Mountain Man Secret_Back On Fever Mountain 3

by Melissa Devenport

  If Clayton wanted to impress her he’d certainly succeeded.

  The surprises only kept coming. At the airport, the driver steered the limo right in through a secured area and onto the tarmac.

  “What the hell?” Charlene stared out the window, expecting to see a flock of security personal come rushing at them any second. No one came. The whole place looked deserted.

  Her door opened and the driver eyed her curiously. “The jet ma’am. It’s right there. I’ll get your bag and you can board as soon as you wish.”

  “What jet?” Charlene hated the lostness in her own voice. She inched backwards, closer to the car than the open door.

  “Mr. Ellison instructed me to see you to the private jet. I thought he would have informed you.”

  Charlene pasted a smile onto her face. “I’m sure it was just a surprise.” She finally climbed out of the car and stood waiting while the driver got her bag. Once he did she followed him over to the large plane clearly waiting for her.

  What the hell? How could Clayton afford this? Why did he have a private jet at his disposal? She wanted to ask the driver her questions and get some answers but she didn’t dare. She didn’t want to seem any more ridiculous than he probably thought she was already.

  “The stairs are over there. Feel free to enter and find whatever seat is best. The pilot is already waiting inside and there is a stewardess to assist you with any needs you might have.” The driver touched the brim of his hat again. “Enjoy your trip to San Jose. There will be a car waiting to take you to your destination after you arrive. Have a safe flight.”

  “Thank you,” Charlene said woodenly but meaning what she said. The man nodded. She wished she had something to give him for a tip but she figured the five dollar bill in her purse would be more insulting than anything.

  Turning, she faced the giant plane. Holy shit. This was really for her. She was really going to get on that thing and fly half way across the country to meet a man she obviously knew nothing about. Her sixteen year old self would have leapt for joy and applauded her good luck and bravery. Her older self, the woman who had seen her father grow sicker and die was far more cautious.

  As she climbed the steps to the plane’s entrance, Charlene wondered what other secrets of Clayton’s she’d discover.

  Chapter 5

  Entering A New World

  Charlene’s eyes widened when the car that had taken her from the San Jose airport to Santa Cruz pulled up at what could only be Clayton’s house. She gasped when she’d first set eyes on the sprawling mansion with the private beachfront. The house had that ultramodern design that she wasn’t quite sure if she’d ever been a fan of but she had to admit it was impressive. It was done all in white and looked like five squares of varying height all joined together.

  There was a pool in the back even though it was right on the ocean. Charlene couldn’t see it but she was willing to bet money that it was there. A three tier fountain with an angel on top spouted water in the front yard. The grass that ran past the driveway and into the front yard was lush and green and immaculately cared for. Perfectly trimmed shrubs bracketed the house and lined the walkway.

  The driver, a younger man who always kept his eyes focused on her face as though awaiting instruction, came to open her door for her. Charlene was ready. She purposely didn’t look around her like a lost puppy. As she walked up the long driveway towards the front door, the driver right behind her, wheeling her small bag. She couldn’t help but pause for a second and stare out past the house to the endless blue expanse of ocean.

  The beach was beautiful. It wasn’t the white sand variety but it didn’t need to be in order to be breathtaking. She could imagine putting on her bikini in the heat of the day, rushing across the hot sand and diving into the cool ocean waters.

  Her thoughts helped distract her until the driver reached past her and knocked gently on the ornate front door. It was wood and rose likely eight feet tall. Glass partitions stood out beside the door but it was impossible to see into them as the glass was fogged for privacy.

  The door opened and Charlene almost expected a butler but it was Clayton. He smiled when he saw her and it transformed his face from serious and hard into one that looked at least twenty years younger. He was dressed much more casually than the last time she’d seen him. He was wearing dark wash jeans and a tight fitting black t-shirt that outlined his muscular chest and arms. Unbelievably enough his feet were bare, as though he’d just come from the beach or outside.

  Good lord, Clayton was likely in better shape than she was. Was it any wonder that the sixteen year old version of herself had been madly in love with him?

  What about the twenty-six year old version?

  Charlene swallowed hard. Clayton thanked the driver and the man turned, doffed his hat and left. She was alone, on Clayton’s doorstep, wondering for the millionth time if it was crazy that she had agreed to come.

  “Charlene,” Clayton finally said, breaking the awkward silence. “Come in. Please.”

  “Thank you.” She stepped through the entrance and couldn’t help but emit a strange, strangled, impressed sound when she looked around. “This is amazing,” she finally said, because she had to say something.

  Clayton’s face remained impassive. If he was pleased that she liked his house, he didn’t say so. She had a thousand questions but she kept them to herself.

  “I can show you where your room will be. You could put your bag in there and then you could tell me what you want to do.”

  “No itineraries?” Charlene joked. Clayton had the kind of house that told her he was a scheduled type of person. She tried hard to keep her eyes away from him but they kept straying back.

  As impressive as the house was with its massive staircase made of wood planks and glass railings, the huge, spacious living rooms with the hardwood floors, and the even more impressive kitchen… it couldn’t hold a candle next to Clayton himself. How the hell was he so fit?

  She knew he was divorced. She’d been devastated to learn about his marriage though she was careful to hide her sorrow. When she found out through mutual friends that he was getting a divorce, ironically enough she’d been sad. She didn’t like to hear of broken marriages or people getting hurt.

  “No itineraries,” Clayton confirmed, grinning to reveal perfectly straight, white teeth. Charlene starred when she noticed that the front two were no longer slightly crooked. How could she have missed that when she’d first seen him again? Did she even know Clayton at all anymore? “I thought you might like to see the beach though. The tide goes out right away and there’s a little cave just around the corner that we could go to. It’s pretty neat if you’ve never been inside of one.”

  “That would be fun.” Charlene cursed herself for sounding like an overwhelmed child but if Clayton noticed he didn’t pay any attention.

  His dark eyes never strayed from her face and finally he turned and she followed him up that impressive staircase to her room. He dropped her bag on the king sized bed. The room itself was sparsely but expensively furnished.

  The king sized bed had black velvet upholstered headboard and foot board. There was an overstuffed chair off to the side and a huge, carved armor off to the other side. Beyond that was a huge desk with an ornate chair perched in front of it.

  “There’s a bathroom over here,” Clayton said. He walked over and Charlene noticed the door. She was surprised that it slid into the wall instead of opening in or out.

  She quickly walked over to take a look inside. The bathroom was massive, likely larger than her living room at home and had a glass shower, huge jet tub and a double vanity.

  “Jeez, if your guest bedroom looks like this I can only imagine what your bedroom looks like,” Charlene said. She immediately regretted her words and felt a hot blush settle on her face.

  Clayton laughed but his dark eyes held something deep and undefined and Charlene had to look away. “It might look pretty much the same, just larger.” Clayton assur
ed her with his light tone. “If you want to change I can meet you downstairs.”

  “Sure,” Charlene whispered. As soon as Clayton left she flopped down on the bed and covered her face with her hands. “Oh my god,” she whispered. “This cannot be real.”

  When she opened her eyes everything was still there. Clayton really did own a mansion and she really was there. She closed her eyes again and imagined Clayton in beach attire which included no shirt and a whole lot of muscular, bare chest. Her entire body tensed painfully at imagining him, half naked, in that cave with her.

  “Get a grip Charlene,” she told herself angrily, sliding off the bed. She unzipped her suitcase much more forcefully than was necessary and hunted around until she found the plain black bikini she’d brought. Seeing Clayton’s house she wished she’d had something fancier. A four hundred dollar swim suit instead of a twenty dollar one.

  Charlene slipped out of her maxi dress and into the bikini. She walked into the bathroom, the white marble floors cool on the undersides of her feet, and studied herself in the massive mirror.

  Not bad. Though she hadn’t had time to do anything but yoga in the past few months and even then, just to relieve stress, Charlene was still quite fit. Perhaps never having time to eat a proper meal helped.

  She inspected herself from the side, feeling ridiculous. Her breasts had never been on the large side but they looked good in the bikini top. Her stomach was flat, her hips gently tapered and her legs long and shapely.

  What would Clayton think when he saw her in a bikini?

  Frowning, Charlene pushed that thought out of her mind. God, he probably wouldn’t even notice. He had never given her any sign that he returned her feelings. When she’d been sixteen he saw her as a daughter. Why should he think of her any differently now?

  Charlene’s determination to stop thinking about Clayton faltered the second she saw him downstairs. If he’d looked good in clothes he looked phenomenal without them. She’d been right about him having the body of a man twenty years younger.

  His powerful shoulders were broad and well-muscled. His abdomen was chiseled and he definitely had a defined six pack. His skin was bronzed from hours spent in the sun. His shorts ended just below his knees and the rest of his exposed leg was thick with corded muscle.

  Charlene could hardly tear her eyes off of his body but forced herself to look only at his face. Which was in itself a pleasure. She’d always had a thing for older men. To her, men just got better with age. Clayton’s dark hair was cut short on the sides and left longer on the top. There were streaks of gray at the temples but his hair was cut so short it was hard to see it there. Not that she would have minded. A strong brow, which shadowed dark eyes, leveled into a straight nose and a square jaw that was always clean shaven. His lips were strong, not narrow or thin like some men’s.

  “Are you ready?” Clayton’s gaze swept over her body and Charlene felt herself blush again.

  She nodded. “I think so.”

  Clayton grinned. “Come on then. I’ll race you down to the beach.” He took off running through the back of the house and Charlene stood, planted to the floor, feet frozen in shock.

  Had he really just said race you? She heard a door bang shut on the other end of the house and figured Clayton meant it.

  With a little cry of excitement she took off running. She found the back sliding glass door and let herself out and then she was chasing him as he strode powerfully and effortlessly to the sand that lay below.

  The wind tangled in her hair, the sand was warm and soft under her feet. Charlene raised her hands to the air and laughed. She couldn’t recall the last time she had ever felt so free.

  Chapter 6

  The Cave

  The sight of Charlene racing down the beach, blonde hair streaming behind her, the late afternoon sun at her back, green eyes reflecting the ocean, stole Clayton’s breath.

  He stopped and let her catch up. Her chest was heaving with the effort of running, her breasts rising and falling. He forced himself to tear his eyes away from her glorious body and focused on her face. Did she know what kind of havoc that swimsuit created for him? Lord, he could imagine stripping her right there on the beach and taking her in the sand while she writhed in ecstasy below him.

  Clayton was instantly rock fucking hard at the thought. Which was pretty damn hard to hide in shorts. He turned; making sure Charlene couldn’t see that part of him and walked towards the cave. The huge rock formation was already in view and when he cast a glance at her beside him he could tell she was already captivated by the natural beauty of the shore.

  They walked for a few minutes before they came to the cave’s entrance. It was tall enough for them to go in without ducking. Charlene took the lead, venturing in excitedly.

  The sun’s rays illuminated the first half but after that it was dark. She stopped, still standing in the light and Clayton halted.

  “This is amazing! You can only reach it when the tide is low?”

  “That’s right.”

  “It’s not going to come in and kill us is it?”

  Clayton smiled. “No. We’ll be out of here before it ever comes back in.”

  “How far are we going to explore?” Charlene’s expression was doubtful, as though she suddenly wondered whether coming here was a good idea or not.

  “Only as far as you want. I just thought it might be interesting to see it.”

  “It is.” Charlene glanced around at the dripping walls. Water covered the sandy, rocky floor and she took another few steps inside, glancing around. “I feel like if I was a kid this would be the best place in the world. All my friends would have been jealous to hear about it.”

  Clayton stepped forward, closing the distance between them. Charlene froze when she noticed how near he was. He told himself to back away, that this was too close. There was little more than a few inches between them and that damn bikini of hers was aching to be torn away.

  Fuck.

  His hands itched at his sides to reach out and touch her. He’d always wanted to run his fingers through that thick blonde hair, to see if it was as warm and soft as it looked. What would the nape of her neck smell like, her skin so soft and delicate. Would her perfume be floral or spicy or would she not have applied any there at all?

  Clayton shook his head but he couldn’t tear his eyes off her face. His gaze dropped to her full, sensuous mouth. How soft would her lips be under his own? How responsive would she be to passion?

  “Clayton?” His name came out in a whispered rush and Charlene froze. Her green eyes took on a different hue, darkening slightly. Her gaze was focused on his mouth. She exhaled in a long rush and he saw a tremor go through her hands when he looked down at them.

  “Charlene,” Clayton said softly. He was rapidly losing the battle against his traitorous body. He knew he needed to get out of that cave, that private, tucked away hole in the earth, before things got out of hand. Another minute longer and he was going to break his promise to act like a gentleman.

  Before he could stop himself he reached out and took a lock of her hair between his thumb and index finger. He rolled the soft gold over the digits and sighed at the silky feel.

  “Clayton,” Charlene whispered, turning into him. She raised her face expectantly, her eyes stormy. Her lips parted slightly and her little pink tongue darted out to wet them.

  “Charlene…” Clayton ground out. He took her face in his hands, tilting it up as he lowered his.

  Her lips met his and a dizzying heat exploded inside his chest. Clayton tried to pull back when he realized what he’d done but Charlene reached up and wrapped her arms around his neck, holding him fast. Her tongue snaked out and she licked his lips, tasting him. Clayton groaned and his mouth parted. Her own became furious and insistent. He couldn’t stop himself from deepening the kiss, from taking her tongue into his mouth and suckling it gently before he stroked it with deep, hard strokes that he wanted to mirror somewhere else.

  His hand came
down to the small of her back, the other on her hip as he crushed her soft curves to the hard planes of his body. Fire ripped through his veins and drowned out all other rational thought. He could only focus on having her.

  Her hands were frantic on the button of his khaki shorts, a wordless expression of her desire for him. Surely if she didn’t want this she would have pulled away? Slapped his face? Called him a pervert and demand that he stop. She did none of that.

  Clayton could taste her own raw need in that desperate kiss. He forced his hand between them and covered hers where she was fumbling with the button. He easily undid it and then her hands were on his skin, searching and finding his achingly hard cock. She pushed his shorts down his hips with her other hand, springing him free.

  Even in the darkness of the cave he saw her eyes widen. His cock stood out between them, thick and ready, the tip already glistening with drops of precum.

  “Charlene…” Clayton tried to tell her to stop. He was going to say it wasn’t right but then she reached up and undid the tie on her bikini top. It fell and she was working at the knots at her back. The tiny top dropped to the wet cave floor and any resistance Clayton might have had, his last ounce of self-control completely fled at the sight of her round orbs. They were utterly perfect, the rosy nipples hard, straining little buds begging for his touch and his mouth.

  “I’ve had a crush on you for ten years,” Charlene whispered. “Ten years! I want to do this Clayton. I want to see if all those fantasies were really as good as I made them out to be.”

  Chapter 7

  Finally

  Clayton’s lungs collapsed, pushing all the oxygen out in a rush of breath. Fantasies? He’d had plenty of those himself.

  Charlene’s eyes never left his face as she undid the ties on her bikini bottoms. They fell away in a rush and she was gloriously naked. The sunlight that filtered into the cave bathed and shadowed her body in turns and Clayton thought it was possible that he might actually come just looking at her.