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

8. Lila

8

LILA

The rest of the day flies by in the blink of an eye, and all my sadness about leaving is overshadowed by the tension simmering in the cabin. Ever since Ridge read the steamy passage from my romance book, something has shifted. Every look that passes between us seems to be charged with electricity, making my skin prickle with anticipation. I feel like I’m losing control of myself. My plan to avoid getting attached is dissolving, and I don’t know what to do.

Only one more night.

Just hold on for one more night.

The sun sets fast on Cherry Mountain, and Ridge makes us a homemade pizza for dinner. We finish it off with a generous slice of the best cherry pie I’ve ever tasted, and soon enough, it’s time for us to head to bed. I take a quick shower and brush my teeth, before pulling on a fresh pair of pajamas and slipping beneath the covers while Ridge takes my place in the bathroom. The sound of the shower sparks a mental image of him, his thick muscles all wet and soapy…

Oh, God.

I squeeze my thighs together, my breath hitching when I hear him leave the bathroom a few minutes later. As he steps into the bedroom, I see his giant silhouette in the doorway—big and burly—and my heart flutters as he closes the door behind him and gets into bed beside me. The mattress sags a little beneath his weight, and he takes up so much room that I feel his arm brush against mine. The touch makes me shiver.

“What are you thinking about, Lila?”

Ridge’s voice is a deep rumble in the dark, his question catching me off guard.

“Nothing in particular,” I lie. “What about you?”

“Still thinking about your book.”

I let out a breathless laugh, but inside, my body is screaming with tension. “Yeah, you looked pretty shocked. I guess you thought I was reading Little Women or something.”

“Yeah. Something like that.”

We lapse into silence for a few moments, and I listen to Ridge’s breathing, my heart hammering against my ribs.

“There’s one thing you still haven’t told me,” he continues eventually.

“What?”

“Back in the woods, you mentioned a video.” I feel him turn on his side, facing me in the dark. “You never told me what it was.”

My throat goes dry and I squeeze my eyes shut. I knew I shouldn’t have mentioned the video. The second the words slipped out of my mouth, I wanted to take them back. But after everything that happened today, I feel safer than ever with Ridge, so I reach out and grab my phone off the nightstand.

“I’ll show you.”

The screen lights up Ridge’s face in the dark, his eyes fixed on me as I go online and open up the video. Then, turning my phone so he can see it properly, I hit play.

The video opens at an ice rink in downtown Denver. I don’t know who’s filming—some guy who was there at the same time as me and Audrey. He’s filming his kids, cheering them on as they waddle around in their skates, their mom gripping them tight.

“Lila, I don’t?—”

“Just wait a second. It’s coming up.”

Seconds later, I skate into the frame, with Audrey following behind me. I’m moving awkwardly, unsure of myself. Then I lose my balance. I start flailing, arms helicoptering wildly, my face a comical mask of shock. My legs slide apart until I’m almost doing the splits, then with a loud “OOF!”, my feet slide out from under me and I fall hard on my ass, my limbs flopping around like I’m a rag doll. The video ends there, but in real life, Audrey skated over to make sure I was okay and we both laughed our asses off.

“I don’t understand,” Ridge says, frowning at the screen. “You said you went viral?”

“Yeah.” With a sigh, I scroll past the video, down to the comment section. “The video was never the problem. It was all…this.”

I let Ridge read through the comments, but I can’t bring myself to look. When I first discovered that the hilarious fall at the ice rink had blown up on social media, I saw the funny side. In a way, I was glad somebody had captured it—Audrey and I had a lot of fun that day, and it was a cool memento. But everything went wrong as the comments section filled up. I was naively expecting people to comment things like ‘lol’ and ‘haha’, not pages and pages of jokes about my size.

i’m surprised the ice didn’t crack

is this what causes earthquakes? lol

chicks that size shouldn’t skate

The comments kept coming, and people kept liking them. Now the video has over 400,000 views and all the top comments are trolls. It sucks. Before all this happened, I feel like I was learning to love myself. Being away from my mom helped a lot, and I was beginning to feel comfortable in my own skin for the first time. But the video brought my self-esteem crumbling down. In the days after it went viral, I spent hours refreshing the comment section, reading until I was numb. Without Audrey’s support, I don’t know how I would have gotten through it. My best friend is curvy like me and ten times more confident. I wish I could be like her, but right now, it feels impossible.

“Fuck,” Ridge mutters darkly. “This is sick.” His grip on my phone tightens. “Who the hell do these assholes think they are? Hiding behind a screen…fuck, if I knew where these people lived, I’d pay them all a visit and give them the beating they deserve.”

He sounds furious. His voice is almost trembling with rage, and I feel a rush of affection for him.

“I know I shouldn’t let them affect me,” I say. “They’re just dumb internet trolls fishing for likes, but still, it hurts.”

Ridge makes a noise deep in his throat and exits off the video. Then he looks at me, eyes blazing with emotion. “These assholes don’t deserve to breathe the same air as you, Lila. You hear me? You’re fucking beautiful. And you’re sweet and kind and better than these losers in every way.” He points at my screen. “You have to be pretty fucking pathetic to write shit like that about a stranger. I’d like to see anyone try to say stuff like this to your face. I’d break their fucking legs.”

His words leave me breathless. Ridge always looks grumpy, but I’ve never seen him look genuinely angry before. He’s looking at my phone like he wants to burn it, but then his eyes flicker to me and his gaze softens.

“I mean it, Lila,” he says. “You’re beautiful. Your curves are sexy as hell, and you have nothing to be ashamed of. It’s these bastards who should be ashamed of themselves. Not you.”

You’re beautiful.

Your curves are sexy as hell.

I’m tingling all over, replaying the words in my head. Ridge is looking at me, and our eyes meet. My screen turns off and the light is gone, but even in the dark, I can feel him staring.

“Thank you, Ridge,” I breathe, my voice barely audible.

“Don’t thank me, beautiful. It’s the truth.”

I hear Ridge shift slightly and the lamp on his nightstand clicks on, bathing us both in a dim orange glow. Swallowing hard, I set my phone aside and look at him, my heart thudding as I ask, “Why did you turn the light on?”

“So I could look at you.” I’m hardly breathing as he reaches out a large, calloused palm and touches it to my cheek. “You have no idea what you do to me, Lila.”

Desire blooms, hot and slick between my thighs. The way he’s looking at me awakens something primal and desperate inside me. I’ve been pushing it down, trying to resist. But I’m only flesh and blood. I can’t hold back any longer.

We both move as one. Our noses touch, his beard brushing my chin, and then his lips are on mine, warm and firm. The world disappears. Nothing else matters. Not my job, not my parents, not the dumb video. Just me and Ridge, our mouths melding as we kiss each other desperately, all our frustration bubbling to the surface. He tangles his hands in my hair, pulling me closer to him, groaning against my mouth in a way that makes me shudder with need. My arms loop around his neck, and he shifts on top of me, his body weight pushing me down into the mattress.

This is happening.

It’s really happening.

I whimper as Ridge slides his tongue between my lips, filling my mouth with his masculine taste, raw and musky. I surrender myself to him, our tongues sliding hungrily together as I instinctively wrap my legs around his hips, gasping as the hard bulge in his jeans presses between my legs.

“Fuck,” he grunts. “You’ve been driving me crazy, Lila, you know that?”

Before I can respond, he kisses me again, a hard, bruising kiss that turns my body to mush. His hardness grinds against me, and my clit tingles with pleasure until I’m aching for more, tightening my grip on him. Those giant hands reach for my t-shirt, and I help him pull it up over my head, tossing it to the floor. When I’m topless, I freeze for a moment, wondering how I look to him. My breasts aren’t perky—they’re plump and heavy—but my self-consciousness dissolves when I see the way Ridge is gazing at me. His eyes roam my body like I’m a work of art, and he reaches down to brush my pebbled nipples, sending a zip of pleasure through me.

“You’re so beautiful.” He runs his hands down my hips like he’s trying to memorize my shape. “So damn beautiful.”

Feeling emboldened, I grab at his shirt, lifting it up to reveal his thick, muscular chest. He tears it off the rest of the way, and my stomach flutters as I take him in. Every inch of him is strong and powerful, and I run my hands over his hard chest, pausing when I notice the puckered scar on his shoulder.

“Not pretty, is it?” he murmurs.

“I like it. It shows how brave you are.”

He smiles at me, his blue eyes dancing. “Well if you like it, then maybe it’s not so bad.”

He bends down to kiss me, his bare chest pressing against mine, skin on skin. I can feel his heartbeat coursing through me, and I kiss him back, wondering how I ever thought I could resist this man. With desperate hands, he reaches down and grabs my pajama bottoms, pulling them off until I’m wearing nothing but my white panties. They’re sodden, drenched with my arousal, and I gasp as Ridge slips his hand beneath the fabric, cupping my mound. His fingers find my clit, and my hips buck as he rubs it, the sensitivity driving me wild.

“Fuck, you’re so wet for me,” he groans as he runs a finger down my slit. “I need a taste, princess.”

It all happens so fast. Suddenly he’s pulling down my panties and pushing my legs apart, exposing my naked core. I’ve never felt so vulnerable, but I trust Ridge, swallowing down my nerves as he sinks his head between my thighs. His breath is hot against my skin, and I tremble as I feel his warm tongue poke between my folds, flicking up to my clit. He sucks the swollen nub into his mouth, and my eyes roll back, pleasure overwhelming me.

“Oh!”

It’s unlike anything I’ve ever felt before. Ridge mercilessly teases my clit, his beard rough against my most intimate spot as I grab at his hair like a wild thing. I’m more animal than woman, primal moans ripping from my throat as Ridge thrusts two thick fingers inside me, filling my pussy, pumping it in a brutal rhythm as he worships my clit.

“YES! RIDGE!”

I’m shaking all over as my orgasm rockets through me, pulsing between my thighs until I can’t breathe. Ridge doesn’t let up. He slides his fingers out of me and laps up my juices with his tongue, not stopping until I’m totally spent.

When he comes up for air, his beard is glistening, his eyes feral beneath his thick brows.

“You taste so damn good, princess.”

I moan in response, buzzing with anticipation as he gets off the bed and kicks off his sweatpants until he’s in nothing but his boxers. His thick bulge is clearly visible, and I watch eagerly as he yanks down the final layer between us, his huge cock springing free.

Oh my God.

It’s impossibly big and lined with veins, a bead of pre-cum glinting on the tip as Ridge gets back on the bed and covers my body with his. He positions himself between my thighs, and I feel his hardness poking against me.

“You ready for me, Lila?” he asks.

I swallow hard, nodding. “I should probably tell you…this is my first time.”

Ridge’s eyes soften, his hand cupping my cheek. “Mine too, princess. Don’t worry. I’ll take care of you.”

“I know you will.” My heart flutters as we stare at each other. “I trust you, Ridge.”

He leans in to kiss me, and as his warm tongue slides into my mouth, I feel the tip of his cock push into me. Slowly, he inches forward, filling me up until he bottoms out with a deep growl. His size makes my eyes water and I breathe hard, trying to get used to the unfamiliar sensation.

“Look at me, princess.” I do as he says, meeting his gaze. “Are you okay? Does it hurt?”

I bite my lip. “A little. It’s so big.”

“I’ll be gentle with you.” He strokes my hair, eyes full of affection. “I promise.”

With a deep breath, I nod, whimpering as he starts to move. He slides in and out in a slow, steady rhythm, and gradually, the pain gives way to pleasure. It feels good to be full of Ridge’s cock, taking him deep inside me. There’s something raw and animal about the way his length stretches me open, invading my pussy with every stroke.

“You can go faster,” I moan, running my hands through his hair. “Please. It doesn’t hurt anymore.”

Ridge sucks in a breath, and his eyes lock onto mine as he fucks me harder. My body writhes with pleasure, and I sob as his cock slaps into me, his rhythm turning frenzied. The sound of smacking skin fills the room, the bed creaking loudly as Ridge pounds me into the mattress, claiming me, making me his. I don’t know where he ends and I begin. My nerves are on fire, pleasure rocketing through me. My instinct is to squeeze my eyes shut, but I force myself to hold Ridge’s gaze. His jaw is clenched, sweat beading on his forehead.

“Fuck, that’s it, princess,” he grunts. “Take my cock just like that.”

I do as he says, gripping him tight, meeting him thrust for thrust. His body dominates mine, bearing down on me, and I feel powerless beneath his giant frame. But giving myself to him feels so right. I surrender completely, losing myself in the burning heat, the bruising rhythm. It feels like my body was made for him. Made to be his. I belong in Ridge’s arms, and as those deep blue eyes pierce mine, I never want this moment to end.