Page 24 of Silver Brewer

His tone is curt, and I nod without a word, leaning down to pick up Giant’s jacket and his shirts. I hold the flannel out to him, and James’s brow lifts again. There’s a twinkle to his dangerous gaze. He’s correct in his assumptions. Giant and I had sex. Raw, unadulterated, dirty sex. I loved it even if I hate him a little this morning.

Giant slips on the flannel and balls up the T-shirt before shoving it in his backpack. He lifts one strap over his shoulder while picking up mine.

“James.” Giant gives the man a sharp nod and heads for the door.

“Nice meeting you,” I mumble as I pass James and exit the ranger station after Giant. We barely clear the porch steps when he finally speaks to me.

“I’ll take you back.” Something in his tone has my Spidey-senses rising, and I glare at his broad back as he leads us into the trees.

“Back to camp?” I clarify. He’ll escort me to the site by the stream and return for some unfinished business with James.

“Back down the mountain.”

I stop walking and cross my arms. “You’ll do no such thing.”

He spins and stalks back to me. “It isn’t safe if James is up here.”

“Who is he?”

“He’s my brother.”

“He can’t be the mayor,” I state, surprised at my judgmental tone but questioning whether a mayor would look like a motorcycle thug. “Is he the pub owner?”

“No, this is another brother.”

“How many brothers do you have?”

“Three and one sister, and none of this is relevant. Down the mountain we go,” he firmly states.

“Is this because of last night?” I blurt. “We had sex, and now you’re done with me.”

“What?” Giant’s eyes widen as his arms cross his chest. “No. No, I’m protecting you.”

“Well, the only person I feel threatened by right now is you.” I’m fuming without a real fuse. I don’t know why I’m so upset. Maybe it’s because deep down I’m not ready to leave the mountain or the man who brought me up here.

“Me?” Giant grumbles. “Now you’re afraid of me?” He’s aghast at the notion. His fists clench at his sides as he looks off into the distance a moment and then turns back to me with narrowed eyes. For the first time, he looks scary. “Forget it. I don’t need this headache. We’re going back.” He turns back for the woods, but I stand firm.

“That’s right, turn your back to me like you’ve done each night.”

Giant pauses and twists back to face me. “Woman, what are you talking about?”

“First night, we…” I point between us. “And then you give me your back.” My voice cracks, and I swallow, forcing unwanted tears to retreat. “And then last night, we…again…more…better…” I close my eyes, embarrassed to admit how much last night meant to me. “And you just dismissed me.”

Giant doesn’t owe me anything, but I’d have thought he’d open up a little bit. Thought we’d continue to learn more about each other, discover each other. We did have sex after all, but maybe that’s why he’s ready to take me down the mountain. Sex? Check.

Giant’s brows pinch. “I didn’t dismiss you. We went to sleep.” He’s serious. Something in his tone tells me that holding me wasn’t even a thought. We finished, and he rolled to his side of the bed. How very Hudson of him.

“You know what? You’re right. Forget it.”

“Right. Down the mountain we go,” he states as he waves a hand to emphasize his point.

“No can do,” I say, brushing past him. “It hasn’t been three nights.”

“You’ve had enough nights.”

“Nope. I get one more, then we talk. I’m not leaving without fulfilling my part of the deal.”

“We talk?” he questions, pausing a reflective moment. His expressions shifts darker. “About the land.” His voice falters as realization dawns. The quieter tone concerns me more than his gruffness, but I’m not backing down. I need this property. I need the commission.