Chased by the Mountain Man

3

Jasmine

This is nuts. How the heck did my boring life get turned upside down so fast? An hour ago I was doing data entry, and now I’m draped over the shoulder of a giant mountain man as he hurtles through the forest, carrying me to his cabin to save me from the cops…who are looking to arrest me for drug possession and resisting arrest.

Not exactly a typical Tuesday afternoon.

Trent barely seems to break a sweat as he carries me through the forest. One of his huge hands is clutching my bare leg, the other holding onto my wrist, and my skin tingles at the contact. It’s not the moment to be thinking about how hot my mountain man rescuer is, but it’s pretty hard to ignore. Trent is six and a half feet of solid muscle. He’s the biggest man I’ve ever seen, with a thick black beard and intense brown eyes. A deep scar runs from his eyebrow down to the corner of his mouth, and somehow, it only makes him look more ruggedly handsome.

It was pretty intimidating when Trent appeared, hulking over the bush I was hiding in, those intense eyes fixing on me. But once I realized he wasn’t going to rat me out, I found myself trusting him. I’m lucky he showed up when he did. Otherwise, I’m sure the cops would have arrested me and charged me with drug possession, and there’s nothing I could have done to prove that Danny planted the powder in my car. But even though I’ve escaped for now, God knows what I’m going to do next. Trent’s cabin will be a brief refuge, but I can’t stay there forever.

“We’re here,” that deep, growly voice says a few minutes later, making my heart stutter in my chest.

Trent puts me down gently, and I swallow hard, trying not to let him see that I’m blushing.

Seriously, Jasmine? Of all the times to get a crush!

“Thanks,” I say, looking down at my feet. “You’re right, that was definitely a lot faster.”

“No problem.”

I finally look up at Trent’s home, unable to hold back a gasp. It’s a gorgeous log cabin surrounded by colorful wildflowers. The trees are thinner here, and through the gaps of the trunks there’s a breathtaking view of the surrounding mountains. It’s like something out of a Disney movie—the dwarf’s cottage from Snow White. Kind of ironic since Trent is a giant.

“This place is beautiful,” I say, momentarily forgetting about my problems as I soak in the tranquil setting. The sound of traffic is far behind us now, and there’s nothing but the chattering birds to break the silence.

“Glad you like it.”

I follow Trent through the oak front door, marveling at the cabin’s cozy wooden interior with its brown leather couch, plump armchairs, and a stone fireplace big enough for me to stand up in. There are several photographs on the mantel, along with a display case full of medals. I’m itching to get a closer look, but Trent is already ushering me onto the couch and I don’t want to be caught staring.

“Thanks again for everything,” I tell him, sighing with relief as my aching joints relax against the soft couch. “God, just saying thank you doesn’t seem like enough.”

Trent ignores my thanks. He’s too busy peering at my cut-up arms, frowning with concern.

“Some of those look nasty.” His voice is a deep rumble that makes me shudder involuntarily.

“They only sting a little. I don’t think they’re deep.”

He’s right, though, my arms and legs have seen better days. If I’d known I was going to spend my afternoon running through the woods and hiding in a bush, I wouldn’t have worn a skirt and blouse to work today.

“Wait there,” Trent says firmly. “I’m gonna clean you up.”

There’s a bossy, authoritative tone to his voice, and I like it more than I want to admit.

As I watch Trent head through a door at the other end of the cabin, my eyes roam his broad back, his wide shoulders, and…damn his ass looks good in those jeans. A hot bolt of desire flashes through me, fluttering between my thighs, and I almost groan out loud.

I’ve never had this kind of physical reaction to a man before. When I look at Trent’s hulking frame, his giant hands, his serious brown eyes, I want him to do things to me. Things I’ve never done with a man before. Things that make my panties slick to think about. My desire is so overwhelming that for a moment, I can almost forget the crazy situation I’m in right now.

A minute later, Trent emerges holding a basin full of soapy water in one hand and a clean cloth and towel in the other.

“Wouldn’t it be better to do this in the bathroom?” I ask as he crouches down beside me. “I don’t want to get your living room wet.”

Trent’s eyebrow quirks. “No, we’ll do it here. Don’t move. You look comfy.”

I press my lips together to hold back a giggle. His words are thoughtful and considerate, but his tone is so damn bossy. It’s a funny contrast and a sexy one.

Trent is gentle as he takes my leg in his big, calloused hand, dipping the cloth in the warm water and rubbing it softly on my cuts. It stings, but I do my best not to wince. Instead, I focus on this handsome mountain man. I watch a little breathlessly as he tends my wounds, his face full of so much concentration that it seems like taking care of me is the most important thing in the world to him right now. My mouth goes dry at the thought.

“So,” he says quietly, patting my leg dry and starting on the other one, “you want to talk about what happened?”

I blink, and suddenly everything comes rushing back to me again. I keep letting myself get distracted by my rugged rescuer instead of focusing on my crappy situation. It’s like my brain wants to block it out; my mind doesn’t know how to deal with what’s happening.

“It’s complicated,” I say, biting my lip.

The cops didn’t believe my story, so why should Trent?

He looks up from my leg, those brown eyes locking onto mine, and I feel my heart somersault.

“Tell me.”

God, that voice. How could I ever say no to that voice?

“I’ll tell you. But you won’t believe me,” I mumble.

Trent frowns defiantly. “Try me.”

He continues to gently clean my cuts as I tell him everything, his frown deepening with every word. I tell him all about Danny’s weird behavior and how everything came to a head when I told him I didn’t want to go out with him.

“He got so mad,” I say, my gut clenching at the memory. “He…he said he didn’t actually like me and was only asking me out because he felt sorry for me. Taking one for the team by dating the fat girl were his words.”

Trent lets out a sharp exhale but he lets me continue. I tell him about how I went to the bathroom to compose myself before heading back to the office for my stuff—how Danny was panting like he’d been running and my key wasn’t in the pocket I left it in. Then I explain how I started driving home when the cops pulled me over. How they found a bag of white powder hidden down by the passenger seat.

Repeating it all is painful. I wish more than anything that I’d never stayed at the bar with Danny that night. Maybe none of this would have happened if I’d left with Sharon, or if I’d been brave enough to confront Danny about his behavior sooner. If only, if only, if only…

No. Screw that.

I’m done blaming myself for what he did.

I did not deserve this, not even a little bit, and I will not let my anxious brain try and convince me this was my fault. It wasn’t. I did nothing wrong. If another woman was in the same position, I would tell her that it was one hundred percent not her fault, and I’d mean it with all my heart. So maybe it’s about time I extended that same grace to myself.

“I tried to explain that it wasn’t mine,” I continue with a sigh, “but obviously the cops didn’t believe me.” Trent is hanging onto my every word, his eyes darkening. “And then one of them started telling me I was under arrest and I panicked. I ran straight into the woods and…well, you know everything after that.”

Trent is silent for a moment. He’s finished cleaning my cuts, and he takes his time toweling my arms dry, his brow furrowed like he’s deep in thought.

“If you don’t believe me, I get it,” I tell him resignedly. “Everybody says it wasn’t them, don’t they?”

Trent finally looks at me, his eyes blazing. “I believe you, Jasmine.”

“You do?”

He nods. “Yes. And for the record, you shouldn’t listen to a word that asshole said about you. He asked you out because you’re beautiful as hell, and his shitty little ego couldn’t handle being told no.” He inhales sharply, his jaw set. “And then he went and planted drugs in your car? What a fucking scumbag.”

I blink at him, totally losing the power of speech.

You’re beautiful as hell.

This gorgeous mountain man thinks I’m beautiful?

Trent doesn’t seem to notice that he’s stolen the breath from my lungs. He’s stroking his beard thoughtfully, still frowning. “The cops will figure out what happened. Dave Goodman’s a sharp guy—he’ll find out the truth eventually.”

I force my mouth to move, but it takes a moment before I manage to form any words. “B-but…um…but I don’t see how I can prove any of this.”

“We’ll figure something out,” Trent says firmly. “You can stay here as long as you need. I won’t let anything bad happen to you.”

His voice sounds so determined, so sincere, that I can’t help but trust him. Despite the scary reality of my situation, being with Trent makes me feel like everything will be okay somehow. He exudes so much strength and authority that I know I’ll be safe with him.

“Thank you, Trent,” I say, swallowing back a surge of emotion. “It means a lot that you believe me. It really does.”

“Of course I believe you.”

He says it matter-of-factly, like it’s the most obvious thing in the world, and I feel a rush of affection for him. Clearly, Trent is more than just a handsome giant. We may have only just met, but from everything he’s said and done for me so far, I can tell that he’s a good man with a good heart.

“Thank you, Trent,” I say again.

His lips quirk. “You don’t need to keep thanking me.”

“I do. I owe you so much.”

Trent shrugs off my thanks, muttering about how it’s no big deal. As he finally straightens up, I notice him absent-mindedly run a finger down the length of his scar before he reaches down to grab the water basin, cloth, and towel. I watch him, my mind racing with questions. I want to know everything about Trent. I want to know about his medals and how he got that scar. Now that I’ve got my own problems off my chest, so many questions are bubbling up inside me. This handsome mountain man is a mystery I’m desperate to unravel, but something tells me it won’t be easy getting him to open up.