CHAPTER SEVEN
SAMANTHA
The knock at the door caught me by surprise. Logan had insisted I stay behind from today’s hike, claiming the terrain was too treacherous for beginners. I’d agreed, but only after extracting a promise that he’d make it up to me later.
Instead, he’d made it up to me before he left. My body was deliciously achy from his intense attention.
Now, hours later, when I opened the door, I found myself face-to-face with another mountain of a man. A man I already knew. Ethan Miller, developer of the Mountain Mates app. He was just as tall and broad-shouldered as his brother, with the same dark eyes and strong jaw. He looked just as rough and gruff. Flannel shirt, well-worn jeans and boots that could stomp out a small forest fire.
“So you’re the one who’s tamed my hermit brother.” He grinned as he stepped inside. Despite his woodsman appearance, there was something about him that said he would be equally comfortable in a board room as he was in bear country.
Mother Nature had done a bang-up job on the Miller brothers.
“I wouldn’t say tamed.” I crossed my arms, a frown on my face. “And you’re the one who set this whole thing up.”
“You know who I am?”
“I make it my business to know who signed my paychecks. What I don’t know is why you used your brother as a test subject, and by default, did the same with me.”
“Oh, and who broke a company rule by setting up a profile for herself?”
“I didn’t until I wasn’t working for you anymore.”
“True.” He wandered into the kitchen, making himself at home. His boots barely made a sound on the wooden floor—another hint that he lived the life, didn’t just wear the flannel.
“You had no right to create a profile for him without his knowledge.”
“No?” Ethan raised an eyebrow, helping himself to coffee with the ease of someone who’d done it a thousand times before. “Logan needed someone. Someone who could handle his particular brand of... intensity. When I hired you to design the interface, I saw how you understood what we were trying to create. A way to connect people who wanted something real, something different from the usual dating scene.”
“Why did you decide to play matchmaker?” I thought I should probably thank him, but I also knew how much Logan valued his privacy. The life he had made for himself on the mountain. And having a gaggle of women show up at his doorstep unannounced would have bothered him a lot. Just like my appearance had. Doubt started creeping in.
“I decided to give my brother a chance at happiness.” Ethan leaned against the counter, studying me. It was that same bold stare his brother had. “I built my first app when I was fifteen. It was a dating app too. I sold it to my high school classmates for pocket money. And even though Logan thought it was a bad idea—which it was—he helped me debug it. He’s always been the practical one, seeing the flaws in my grand ideas. But this time? This time I got it right.”
“Maybe not,” I argued. “He was pretty angry when I showed up.”
“But he let you stay.” Ethan’s smile was knowing. “Logan doesn’t let anyone stay.”
“That doesn’t justify—”
“Are you saying you’re not glad I did it?”
The door opened before I could answer, and Logan’s large frame filled the doorway, his presence immediately dominating the room. His eyes narrowed at the sight of his brother. “Glad you did what?”
Ethan’s grin widened. “Oh, just talking about how I might have played matchmaker. You know, setting up your profile on the app without telling you. And maybe handpicking Samantha here, personally for you.”
My eyes narrowed. “You manipulated the app?”
“Yes. I couldn’t let my brother match up with just anyone.”
“That’s bordering on unethical.”
“No, not really. The site you signed up on was in beta. Nothing unethical about tweaking certain, um, parameters.”
Logan’s jaw tightened as he stepped into the cabin. “You had no right—”
“To help you find happiness?” Ethan interrupted. “To introduce you to someone who could actually appreciate this hermit lifestyle of yours? Someone who’s smart enough to code dating apps but adventurous enough to become a mail-order bride?”
I watched Logan’s expression shift as his brother’s words sank in.
“So, is this working out, or what? I’ll give you a free membership, Samantha, if you want to find someone else. Another mountain man who’ll appreciate you? There are a few guys right here on Lone Mountain who’d love a woman who can start a fire and looks as good as you do as they do it.”
Logan’s eyes darkened dangerously. “She’s not going anywhere.”
“No?” Ethan pushed off from the counter. “You sure about that? Because last I checked, you were pretty adamant about wanting to be alone. What was it you said? ‘I don’t need anyone messing up my peace and quiet’?”
“Things change.” Logan clenched his hands at his sides.
“Really? So, you want her to stay?” Ethan pressed.
“She’s mine.” Logan cut him off, his voice low and possessive. “And she’s staying right here.”
My heart skipped at Logan’s declaration. “I am?”
Logan crossed the room in three long strides, pulling me into his arms. “Yes. Here. With me. If that’s what you want.”
Ethan headed to the door. “Well, my work here is done. You can thank me at the wedding.”
“Get out,” Logan growled, but there was no real heat in it.
The door closed behind Ethan, leaving us alone.
“So.” I tried to hide my doubts. I thought we were heading in this direction but… “You, um, care about me?”
Logan’s expression was serious. “More than I should, given how long we’ve known each other. More than makes sense.”
“Nothing about this has made sense,” I pointed out. “I mean, I showed up on the doorstep of a stranger, with marriage in mind.”
“About that.” He pulled me closer. “I’m thinking maybe Ethan wasn’t completely wrong.”
“About setting you up with a mail-order bride?” A flare of jealousy shot through me. If Logan had set up his own profile. If some other woman had matched with him.
“About me needing someone.” He placed his hands on my hips. “Specifically, about me needing you.” Logan’s expression softened as he looked down at me, his gaze dark and serious. “I love you, Samantha. I think I have since the moment I opened my front door, finding you standing there, turning my whole world upside down with your city girl charm and those curves that drive me crazy. But, I have to be honest. I don’t know how to do this. I don’t know how to be what you need, but I want to try. I want you to stay. I don’t care if it scares the hell out of me—I want you here.”
His words hit me like a physical blow, knocking the breath from my lungs. For a second, I thought I might cry. But then I saw the look in his eyes—raw, vulnerable, and so honest—and the ache in my chest melted into something warmer, something brighter.
Before I could say anything else, his arms wrapped completely around me, pulling me against his chest. His grip was firm, his body warm and solid, and I felt my doubts fade away.
“You mean something to me,” he murmured against my hair. “More than I know how to say.”
I laughed softly, the sound muffled against his chest. “You’re saying it just fine.”
He pulled back just enough to look at me, his hands cupping my face. “I don’t want you to leave,” he said again, his voice steady this time. “Stay. With me. Be my mountain mail-order bride.”
The vulnerability in his eyes, the sheer force of his presence, made my knees weak. I smiled, leaning into his touch. “I’ll stay.”
“Good.” His expression was still dark, but there was no denying the look in his eyes. He wanted me. Wanted me to stay.
I rose on my toes and kissed the underside of his stubbled jaw. “Take me to bed, Logan.”
Logan carried me to the bedroom, my heart racing with anticipation. Our first time together had been incredible, but this felt different—deeper, more meaningful now that we’d admitted our feelings. He laid me on the bed with a gentleness that made my chest ache, his eyes burning as he looked down at me, making me shiver.
“Cold?”
“No.” I reached for him, needing to feel his skin against mine. “But I could use some warming up anyway.”
He stripped off his shirt, and my breath caught in my throat. I didn’t think I’d ever get used to the sight of him—all hard muscle and tanned skin, a testament to his outdoor lifestyle. When he joined me on the bed, I ran my hands over his chest, feeling his heart pounding beneath my palm. The steady thump matched my own racing pulse.
“I love you,” I whispered, because I could, because the words felt right on my tongue. Because they were true.
His kiss started gentle, a contrast to his usual intensity that made me melt. His hands found the hem of my shirt, pulling it over my head before claiming my mouth again in a kiss that left me gasping for air.
“Mine,” he growled against my neck, his stubble scraping deliciously against my sensitive skin. His hands roamed my curves with a reverence that made me feel beautiful. He stripped me of my bra. “Every gorgeous inch of you.”
“Yours,” I agreed, my voice breaking on a moan as his mouth found my breast. “Always yours.” I tangled my fingers in his hair as he sucked my nipple deep into his mouth, his other hand kneading my ripe flesh.
“Logan, please.” The sensations were overwhelming. Each touch, each kiss felt magnified, more intense than our first time. Maybe because now, I knew this wasn’t just physical—this was everything.
“Please what, sweetheart?” He nipped at the curve of my hip as he removed my pants and panties. “Tell me what you want.”
“You,” I breathed, lifting my hips to help him. “All of you.”
Once he had me bare, he stood up to shed his clothes. I couldn’t help but stare. My mountain man was magnificent, all raw power and masculine beauty. All mine.
“You know this naked lumberjack look is working for you.”
“Minx.” I loved seeing that slight smile of his, but then I couldn’t think of anything as he lowered himself back on top of me. The weight of his body on mine was better than a warm blanket on a cold winter’s night. I bent my leg, wrapping my leg around his hip. His large hand covered my thigh, holding me to him.
I pulled him down for a kiss that quickly turned desperate. Then his hands and lips were everywhere, stroking, teasing, learning my body all over again. When his fingers found my center, I was already embarrassingly wet for him.
“So ready for me,” he murmured, sliding one thick finger inside me. I gasped at the intrusion, my body clenching around him. When he added a second finger, the stretch made me whimper. His thumb circled my clit as his fingers moved inside me, curling upwards.
“Logan, please.” I didn’t care that I sounded desperate. That I was begging him to take me. “I need you inside me.”
He positioned himself between my thighs, the broad head of his cock pressing against my entrance. “Look at me,” he commanded softly. When I met his gaze, he pushed inside me slowly, giving me time to adjust to his size.
The stretch was exquisite—a delicious burn that had me moaning his name. He felt even bigger, filling me so completely I could barely breathe. When he was fully seated, he pressed his forehead to mine. “I love you,” he whispered.
“I love you too.” I arched upwards, taking him deeper. “Now move.”
He started slow, with long deep strokes that had my pleasure building and his control slipping. His thrusts became harder, faster, hitting spots inside me that made me cry out. The sound of skin against skin, our mingled moans, the creak of the bed—it all added to the intensity.
“That’s it, baby,” he encouraged as I met him thrust for thrust. “Take all of me.”
I was close, so close. When his hand slipped between us to circle my clit, I shattered. My orgasm hit me in waves, more intense than anything I’d ever felt. I heard him groan my name as he followed me over the edge, burying himself deep as he came.
Later, as we lay tangled together, my head on his chest and his fingers tracing patterns on my back, I thought about how sometimes the craziest decisions led to the best outcomes. I’d signed up for a mail-order bride app to change the direction my life was going and somehow found exactly where I belonged.
Right here, with my grumpy mountain man who wasn’t so grumpy anymore.
At least, not with me.
“What are you thinking about?” He pressed a kiss to my temple and pulled me closer.
“About how glad I am that your brother’s a meddling cupid.”
He chuckled, the sound rumbling through his chest. “Me too, sweetheart. Me too.”
I propped myself up on an elbow to look at him. “So, about that wedding he mentioned...”
Logan’s smile was slow and full of promise. “How do you feel about getting married right here on the mountain?”
“Perfect,” I said, leaning down to kiss him. “Absolutely perfect.”