Page 3 of Her Mountain Man Giant (Crave County: Mountain Men Love Curves #5)

VIOLET

I stuff my notebook into my back pocket as I race through the trees, heading for home.

I don’t dare look back, but I swear I can feel the giant’s eyes on me long after he’s out of sight.

The memory of him looming over me sends a shiver down my spine, but it’s not fear that’s making my heart pound like a bass drum.

Was he even real?

Are you sure you didn’t just imagine him?

It sure feels like a possibility. He definitely looked too good to be true, and when he spoke in that deep, growly voice, my knees almost gave way.

I was a little scared, a lot turned on, but also confused by his questions.

Why did he think I was looking for him? Why would he expect somebody to be writing about him in a newspaper?

I should have asked. Heck, I should have gotten his name at least. But the truth is, I was overwhelmed by him—his size, his ruggedness, his intensity.

I’m used to fictional characters, not real men, and especially not a man like him. So I ran away.

The forest is darkening fast as I finally reach my cabin.

It’s a tiny little place, cozy and comfortable, and I take a deep breath as I close the front door behind me, leaning back against it.

The stranger’s face is still swimming in my mind’s eye.

I can picture him perfectly, and I can’t help smiling to myself.

At least I got the inspiration I was looking for.

I step away from the door and grab my laptop, ready to type up the notes I made in the woods.

My hand reaches into my back pocket to grab my notebook.

But it’s not there. Frowning, I try the other pocket, finding nothing but a crumpled up receipt and a candy wrapper.

Panic rises inside me. I frantically search the cabin, checking under the sofa and between the cushions, but I already know I won’t find it.

I must have dropped it in the woods when I was running back home.

Crap.

I look out the window with a groan of annoyance.

The sky is fading to a deep, dark indigo, and the trees around the cabin blend together in shadow.

It’s too dark to go hunting for my notebook—I’ll definitely end up lost in the woods.

I’ll have to wait until tomorrow to search for it and pray it didn’t fall into the creek.

Still grumbling to myself, I sit down at the table and open my laptop, ready to type up my notes from memory.

Every detail of the handsome stranger’s appearance is burned into my mind, from his olive green eyes to the deep lines on his forehead.

I open a word document, ready to get to work, but the second I’m done typing “Hero” at the top of the page, a sharp knock makes me jump.

What the heck?

I stare at the front door in surprise. It’s too late for visitors. Heck, I don’t know anyone around here anyway, aside from my landlords. Emma and Brody live in a much bigger cabin nearby, just about visible from my living room window. But they wouldn’t come knocking at this hour.

Tentatively, I rise from my chair and head for the door, pulling it open slowly.

The warm light of my living room spills out, illuminating the man on my doorstep.

My stomach backflips. It’s him. The giant stranger is standing outside my cabin, filling the doorway with his vast frame.

I forget how to breathe. My head is spinning, and a flash of hot pink draws my eye.

Oh no.

He’s holding my notebook.

“Hello again.” His voice is quiet, but it seems to fill the cabin like a deep peal of thunder, sending shivers through me. I stare at him dumbly, unable to speak.

Please tell me he didn’t read it.

I will drop dead of embarrassment if he read my notes…

“I was on my way home when I found this,” he continues, holding up the notebook. “Recognized it from earlier.”

I take it from him, stuttering a thank you. Despite his grumpy expression, I swear there’s a twinkle in his eye, a gleam of amusement that wasn’t there before.

Crap. I think he read it.

My cheeks burn as I hurriedly stuff the notebook into my pocket, racking my brains for something to say.

“Uh…I…how did you know where I live?” I ask.

“Lucky guess.” He stuffs his hands into his pockets. “You said you lived out here, and I know Emma and Brody have been renting this place out. Don’t get many newcomers around these parts, so figured you were probably their new tenant.”

“Oh.”

Now is the moment for me to say something cool or interesting, but this man has me totally tongue tied. His gaze burns into me, heating me all over until I feel like I’m about to melt into a puddle at his feet.

“I’m Tanner,” he says.

“Violet.” I force an awkward smile. “Nice to meet you.”

“You too.” Tanner inclines his head. “Listen, I wanted to apologize for earlier. It was a misunderstanding. Didn’t mean to be an ass.”

Some of the tension seeps out of me at his words.

“It’s okay,” I say. “I shouldn’t have been on your land in the first place.”

He grunts. “Don’t worry about that. I don’t mind you walking around there.”

I smile at him again, a real smile this time. And despite the scowl on his face—which I’m starting to think is permanent—there’s a flicker of warmth in his eyes, almost like he’s smiling back. He holds my gaze for a beat too long, and a million questions bubble inside me as we look at each other.

“Can I ask you something?” I say.

He cocks his head. “Sure.”

“Back in the woods, you asked if I was writing for a newspaper or a blog…”

Before I’ve even finished the question, I see Tanner’s expression cloud over, walls rising around him. He takes a step back from the doorway.

“I was just being paranoid.”

He’s closed off, not looking at me, but I’m too curious not to ask.

“I know it’s none of my business,” I say cautiously, “but why would somebody be writing about you in a newspaper?”

“It’s nothing.” The muscles in his jaw tighten as he runs an agitated hand over his beard. “I was in an accident a long time ago. People still talk about it sometimes. Like I said, I was just being paranoid.”

His answer is too vague to satisfy my curiosity, but I don’t push the subject.

“Well, thanks for returning my notebook,” I tell him. “It means a lot.”

He softens, finally meeting my gaze once more. “Don’t mention it.”

There’s a heavy pause, a second that feels like a lifetime as we look at each other. Behind Tanner, the forest is completely dark now, the moon high in the sky. Everything is still. It’s so quiet that I’m sure he must be able to hear my heartbeat thudding against my rib cage.

I’m alone with this gorgeous mountain man.

Just the two of us, out here in my cabin.

A thrill of excitement skitters up my spine at the thought.

There’s something about the way he towers over me, huge and hulking, the weight of his eyes pinning me in place.

It’s intoxicating. I’m a big girl, thick and curvy, but I feel impossibly tiny next to Tanner, devastatingly aware of everything he could do to me.

Desire burns between my thighs, stealing the breath from my lungs.

What is happening to me?

My body has never reacted to somebody like this before. The temptations stirring inside me are primal, totally out of my control, and I instinctively take a step back from Tanner, overwhelmed.

“Well, I better get ready for bed,” I say in a breathless rush. “Thanks again for stopping by.”

Tanner nods, clearing his throat. “Have a good night, Violet.”

“You too.”

He turns around and strides away through the trees, melting into the shadows.

I watch him go, my heart in my throat, silently wishing he could stay.

It doesn’t make any sense. He’s a stranger.

A big, grumpy, intimidating giant of a stranger.

But it feels like he just awoke something inside me—something I never knew existed.

And I don’t think it’s going back to sleep anytime soon.