes locking on mine. “Maybe I don’t mind sharing,” he said, his voice dropping to that low, familiar tone that always sent warmth pooling in my chest. “As long as it’s with you.”
I smiled, reaching up to brush my fingers against his jaw. “You know,” I said, “you’re getting really good at this romantic stuff.”
His lips curved as he leaned closer, his forehead brushing against mine. “Don’t tell anyone,” he murmured. “It’d ruin my reputation.”
I laughed, letting my fingers trail down his neck. “Your secret’s safe with me.”
His breath hitched as I traced the line of his collarbone through his shirt. Even after all this time, the simplest touches could make him react. His hands tightened on the arms of my chair.
“You’re distracting me,” he said, his voice rougher.
“Am I?” I slid my hand lower, feeling the heat of his body through the thin fabric. “I thought I was being diplomatic.”
He caught my wrist, his grip gentle but firm. “Parker,” he warned, but his eyes had darkened with that familiar hunger that made my heart race.
“What?” I asked innocently. “I’m just taking a break from all this paperwork. Like you suggested.”
“This isn’t what I meant.”
“No?” I twisted in my chair to face him better, letting my other hand rest on his hip. “Then what did you mean?”
He growled low in his throat, and suddenly his mouth was on mine, hot and demanding. I gasped against his lips, and he took advantage, deepening the kiss as he pulled me up from the chair.
“I meant,” he said between kisses, backing me up against the desk, “that you work too damn much.”
Papers scattered as he lifted me onto the desk’s edge. I wrapped my legs around his waist, pulling him closer. “Says the guy who spent six hours yesterday reorganizing patrol schedules.”
“That was different.” His hands slid under my shirt, leaving trails of fire across my skin.
“How?” I asked, my breath catching as his fingers traced up my spine.
“Because—” He broke off as I nipped at his neck, his hands tightening on my waist. “Damn, Parker.”
The door creaked, and we both froze.
“What was that?” I dropped my forehead against Brock’s shoulder, laughing.
“The wind. We really need to start locking that door,” he muttered, but I could hear the amusement in his voice.
“Or maybe we should actually work in our office instead of getting distracted all the time.”
He pulled back enough to give me a look. “Where’s the fun in that?” He brushed his thumb across my bottom lip. “Now, what were you saying about taking a break?”
“I was saying,” I caught his hand, pressing a kiss to his palm, “that I have a meeting in a few minutes.”
“That still gives us time.”
“Not for that.”
His eyes gleamed. “Want to bet?”
A soft chime buzzed from the intercom, followed by Tali’s unmistakable giggle. “Parker—oh, uh, I mean Brock!” she said, barely holding back her laughter. “The wedding planner’s here!”