Page 18 of Single Mom for the Mountain Men (Mountain Men Why Choose #3)

The morning air is crisp today.

The sun has just emerged and is on its way toward the center of the sky. Little birds sing their morning songs, perched atop the tallest branches of the trees that line the path between our cabins.

We don’t need any firewood today, which Aiden had told me while he was making his coffee lazily in the kitchen.

“You can go back to sleep for a few more minutes if you want.” He yawns, rubbing his eyes. “I’m gonna go outside and keep watch.”

“I think you need to take up your own suggestion. You can barely open your eyes. I was gonna head out for a jog, anyway.”

He waves me off, but I know that he’ll be snoozing on the couch when I come back.

The cold air refreshes me as it enters my lungs, like a detox of sorts. As much as I hate the mornings, the early morning workouts energize me like no other.

These workouts pass in a jiffy, anyway, because my mind is occupied with thoughts of Lena.

The woman is a walking contradiction. She’s so gentle and holds the people she cares about so softly, like they’re something that can fall apart at the slightest touch.

At the same time, she’s fierce and firm, especially when it comes to setting boundaries with us or Sophie.

There are things we are allowed to do, like care for them and protect them, which we have vowed to do so with our lives, and things we aren’t allowed to do, like spoil Sophie with too many sweets because she gets an upset stomach.

The worst, or the best thing maybe, is the fact that she has seen me at my weakest. Somehow, I let her in at my lowest point. I’ve never done that with anyone else.

With shaky legs and sweat coating my brow, and the ricochet of bullets echoing in my ears, nothing felt real. I could barely recognize my own face in the mirror. Her voice felt like it was coming to me underwater, distorted and unrecognizable.

I could have hurt her, then. If the memory and my panic attack had been more violent, I could have attacked her, thinking she was some spy or someone sent to hunt me down.

But her hands had gripped my arms, bringing me back to reality, guiding me, ever so patiently, until I felt stable again.

Is this woman a sorceress? How had she known what to do, and why had it worked so well? How did she manage to calm me down in mere minutes, when these attacks usually feel like they stretch on for hours and hours?

Once I’m done with my jog, I move on to the next portion of my work out.

I grunt, regulating my breathing as I drop down into a plank position to start my push-ups.

Sweat drips down from my forehead onto the soil under me, the rough surface of the ground along with little pebbles digging into my palms. It grounds me, waking my mind and body up as I push through my limits.

My arms start burning once I hit the one hundred mark, so I tighten my core.

As I close my eyes for a minute, Lena’s face appears behind my eyelids. I think of her wide eyes full of pain and empathy, begging me to trust her. There was no way I could have kept my mouth shut.

There was nothing I could have done to stop myself from confessing about the things that haunt my nightmares and waking moments alike. All the dead bodies, all those bullets, all those bombs, and ripped-apart bodies, they all have stayed with me.

There’s so much I have seen, and it all circulates inside my mind like a whirlpool of rot. I drown in it, unable to escape, and I have to let the tide take me where it wants. Lena has been the only one to help me out of that whirlpool and bring me to shore.

I would have never thought that her embrace would feel so relaxing, like a final reprieve from all the horrors that lock my body into fight or flight mode.

Rolling onto my back, I start with my abs, hitting my obliques and abs at the same time.

My ears rush with the sound of her voice.

I think of when it’s sweet and soft, as well as how firm it gets when she is telling us what to do.

I also think of when it’s high and wrought with pleasure.

I love the way she teases me so innocently, like a little lamb playing freely in the woods, unaware of the wolf lurking in a bush nearby.

Her body had been so malleable and soft under my touch, bruising like a peach at the slightest bit of pressure. I’ve never felt crazy with want for any woman before. I’ve had multiple partners in the past—skinny, short, curvy, tall—but none of them have made me burn with want the way she does.

Rising to my feet, I curl my fists tightly, focusing my attention on the sandbag hanging in front of me.

With each strike and punch, the pain that bursts through my knuckles wakes me up more and more.

This asshole ex of hers, wherever he’s hiding in these woods, will be found by us.

It won’t be long before I have him in my grasp, and he is going to wish he had never met Lena.

My heartbeat pounds in my ears as I land a few high kicks, uppercuts, and reverse-turning kicks. Sweat has drenched my shirt completely, so I tug it off, wiping my face with it. I grab the water bottle and drench my head with it before taking a few gulps to cool myself down as well.

The cool air feels nice on my body, and I close my eyes, letting myself relax for a few meditative minutes.

Deciding to head back once the sun has lit up the sky, I trudge back with a peacefully empty mind. Today’s training with Lena is a special session, because she’ll be fighting me with all of the martial art techniques I have taught her thus far.

Exiting the tree-populated path, I spot a silhouette standing right at Lena’s porch. Squinting my eyes, I speed up into a jog, only to slow down when I realize that it’s Lena herself.

She’s standing in the cool weather with nothing on but her silk nightgown. Her long hair is tangled at the back of her head, and she’s peering at something with intensity.

“Lena,” I greet her as soon as I approach. Her head doesn’t turn to look at me, and she’s gazing toward the tree line at the back of her cabin. Her eyes are narrowed suspiciously, her knuckles white with how hard they’re fisted at her sides. “What’s going on?”

“Morning, Brody,” she replies back finally, her eyes flitting to me momentarily, tracing down my bare torso distractedly before looking at my face and then back to the tree line.

“Morning. What are you doing out here so early? It’s colder than it was yesterday.”

“Oh, nothing. Just…looking.”

“Looking at what? Did you see something?”

“No, I just—heard something weird. I thought there was someone peering at me from the back window. The tree line offers a clear view through the window, so…”

My jaw clenches, and I put on my shirt quickly.

“Yeah, all right, don’t worry. I’ll check it out for you. Go inside,” I order her.

She nods slowly and makes her way back in the house. When I know she’s shut the door, I slither toward the backyard.

My senses are hyper-focused, every rustle and whisper of the wind heightened, as I creep slowly through the undergrowth. There’s a small, rickety chair with a table in the center of the yard, but nothing suspicious.

Walking through the entire space, I make sure that there really isn’t anyone there.

Then, I venture out of the boundary of her cabin, jumping over the weak metal fence and into the thicker growth.

The trees block most of the sunlight from coming through, the area becoming darker.

The leaves are wider, brushing against each other in a way that looks suspiciously like human-shaped shadows.

Pushing through the trees and in between them, I make sure to watch out for the traps I’ve laid there myself. It takes me more than ten minutes to check the entire area thoroughly, but even then, there turns out to be nothing suspicious.

After doing another round, I deduce that there is no one here, and there hasn’t been, judging by the untouched conditions of the traps.

Dusting my hands after I jump over the fence, I make my way back to Lena’s cabin. She unlocks the door and releases the deadbolt when she sees that it’s me.

“There’s no one there,” I reassure her as soon as I step inside. She looks visibly calmer than she did earlier, but her brows are still drawn down.

“Not in the woods, either?”

I shake my head confidently. “I checked twice. I reset all the traps, but not one of them had been triggered. It’s all untouched. No evidence of anyone being in your yard, either.”

My words are brusque and final, full of utter conviction. Lena relaxes a bit as she hears them, but the furrow in her brow remains. Her eyes are troubled as she nods and moves into her kitchen.

“You want coffee? I made more than I usually do.” She gestures towards the pot.

“Yeah, thanks.”

When I turn to look at her with the cup in my hand, her gaze is stuck on the window, peering outside tensely.

“Lena,” I try to catch her attention.

She looks at me like Sophie does at times, when she’s caught doing something her mother told her explicitly not to do. It would have made me smile if not for the tense situation we’re in.

“What’s the problem?” I ask her. “Do you want me to go check again?”

“No, no, I trust you,” she rectifies hurriedly, looking back into her steaming coffee. “It’s just—do you think I’m going crazy?”

“What?”

“I keep thinking that he’s out there for some reason.

I know it could have been a squirrel that made the noise, but my mind immediately jumped to the conclusion that it’s him.

He’s found me, and he’s going to get me again.

I’m stronger now than I was when he attacked me, but the fear paralyzes me again and again.

I don’t know how to beat that fear,” she confesses honestly.

I put down my cup and walk toward her, wrapping my hands around hers, which are still clenched tightly around the cup.

“That fear is going to propel you into action this time, Lena,” I reassure her lowly.

“Before, you didn’t know how to channel that fear into action, but now, you do.

Trust me, when the time comes, your body will know what to do before your mind even commands it.

But you won’t even get that far. I promised that I would protect you and Sophie, and I will.

As long as I am here, nothing will happen to the two of you. I bet my life on that.”

She glances up at me with wide, beguiling eyes, glittering like emeralds. Her lip is clenched between her teeth, and before I know it, my thumb is pulling it free. Her cheeks blush red when my thumb rubs over the petal-like surface.

We’re standing so close that her breath brushes against me, and she rises suddenly on her tippy-toes to press her lips against mine.

Sucking in a sharp breath, I kiss her back. My arms wrap around her waist, taking the cup from her and placing it on the counter without breaking the kiss. Our tongues brush against each other’s, passion pushing the temperature up a few notches.

I wrap my arms around her little waist, and she presses herself into me more desperately. Nibbling on her lip, I clench my hands around her ass, lifting her onto the counter. She lets out a sound of surprise, pulling me back into the kiss by my shirt.

Hunger heats up my body, and I push my hands under her nightgown to feel her soft skin.

She leans back slightly, planting her palms flat on the kitchen counter for support as I drop to my knees.

She pants as I push her silk panties to the side, nibbling and kissing my way to the apex of her thighs. Her milky skin blooms with purple as I continue leaving behind marks, her mouth parted open as raspy gasps and moans leave her mouth.

“Quieter, darling,” I warn her roughly before I lick up her folds. Her spine arches as she brings a hand up to her mouth to silence herself.

She’s tangy and slick, her wetness dirtying my whole face as I eat her out. Her thighs clench around my face, but I pin them down, my fingers digging in as I slurp at her. Her body starts shaking, her back arching as I bring her closer to the precipice.

My cock throbs in my sweatpants, begging for relief, but bringing her to orgasm is the only thing on my mind.

Her fingers dig into my hair as her gasps get higher, and her body stills at one particular flick of my tongue as she reaches her peak. Her eyes are rolled back into her skull as she shakes from the overwhelming pleasure.

I kiss her pubic bone as I part from her, wiping my mouth with my hand as I smirk at her. She opens her eyes, her chest heaving as she looks at me.

“Round two?” she breathes out before her mouth curves into a similar smirk.