“Well, no, because I don’t know any Walter. I do knowTheowho told me a little about you. I am his niece, Rain, actually. I come to visit whenever can. In fact, I used to spend summers with him before his divorce. He deserved better, in my opinion. Anyway, I came here for a visit at his lodge. him. It is so beautiful here and he loves running the lodge. He is the coolest person I have ever known. You know him, don’t you?”
I can’t help it—I grin at how she is rambling on. Because those pretty eyes trail over my bare chest, my own spread of tattoos, back to my dick, then back up to my face. Over and over, she does this scan with those eyes. There is not even a flush at her skin or a shimmer of shame in her stare. I dig it. Holding the door open wider, I all but invite her in without words.
There is a flicker of something in her gaze that has my entire body tensing. I have never felt such a visceral response to a woman. It’s been a long time since I’ve spoken to a woman, let alone wanted a woman. Here I stand with a beautiful pin-up come to life, and I am hit with a wave of want unlike I have ever known.
“Yeah, princess, I know Theo a little. He sent you up the mountain to lure me to town?” I wonder, leaning against the door jamb with my hands at my hips. I shift back on one footbecause, Jesus, my hardon is so obvious. I can’t help it. Her beautiful eyes, that run-on ramble, her pretty smile, it is all doing a number on me.
“No. Well, no he does not even know I came up here. Matter of fact, he strongly suggested I not bother you. I enjoy bothering people, however, so I did not listen. Which is how I ended up at your door.”
Cocking my head, I pose the question of the day. “Oh, princess, you got it all wrong. I’m not a “fixer-upper”—I’m alost cause, and I know it.”
Something entirely different flashes in her eyes. “I I don’t know you, caveman, but I knowno oneis a lost cause—especially those who feel like they are. I’m not here to change who you are; I’m just here to change how you see yourself. We all need to practice a little more self-love.”
Smirking, I let my eyes trail over her. Slow. Salacious. I reach down to grasp my swollen shaft through the towel. “I am sure as hell thinking about some self-love at the moment, princess,” I tell her with a wink.
Watching a flush overtake her face, making her freckles pop a little more is the cutest thing I have ever seen. Until her eyes narrow.Darken.Churn with heat. I am intrigued by the lack of fear I sense. I scare most folks. Not sure if it’s because I am almost seven foot, built like the mountain we’re standing on, or the scars running down my face and throat.
If anything, her gaze traces those scars, ones I can never overlook in a mirror, with softness. That look makes my heart kick against my chest like a drum. What is going on behind that look? Why does she move closer, not run the opposite direction? Hell, is she reaching out to touch me? My cock jerks in eagerness, making heat shoot up my spine so fast I almost pass out.
“Oh, big guy,” she whispers as she does indeed reach out, tracing each of the jagged scars with a gentle touch. “Takes a helluva lot more than a little dirty talk or a few battle wounds to scare me off. I came to see you on purpose. With a purpose, Reece,” she whispers my name so soft, I can barely swallow past the emotion in my throat. The rest of my body wakes up to her touch, to the softness of her words, of that goddamn stare of hers.
“What purpose is that, princess?”
“Why, to bring you back to the land of the living, handsome.”
Her touch slides down until she is cradling that side of my face in her palm. I can’t help it. I lean into that touch. God, when was the last time a woman touched me? Not a nurse or the bartender at The Timbrline Tavern. A woman whowantedto touch me, who did so not out of mere intrigue about the scars on my face or the matching ones on my soul.
“Why would you want to do that?”
“We all deserve a life bigger than the one you’re hiding from.”
Earlier she called me caveman. Standing there on my porch with her touching me, looking beautiful as she says these kind things, it makes me want to behave like a caveman. I want to throw her over my shoulder, steal her off to my bed, and rut her until she screams my name and promises to give me forever. It is such a visceral attack of need, I step back from her.
My stubborn princess won’t have it. No, she takes a step with me, moving until I can feel the warmth of her on my skin. My cock presses against her stomach. I want to hoist her up and slam her down on the aching length. Bury myself so deep, I wouldn’t have to worry about her giving me forever. I would give her my kids and tie her to me for good.
“Reece, you called me a princess. I suppose in another life I was. I know all about hiding from the world. It is much easier than facing it. You’re not a weak man, honey. Those eyes tell me that,” she tilts her chin as her gaze locks on mine. “I might be a princess, but I am a determined one. I will be bringing you dinner tomorrow night. I expect to be invited to join you.”
“Why? Why me? You owe me nothing.”
“Oh, honey...someone owes you something,” she husks, tracing my scars again before her gaze drops to my mouth. Fuck, I want to kiss her. I want to taste her mouth, her skin, and the honeypot between her thighs. “I will be glad to take on that debt. Tomorrow night, cavemen.”
Before I can blink, she is off my porch, behind the wheel of that shining Mercedes and backing from my gravel drive. I watch her go like an idiot. I move too slow to stop her, standing there with my dick in my hands—literally and figuratively—as she drives off my corner of the mountain.
Those pretty eyes and that soft touch will be fuel for the self-love I am about to take care of.
Chapter Two
Rain
I breathe in the cool mountain air with a sigh of contentment.
The air in Hollow Peak doesn’t smell like Dior J’Adore or expensive leather; it smells of crisp pine, woodsmoke, and the kind of silence people pay good money for. People here realize what a gem they have in the little town, so they don’t much want to share it.
Not that I blame them. Standing on the wrap around front porch of my uncle’s lodge, I relish the view of Hollow Peak. The lodge sits overlooking it, offering the best view in town. This lodge has everything you would expect from a mountain lodge. Huge stone fireplaces in the great room, a massive dining room for guests to gather at, it is as cozy as can be.
It is the first time in a very long time I’ve made a trip here. I used to spend summers with Theo in Aspen, before his world imploded. The Mallory clan comes from old money—which is to say they’re pretentious and all about pomp and circumstance. Theo is unlike most of our clan, and it turns out so am I. After a few tries as playing the stuffy socialites, we abandoned the money that made us and ventured out into a brave new world.
Cursing as I stub my toe on a beam, spill some hot coffee on myself, I let out a laugh. I am most definitely out of my element here. Which is why I am here. Sure, Theo and I don’t live life on the old money the others, we do use it and our broad connections to give back when we can. The lodge restoration was my uncle’s pet project and now that it’s up to par, I wanted to be here to experience the place with him.
