But even as I say it, I know he's not really a stranger anymore. Somehow, in three days of texting, he's become someone I care about. Someone I'm willing to risk vulnerability for.
And that terrifies me.
4
MAXIM
At exactly seven fifty-nine, I'm pacing my living room like a caged animal. Ghost watches me with what I swear is amusement. Ranger has given up pretending to sleep and sits upright, head tilted.
"I'm calling a woman," I tell them. "A woman who somehow turned my world upside down."
Ghost's ears perk up. Ranger pads over and presses against my legs in moral support.
"Thanks, buddy," I mutter. "At least one of us has confidence."
My phone shows eight o'clock exactly. I hit call before I can chicken out.
She answers on the second ring. "Hello?"
Her voice does things to my cock. Warm, musical, with just a hint of nervousness.
"Hi. It's me. Mountain Man."
"Mountain Man." She laughs, and the sound does something dangerous to my chest. "I realized I still don't know your actual name."
Shit."Max," I say, which isn't technically a lie. "What about you?"
"Chantay." The name suits her voice perfectly. "And you think I'm beautiful? You've never seen me."
"I've seen enough. You ‘accidentally’ sent me a photo, remember? You're stunning."
I snort before I can control it. "First of all, I don’t like the tone you said the word ‘accidental’ in. And I promise you that was lingerie and good lighting."
"That was you being confident and gorgeous without even trying,” I counter. “No amount of lighting can fake that."
"You're very smooth for a mountain hermit."
"Don't give me too much credit. I'm sitting here with my dog and a wolf hybrid, trying not to sound like an idiot."
"How's that working out?"
"Jury's still out. Ranger seems supportive, but Ghost looks skeptical."
She laughs, and I relax into the conversation.
"Tell me something I don't know about you," she says.
"I'm probably not what you're imagining."
"What do you think I'm imagining?"
"Some rugged outdoorsman who lives completely off the grid."
"Are you telling me you're not rugged?"
"I can handle myself in the wilderness. But I also have high speed internet, central heating, and a coffee machine that cost more than most people's cars."
"A fancy coffee machine? My image of you is changing."
