Page 7 of Mountain Man Bodyguard (Mountain Men of Pineville #4)

SEVEN

KANE

I'm pretty sure the thoughts I was having about how I could take care of Chassie were not what Finn had in mind when he asked me to be her bodyguard. I was pretty good at reading signals. It’s what kept me alive in the service and what made me successful as a stuntman.

But Chassie was a new challenge I wanted to win and then to never let go of.

Did the possibility that her "superfan" was more likely an extortionist from overseas mean our time together would be over before it even really began?

However this storyline played out, I knew my mind was already made up.

And before this night ended, Chassie was going to be under me, on top of me, in any damn position she wanted, screaming my name.

My arms loaded with as much firewood as I could still see over, I went back inside and found her resting on the couch with one of the blankets from my bed. Holding a steaming mug in her lovely hands, she greeted me with a shy smile. Hm, that was a first.

“Hi. I made us some hot cocoa. Seemed appropriate.

" Her smile, her full lips, and the way the perfectly timed lightning strike backlit her pink hair, all combined to make me harder for her.

Harder than I'd ever been for any other woman in my life.

Words failed me. All I managed was a nod.

Shit. I was getting good at nonverbal communication.

Reluctantly, I moved over to the fireplace, managing to get it blazing before I dared turn back to face her.

Taking a fortifying breath, I ran a hand down my face.

It'd been at least a week since my last shave.

I'd figured it was time to start working on my mountain man look, or whatever, now that we were well into fall.

“Come sit. We can storm watch and chat.” Chassie faced the windows again and settled back onto the couch as if she’d done it a thousand times before.

In for a penny, in for a pound. Something like that.

A saying I remember my grandfather repeating when I was too young to understand the meaning.

Not until the war had I fully understood.

And now, this moment felt like another pivot point in my life.

Shrugging out of my jacket, I then tugged off my battered boots.

The only item I’d kept from my active-duty days.

“I can almost forget not having any internet with this display. I can’t believe what all of you have created here.” The Chassie from earlier, the one who’d been so pissed about no Wi-Fi as she also suffered through a hot flash, which at her age I had no clue even was a thing, that woman was gone.

In the short time we’d been together, I’d learned a lot about her, but I wanted to know more. I couldn’t understand who would want to threaten or stalk her. As we sat in silence, I tried to wrap my head around having this beautiful woman in my home. Man, I was still getting used to that phrase .

After having helped build it with Lars, Ridge and West, if anyone had told me I’d enjoy listening to the screaming wind and pounding rain against windows, I would have laughed them out of the room.

“Tell me more about yourself. I mean, as your bodyguard, I should know everything. To better keep you safe.” The storm had let up some, but not the one raging inside me. Did she feel it too? “You mentioned perimenopause. You seem a bit young for that, right?”

Chassie looked down into her now empty mug.

Her lips had pressed together, and for a brief moment I thought I’d overstepped.

But then I remembered she had said she posted on social media about it.

Maybe one-on-one was different for her than the safe distance the internet provided.

I could relate. I was great at entertaining my friends or keeping them out of harm’s way, but the emotional stuff. Never my thing.

My eyes hadn’t left her profile as she gathered her thoughts. And when she let out a little sigh, then offered me a smile, I didn’t quite know how to respond. The moment felt…intimate.

“Okay. So just remember you asked. You said I was young. Well, if I told you I’m almost forty, would that surprise you?”

“No. You look great. And I suck at guessing ages.” I grinned at her surprised reaction when I told her she looked great. Surely, she’d heard that before?

“Hm.” Her nod clued me in to her real response.

“What does that mean? Don’t you believe me?” The urge to reach over and play with a loose curl that had escaped the updo she’d created made me want to show her even more just how attracted I was to her.

“No. I mean sure. Um, do you want to hear this or not?” Flustered and with her cheeks now matching the color of her hair, Chassie sent me a narrowed stare only a trained nurse could pull off.

I've got to admit, the contrast was definitely doing it for me. “Proceed.” Saluting her with my mug, I drank down the last of my cocoa to cover my satisfied grin.

“So, perimenopause. I began having symptoms earlier than normal, but what’s normal, right?

I was working long hours in the trauma department at Harmony General, and the hot flashes were becoming a problem.

Being a nurse, I did what we all do and quizzed my co-workers instead of making an appointment with my gyno.

But nothing helped. So, I finally get in to see my doctor, and he tells me sure, I’m a bit young, but it’s still normal.

” Chassie threw up her fingers when she said “normal,” and rolled her eyes.

“I went back to work, took some supplements, and continued to suffer. During that time, I was also experiencing brain fog and extreme fatigue, plus a handful of other annoying problems. And all the normal female monthly stuff, which had always been harsh for me. But nothing helped. So, I went to another doctor. This one ordered some tests. And I did some sleuthing on the internet. And hey, I’m losing you. Sorry, I’ll stop.”

She hadn’t. And she had no idea how dynamic she’d become as she spoke.

I’d shifted my body toward hers and leaned my head on my fist, totally focused on her story.

“You’re not. Keep going.” My response sounded more commanding than reassuring, but at this point I didn’t care. I needed to know more about her.

She looked at me for what felt like several long minutes, her head tilted, studying me as if I were a bug under a microscope.

But I didn’t take offense. Instead, her intensity felt as if something deeper was happening between us.

Had she been any other woman, I would have made up an excuse to stop the conversation, to leave.

But this was my house. And I didn’t want her to stop.

“Long story short, I finally got some answers. Not all of them good. I’d been suffering from endometriosis; probably since I was a teenager.

And one of the tests showed I had some precancerous cells on my cervix.

Which, if you recall, both my mother and my grandmother had and eventually died from. So, I had a big decision to make.”

The storm's last gasp rang out, and the weight of her words hung between us. “Seems like you made the right decision. I mean, you’re here, and in spite of what’s going on with this crazy fan, you’re doing something you love.”

“I am. And I’m going to keep doing it. No matter what.

And that decision? I had my cervix and uterus removed as a preventative measure.

And my hormones were out of whack, so I’m on bio-identicals, which have helped more than you can imagine.

And I’m sharing my journey with other women, so they know they don’t have to suffer from ‘being born female.’ That they can empower themselves with knowledge and find community.

” Chassie’s eyes were bright; her excitement was contagious.

“And it sounds like you’ve succeeded.”

“I have. And no one is going to take that away from me.”

“Damn straight.” I added.

That laugh. The fire in Chassie’s eyes was addicting.

“Okay, your turn. Now you have to spill your guts. Tell me about why you went to LA after you left the service?”

The air was still charged between us, and it had nothing to do with the storm outside.

“Well, I knew doing something behind a desk, or inside a building for eight plus hours a day would be a death sentence. And when Hollywood beckoned, I followed the yellow brick road.”

“Becoming a stuntman was a perfect fit for me after the service. And having served as a Ranger didn’t hurt my resume, at least not in that field.

I was always a hyper kid. Being still was not a skill set I ever possessed.

Well, not until that last injury made me wake up and ended that phase.

And then I came here for Ridge’s wedding.

And Addy, Ridge’s now wife, who’s a therapist, cornered me one day, convinced me to try a fire pit session with their client guests.

And that was it. I’d found my next act. So, the Triple R became my home, and these men, who became my brothers all those years ago in the Army, welcomed me back in like we’d never been apart.

And despite their endless comedy bits about me being Henry Cavil’s butt double, I’m glad I made the move. ”

“What? No way. Were you really? I’d say that’s a claim that needs a little more show than tell.” Chassie teased. The sassiness was back, thank God, and so was my erection.

“Never happened, but they didn’t care. They just enjoy ribbing me every chance they get.

But what I haven’t told them yet is I was a stunt double for another A-lister several years ago whose character gets blown up in a movie.

That’s a point of pride I’m saving for just the right moment.

” The distraction of my confession had little effect on her or my dick, thank fuck.

“So….”

“So?” I didn’t think I was missing her signal, but I really needed her to spell it out for me.

Chassie shifted closer, her perfume reaching me first, then the warmth of her body as she leaned her hand inches away from my knee. “You going to kiss me now, or do I have to make the first move?”