Her Mountain Man Recluse (Crave County: Mountain Men Love Curves)

3. Ridge

3

RIDGE

My heart pounds as I force my gaze away from Lila. I can still hear her soft voice. She’s muttering something to Middy, and every nerve in my body seems to tingle at the sweet sound.

Shit.

I couldn’t believe my eyes when I opened the door and saw the most beautiful woman in the world standing outside in the storm. The cabin was empty when I arrived, the key in the lockbox like I expected. I never dreamed I’d be sharing this place with an angel.

Fuck, this isn’t good.

I chance another glance at Lila. She’s inspecting the cabin now, distracted, and I let my eyes roam over her thick, curvy body. Blue jeans hug her plump ass, and her cream-colored sweater does nothing to hide the swell of her breasts. When my gaze reaches her face, I feel my breath hitch all over again. She looks like a painting with those pretty brown eyes and rosy cheeks, her long hair falling to her waist in waves the color of chocolate.

She’s so damn perfect it hurts.

And this is the woman I have to share a cabin with?

Part of me still wants to leave. I could brave the storm and find another place to stay—there’s bound to be a motel open somewhere. Hell, it’s probably the right thing to do. Lila is half my age, and I shouldn’t be thinking about her like this. Not to mention the fact that I’m a grumpy asshole who doesn’t know how to talk to people. She’d be better off if I left.

But I can’t bring myself to go.

I can’t leave this pretty little angel out here by herself. Especially not in this weather.

“Goddammit,” I mutter under my breath, running a hand over my beard.

If only that damn tree hadn’t fallen…

“So,” Lila says, eyeing me as she sits on the couch, “what brings you out here, anyway? Are you on vacation?”

“No.”

She waits for me to elaborate, but I don’t. It’s been a long time since I talked to anybody, and I’m not used to telling people my business. The silence stretches on, filled only by the crackling fire and the wind outside. Lila frowns at me when she realizes I’m not going to continue.

She must think I’m a miserable old bastard.

She’s not wrong, but for reasons I can’t explain, I care about what she thinks. Usually, I don’t give a shit if people think I’m cold or grumpy. When I go into Cherry Hollow for groceries or supplies, people don’t even bother trying to talk to me anymore. They leave me alone. That’s how I like things. But some stupid part of me wants this girl to like me. It doesn’t make sense.

“Well, I’m on vacation,” Lila says eventually, determined to fill the silence. “Kind of. It’s a long story, but I lost my job and some other stuff happened, and I figured hey, why not get out of Denver and head to the mountains for a couple of days?”

I mentally note everything she says about herself.

Lives in Denver.

Lost job.

On vacation.

I want to know more, but I can’t find the right words. Making conversation was never my strong suit, but since I left the military, it’s almost like the ‘social skills’ part of my brain has stopped working altogether.

“You…you live in Denver?” I grunt, feeling like a caveman who just learned to speak.

“Not for much longer.” Lila smiles wanly. “I’m moving back in with my parents in Colorado Springs. The rent in Denver is kicking my butt right now.” At that moment, Middy jumps onto the couch beside her, curling up in a black furry ball. “She really is the most adorable kitty. How long have you had her?”

“Four years.” I reach down to pet Middy’s head. “She was a stray. Found her outside my cabin.”

Lila’s eyes flicker back to me. “You live in a cabin? That’s cool. Is it like this one?”

“Bigger.” I shrug. “Guess that’s not saying much.”

She smiles at me, her plump red lips curving upward, and I swear my heart does a backflip.

“You’re right,” she says. “This place is cute, but it’s like a shoebox. Where is your cabin?”

“About ten minutes from here.”

Lila blinks at me. “Oh. So, uh, why?—?”

“A tree fell on the roof,” I say. “Came here to wait out the storm until I can get it fixed.”

Her eyes widen. “Shoot! I’m sorry. How bad is the damage?”

“Pretty bad, but not beyond repair.”

She lets out a whoosh of breath. “Well, thank God you both got out okay.”

I nod, feeling a rush of affection for her. She sounds genuinely relieved, and as she smiles adoringly at Middy, something squeezes tight in my chest. I’ve said more to this girl in the past five minutes than I’ve said to anybody else in five years. But that still doesn’t explain why I feel like my skin is on fire every time she looks at me.

Why does she have to be so damn pretty?

“Well, I don’t know about you,” Lila says with a yawn, “but it’s past my bedtime.”

She gets up from the couch, and as she walks toward a door leading out of the living room, I get another eyeful of her plump curves. My cock swells, blood rushing downward, and I bite back a groan. I’ve never felt this kind of longing before. It thrums like fire in my veins, hot and raw, and I’m so distracted that when Lila speaks next, I barely hear her.

“What did you say?” I ask, clearing my throat.

Lila is peering into the bedroom, not looking at me as she says, “There’s, uh…there’s only one bed.”

Still fighting down my hard-on, I join her at the doorway. The bedroom is small, the king-size bed taking up almost all the space. When I booked this place, it said there was only one bedroom, but I check the other doors just in case. There’s nothing but a bathroom and a kitchen that’s just about big enough for one person to cook.

“I’ll take the couch,” I say.

Lila makes a disbelieving sound. “That’s silly. The couch is tiny, and you’re about a foot taller than me. I’ll take it.”

“Not happening.”

“It’s not big enough?—”

“Fine, I’ll take the floor.”

I peer around the living room, looking for the comfiest spot. The wooden slats don’t look all that inviting, but no way am I taking the bed and forcing Lila to sleep on the couch. I might be a grump, but I’m not an animal.

“Ridge, this is silly,” she says, crossing her arms.

“I’m not letting you take the couch.”

“So then we’ll share the bed.”

I look at her. My throat goes dry when I see the defiant tilt of her chin. “What?”

“It’s a big bed,” Lila says simply. “We both paid for this place. We’re both adults. There’s room for both of us.” Her cheeks redden as she adds, “It doesn’t need to be…you know…weird.”

Something tells me she’s not going to back down, and I don’t think I want her to. Sharing a bed with this gorgeous angel is too damn tempting. I know it’s wrong. My cock is still hard as rock, my mind racing with thoughts of Lila’s curves. I should insist on taking the floor, the couch, hell, even the bathtub. I should keep a safe distance instead of climbing into bed with a girl half my age, even if it’s just to sleep. But one look in those stubborn brown eyes, and I know the battle is already lost. I can’t resist.

“Fine,” I say. “We’ll both take the bed.”

Lila nods before vanishing into the bathroom with her suitcase. When she reemerges a few minutes later, she’s wearing pink pajamas and looks so fucking adorable that a crazy part of me wants to pull her into my arms and hold her tight.

I’m losing my fucking mind, I think to myself as I enter the vacated bathroom and brush my teeth. Most nights I sleep in my boxers, but I don’t want to weird Lila out, so I grab a white t-shirt and some gray sweatpants from my suitcase, throwing them on before I head into the bedroom. Lila is already in bed, the covers pulled up to her neck. It feels so intimate to join her like this, and my heart is pounding in my ears as I slide into bed next to her.

It’s a large bed, but I take up a lot of space. We’re close enough for me to feel Lila’s body heat warming me beneath the covers, the distance between us like a red-hot danger zone that I’m desperate to enter. I can smell the sweetness of her shampoo—like strawberries and cream—and the sound of her breathing is enough to send a million suggestive thoughts through my mind.

“See,” Lila says, her voice barely a whisper, “plenty of room.”

I grunt, not trusting myself to speak. I want her so fucking badly I can hardly breathe. My desires shouldn’t feel this strong…but dammit, I can’t help it. I’d give anything to reach out and touch those curves, anything to kiss those pouty lips.

“Goodnight, Ridge,” she says in that sweet voice.

I swallow hard. “Goodnight, Lila.”

I can feel her moving around, tossing and turning until she’s comfortable, and my cock stirs with each movement, throbbing hard. I’m aching for the curvy beauty lying beside me, half feral with need, blood rushing downward…all for a girl I just met. It’s crazy. I’ve never felt like this before, and it’s driving me wild.

After a while, Lila’s breathing turns slow and deep, and I’m sure she’s asleep. But sleep doesn’t come for me. My body is on edge, hyper-aware of every movement and sound from beside me. She rolls over again and her leg brushes against mine beneath the covers. I don’t move. The slight contact is enough to make my whole body burn.

Fuck, I can’t take this any longer.

Quietly, I slip out of bed and head for the bathroom, locking the door. Then I yank down my sweatpants, squeezing the bulge in my boxers. I’m desperate to relieve the ache, and I pull my cock free, fisting it with a stifled grunt. My eyes close and I picture Lila, her sweet lips, the way her jeans hugged her curves. It’s wrong. So fucking wrong. But I’m too far gone. My pace quickens, my hand stroking faster, and I grab a tissue, my balls tightening in anticipation.

“Fuck.”

My cock explodes, and I suppress a groan as thick streams of cum fill the tissue. But I’m still not satisfied. My hand sure as hell isn’t Lila, and once I’ve cleaned myself up, I head back to our shared bed, feeling hornier than ever. When I slide in beside her, she lets out a sleepy moan that sounds almost sexual, and I feel my cock stir once more.

Goddammit.

With a sigh of frustration, I roll over and close my eyes, knowing damn well that I won’t be getting a wink of sleep tonight.