His Primal Attraction: A Curvy Woman Mountain Man Romance

Chapter 4

Tucker

Shadows stretch long across the alpine valley as we finally reach our remote campsite for the night. The jagged peaks soar all around us, capped in gleaming crowns of ice and snow that blaze like struck matches in the fading sunset. A glacial river carves a winding path through the lush meadow, its turquoise waters shimmering in the dusky light.

”This is extraordinary,” Rhylee breathes beside me. A faint blush stains her cheeks from the vigorous hike, but her lips curve in an awed smile.

I grunt in grudging agreement, scanning the pristine landscape with a critical eye. It’s an ideal basecamp—sheltered from the wind by a thick pine overhang, close to fresh water, and far enough off the beaten trail to avoid any surprise encounters.

Still, I can”t quite shake the restless tension thrumming through me, muscles coiled tight as a whipcord after our heated moment at the creek. Every nerve in my body is hyper-attuned to Rhylee’s proximity, to each subtle shift and sway of those lush curves so dangerously close.

My jaw ticks as flashes of our kiss rush back in vivid bursts—the scorching crush of her softness against me, the sweet taste of her parted lips, the way her nails bit into my back like she was trying to crawl inside my very skin.

Christ, I nearly took her right there on that rickety bridge with the rapids roaring all around. Just pinned that tempting little body beneath mine and buried myself to the hilt in her sweet heat.

I swallow hard, fighting back the surge of raw, insatiable need. This hunger clawing at my insides is unlike anything I”ve ever experienced before—primal in its ferocity, yet edged with an aching tenderness that”s damn near terrifying. It”s more than just an itch to rut and scratch and fuck her until we both pass out in a sweaty, tangled heap of spent flesh. More than just the usual mindless lust for a tight, willing body to slake myself in for a night before moving on.

No, there”s a part of me that wants to lay claim to this woman.

A part that wants to map every delectable inch of those curves with my hands and mouth until I know her as intimately as the mountains and valleys that make up my own flesh and bones.

The realization hits me like a mule”s kick to the chest, stealing my breath. I”ve always prided myself on my self-sufficiency, my ability to survive entirely alone out here without needing a damn soul. But now... now I find myself gripped by the unshakable compulsion to keep Rhylee close, to shelter and protect her from the savage wilderness around us.

To make her mine in every sense of the word.

”Hey, over here! I think I”ve found the perfect spot!”

Her voice jolts me back to the present. Rhylee stands a few yards off, waving me over to a grassy clearing nestled beneath the overhang of a gnarled pine, its low boughs providing shelter from the elements.

I nod brusquely, forcing my feet to propel me toward her as I wrestle my riotous thoughts back under control. Now isn”t the time to indulge in those dangerous cravings. Not while I”ve still got a job to keep us both safe and focused.

”Yeah, this will work,” I grunt, dropping my heavy pack with a muffled thud before turning to survey our surroundings again. ”Let”s get a fire going and camp set up before full dark hits.”

Rhylee nods, immediately shrugging out of her own pack and rummaging through the gear with a studious frown. I turn and busy myself gathering tinder and kindling, the familiar motions helping to settle my mind.

But the illusion is shattered by a piercing scream that slices through the tranquil valley, raising the fine hairs on the back of my neck. I whirl back toward the source, hand instinctively dropping to the hunting blade sheathed at my hip as I scan the treeline for any sign of danger.

”Was that...?” Rhylee breathes, her eyes going wide with a mixture of awe and apprehension.

”Yeah, one of your mountain lions,” I murmur, my own eyes narrowed as I strain to pick up any movement in the fading light. ”Probably spotted us from its den up in the rocks and is issuing a warning call.”

”So we”re close then? To their territory?”

I grunt in affirmation, finally relaxing my grip on the knife hilt when no further sounds or threats present themselves.

Rhylee”s face splits into a radiant grin, her previous unease forgotten. ”That”s incredible! We must be right in the heart of a prime habitat for study.”

”Easy there, Doc,” I caution as she starts rummaging more urgently through her gear, no doubt searching for her scientific tools and recording devices. ”Don”t you go wandering off to go poke at the big cats just yet.”

She shoots me a mildly chastising look, but her smile remains firmly in place. ”That”s not how field research works. We have protocols and procedures to ensure the utmost safety around potentially dangerous specimens.”

I arch a brow at that, unable to resist needling her a bit. ”So you ain”t just gonna go skipping off into those woods, all starry-eyed and humming a Disney ditty to befriend the ferocious predators?”

Rhylee flushes slightly but her chin juts out in that adorably stubborn tilt I”m growing all too familiar with. ”I am fully aware of the risks this environment presents, thank you very much.”

My lips twitch. ”That”s a relief. Was getting real tired of saving your pretty little hide.”

She huffs out a reluctant laugh, shaking her head as she resumes sorting through our supplies. A few stray tendrils of chestnut hair have escaped her messy knot to wisp around her flushed face, gilded by the fading sunlight.

My fingers itch with the sudden need to brush them aside, to trace the elegant curve of her throat and feel that thundering pulse. To pull her flush against me and finally slake this relentless thirst that”s been steadily building all day.

But I resist, clenching my fists at my sides until the moment passes and I can breathe again. Can”t let myself get tangled up in those kinds of complicated snares. Especially not when I need to remain hyper-alert to any dangers lurking nearby.

”I”ll, uh, go scout the perimeter while you finish getting set up,” I grunt, snatching up my rifle as I stride off into the treeline. ”Stay put and keep your ears peeled.”

”Of course,” Rhylee murmurs distractedly, already engrossed in unpacking and assembling some high-tech gadget from her pack.

I shake my head, fighting back another reluctant grin as I melt into the shadows between the towering pines. Leave it to her to get all hot and bothered over the prospect of new scientific discoveries while we”re both just lucky to be in one piece.

But then, I suppose I”m no better—getting all twisted up in knots over a woman instead of keeping my fool head in the mission like I always have before. This insane attraction is making me reckless, unfocused, putting us at risk.

I grit my teeth harder, shoving the thought aside as I press deeper into the looming tree cover.

By the time I finish my patrol of the perimeter, the last sliver of fiery sun has vanished behind the jagged peaks. I find Rhylee hunched over the small campfire, methodically feeding the crackling flames.

She glances up at my approach, a tentative smile tugging at those full lips. ”I managed to get the tent and everything else squared away while you were gone.”

I nod, dropping my rifle and pack as I lower myself to the bedroll across from her with a grunt. The dancing firelight casts flickering shadows across her features, gilding her warm skin with a rosy glow that”s damn near irresistible.

”Smells good,” I murmur, nodding at the small pot suspended over the coals where something savory bubbles. ”What”d you whip up for dinner?”

”Just a simple lentil veggie stew,” she says with a dismissive wave. ”Not much, but it should provide some solid sustenance after today”s hike.”

I hum in agreement, watching her delicate brow furrow as she carefully ladles portions into two tin camping bowls. She passes me one without a word, those long lashes shielding her expression as she focuses intently on her own food.

We eat in silence for a few minutes, the only sounds the crackle of the flames and our utensils clinking against metal. But the quiet isn”t uncomfortable, just... heavy.

Finally, Rhylee clears her throat, setting her empty bowl aside with a soft clink. ”So, your family must have led fascinating lives out here.”

I pause in the middle of shoveling another heaping bite into my mouth, considering her question. Most flatlanders who come sniffing around my territory don”t give two shits about my backstory—only what I can provide for them in terms of guiding and ensuring their safety. But there”s genuine curiosity glimmering in those big doe eyes as she regards me steadily across the flickering firepit.

”You could say that,” I finally grunt, setting my own empty bowl aside as I shift into a more comfortable position. ”More like we were just stubborn fools too wild and uncivilized to live any other way.”

”I don”t see it like that at all,” Rhylee argues softly. A hint of a frown creases her smooth brow as she tucks a loose strand of hair behind one ear. The motion draws my eye to the elegant curve of her throat, the delicate point of her jaw.

”From my perspective, your upbringing was one very few are privileged enough to experience anymore. To be raised so intimately connected to the rhythms and wonders of the untamed world... it”s something to be envied.”

A humorless snort escapes before I can bite it back. ”Shit, you make scrambling to keep our scrawny hides alive day to day in this harsh country sound like some kind of dream.”

”But isn”t that exactly the point?” she counters, leaning forward slightly. The fire dances in those warm eyes, casting her fine-boned features into sharp relief. ”That ability to not only survive, but thrive in perfect harmony with nature”s raw, unforgiving state? It”s the ultimate freedom.”

My lips tug in a faint, reluctant grin, grudgingly charmed against my will. ”You got an awful pretty way of spinning things, Doc. I”ll give you that much.”

Rhylee”s cheeks color faintly at the praise. ”My parents were both prominent research scientists. From an early age, they instilled in me the importance of appreciating the nuances of any situation through an academic lens.”

I can”t quite resist the urge to poke at her a bit further. ”Let me guess—lots of fancy degrees hanging on their study walls?”

She huffs out a soft laugh, shaking her head in rueful acknowledgment. ”You could say that. I grew up in a very sheltered household, where the highest priority was always academics and achievement. Childhood was a never-ending string of private tutors, enrichment camps, elite prep schools... a constant push toward intellectual success and little else.”

My brows lift in surprise at her candid admission. ”So how, exactly, did you end up out here?”

That warm blush stains her cheeks again as she ducks her head, tucking another loose strand behind an ear in that same unconsciously endearing gesture. ”I suppose it is ironic that a field researcher came from such a regimented, over-protective environment.”

She lapses into a thoughtful silence, absently worrying that full lower lip between her teeth as she seems to mull over her own words. I find myself leaning in, my entire focus narrowed to the slight furrow of concentration between her brows, the way the firelight plays across the delicate arches of her cheekbones, throwing her features into sharp relief.

”I suppose, in a way, this expedition is me finally breaking free of all those constraints,” she continues, her voice barely above a murmur. Those luminous eyes flick up, searing into me with unexpected intensity. ”A way of proving to myself that I can not only survive outside the ivory tower, but thrive in a wild and unpredictable environment. Even if it means pushing beyond what”s comfortable or familiar...”

Her words trail off, hanging in the air between us with a weight I can practically feel pressing against my ribs. The way she holds my stare, the slight parting of those soft lips, it all screams of the same primal hunger that”s been simmering inside me ever since our first encounter.

I swallow hard, my palms growing damp against the worn fabric of my jeans. Christ, all I want is to reach across this meager distance and haul her against me, to crush those lush curves against my chest until there”s no space left between us at all.

To show her all the wildness and freedom her pampered upbringing denied her until she”s howling with ecstasy beneath the open sky like a true child of the mountains.

But just like that, the spell shatters as Rhylee blinks rapidly and glances away, clearing her throat and smoothing her hands over her thighs.

”In any case...” she murmurs haltingly, her voice slightly husky. ”That”s more than enough self-indulgent rambling for one evening. Tell me more about you.”

Her request gives me pause, a slight frown tugging at my mouth as I consider how to respond. Truth is, I rarely talk about myself with outsiders. Flatlanders just don”t have the context to make any sense of we live out here, so I”ve always kept that side of my life private.

But as I gaze across the glowing embers into the depths of Rhylee’s eyes, I find the reluctance slipping away, bit by bit. An innate understanding lurks behind those warm, intelligent eyes. Like maybe this woman might be strong enough to bear witness to the truth of my existence, in a way few others ever could.

”My folks weren”t too different from your own, I reckon,” I start, bracing my elbows on my knees as I lean toward the fire”s beckoning glow. ”Had their own set of strict principles and beliefs about the way a body should live their life.” A faint grin tugs at the corner of my mouth at the memories. ”But let”s just say my childhood idea of summer camp was a helluva lot different than yours.”

Rhylee”s lips quirk in a matching half-smile. ”I can only imagine. Though I must admit, there”s a strange sort of romantic notion to your lifestyle that I might”ve fantasized about from time to time.”

”That a confession you dream of running off to join a tribe of wild mountain men, Doc?” I tease.

She flushes prettily, ducking her head on an embarrassed laugh. ”Well, when you put it that way...”

A strange tension stretches between us, thick and electric, the same heady charge that”s been slowly building all day. My hands clench reflexively against the sudden, visceral urge to reach out and trace those delicate features with my rough pads, to brush aside the loose tendril of hair tickling her flushed cheek.

But the moment passes when Rhylee lets out a sudden jaw-cracking yawn, shattering the heated spell. She blinks hard, one hand flying to her mouth in an embarrassed wince.

”Oh, it seems the rigors of the journey have finally caught up to me.”

“Get some rest, Doc,” I tell her, stoking the fire with a branch. “We’re safe for now.”

She nods, already shimmying into the cozy confines of her sleeping bag.

My breath hitches at the brief glimpse of toned legs and soft curves as the firelight plays flickering shadows across her body. But Rhylee is either unaware or unfazed by my heated stare, merely snuggling deeper into the insulated bag with a contented sigh.

”Wake me at first light,” she mumbles, already sounding half-asleep as she nestles against the plush bedroll. ”I can”t wait to begin setting up observation stations.”

”You got it,” I murmur, my voice lower and rougher as I fight to keep my eyes averted.

With one last lingering look at the peaceful picture she makes bathed in the ruddy glow, I force myself to turn over and settle on my own bedroll. But despite my solitary existence out here in the wild for so long, tonight, the quiet stillness and dancing shadows suddenly feel too empty, too devoid of warmth and comfort.

Because as much as I try to deny it, the truth is becoming more undeniable by the second—I”m hopelessly, utterly enraptured by this woman.

I know it”s foolish, this sudden madness gripping me so fiercely. I”ve always been beholden only to the laws of survival. Any hint of weakness or attachment is a liability I can”t afford, a shackle binding me to the trappings of human fragility.

And yet... as my eyes drift shut to the gentle cadence of Rhylee’s breaths, I find the resistance slowly slipping away. In this tranquil moment, with the woman who sets my blood thrumming slumbering peacefully beside me, the walls keeping the wildness contained start to crumble, piece by piece.