Page 9 of My Wild Mountain Man (Summer in the Pines #15)

Fireworks lit up behind my eyes, and I threw my head back as I panted.

Pleasure ripped through me. Wave after wave of orgasmic relief washed over me, leaving me boneless on top of him.

Not that he stopped touching me. It was just lighter, sweeter.

I brushed away my hair and watched as he brought his fingers up between us.

Without breaking eye contact, he slid them inside his mouth and tasted me.

A deep animalistic sound vibrated through his chest, and I felt my face heat up. He was tasting me. Why was that so hot?

“You taste incredible, baby.” His tone was deep and rough.

“Bash.” I only whispered his name before both his hands held my face and he kissed me. Deep and passionate, leaving me breathless by the time he pulled away and both our lungs burned for oxygen.

“You still going to cut my hair?” He gently brought us back to reality. I glanced down and licked my lips.

“What about you?” My hand dipped down below us, but before I could touch him, he grabbed my wrist and stopped me.

“No.” He shook his head, and I frowned.

“No? Why?”

“Because if you touch me, we need privacy for all the things that will happen after.”

“But––“

“My hair?” he interrupted, clearly trying to change the subject.

I chewed on my bottom lip. “You let me take care of that ache, and I got a lot more off on that than you could even imagine, beautiful girl. But please, have mercy on me,” he groaned.

“You touch me right now after watching you while I can taste your sugary sweetness in my mouth, I won’t be able to hold back,” he admitted, and as much as I loved what he was saying, the question slipped past my lips without thinking.

“Why do we have to?”

“This weekend.” He brought up, and I stilled.

Was this still only going to be a three-day thing?

He’d called himself my man in the heat of the moment. I frowned and slipped off his lap, my legs still a little wobbly after the bliss I’d felt. Bash held my hand, and I licked my lips.

“This weekend. Right.” I felt like the stupidest girl in the world. I shook away the disappointment that felt like it was going to take me under and moved to turn the water back on. “Let’s make sure we got all the conditioner off.”

This time, I moved my body to the side of the sink.

He stared at me for a long moment. I could see he wanted to say something, but he didn’t say a word.

He simply sat back and let me rinse off the conditioner that had been left over in his hair before I got distracted by his mouth on my breasts.

I glanced down at his body, and there was no denying the effect of my hands on him.

He was hard, his length pressed snuggly against the front of his jeans.

“Okay,” I broke the silence that had fallen between us. “All done. Let’s go to my chair,” I said after toweling off his hair. As he followed me to my chair, I could feel his gaze on my ass, and I couldn’t help but sway my hips with a little more oomph. He sat down, and I adjusted the chair.

“What do you want?” I asked, our eyes connected in the mirror as I stood behind him.

“That’s a loaded question, isn’t it.” His voice sounded scratchy. I chewed on my bottom lip. I loved the way he looked at me, but this push and pull, hot and cold stuff wasn’t going to work for me.

I wasn’t stupid.

I knew he thought I was too young for him, not to mention the fact he was my brother’s best friend, but I knew what I wanted and what I didn’t.

I didn’t like games. It was one of the big reasons I’d rather read than hang out with people.

The hot and cold from Bash made my head spin.

Maybe all he really wanted was just a chance to screw me out of his system?

“I meant for your hair,” I clarified, my tone colder than I’d intended.

“Oh.” His eyes darkened. “That’s an easier question.” He smiled, but I didn’t give him anything as I stared back at him. “Just a make it look good.”

“Make it look good,” I repeated, my lips quirked upward. I hated that even as confusing as he was, I still didn’t think there was a way for him to look bad. “I can do that,” I promised and got to work.

My fingers running through the overgrown strands of his hair felt too good to rush with clippers, so I used my scissors.

I pressed and brushed against him, but he didn’t move to touch me again the way he had while I’d washed his hair.

I was relieved and disappointed at the same time.

Before I knew it, I was all done with his haircut.

“What do you think?” I asked, still standing behind him.

“I love it.” His eyes locked with mine in the mirror. It didn’t go over my head that he didn’t bother to look at his hair. His gaze never wavered from mine.

“Good.” I smiled carefully, pulling the cape off him and shaking it off. “I’m glad you like it,” I said softly, reaching for the broom that rested by my side.

“How much do I owe you?” he asked as he stood up slowly. I shook my head.

“Nothing. You brought me dinner. We can call it even.” I shrugged, but he stood right in front of me. Bash took the broom from my hand, and I stilled.

“Please look at me, pretty girl.”

“You should stop calling me that,” I whispered, my eyes set on the ground.

“Why?”

“Because…” I hated the way my voice cracked with emotion before I shook my head.

“Raven, please look at me,” he urged. My eyes roamed up his strong muscular body until our eyes connected.

“Not paying you doesn’t feel right.”

“Why not? Friends do this kinda stuff for each other all the time.” He scowled.

“Friends,” he repeated in a soft growl.

“That’s what we are, right? All we can be because of… Onyx,” I laid out. I didn’t want my head to be more mixed up than it already was. It was bad enough that I knew no matter what he said, I’d still be at his door come Friday.

“That’s not the only reason, pretty girl.”

“Bash––“

“I’m older than you, Raven.”

“Age is just a number,” I argued. A muscle under his eye twitched.

“With age comes experience and––“ he started to say, and I winced

“And I’m a virgin,” I interrupted. “I get it.” I turned around, but he grabbed my wrist and turned me around.

“You don’t get it, baby girl. I know myself. I know what I like and…” He swallowed. The unanswered question weighed heavily between us.

“And I’m not it,” I whispered.

“Baby––“

“I get it.” I might have smiled, but we both knew it was fake. “I hate to rush you out, but I still have to finish cleaning up here, and it’s getting kinda of late.”

“I’ll help––“

“You don’t need to, but thanks.” There was no missing the way I was dismissing him.

“Baby––“

“We should really think about Friday,” I said out loud, hating the words, but my head was mixed up. If I wasn’t what he wanted, and he knew it, what was the point? “I think you should rethink this. I don’t want you to do anything you don’t––“

“Jesus, Raven, what’s in your head right now?” His question ticked me off.

“You don’t want me!” I slightly shouted from frustration.

“Baby––“

“You already think we’re not sexually compatible, so what’s––“

“Fuck.” He pulled me up against him and pressed his forehead against mine. “We’re so fucking compatible we could be explosive,” he rasped, his voice full of emotion.

“Bash––“

“I fucking want you more than you can imagine. When I say I know what I want, what I like, it just means my tastes veer towards… something darker. Wilder.”

“Bash––“ My lips parted.

“I want to make love to you on a bed of roses and then turn to have you crawl to me and kneel in front of me, handing me your full submission for me to play with you until your voice is hoarse from begging me to let you come.” A deep-rooted quiver washed through me, turning the blood in my veins even warmer. But that’s when my eyes narrowed.

“I might be a virgin, Sebastian Ledesma, but I’m not some blushing little girl.”

“Raven––“

“I know all about BDSM, and most of it’s about communication. That’s’ what safe words are for! What is it you think? That you’re going to what? Corrupt me? Corrupt your best friend’s little sister? Is that what you’re having a hard time with?”

“Baby––“

“Then you missed the whole concept about your tastes. We talk about it. We have a safe word––“ He groaned and pulled me closer.

“Shit! This is what I’m talking about. I already corrupted you, pretty girl. What do you know about safe words?”

“I read. A lot.” I might have been blushing, but I didn’t look away from him. I stood my ground. “I want this. I want you. I want to explore and learn but…” I paused to get my words right. “I need you to be sure you want me the same way.”

“Pretty girl, giving me your first time,” he rasped. “That’s a big deal.”

“I know that,” I whispered. “Would you rather I give it to someone else? Walk into a random bar and hand it over to a complete stranger? Would that make you feel better?”

“Fuck, no.”

“Then what?” I asked, but Bash didn’t say a word. He just stood there and stared at me until I rolled my eyes. “That’s what I thought,” I muttered, stepping away from his hold. I shivered as the AC kicked in, the vent right above me. “You think about what you want.”

“You should, too.” His words almost sounded like a warning, and I rolled my eyes.

“I already know I want you.”

“Raven, you don’t get what you’re signing up for if you come over Friday.”

“Maybe not completely, but I’m willing to explore. Learn.”

“Baby––“

“I know if I told you to stop or give me a moment or that something wasn’t working for me, you would give me what I needed. You’d never hurt me. But these games? The hot and cold? It’s giving me whiplash. I’m not stupid. I know what this weekend will be. It’ll be us scratching an itch.”

“Scratching an itch?” he growled, but I ignored him.

“If you think I have some misconception that you’re going to confess you’re ever-lasting love for me, trust me, I’m not.”

“What’s that supposed to mean?”

“Look, forget it.” I turned, but his hand on my wrist pulled me back.

“No, what do you mean by that?”

“That you would rather lose me than somehow mess up your friendship with my brother. And I respect that. You two run a business together. I understand.”

“But?”

“But the man I want in my life, the man I want to spend the rest of my life with, would be a real man. One who wants me forever. He’d fight for me. Chase me. Win me. He wouldn’t give two shits about what people might or might not say.”

“Raven––“

“And it’s okay if that’s not you.”

“I never said that,” he clipped. I simply shrugged.

“It is what it is. And right now, it’s late and I’m tired, and I should close up and get home.”

“I’ll help you close up.”

“Fine.” I handed him the broom. “If you can sweep up, I’ll go fold the towels, and we can get out of here.”

“Okay.” He took the broom and got to work. As I walked to the back room, where the washer and dryer were, I felt like I walked with my head held up a little higher.

I knew everyone saw me as a bookworm. Shy and reserved, slightly introverted.

Out of all our siblings, I was the most unconfrontational one, but it felt good standing up and telling Bash how I felt.

I might be half in love with him, but it didn’t mean I would let myself be his little doormat. And I’d made that abundantly clear.