Page 9 of The Mountain Man’s Untamed Bride (Mountain Man Sanctuary #4)

“Operation Banana Republic ”

Scarlett

I stood in front of the bathroom mirror, assessing my collection of wooing strategies I'd been saving for desperate times. Two days in the mountain wilderness, and Operation: Deflower Me Now was failing spectacularly.

"Time for the nuclear option," I told my reflection, applying a fresh coat of red lipstick.

I'd abandoned subtlety after our trip to town yielded zero romantic progress.

If Bodhi Wilder wasn't going to respond to a sundress that barely covered the essentials, more drastic measures were clearly required.

I rummaged through my suitcase, locating the "emergency" items I'd packed for this exact scenario. Enticing a man was like any tactical operation—proper planning prevented poor performance. And I always came prepared.

The evening had settled into a comfortable rhythm of domesticity that was completely at odds with my scheme to win him over.

Bodhi had grilled fish for dinner—actual fish he'd caught himself in the stream behind his cabin, which was both impressive and mildly terrifying.

The man could apparently produce food from nature like some bearded wilderness magician.

Now he sat on the couch, reading something that looked suspiciously like poetry, his profile illuminated by the warm glow of an oil lamp. The electricity was conserving itself again, or whatever technical explanation he'd given for why we were living like it was 1862.

Perfect. Dim lighting was optimal for seduction. Everyone knew that.

I retreated to my room, changed into the shortest shorts I owned and a tank top thin enough to be illegal in several southern states, and put my plan into action.

Phase One: The Banana Demonstration.

I'd found the fruit at Mabel's general store—the only fresh produce in the entire establishment besides some elderly-looking apples. Now, I sauntered into the living room with casual grace, banana in hand, and settled into the comfy armchair opposite Bodhi.

He glanced up briefly, then returned to his book. Not exactly the double-take I was hoping for.

I made a soft noise to catch his attention as I began peeling the banana with choreographed moves, never taking my eyes off him.

"Hungry?" he asked absently, turning a page.

"Mmm, starving," I purred, channeling every adult film actress I'd ever accidentally encountered during late-night internet rabbit holes.

I brought the banana to my lips, parting them slowly. I gave the tip a gentle kiss before taking it into my mouth with exaggerated care. I hollowed my cheeks as I took it deeper, making a small, appreciative sound in the back of my throat.

Bodhi glanced up again, his brow furrowing slightly.

Encouraged, I increased my performance. I withdrew the banana halfway, then took it deeper, refusing to break visual connection.

"Are you... okay?" he asked, lowering his book. "Did you bite your tongue?"

I nearly choked. Was he serious? How could anyone be this dense?

"I'm fine," I said, recovering quickly. "Just enjoying my... fruit."

"You look like you're in pain," he observed, genuine concern in his voice. "Is it not ripe?"

"It's perfect," I insisted, doubling down on my performance. I licked the length of the banana with the tip of my tongue, swirling it around the end before taking it between my lips again.

Bodhi was definitely watching now, his book forgotten in his lap. Bewilderment gave way to something hungrier in his eyes. The pulse at his throat visibly quickened, and a faint sheen of perspiration appeared on his forehead despite the coolness of the evening. Progress!

"Do you like watching me eat... fruit?" I asked, licking my lips slowly.

He shifted uncomfortably in his seat, his fingers digging into the worn leather cover of his book. "Are you hungry? I have actual dinner leftovers if you want."

Frustration simmered in my chest. Was he playing dumb on purpose? Or did he genuinely not recognize flirtation when it was literally shoved in his face?

Time to take things up another notch. I slid the banana even deeper between my lips, holding his stare without blinking as I made my intentions unmistakable.

His pupils expanded, leaving only a thin ring of amber around the edges, and I could see the rapid rhythm of his heartbeat at his throat.

His breathing grew shallow, the scent of pine and smoke clinging to him as he leaned forward almost imperceptibly. Finally!

And then, driven by frustration and a desire to make my point unmistakably clear, I bit down hard, severing the banana with my teeth.

Bodhi visibly flinched, his hand dropping instinctively to protect his lap. His eyes widened in what could only be described as primal fear.

"What?" I asked innocently, chewing the piece of banana. "I'm still hungry. Got any more... long, firm fruit you'd like to share?"

He swallowed hard. "There's apples in the root cellar."

I nearly screamed. Instead, I finished the banana in two more aggressive bites, tossing the peel onto the coffee table with more force than necessary.

"You know what? I think I need something with more... power." I stood abruptly, marching back to my room. "Don't go anywhere."

"Wasn't planning on it," he called after me, sounding genuinely confused.

I returned moments later with Phase Two of my plan: a sleek, rhinestone-encrusted device that had cost more than my first car payment. I placed it on the coffee table between us, where the crystals caught the lamplight and scattered tiny rainbows across the wooden surface.

Bodhi stared at it for a long moment, his mouth slightly open.

"Is that... does it... why does it have so many buttons?" he finally managed, leaning forward to examine it more closely.

"It's a vibrator," I explained casually, as though discussing the weather. "Top of the line. This baby has seventeen different settings, from 'gentle flutter' to 'seismic event.' Waterproof, rechargeable, and yes, those are actual Swarovski crystals."

His face turned an interesting shade of red. "You... use this?"

"Not yet," I admitted. "But I've been looking forward to breaking it in. According to the reviews, the 'pulse wave' setting is so good it's made women cancel dates."

He choked slightly. "Why would you want that?"

"Because apparently it's that satisfying," I explained. "The 'I'd rather stay home with this than deal with disappointing men' kind of satisfying."

His Adam's apple bobbed as he swallowed. "That's... educational."

"Want to see how it works?" I reached for the device.

"I don't think—"

"It's very simple." I picked it up, turning it in my hands. "This button controls intensity, this one changes the pattern, and this one—"

My finger accidentally pressed a combination of buttons, and the vibrator hummed awake with startling power. It bucked from my hands like a startled animal, buzzing across the coffee table and launching itself directly at Bodhi.

He reacted with impressive reflexes, catching it mid-air. Unfortunately, his grip must have hit another button because it suddenly pulsed with even greater intensity, causing him to yelp and fling it across the room.

The vibrator landed with a thud near the front door, vibrating wildly against the wooden planks. Colonel, who had been skulking near the window, immediately went into defensive mode, fluffing his feathers and advancing on the intruder with militant determination.

The sight of a rooster squaring off against a rhinestone-studded vibrator—feathers raised, head bobbing in challenge as he circled the mechanical invader—was too much.

I burst into laughter, clutching my sides as tears formed in my eyes.

To my surprise, Bodhi joined me, his deep chuckle filling the small cabin.

"Is that a weapon?" he gasped between laughs. "Or a rocket ship? Does it launch something?"

"It launches orgasms, Bodhi," I managed through my giggles. "Multiple ones."

Our eyes met across the room, laughter slowly fading into something heavier. The small cabin suddenly felt as hot as a sauna.

Colonel, sensing the shift in atmosphere, pecked experimentally at the still-buzzing vibrator, then leapt back in alarm when it vibrated against his beak.

Bodhi made his way to the other side, carefully approached the device, and after examining it for a moment, located a recessed button on the base.

He pressed it firmly until the vibrations gradually slowed and finally stopped.

"Your chicken is a prude," I observed, wiping tears of laughter from my eyes.

"Unlike his houseguest," Bodhi countered, his words coming out low and gravelly, raising goosebumps on my skin as he returned with the now-silent vibrator.

I raised an eyebrow. "Are you slut-shaming me, mountain man?"

He turned the device over in his calloused hands thoughtfully. "I'm wondering why someone would invest in toys this expensive without having tried them," he said, his gaze flicking up to study my face.

My breath caught in my throat. The moment stretched between us, filled with unspoken questions.

"What makes you think I've never used them?" I asked, attempting nonchalance.

"Just an observation," he said, his expression unreadable. "Am I right?"

I threw my hands up in exasperation. "Fine. Yes. I'm a twenty-four-year-old virgin with a collection of untested sex toys. Happy?"

"Didn't say I was happy or sad about it." He set the vibrator carefully on the coffee table. "Just curious why someone like you would be in such a hurry to change that status with someone like me."

"Someone like me?" I challenged, rising to my feet. "What's that supposed to mean?"

"City girl. Rich family. Designer everything." He gestured vaguely at my existence. "You could have anyone."

"Maybe I don't want anyone," I shot back. "Maybe I want someone specific."

"A mountain hermit who talks to chickens?"

"A man who won't report back to my father or post pictures online or expect me to be some perfect little conservative wife."

His eyes narrowed slightly. "You're using me."

"Isn't that the point of this whole arrangement?" I inched forward, refusing to back down. "You get a pretend bride to keep your friends off your back, I get..." I gestured between us, "...whatever this would be."

"And then what? You go back to Atlanta with your virginity conveniently disposed of?"

Put that way, it sounded awful. Calculating. Cold. But wasn't that exactly my plan?

He moved closer, towering over me. The heat from his body was palpable even inches away. His gaze traveled from my eyes to my lips and back, lingering long enough to make my heart race. Uncertainty flickered across his features, quickly replaced by something darker.

"You could use a good spanking," he said suddenly, the rough texture of his voice sending a delicious shiver through me.

I recovered quickly, tilting my chin up defiantly. "Go ahead. I'd probably like that."

He blinked, clearly not expecting that response. Then he rolled his eyes, shaking his head. "You're such a brat."

"And you're a tease," I countered. "All mountain man muscles and intense stares, but heaven forbid you actually do something about it."

The muscles in his face tensed, and for a moment, I thought I'd pushed too far.

The way he looked at me—like he was imagining exactly what he'd do if he let himself lose control—made my knees weak.

A flush crept up from his collar, and his fingers curled into loose fists, the cords in his neck standing out in sharp relief.

"You have no idea what you're asking for," he said quietly.

"Then show me." I closed the distance between us, close enough to feel the heat radiating from his body.

Something primal and unspoken passed between us. He hadn't moved away, and conflict was evident in his expression—desire warring with restraint. His breathing turned ragged, tension rippling across his face.

"Scarlett," he began, his words rasped, "I don't think—"

The sudden, frantic barking of dogs outside cut him off mid-sentence. Not just ordinary barking—this was the high-pitched, urgent sound of canines detecting a threat.

Bodhi transformed instantly. The conflicted, desire-laden man disappeared, replaced by someone focused and dangerous.

He traversed the small living space to a cabinet I hadn't noticed before, pulling out a long rifle with swift, decisive movements.

"Stay inside," he ordered, all playfulness gone from his voice.

"Lock the door behind me. If I'm not back in ten minutes, release Colonel. He's been trained for this."

"Trained for what?" I asked, alarmed by the sudden shift. "What does the chicken do??"

But Bodhi was already moving toward the door, his hands checking the rifle with the smooth certainty of someone who'd done it thousands of times.

The teasing mountain man had vanished, replaced by someone who moved with the focused alertness of a soldier, his eyes methodically sweeping the darkness beyond the windows.

Then he was gone, disappearing into the night with a ghostlike stealth that left me more unsettled than comforted.

I locked the door behind him as instructed, my heart racing. The cabin suddenly seemed very small and very vulnerable.

Colonel stared at me from his perch near the window, his beady eyes unblinking. He tilted his head in that unsettling bird way, as if judging my capability as a backup security system.

"So," I said to him, the vibrator still clutched forgotten in my hand, "what exactly are you trained to do? Peck intruders to death? Send coded messages with your clucking? Alert the nearest lumberjack convention?"

The rooster ruffled his feathers importantly, puffing up to nearly twice his size as if to say, "That's classified information, princess."

"Great," I muttered, moving to peer out the window into the darkness. "I'm hiding in a cabin with a top-secret military chicken while a man I've known for two days stalks through the darkness playing Rambo."

I wrapped my arms around myself, suddenly aware of how ridiculous this whole situation was. My femme fatale performance had crumbled the moment real danger appeared. Now I was just a girl from Atlanta, way out of her element, watching the door with growing unease.

What bothered me most wasn't the potential threat outside or even my spectacular failure at losing my V-card—it was the knot of worry tightening in my chest with each passing minute. The thought of Bodhi getting hurt made my stomach twist in a way that caught me completely off-guard.

Damn it. I hadn't come all this way to develop actual feelings for the mountain hermit. That wasn't part of the plan at all.