Page 7 of Mountain Man Wanted (Hard Timber Mountain Men #1)

THATCHER

I’d warned her once I started, I wouldn’t be able to stop.

Every kiss, every touch, every taste of her drove me more and more wild, sending me closer and closer to an edge I swore I’d never fall over again.

But with Joely, I couldn’t help myself. She was sugar and spice all rolled into one.

The combination was as sweet as it was intoxicating.

I didn’t give myself time to think. If I had, I never would have slid my hand under her shirt and trailed my finger up her belly and under the band of her bra.

The soft moan she let out only fueled the fire that burned through me.

She reached up and tugged at my shirt. If she wanted it gone, I wasn’t going to deny her.

I pulled it over my head and tossed it on the floor. “Your turn, sweetpea.”

“Why do you keep calling me that?” She shrugged out of my flannel and threw her shirt on top of mine.

“I don’t know. Seems fitting.” She was like the sweetpea vines my mom planted outside the cabin where I grew up. Beautiful and resilient, no matter how many times my brothers and I stomped over them, the sweet-smelling flowers always came back.

“Well, don’t stop. I kind of like it.” She propped herself up on her elbows, her full tits spilling out of her bra.

My mouth fucking watered while I reached behind her and unclasped the annoying thing. Her eyes widened, followed by a shy smile.

“Lie back. I need to taste you.”

As soon as her back hit the bed, I sucked one of her nipples into my mouth, groaning as it hardened under my tongue.

I thought I’d be able to maintain some self-control, but this woman was under my skin.

The weird thing was, I didn’t mind. The two of us…

we felt good together. Like I’d been waiting for her to show up for a long goddamn time.

Her fingers fumbled with the button at my waist. Hell to the yeah. I wasn’t sure how long I’d last once she wrapped her legs around my middle, but I’d make sure she was satisfied before I let myself go.

I shed my jeans and boxers then bent over her and tugged her leggings off until she was as naked as she’d been in the creek.

Spread out on my bed, her hair covering my pillow, I raked my gaze over her creamy skin, her gorgeous tits, and stopped at the apex of her thighs.

She was beautiful. The most gorgeous woman I’d ever seen.

And I was about to make her mine, at least for the night.

“Thatcher…” She held her arms out, but I had other plans.

“Not yet, sweetpea.” I leaned down and settled my shoulders between her thighs. Spreading her legs as wide as they would go, I inhaled the sweet scent of her desire. Then I licked along her seam. Her muscles tensed and she tried to draw her knees up to her belly.

I put my arm over her hips, pinning her in place and circled her clit with my tongue. She squirmed underneath me, her back arching.

“Let me make you feel good,” I said.

“Yes, please.” She nodded as she fisted her hands in the comforter.

Grinning, I lowered my head again. I couldn’t get enough.

Swirling my tongue over her clit, I slipped a finger just inside her pussy.

She was so wet, so fucking ready for me.

Over and over, I sucked on that bundle of nerves, sliding my finger in and out until her walls clenched around me and her legs started to shake.

“That’s it, sweetpea,” I mumbled against her thigh.

Watching her come on my tongue was the most beautiful thing I’d ever seen. When the last wave of her orgasm had finishing pulsing against my lips, I kissed my way up her body.

She wrapped her arms around my neck and pulled my mouth to hers. Our tongues tangled while I flipped her over on top of me. I’d intended on giving her a few minutes to rest before I took her with my cock, but the little minx lined up her pussy at the tip of my cock.

“Easy there, baby,” I warned her. “You tease me like that and you’re going to find my cock buried deep inside you.”

“What if that’s what I want?” She arched her back and pushed her tits out.

“Then I’d better get a condom,” I said, already reaching for the drawer.

She took it from me, slid it down on my cock, and straddled my hips. Staring up at her, I felt like I’d died and gone to heaven. Then she eased herself onto me. My eyes rolled back in my head. The walls of her pussy clenched around me. So tight. So good.

I clamped my hands on her hips and lifted her up and down. Just seeing her tits bounce while she rode me was enough to make me fucking blow. But watching her watching me, her eyes half closed, the ghost of a smile on her lips… within seconds I was ready to detonate.

She came hard, her head tilted back, her pussy gripping me tight.

After, she leaned forward for a kiss and her nipples grazed my chest. I flipped her over, my need to take control rising.

It didn’t take more than a few thrusts before my balls clenched, and I came so fucking hard my arms shook.

I groaned, wishing I could stay balls-deep inside her forever.

And when I finally let go, I slanted my mouth over hers, claiming her.

Her cheek rested on my chest, her fingertip lazily running up and down my abs. We’d snuggled under the covers, and I’d pulled her close. I wasn’t used to cuddling, to sharing my space, especially my bed, with a woman.

Outside, the clouds had finally opened up and raindrops splattered down on the roof. Darkness had fallen, and I had no idea what time it was or how long we’d been laying there. However long it had been, I didn’t want it to end.

That was what scared me most. Somehow Joely had worked her way past all the barriers I’d set up. She’d wedged herself into my heart and as much as I didn’t want to let her go, I wasn’t sure how the hell I’d convince her to stay.

She ran her finger over the raised, puckered scar along my side. “Where did you get this?”

“Fire crew training summer of my senior year. I thought I was invincible.”

She let out a soft laugh. “How about now?”

“Now I know better.”

“Sounds like progress to me.” Her fingers stilled. “I’ve never met anyone like you, Thatcher.”

It didn’t sound like a compliment, and I didn’t take it that way. “You probably ought to run while you can.”

She nuzzled closer, her palm skimming over my belly. “I think I’ll take my chances. You’re not nearly as scary as you think you are.”

“Something to work on, I guess.” Damn her.

She was tempting me to believe in shit like happy ever afters.

I splayed my hand over the small of her back while I wondered how this would end.

As much as I wanted her, literally craved the feel of her in my arms, I wasn’t made for anything long term.

Yeah, I’d claimed her. She’d fucking imprinted on my heart and soul. But that didn’t mean we’d last.

I was the Ghost of Hard Timber. The name might sting, but I didn’t earn that label by sticking around.

Her stomach growled against my side. It had been hours since I’d found her on the trail, and I hadn’t thought to ask her if she was hungry. Protectiveness surged.

“You need something to eat, sweetpea. How about an omelet?” I was already sliding my arm out from underneath her when she flipped on top of me.

“Don’t get up yet. I’d rather be hungry and stay like this.”

I was tempted. But I also knew that if I didn’t get some space, I might get way too used to this. To having her here… to having her next to me… to having her in my bed.

“Food first.” I pressed a kiss to forehead as I rolled out of bed then reached for my jeans. “You stay here, and I’ll bring it to you in a bit.”

She pulled the covers up to her chin and damn if I didn’t love the way she looked in my bed. Her bottom lip thrust out in a slight pout, and it took every bit of willpower not to sink back down on the bed and kiss that frown away.

I padded out to the kitchen. Bear scrambled off the couch and stretched. He wasn’t supposed to get on the furniture, but I didn’t have the heart to scold him. Not when I’d locked myself in my room and failed to feed him dinner.

He stood by the door, not caring that it was raining outside. I let him out then scrounged around, looking for something to toss into the omelet I’d promised Joely.

What the fuck was I doing with the writer from out of town?

I was too old for a fling and too hardened to consider an actual relationship.

I cracked a few eggs into the bowl and whisked them faster than necessary.

The skillet sizzled as I tossed in some onions and diced peppers from the fridge.

This wasn’t just breakfast-for-dinner. It was about grounding myself.

About doing something while my insides felt like they were turning to mush over a woman who’d been in my life for, what, a few days?

The door to the bedroom creaked open. I glanced over and almost dropped the spatula. Joely stood there in nothing but one of my flannel shirts, the hem brushing her thighs. Her hair was a mess, and her lips were swollen from our kisses. She looked rumpled, radiant, and mine.

“I told you to stay in bed.”

“You did.” She crossed the room barefoot. “But then you said omelet, and I didn’t want to miss out on seeing you standing in front of a stove.”

I let out a soft laugh and rubbed my hand over my belly. “I didn’t get to be this size without figuring out how to feed myself.”

She smiled and grabbed two plates from the cabinet. Damn if that didn’t tug at something in my chest. She fit in, almost too well. And that scared the shit out of me.

We sat down, our knees brushing under the table as Bear came in, flopped down at our feet, and let out a contented huff. Thunder rumbled in the distance, low and lazy now that the worst of the storm had passed.

As much as I didn’t want to think about it, I could get used to this. And a part of me deep down inside wanted to try.

Joely was mid-bite when her phone lit up and vibrated against the table. She glanced at the screen and froze, the muscles in her jaw tightening.

“Everything okay?” I asked, bracing for what she might say.

She wiped her fingers on a napkin and picked up the phone. “It’s the editor who hired me for the piece I’m writing. I’d better take it.”

She stepped outside onto the covered porch, the door clicking shut behind her.

I tried not to listen, but she stood in front of the window, and I caught enough to know the conversation wasn’t casual.

Her voice was sharper than usual, more clipped.

A few yeahs , a few mmhmms , and then a long pause. When she came back in, she didn’t sit.

“Are you alright?” I asked.

“Yeah. That was…” she trailed off, pressing her lips together. “My editor wants to tack on a new angle for the story.”

I raised a brow, suspicious. “What kind of angle?”

She slid back onto her chair. “Have you heard about something called The Ex-List ?”

A muscle jumped in my jaw, and I reached for my coffee. I didn’t want to lie, but I also didn’t want to admit I was number two on the damn list since she clearly didn’t know. “What kind of story does your editor want?”

“Apparently someone posted a blog calling out six emotionally unavailable mountain men in Hard Timber. It’s gotten enough traction online that my editor thinks it’s worthy of its own story.”

Fuck me. “And she wants you to write about it?”

“She thinks it would make the perfect companion piece to the one on vacation rentals. ‘Grit meets gossip’—that’s how she pitched it.” Joely gave a tight laugh. “She said if I can track down the guys on that list, I can give them a chance to tell their side of things.”

“Are you going to do it?” My voice was calm. Too calm.

“I don’t know. I told her I’d think about it. I don’t love the idea of airing people’s dirty laundry, but…” She rubbed the back of her neck. “I came here to write something meaningful. If I could find the truth behind it and show some heart—maybe there’s a bigger story worth telling.”

I nodded slowly, my heart jumping around the inside of my chest like an out-of-control jackhammer. “So, you’re hunting down mountain men now?”

Joely smiled faintly. “Guess so.”

She didn’t realize how close she already was.

And I sure as hell wasn’t going to be the one to tell her.