Page 84 of Beastly Mountain Man

“Good, because I don’t.”

I laughed.

His expression softened.

“I know I want more than this weekend.”

The words settled into me.

“I do too.”

“We can know that without knowing every other part tonight.”

I kissed him because I did not have a better answer.

Bear eventually got up from the rug, circled twice, and dropped his entire body against my shins as if adding seventy-five pounds to the conversation would improve it.

I looked down.

“You are unusually committed to this relationship.”

Lucky’s chest moved with a quiet laugh beneath my shoulder.

“He likes your socks.”

“That is significantly less flattering.”

We stayed on the couch until the fire needed another log.

The plates remained on the kitchen counter.

Later, I kissed Lucky beside the kitchen island while he filled our water glasses. I kissed him again in the hallway because waiting until the bedroom felt unnecessarily formal.

By the time we reached the bed, I had stopped wondering whether the evening needed one more conversation, one more conclusion, one more piece of evidence that whatever was happening between us made sense.

I wanted his mouth.

I wanted his arms around me.

I wanted to wake up with him again.

For that night, wanting those things was enough.

Morning returned the mountain in sharp white and blue.

The storm clouds had moved on, leaving pale sky above the pines and sunlight bright enough against the snow to force me to squint when I crossed the great room.

Lucky was still in the bedroom pulling on socks while Bear followed me out and immediately inspected the rear door.

“Not yet,” I told him. “Your outdoor department is getting dressed.”

Bear sat.

My phone was on the kitchen island where I had left it the night before.

I picked it up.

The first thing on the screen was a Fire Mountain Resort update.