Page 28 of Mountain Men’s Nanny

Tobias nodded, and suddenly we were both sitting in silence. There was no love lost, no anger or feelings of betrayal. We were just two people coming to terms with the situation that locked us in.

“It was just once,” I lied. Kind of.

It had happened just once, but if it happened again, I wouldn’t protest. The thought excited me. I had imagined all the different ways it would play out.

“Like you said, Brie, I can’t tell you how to live your life,” Tobias said, resigned.

Lexi walked over slowly. She swayed from left to right, the stance she took whenever she was going to ask for something, fully expecting to get it.

“Daddy, you said you were going to teach me how to stabilize the snow plow,” she said matter-of-factly.

Tobias looked outside just as the wind started to whistle. A long, high-pitched sound rang through the woods. It was definitely getting colder. The clouds above stayed a dark, heavy blue. It was a threat of things to come, and I hated it.

“Baby, it’s so cold outside. Can we do it another time? Maybe when the wind passes,” he offered.

“No, Daddy. You promised. You said I could plow the snow this year. You have to teach me,” she whined. “You promised.”

I could tell Tobias really didn’t want to let Lexi out into the bitter cold. But her pleading and negotiations were wearing on him as usual. He would have to give in if there was any hope of her stopping.

“Fine, Lexi, we’ll head to the shed. But just for a while, okay? It’s cold outside,” Tobias said, following her out of the house and into the shed where Gideon had been working since sunrise.

It was one of the last days any one of us would be able to spend time outside. Just as I had gotten used to spending everyday inside this place, Mother Nature turned things up a notch.

“It might be one of our last outside days for a long time, Brie. Are you coming? It would be good for you,” Tobias said. The sympathy was back in his voice.

“I just want to try getting through to Holly a few more times,” I said, feeling torn between freedom from these four walls and making much-needed contact. “But don’t worry, your pep talk worked. I’ll be much calmer in my attempts going forward.”

Tobias smiled and nodded, then walked out to catch up with Lexi. I dialed Holly’s number again and started climbing up the stairs, my eyes trained on the screen for any changes to my reception.

“Oh, shit.” I stumbled back, nearly dropping my phone. When I looked up to see which wall had jumped into my path, I found Gunner standing in front of me.

“Finally, it’s just you and me,” he grinned.

14

The Ride Of My Life

~

Brie

I stared up at Gunner, his eyes narrowed with desire, and I didn’t need any more convincing. Away from the hospital, my boring apartment, and my predictable routine, I felt a release. Something snapped inside me. I was finally myself and no one’s opinion mattered more than how I felt.

Gunner took my hand and led me to his bedroom. I abandoned the phone, forgetting what I wanted to tell Holly in the first place.

His room was just as I had imagined it, in that it was sparsely furnished with only the essentials, neatly arranged. He wasn’t the kind of guy who settled for comfort. His world was bigger, and I wanted to be in it too.

“Do you trust me?” Gunner asked.

He kissed me again, a deep kiss filled with passion and promises of reckless debauchery. His hands moved over my body while we kissed, over my waist and up under my many layers. Gunner set up unwrapping me, removing one layer at a time, all the while licking and kissing his way around my neck. He licked his way down my cleavage and bit the rounded tops of my breasts.

His hands hooked onto the waist of my sweatpants, and I gasped in anticipation. He looked at me and smiled, then kissed me as he reached into my cotton panties, unable to hold back much longer.

He had built the anticipation to a point where neither of us could stand it anymore. He ran his finger over my wet slit, feeling the slippery juices coating his finger before he brought his hand back up.

“Taste yourself,” he offered gently.

His fingers were wet and glossy with my excitement. I stuck my tongue out, licking his fingers with the tip of my tongue first. Then I sucked each finger into my mouth one at a time, swirling my tongue over it slowly and seductively. My eyes stayed on him, unblinking, until both his fingers were sucked clean.