Page 5 of Summer with the Mountain Man (Mountain Man Summer #16)

Chapter Five

Riley

When I return to the living room, eyes washed, dressed in my denim cutoffs and a soft, loose button-up, Luca is gone. With how long I took to come back out, he probably thought I was trying to stay away from him and left.

I was trying to stay away.

I didn’t want to merely give him a quick kiss before fleeing to the bedroom; I wanted to wrap my legs around his hips, my arms around his neck, and make love to his mouth.

Given that twenty-four hours ago I thought Hugh was the only one for me, I needed to get a grip on my body and my heart.

Still, disappointment curls through me as I take in the empty room. I wonder if I will see him again while I’m?—

The front door opens, and Luca steps through it.

My breath catches, and I bite my lip to stop the moan of appreciation falling from me. “You’re still here,” I say instead.

His gaze finds mine as he rubs the back of his neck. “I’m going to be here for a while longer, it seems.”

An excited heat flutters in my stomach. “Why?”

“That big tree we heard falling down?” He shoves both hands in his pockets. “It’s across the driveway.”

I swallow. “Oh.”

“You’re stuck with me for a while. At least until I can clear it.” He lets out a chuckle. “Whitmore isn’t much of an outdoorsy bloke, but I’m pretty certain he’ll have a chainsaw somewhere.”

Before I can stop myself, I take a step toward him. “Would you like something to eat first?”

His stare holds mine for a heartbeat, a muscle in his jaw bunching, and he smiles. “How ‘bout I make you a traditional Aussie breakfast?”

I smile back. “Are you going to try to make me like Vegemite?”

His smile turns playful. “Trust me.”

I do. How could I not? My heart is telling me this powerful firefighter is everything I’ve ever wanted. “I’m Riley, by the way,” I say.

“Riley,” he echoes, and my body flushes with heat at the way my name sounds on his lips.

He does make Vegemite on toast. He assures me, as he’s moving around the Whitmores’ kitchen preparing it, that there’s an art to the perfect Vegemite on toast experience. I laugh, loving his relaxed calm and humor. It’s so different to Hugh or any other guy I’ve interacted with.

Placing the plate of toast on the table in front of me, along with a coffee he calls a flat white, he drops into a seat and grins. “Trust me,” he says again.

Dubious, I pick up one black-smeared triangle and risk a small bite.

“Oh God,” I protest, laughing and dropping it back onto the plate. “How do you Aussies eat this stuff?”

“More for me then.” He chuckles, sliding the plate over and taking a large bite from the same piece. He grins at me, chewing.

I wonder if it tastes better on his lips?

“Have you been in Hartley Ridge for long?” I ask, needing to distract myself.

“Born and bred,” he replies, standing. “Let me make you something else? Scrambled eggs?”

“What about PBJ on toast?” I ask, admiring the way his muscles coil and flex as he moves.

“PB what?”

With a laugh, I push myself from the chair. “Allow me.”

He rests his hip on the counter and watches me, hands back in his pockets. “So how does a gorgeous American end up in a tiny mountain town in Australia?”

Gorgeous. He called me gorgeous.

“Part foolishness, part bravado,” I confess, reaching for the bread.

“I came to Australia with someone I thought was meant to be my future…” I stop.

Flick him a look. The intensity of his gaze licks heat through the junction of my thighs.

“And then I realized he wasn’t,” I continue, putting four pieces of bread into the toaster.

“I needed a way to make money and a place to stay, so I took the first thing I found, which was house sitting up here.”

“Enjoying it so far?”

“It’s definitely an adventure.” I meet his gaze again. Swallow. Ache for his hands on my body. “Enjoying it more every minute.”

His chest swells. His stare drops to my lips.

I part them, a soft breath falling from me.

Kiss me. Please. Kiss me. Take me. Make love to ? —

His phone rings with a loud trill, and we both jump.

“I’ve got to get this,” he mutters, putting distance between us with a small backward step as he pulls his phone free.

“That’s okay,” I mumble, heat prickling over my scalp.

The toaster pops, and I grab the hot, crusty slices and start slathering them with peanut butter.

There’s a potent pull between us. I can feel it, and I’m positive he can as well.

But is he fighting it like I am? Or am I imagining it?

Am I aching for something that’s not there at all?

I’ve just been burnt by one guy. The last thing I need is to lose my heart to another.

Especially one who lives on the opposite side of the world.

PBJs made, I take one, give Luca a quick glance, and hurry from the kitchen.

I need some distance. I think.

The back door leads me to a pebbly path that winds a short distance through some dense bush to the edge of a small but stunning lake. What did Luca call it? Moonstone Lake? Can I swim in it? Are there crocodiles this high up? I take in the serenity, realising the wild wind has gone away.

“Everything okay?”

Luca’s deep voice caresses me from behind, and I look over my shoulder, my body responding as he draws near. I smile and nod. “Didn’t want to eavesdrop.”

He stops beside me. “It was only my brother. He’s also a firefighter with the Ridge. I was meant to check in with him.” His gaze drops to my lips. “I got a little distracted.”

Kiss him!

I fix my stare on the calm lake. “This is beautiful. Exactly what I wanted to see when I left the US.”

“Why did you leave?” he asks. My nipples harden at the deep huskiness of his voice.

I shrug. “I graduated from the University of Minnesota with a degree in computer science and wanted to travel, to see something beyond my part of the world. Experience life.” Unable to stop myself, I lift my gaze to him again.

He’s looking at me with raw emotion burning in his eyes. It shears through me, flooding my sex with tight heat. He wants me as much as I want him.

“Surrender to new adventures,” I whisper.

His nostrils flare, and he reaches up and feathers his fingertips along the line of my jaw. “Let me help you with that,” he murmurs before lowering his head and capturing my lips with his.