Page 6 of My Wild Mountain Man (Summer in the Pines #15)

“Hi.” She licked her lips, leaving that plump lower lip glossy and shiny. “I…” She chewed on her bottom lip. “I didn’t want to leave,” she shared. “Should I go home?” she asked, slightly louder than the sound of my very own heart pounding in my ears.

I reached for her hand, tangling our fingers together. “Don’t leave.”

“You sure?” I nodded, leaning in closer. Close enough my nose brushed against hers.

“I didn’t mean to sound like a dick, pretty girl. You have no idea how happy I was when I saw you over here. It’s just late, and it’s not safe for you to be out here in the dark.”

“Safe,” she whispered, her lips quirked upward. “You act like this is Gotham.”

“And you act like you have nine lives to live,” I mumbled, but some of the worry filtered out of me with the sound of her soft little giggle.

“Does that make us Cat Woman and Batman?”

“Fuck, I hope not,” I gruffed, loving the sneaky little twinkle in her eye.

“Nothing bad happens here,” she said. It set my teeth on edge, the fact she actually believed that. Bad shit happened anywhere.

“Rave––“

“Okay, fine. I just…” When she chewed on her bottom lip again, my free hand popped up to carefully pull it away.

“Why didn’t you want to go home?” I asked, knowing I was playing with a live wire. Sparks were flying between us that I couldn’t ignore.

“You know why,” she whispered, moving in a little closer. Her free hand moved between us, resting in the middle of my chest. “I was thinking about you and our kiss.”

“Rave.” My breathing slowly started to turn unsteady. Shallow. The heat of her tiny delicate palm permeated through the material of my shirt and seared the skin below.

“My first kiss.”

“Baby girl,” I drawled slowly. The heat of her body seeped into mine, and I knew whatever she said, whatever she asked for would be hers.

“Will you kiss me again?” Any self-control I might have had went out the window.

I didn’t just kiss her, though.

I picked her up, loving the natural way her legs wrapped around my waist, pressing those perfect more than-a-handful tits against my chest.

“You want me to kiss you again, little girl?” I growled against her plump lips.

“Bash,” she whispered my name, and my dick twitched against the zipper of my pants.

“Tell me, pretty girl. Tell me what you want.” I had no idea why I was goading her, pressing her to ask for a kiss.

Maybe because part of me wanted her to be sure.

This wasn’t what the week was supposed to be like.

But fuck if I could give up the living, breathing temptation that was my sweet little Raven.

“Please kiss me.” That soft little word shot through me and settled straight in my rock-hard cock. I didn’t think.

My lips dropped and met hers as if we had been kissing for a lifetime instead of the second time.

Deep and wet. My free hand roamed into her dark strands before tugging the back of her head, making her extend her neck for me.

My lips peppered kisses from her lips to her chin and down to her jaw.

I felt her shiver. Her fingernails dug into my shoulder as my lips skimmed against the line of her lithe neck.

“Fuck, baby girl. You smell so damn good,” I growled.

I felt like a caged feral animal ready to pounce all while my mouth watered for a taste.

Will she taste this sweet when I get to her tits and pull those tightened little nipples into my mouth?

Will her cherry-tight pussy be as sugary?

I set her against the hood of my car, and when she gasped, I knew why.

She could feel exactly what she did to me.

“Bash,” she whispered, and I smiled against her neck.

“So responsive,” I mumbled, loving the way her skin turned to gooseflesh. I kissed my way back to her lips, but this time, it wasn’t slow.

It was deeper.

Hungrier.

The animal inside of me rattled against its cage. Her taste, the feel of her sweet body wrapped around me was too much for a wild mountain man like me to handle without taking it further.

“Fuck,” I cursed, panting against her mouth. “I should take you home,” I rasped, staring at her. Her eyes still shut, I could see the idea wasn’t something she wanted.

“Why?” she pouted, and I watched, completely captivated as her eyes fluttered open, lust and desire hazing her vision.

“Because you got work early in the morning tomorrow.” The excuse was flimsy at best. “And if I kiss you any longer, I’m going to fuck you out here under the moon against my truck,” I laid out honestly, hoping it would frighten her away.

But my pretty girl was too bold and too brave for her own good.

Her kiss-swollen lips parted, and her pretty, brown eyes widened with surprise and something else. Something that looked a lot like the need to take on the challenge I had unknowingly set down.

My girl wasn’t as innocent as she seemed.

It was obvious she liked the idea of being naughty out in public.

“My pretty girl likes that idea,” I rumbled, and she bit her lip. She didn’t answer me, but she didn’t have to. Those dark eyes of hers gave her away.

“I should get you home.”

“Or—"

“Don’t finish that sentence, Raven,” I warned, swallowing hard enough to feel my prominent Adam’s apple bob up and down. “I can only say no so many times. We have a plan. One long weekend,” I spit out. One long weekend. Will it be enough?

“One long… right,” she whispered, and for a moment, I lost her eyes. They dropped to the ground, and I could hear her thinking loud and intrusive thoughts. “Because of Onyx.” She wasn’t asking but stating a fact.

“Raven––“

“I get it. I do. Will you put me down, please?” A muscle at my jaw twitched before I did as she asked, slowly setting her back down on the ground. “I shouldn’t have waited around; it was stupid.” She shook her head before combing her fingers through her shiny dark locks.

“Baby—"

“It’s okay.” She smiled up at me. Too brightly. Too fake. I hated it. I wanted that sweet real smile back.

“You’re right. Friday.” She started to walk away, and I frowned as I reached for her hand, pulling her back in front of me.

“I’ll take you home.”

“I don’t think that’s a great idea.”

“Why?” I rasped. She looked up at me, confused, and who could blame her? I was giving her mixed signals. Fucking hell. What the hell had I done by opening this can of worms?

“I just… maybe you were right.”

“About?”

“I don’t know.” She frowned. Her gaze dropped to the ground as if she found the tips of our shoes the most interesting thing in the world.

“Talk to me.”

“You want to wait till this weekend so we can… screw each other out of our systems.” Again, not a question but a statement. And even though it was true, I fucking hated how it sounded.

“Raven,” I started to say, but my brave girl simply shrugged.

“It’s good to know that. To remind me of that because I think not having dated as much, I get things mixed up in my head and my—" She pressed her hand over her heart.

My teeth gritted down, biting my tongue on purpose to keep me from saying something stupid. Something like no, she wasn’t mixing anything up. She was mine. But no matter how much I wanted her, I couldn’t claim her. Not when it meant losing one of my best friends

“I’ll drive you home,” I forced myself to say, but she shook her head.

“My car’s just right down the street.”

“Baby—”

“I’ll see you Friday. Maybe,” she said, leaning towards me, and before I knew what she was doing, she rose on the tips of her toes and kissed me on the cheek. It lingered for a moment, but before I could react and turn my head to have her mouth meet mine, she pulled back and hurried away.

I stood as I watched her walk to her car, hidden in the shadows of the street right outside the parking lot. I didn’t move for a long moment, even after she was gone. The night replayed in the back of head. Dancing with her again. Kissing her again and knowing how fucking forbidden it was.

With a shake of my head, I got into my truck and drove off.

But instead of going home, I drove to her place and parked across the street.

Her car was in her driveway. She was safe.

But I sat there, watching the light of her bedroom like I could somehow look through walls.

I could see the shadow of her form as she walked through the room, then the light in the living room turned on.

Her curtains were sheer in there. The blinds hadn’t been drawn back, so I could make out her form a little better.

My heart ached.

Everything in my body, every fucking molecule, was shouting at me to storm to her door and beg her to let me in.

But I didn’t. I kept my ass planted in the driver’s seat, watching what I couldn’t have.

Not the way I wanted, at least. What I assumed was her bedroom was lit.

I could see her shadowy form on the other side.

I wanted to knock and beg for her to let me in so I could fucking kiss her from head to toe.

But I didn’t. Instead, I started my truck back up and drove home to a frustrating night of tossing and turning.

I’ll see you Friday. Maybe . Her words replayed in my head like a ping pong game.

I get it. Because of Onyx. What she didn’t get, what she didn’t know, was it wasn’t all on my friendship with her brother.

My tastes, the things I enjoyed and wanted to do to her, were too much for a sweet, innocent like Raven to handle. The way I wanted to manhandle her, dominate and watch her break under me over and over would be too much. Maybe it would be better for both of us if she didn’t show up on Friday.

Liar , a voice in my head called me out before I fell asleep thinking about all the dark and twisted things I’d do to my pretty girl if I had the chance.

In my dreams, no one would know. No one would get upset. And maybe that’s the closest I would ever get to claiming Raven Trejo as my own.