Sun beat down on his shoulders as he centered a slab of wood on the tree stump that served as his chopping post, trying to ignore the reason he’d been unable to sleep last night. He filled his lungs with the scents of nature and tranquility. He knew every sound and smell of the area, could differentiate every species of animal and plant in the forest, and anticipated inclement weather well before it hit. His body was attuned to the mountains as if he were a part of them.
He hoisted the ax over his shoulder, thoughts he was trying to ignore pushing back in like adamant thieves. He swung the ax. A loud crack echoed in the forest—and in his head—rattling the truth of his angst free. Shannon Braden was back—and she’d come home last night wrapped around Cal Hayden on the back of his horse.
He ground his teeth against that reality and set another log in place.
Smart, sexy-as-sin, talks-a-mile-a-minute Shannon. He’d known her for years. His sister, Jade, was married to her second cousin, Rex. Shannon had spent weeks doing research on red foxes in the mountains. She’d been staying at her uncle’s ranch in Weston, but he knew the company she was working with had made arrangements for her to stay at the vacant cabin just around the bend for the remainder of the project. He swung the ax, thinking of the weeks she’d spent flitting in and out of his peaceful life, full of energy and never-ending conversations—mostly one-sided, which she didn’t seem to mind. Truth be known, neither did he. Listening to Shannon rattle on about anything was hot. She tangled up his thoughts in ways no other woman ever had, which was just his luck. Steve wasn’t into meaningless hookups, and Shannon’s life was in Maryland, while his was there on the mountain, which rooted Shannon Braden firmly in his off-limits zone.
The past couple of weeks had been quiet while she’d returned home to Maryland to attend her brother’s wedding, and the fact that Steve had noticed, and disliked it being quiet, had thrown him for a loop.
His mind reeled back to last night again. He’d heard Cal riding back down the mountain about two hours after he’d arrived. As he swung the ax, he wondered if Shannon had done some hands-on research with Cowboy Cal last night.
He set another log in place, telling himself it was none of his damn business if she had, and split the log so hard the two halves flew ten feet from the stump. Another log, another split. And so became his stress-relieving pattern as the sun sailed higher, taking the bite off the chilly spring morning.
A mass of birds took off from the treetops. Steve paused midswing, a smile tugging at his lips. Shannon. He split another log, trying to ignore his accelerating pulse at the thought of her flitting back into his life.
The sweet sounds of her humming floated into his ears, and he tried harder to deny the thrum of heat racing down his spine. He heard the crunching of leaves and his smile widened further. Damn, he needed to get a grip.
“Hey there, mountain man.”
He forced the foolhardy smile from his lips, replacing it with what he hoped was a less lustful one, and turned to find the all-too-chipper and insanely hot brunette. Her hair was piled on her head in a messy bun, a few dark tendrils curling past her shoulders. She held a mug in each hand. Curls of steam rose into the air. Her pink shirt hitched on her breasts, and he chalked that up to the list of things he was futilely trying not to react to. But his body wasn’t on board with the off-limits plan, and it brimmed with heat. It had been a hell of a lot easier to be around her when she was staying at her uncle’s house in town. At least then by the time he saw her she had a freaking bra on.
He dropped his eyes to avoid staring, but her flannel pajama pants hung low on her hips, revealing a sliver of taut skin just below her belly button. Christ, she was gorgeous. Striving for a safe view, he looked at her leather boots. Boots were safe. There was nothing sexy about boots. Bright pink laces hung loose over the dark leather, her pajama pants bunched around the tops, showing another flash of skin. He pictured her shoving her bare feet into them before jaunting out the door with her mind-blowing smile in place. There must be something wrong with him, because he found that sexy, too.
“You should lace those up.” He ran a hand through his hair, grinding his teeth against the way his entire body was buzzing like a live wire.
“Well, Mr. Safety. I missed you, too.” She thrust a mug toward him with a coy smile. “Just the way you like it. Bitter as weeds.”
She was too damn cute, too damn social, and too damn temporary for the likes of him.
He reached for the mug. “Thanks, Butterfly.” The nickname flew off his tongue without thought, just as it had the first time she’d flitted into his yard, turned his insides to fire, and flitted back out. He was surprised to realize he’d missed saying it while she was gone.
“No prob, Grizz.”
Grizz. Hell if he hadn’t missed that, too. Her eyes dropped to his bare chest, lingering long enough for him to feel it lower. Much lower. Her cheeks flushed, and she slid those gorgeous hazel eyes to his ax—the one in his hand, not the one in his pants.
“Preparing for a cold night, or thinking about becoming a serial killer?”
I wouldn’t have cold nights if you were in my bed. As if on cue, his body stirred again, reminding him it’d been far too long since he’d been with a woman.
“As interesting as a serial killer sounds, I don’t think I’m cut out for it.”
“Right. It would require human contact.”
“I missed that smart mouth of yours,” he said sarcastically. He’d been fantasizing about her full lips and sassy mouth ever since they’d reconnected at Rex and Jade’s wedding, several months ago. But she was only there until her project ended, so sarcasm it was.
“Heard you ride in with Cal last night. How long are you here for?” He hadn’t just heard her arrive. He’d gone out to see who was riding up the mountain and had seen her arms wrapped around Cal from behind as they rode past the overlook. In the moonlight they’d looked like a frigging Hallmark card.
“A few weeks. Four and a half, I think. Something like that.” She stretched one arm, flashing even more of her midriff.
Torture. Pure, exquisite torture.
“You could have called me to bring you up the mountain.” He shifted his eyes away, trying to figure out who had taken possession of his mouth. Called me? He had nothing against Cal. He was a nice guy and was one of the most respected horse trainers around. And he shouldn’t give a shit who Shannon was with. Sure, she was hot, smart, and he liked her ballsy attitude, but he liked his life just the way it was. The last thing he needed was a social butterfly like her bringing noise and chaos into his life, telling him what to do or how to live.
“I know.” She kicked at the dirt, her eyes downcast. “Treat and Max stopped by in the afternoon and I went into town with them to visit my uncle Hal and my cousins. Cal was there and he offered to drive me back, since he lives in Preston. It was only once we got back to his place that he suggested we ride up on horseback. Besides, you don’t exactly love going into town.”
Great, now he was stuck envisioning her at Cal’s sprawling horse ranch.
He finished his coffee and handed her the mug. “Thanks. It was perfect.” He turned to set another log on the stump. “You ought to be careful bringing guys up to your cabin,” he said with his back to her.
“I thought I left my overprotective big brothers at home.” She sighed. “I hardly think Cal is a threat. He’s known Rex forever.”
Steve rested the ax over his shoulder, weighing his response. The last thing he wanted to be was her big brother, and he’d known Cal forever, too. Cal wasn’t the kind of guy to take advantage of a woman, but that didn’t stop Steve’s gut from churning at the thought of them cozied up together.
“He’s a friend, Steve.” She narrowed her eyes as he drew the ax back. “Don’t even try to pretend you don’t bring women up to your cabin.”
He arched a brow. That would be a big no fucking way. He liked his privacy.
Her jaw gaped. “What? Don’t you ever get bore
d? Lonely?”
“Not really,” he said as he swung the ax. It was a damned lie, at least since Shannon had flitted into his life, making him feel things he’d once been adept at ignoring.
“Why not? That’s not normal.” She finished her coffee and set the mugs on the ground as he split the log and set another one on the stump. “What do you do for sex?”
He laughed under his breath. “Seriously, city girl?”
“I’d hardly call Peaceful Harbor a city. It’s a beach town, and you’re avoiding the question.”
“Maybe because you’re asking questions you shouldn’t be asking.” He swung the ax and split another log.
She smirked. “Look at you, all big and brawny and afraid to talk about sex.”
“What’s gotten into you?” He set the ax-head on the ground and leaned on the handle. Before she’d gone home, he’d gotten away with a strategically placed Uh-huh. “I’m pretty sure you weren’t this curious about my sexual habits the last time you were on the mountain.”
Her eyes rolled over him, and he couldn’t tell if she was assessing or enjoying the view.
“I don’t know,” she said with a mischievous grin. “You’re standing there like a lumberjack. Six…what?”
“Three,” he said with a sigh.
“Right. Six three of shirtless, sweaty muscle, with your hair all tousled.” She moved her hands around her head, causing her shirt to lift up again. “You haven’t shaved in who knows how long, and you look like the guys on ‘Seriously Sexy Hot Guys’ Pinterest boards. A guy who looks like you can’t be going without.” She shrugged and her cheeks pinked up. “It made me wonder…”
“How about you wonder a little less?” Because hearing you talk about my sex life makes me want you in it. Front and center. “Pinterest? What the heck is Pinterest?”
Her eyes widened with disbelief. “I forgot you know nothing about the real world. Pinterest is this awesome social media site—”
“Never mind. That’s so far from the real world it shouldn’t exist. People nowadays are content to sit inside and stare at screens, talking with people they don’t know instead of living their lives. Bodies are meant to move, Butterfly. Weather is meant to be experienced. If people were more like animals, the world would be a better place.”
He saw a hint of hurt in her eyes and felt bad. Sometimes he forgot that he wasn’t the only one protective of their lifestyle. He tried to change the subject to a lighter one.
“What are you doing out here so early anyway?” he asked.
“The company offered me a new project, and my boss at my real job gave me a leave of absence to do it. I thought that was pretty cool of him. I’m going to be comparing the habits of gray and red foxes, and I’m here to scout the grays. You know how red foxes prefer edge habitats and grays prefer mountainous forestland?” Edge habitats were the boundary of two habitats, like field and forest. She didn’t wait for him to respond before continuing with her explanation. “They’re similar in life and history in almost every way, except for grays being shier and slightly smaller and where they make their dens. I’m going to study them to see if their behavioral patterns reveal reasons for the difference in habitat preference. I was hoping you’d have time to show me where I can find them.”
The request took him by surprise. She’d spent weeks researching red foxes and hadn’t once asked him to help her.
“No can do today, Butterfly.” He had a busy day planned. He’d caught a group of twentysomethings partying by one of the rock ledges last week and he’d spotted a few of them again yesterday. He needed to make the rounds to ensure they weren’t back and getting into trouble, and he had to head down the mountain to meet with his old buddies Mack and Will Cumberland. Yesterday he’d learned the Cumberland ranch was going up for sale: two hundred acres in Weston, adjacent to the national park where Steve had worked as a ranger and wildlife consultant for a decade. Steve had grown up in Weston, and though he lived two towns away now, his small-town roots ran deep. He wanted to try to convince his buddies to put the land into conservation instead of selling.
“Bummer. I was looking forward to catching up on all the crazy shenanigans you were up to while I was gone.” She waggled her brows with the tease.
He smiled and shook his head. “Be careful out there. I caught some kids partying recently. They’re probably harmless, but guys and alcohol…Just be careful. You got that Mace I left in your cabin?”
“That was you?” She narrowed her eyes and said, “You do realize I’m a grown woman, right?”
Christ, had he ever.
**
SHANNON WATCHED STEVE swing his ax. He was built like the very mountains he loved: strong and stable, with layers of hard-earned muscles born from honest, hard work. Pure perfection. And that hair? Lord. What would it be like to fist her hands in his hair and kiss him? To touch all those hard planes of muscle? To discover the man behind the walls? She told herself those were wants not needs, no matter how much they felt like it. The kind of unrelenting wants that bring a girl to reach beneath the sheets and satisfy her fantasies.
Down, girl.
Shannon had been surprised by how much she’d missed Steve when she’d gone home for her eldest brother Cole’s wedding. She and Steve hadn’t spent more than a few stolen moments together during the weeks she was here for her first assignment. Usually she’d catch him working on equipment, or in his yard, before she returned to her uncle’s ranch in the evenings. He’d captivated her with his passion for, and endless knowledge about, all things wilderness related. And he was different from most of the guys she knew. He wasn’t hung up on his looks or material things. He was real, with a strong set of values and priorities. Somehow, between their almost daily conversations and weeks of hoping she’d see him, she’d become completely and utterly taken with him.
When she’d been offered the assignment and the cabin, she’d accepted without hesitation. She’d missed Steve too much to deny the attraction, and she wanted to see if something might come of it.
Now that she was here, her body was thrumming at the mere sight of him. Given that she’d actually asked him about his sex life—and nearly died on the spot when the question slipped out—she desperately needed to rein herself in.
He wiped sweat from his brow, his tanned skin glistening in the morning sun. “Need anything from town?” he asked, setting another log on the stump.
She couldn’t pry her eyes from his rippling abs and his bulbous biceps flexing with every move. “Town?”
He cocked a smile and hoisted the ax again. “Town. You know, the place where people who like Pinterest live?”
She forced her eyes away, glancing at the trees swaying in the breeze, the rocks at her feet, anywhere but at him.
“I know what town is. I’m just surprised you’re going there.” Everyone knew Steve hated to leave his precious mountain.
“Gotta take care of some business.”
Going into town was a big deal. Unlike a quick trip to the store from her apartment in Peaceful Harbor, the drive into town took at least thirty to forty-five minutes, depending on which town he was going to. She’d realized last night she’d forgotten two very important supplies. Pop-Tarts and toilet paper. She could probably live with the single roll of toilet paper for another few days if she needed to, but Pop-Tarts were pretty much of a necessity. Besides, maybe she could convince Steve to help her scout gray-fox habitats at dusk. Perfect!
“Can I come with you?” she asked hopefully. “I need to pick up a few things.”
“I’ll get them for you. What do you need?”
She bit her lower lip, willing herself not to fib. But if she asked him to pick up what she really needed, he’d leave and she’d have to go searching for habitats by herself. Now that she’d thought about going later with her yummy mountain man, she’d already settled on it in her mind.
“It’s girl stuff. You won’t want to get it.” So much for not fibbing. “Can I please go with you?” She
gave him her best pleading look. “I promise not to talk your ear off.” Fib, fib, fib! She had no control over what came out of her mouth, especially around him.
He muttered under his breath and set the ax against the stump. “I’m not making a hundred stops.”
She leaped with delight and ran over to hug him. Her heel slipped out of her boot and she stumbled into him in a half hug, half full-body-draped-over-Steve embrace. His skin was hot, his body was hard, and getting harder by the second. He smelled like man and musk, and…she was still plastered against him.
She cleared her throat and managed, “Thank you.” Using his chest for leverage—yum, yum—she found her footing and pressed her heel back into her boot. “One stop. That’s it. Promise.”
“You’re excited to get those supplies.” He picked up the logs he’d chopped and piled them on his forearm like they were toothpicks.
“I’m just excited to be back. Maybe at dusk you can help me map out the habitats? It’ll be fun to scope them out together.”
He gave her a curious look. “Haven’t heard anyone describe hanging out with me as fun in a long time.”
“Then you’re hanging out with losers, and I’m taking that as a yes.” She grabbed the coffee mugs, unable to stop smiling.
“I’m leaving in twenty minutes.”
“I’ll be back lickety-split.” With a bounce in her step, she headed toward her cabin and heard him mutter, “Lickety-split,” followed by a chuckle.
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Excerpt: TEMPTING TRISTAN
M/M romance featuring two sexy, lovable alpha heroes
LIVI BURSTS THROUGH the door from the outdoor dining area of the Taproom, the restaurant and bar where we work. She slaps a drink order on the bar and scowls at me and Charley, the other bartender. “There’s a storm brewing outside, but it’s nothing compared to how much I hate you both right now.”
Seaside Lovers: Grayson Lacroux (Love in Bloom: Seaside Summers) Page 24