Page 20 of Single Mom for the Mountain Men (Mountain Men Why Choose #3)

I roll over in my bed and stare at my phone.

It’s still early, but the first light of dawn pours in through my bedroom windows.

I’ve been awake all night, tossing and turning, the guilt over what I’ve done to my brothers, Sophie, and Lena tearing at me.

I keep wishing, over and over again, that there was a simple solution to this problem, that I can just snap my fingers and make my debts go away, stop the gang from trying to find and harm me.

Now that my brothers, Lena, and Sophie are involved, I know that simply running away isn’t going to help anymore. I need to make a real plan, come up with a solution that will resolve this issue once and for all. I don’t yet know what that solution will be, but I need to do something.

Grumbling, I get out of bed and go to the bathroom to splash cold water on my face.

I’m restless, not sure how to calm my racing heart or to soothe the guilt that is eating me up.

I look in the mirror at my haunted expression and realize that there is something that I can do.

I can go to Lena and apologize to her for the blow-up last night.

It’s not going to solve the rest of my problems, but it’s a start.

I hurriedly brush my teeth and then go back to my bedroom to get dressed. I look out the window again, frowning. It’s still really early, but Lena has never turned any of us away when we’ve needed her.

I pull out my phone and send her a quick text message.

I know it’s early, but can we talk?

There’s a brief pause, then I see the little dots that indicate that she’s typing something back to me.

Sure. Come on over. Don’t knock, or you’ll wake up Soph.

That’s all the permission I need, and I struggle into a sweatshirt and a vest before leaving the house.

I hunch my shoulders against the cold as I hurry down the path between our houses.

It’s heading into the coldest part of the year.

I need to remember to get more wood stored on the side of Lena’s house for the stove.

When I reach her front door, I pause, peering into the glass inserts. It doesn’t take long before I see Lena’s form heading toward the door. She has a robe wrapped around her when she opens it, and she presses a finger to her lips to indicate that I need to be quiet.

I nod and follow her inside, and she takes my hand and leads me to her bedroom. Once she closes the door, she leans back against it and looks at me.

“You okay?” she asks me, one blonde brow lifted as she waits for my reply.

“I…I just…” I hesitate, not sure how to start. “I need to apologize,” I manage to force out.

She smiles a little, but she doesn’t move any closer to me. “That’s a good start,” she says quietly. She looks at me, as if waiting for me to go on. I realize that she’s right; there’s so much more that I should say to her.

I clear my throat. “I know it’s not enough, and that I need to figure out a solution, but I’ll ask my brothers for help.

I can’t keep exposing everyone to this kind of risk, and I need to deal with this problem like a man instead of running away…

” My voice trails off as I run out of things to say.

My heart is beating like a drum in my chest as I stare at her, hoping she’ll accept my apology or at least say something… anything.

“I’m glad you’re finally going to get the help that you need,” Lena eventually replies before pushing away from the door.

She comes closer and hugs me, almost startling me with the change in her demeanor.

My arms come around her, and I lean my head down to press it against her silky hair.

She smells good and feels even better, and I feel myself relaxing into her embrace.

“I hope I can finally be the man that all of you deserve,” I say huskily, trying to keep my body from reacting to her closeness, but I’m having a tough time hiding how much my body is reacting to her touch.

“I’m just glad that you’re aware that there’s more to life than achieving your next adrenaline rush. You need to have people you are close to as well,” she says gently and tilts her head back to look up at me.

I meet her green gaze, and my pulse starts racing again. I have a sneaking suspicion that she’s been fooling around with Aiden, and I don’t want to step on any toes, but there’s something in her gaze that makes me think that she feels the same attraction in this moment that I do.

“I…uh…” I clear my throat again, not sure what to do next, not wanting to leave but also afraid to impose. “I’m sorry for coming over so early, but I just had to talk to you.”

She shakes her head reassuringly, some loose strands of her blonde hair dancing around her face. “I’m not sorry,” she whispers in a husky voice. “Sophie is still asleep, which is really convenient since you’re here in my room.”

Feeling a jolt of lust coursing through me, I gulp. My cock leaps to attention and presses against my sweatpants. I know she can feel my erection now. There’s no way that she could ever miss it with us pressed this tightly together.

“Are you and Aiden…” I start to say, but she silences me but pressing a finger to my lips again.

“We need to talk, all of us,” she says. “I don’t know…I just…I care about all of you.”

I stare at her, processing this information.

I guess I’m not surprised. I had a feeling that something more was going on with Aiden, and maybe with Brody, too.

Does it bother me? I guess it really doesn’t.

Things have been pretty chaotic for all of us, and no one has had a moment to really breathe.

All we’ve had are stolen moments to connect with one another.

It’s probably been the same for the others as well.

“Are you mad at me?” she asks, looking worried.

I meet her gaze and then shake my head. “I’m not mad. But we really do need to talk about…boundaries…or if there are going to be any,” I tell her.

She bites her lip. “Agreed.”

“Do you still want to…” I start to say.

“Hush,” she says. “Just kiss me.”

I don’t need to be told twice. I duck my head and claim her lips, moaning into her mouth at the rush of pleasure that her kiss brings me.

She tastes so good, and her soft body pressing against mine feels amazing.

I have to bend down quite a bit to kiss her because she’s so tiny, but I love how big and powerful she makes me feel.

Everything about Lena is soft and kind and inviting.

She lets me be myself without judgment, without demand.

“You taste like heaven,” I murmur against her mouth as my hands slide down to cup her breasts. I thumb her nipples through the soft, silky material of her nightgown, and she moans softly, pressing their weight into my grip.

“I want you.” She tugs at my shoulders and backs us up toward the bed. I can see that she’s forcing herself to be brave enough to take charge of the situation, and I love it. I think it might be a new side of her, one that I’m glad to be getting the benefit of enjoying.

“How do you want me?” I ask her, my voice thick with lust. I draw her to a stop as her legs hit the bed, and I reach out to shove the robe off her shoulders. It puddles around her feet, and she looks up at me with her mouth ajar, as if she’s just waiting for me to kiss her again.

I hurriedly slip out of my sweats and the rest of my clothing, then stand before her naked and ready. Her eyes dip to my erection, widening at the sight of it.

“Let’s take this off first.” I reach out and catch the hem of her nightgown and slip it up over her body before casting it to the floor. She isn’t wearing any underwear, and I stare hungrily at her curves. Reaching out a hand toward her, I tease her core, which is already wet and ready for me.

She closes her eyes and sways a little on her feet, humming with pleasure at my touch.

“How do you want me?” I repeat, wanting her to take charge again. I liked her sudden confidence. It was sexy as hell.

She swallows hard enough that I can hear it, then opens her eyes again. She slowly turns away from me, pivoting on her small feet, and climbs onto the bed on her hands and knees. She looks back at me over her shoulder, her mouth turned up in a naughty, little smile.

Grinning, I join her, stroking my hands over her perky butt, which she wiggles under my fingers invitingly.

I hesitate for a moment, admiring her, then delve my fingers into her, feeling a thrill at the sound that she makes before pressing back, seeking more.

She’s positively dripping at this point, more than ready for me, and I can barely hold back.

I drape my body over hers and bite down on her shoulder as I slowly press myself inside of her. I give her a moment to adjust, knowing how big I am. Not every woman can take me like this, but she seems to be more than up for the challenge.

“Oh, God, Tanner,” she keens softly, pressing her ass back until it’s touching my hips. “God, you’re huge. You feel so good.”

“I’m just giving you a moment to adjust…” I start to say, but she shakes her head.

“I don’t need it. Fuck me,” she demands, starting to move on her own up and down the length of me.

My eyes practically roll back in my head at her brazen invitation, and I grab her hips, holding her still as I move harder and faster within her. She’s so tight that I feel like I could already come, but I don’t want to rush this moment. I want her to enjoy it, too.

“More!” She gasps before pressing herself more firmly against me, seeking more contact, demanding more pleasure.

“Harder?” I ask her, my voice raw to my own ears.

“Harder,” she echoes.

I slap her ass, afraid that I’ve hurt her the moment I do so, but she just keens and starts gasping as her pussy flutters around me.

I slap her other butt cheek, and she makes the same noise, nearly sobbing with pleasure at this point.

I can’t believe that she can take this, take all of me, handle me pounding into her.

It’s like she was made for me. She’s letting me use her in a way I would normally feel guilty about, but she makes this kind of lust feel like passion, like a promise.

“I’m so close.” She meets me thrust for thrust, her hair a tangled mess around her shoulders.

I reach forward and grab her hair, tugging her head back sharply, changing the angle. I slam into her two more times, and she swallows the loud scream that would have tumbled from her lips if her child wasn’t asleep in the room next door.

Her orgasm rips through her, making her body shake and tremble.

I continue to pound into her softness, her pussy gripping my cock and inviting me to follow her over the edge.

With a rough cry that I can’t suppress, I slam home and spill inside of her, feeling my own heat surrounding me, the pleasure so sharp that it feels painful.

I collapse over her lush body, barely managing to hold myself up on the bed so I don’t crush her as my legs tremble. My cock jerks with the aftershocks of my orgasm. Our panting breaths fill the silence, neither of us able to speak for a moment, thoroughly shaken by what we just shared.

“I didn’t hurt you, did I?” I ask anxiously before pressing a kiss to the place where I bit her as I pushed inside of her.

She giggles and pushes up against my body weight a little and shakes her head. “God, no,” she says. “Oh, I didn’t know how much I like being fucked like that.”

I grin at her, feeling whole for the first time in who knows how long. I hadn’t realized just how much my size made me hold back during sex with other women. I was always afraid that I would hurt them or scare them off. It had been so nice to just…enjoy myself.

We grin at each other in post-coital bliss when, suddenly, the sound of gunshots rips through the quiet morning air. Lena’s eyes go wide before I tug her down to the floor.

“Stay away from the windows,” I tell her, grabbing my clothes and getting into them as quickly as I can. “I’ll get Sophie. Stay here.”

I army-crawl out of the room and head out to grab Sophie. She’s already sitting up when I arrive, looking around fearfully for the origin of the noise.

“Come on, darling,” I say to her soothingly, then pick her up in my arms and heading back to her mother’s room. “I need you to stay here with your mom and not leave the house, okay?”

Sophie just nods dumbly, snuggling into her mother’s side. I note with relief that Lena is back in her robe, at least, before I back toward the bedroom door.

“Lock the door behind me,” I tell her and rush out into the cold morning to find out what on Earth is going on.