Every day since I moved in, we bump into one another someway, somehow.
But anytime I coax up the courage to invite him in or buy him dinner, his whole demeanor changes. A mask falls right back into place, and less than a minute later, the older grumpy man is making his way back to his cabin or the huge workshop at the back of his property where I assume he works from.
Not that the growly mountain man shares much. Again, he’s hardly said more than a hand full of words to me this last month.
I near the front door and lick my suddenly dry lips and lift my phone to light the peephole. My body relaxes instantly atthe sight of Reed. All bundled up in his light denim jacket with cream-colored Sherpa lining at the collar and his faded black beanie covering his dark hair.
God, his hair is seriously sexy. I never thought of a man’s hair on a man as something particularly attractive, Reed’s was different. Longish on top, slightly mussed up. Who am I kidding, everything about Reed makes me weak in the knees. I want to run my fingers through it or hold on while he’s above me, kissing me and driving deep inside me.
“Calm down, Camila!” I whisper to myself.
He knocks again and frowns, unknowing that I’m watching him. He looks around the house and frowns some more as his eyes move to the window I open every night. His hand lifts again and raps against the heavy wooden door. I take a deep breath, exhaling slowly before I slowly open it.
“Hi.” I smile up at the big guy, and I swear his brows bunch together. The guy is a total mystery to me. I seriously can’t tell if he likes me or hates me. Maybe that’s why I feel this pull to him?Glutton for punishment!
“You okay?” He looks me up and down. His gaze leaves lingering heat covering my skin, like a caress, and that’s when I realize how I’m dressed.
Or how little I’m dressed, as the case might be.
A deep emerald-green satin nightgown with tiny little straps and black lace trim that hugs my body just right with a slit at the side that makes the nightgown comfortable to sleep in. I’m curvier than most and more than happy with my body. Comfortable in my own skin and not shy to wear pretty things to bed.
“I–I’m fine,” I stutter, crossing my arms in front of me, very aware of the fact I’m braless and my nipples seem to be giving Reed a standing ovation for just breathing. I shiver, and his frown turns into a full-on scowl now.
“You’re cold,” he scolds me, and my lips twitch, my mouth runs away from me, and I respond without thinking.
“You offering to keep me warm?” The sassy offer slips past my lips.Gah! This is why Stella says I need a mute button!
“What?” His eyes go wide, almost like saucers, and I giggle.
“Relax, Reed Woodman, your virtue is safe with me.” I wink at him and smile as how his frown returns, those deep scowl lines settle back in their usually place. “I’ll keep my hands to myself. Come in.”
“In?” He swallows and glances over my head because the man is crazy tall. I wonder again, not for the first time since arriving in town, if there is something in the air and spring water that makes the men of Moonlit Pines so tall and ridiculously good looking.
“It’s snowing, big guy, and I, umm, need to grab my sweater.” I step back and leave the door wide open. “I’ll be right back,” I say over my shoulder as I hurry into my bedroom.
Using the last of my phone battery, I grab a sweater and flash the light toward the mirror by my vanity to spruce up my hair. It’s a mess! A little wilder than I would like, but thankfully, there’s a power outage, and I doubt the man has night vision.
With a smirk, I reach into my drawers and grab a bra. One that makes the girls look extra peppy in my nightgown and then pull my long chucky cardigan sweater over my shoulders and tie the matching belt around my waist to keep warm. With one last glance and a deep breath, I walk out to meet Reed in the living room.
My steps falter at the sight I find.
The dark living room I just left is lit up with a soft glow of candles. He’s lit what feels like a million of them. Standing by the coffee table, his jacket long gone, and beneath it, he’s wearing a deep olive-green, long-sleeved Henley with a button undone at the top. It’s skintight, and my mouth runs dry. Being winter, Ihadn’t seen him without a jacket or coat or even a hoodie but I had known Reed was in shape. But nothing could have prepared me for just how in shape he truly was.
The man looks like he lives in the gym.
I shake my head and take in the room further. There’s a bottle of something on the table, and next to it what looks like a loaf of some yummy bread.
“Hope you don’t mind,” his voice rumbles, and I meet his gaze.
“Not at all. Thank you. A power outage wasn’t something I was prepared for.” I grin and shrug. “My phone’s about to die.” I show him, and he frowns.
“Here.” He holds his hand out, and I offer him my phone without thinking. He bends to reach into the bag he brought and hooks a rectangle to my phone then hands it back. “Spare battery pack,” he enlightens me, and I smile. The man is certainly one of few words. And seriously prepared.
“Thank you. Sit, please. Do you need a blanket, or are you hungry?” I’m about to turn when his hand grabs my wrist and I turn to face him. He easily pulls my body up close to him, and my heartrate picks up. Fluttering with nervous excitement. Maybe the big guy likes me a little more than he wants to let on.
“Are you warm enough?” he asks, the warm concern clear in his voice as those bright blues of his connect with mine. Reed’s hand strokes the inside of my wrist, and his other one holds the curve of my hip.
A hand that fits perfectly against the curve of my body.
