Matched to the Mountain Man (Mountain Man Mail Order Bride)

Jamie

H aving Ella in my cabin makes it feel like a home for the first time in all the years I've lived here. The last few days have passed in a blur as we settled into an easy routine that involved late nights learning each other's bodies, followed by lazy mornings in bed, learning even more.

While the nights are full of making my girl scream and come so hard she can't see straight, our mornings are for slow and gentle lovemaking. It bookends our days in the best possible way.

During the few hours we weren't in bed, I took Ella out to show her the best parts of the mountain in the winter. We borrowed some appropriate winter clothing from Brigg's wife, and together, we set out snowshoeing and cross-country skiing through the trails.

Ella isn't used to the cold, and she definitely isn't used to the deep snow, but she's up for anything and I am more than happy to warm her up when we get back to the cabin.

"I can't believe it's been four days already," she says from her spot on the couch, wrapped in a wool blanket in front of the fire.

We've just returned from Ella's first ice fishing trip, and the trout we caught is roasting in the oven for dinner.

"I like you here." I hand her a mug of hot chocolate and give her a kiss that draws a moan from her lips.

"I like me here, too." Her smile is sweetness laced with seduction, but I resist the urge to rip her clothes off. My girl needs some rest from my insatiable needs.

We haven't discussed what happens next. As far as I'm concerned, Ella lives here now. She belongs with me. That much is clear. It was clear to me from the moment I laid eyes on her. I don't need to ask her to know she feels the same way.

I feel it in the way her body responds to my touch. The way she melts with my kiss and cries out when I fill her up over and over with my hot seed.

She was made for me and me for her.

Still, we can't ignore the real world forever. Especially since we've been more or less hiding out in my cabin for the last few days. I'm going to have to go back to work soon. I didn't have a lot of vacation time, and it's a miracle I haven't been called in for an emergency. But that could change anytime.

I pour my own cup of hot chocolate and join Ella on the couch. I purposely sit across from her, pulling her feet up into my lap. If I get any closer, this conversation will be over before it even begins.

"Sweetheart," I say. "We need to talk about making this permanent, don't you think?"

She looks at me from across her mug and bats her eyelashes. "Was that your idea of a marriage proposal, ? Because if it was?—"

In a flash, I set my mug down and take hers out of her hands before dropping to my knees in front of her. "Ella, my love. You are mine and I am yours. Marry me."

It's more of a command than a question, but she nods anyway and says, "Yes. Yes. Yes. A million times yes, . Of course, I'll marry you."

I pull her to me, and she throws her arms around my neck and kisses me hard.

"I still can't believe we were such perfect matches on the site," she says when I finally release her from my embrace. "Do you know how rare that must be?"

I look down with a grunt and move back to my end of the couch. Whenever Ella brings up the website and the way we matched on so many questions, I do my best to change the subject. She still doesn't know that I wasn't the one who filled out the matching questionnaire. Not only do I not want to discuss the particulars, I don't even know what they are. I can't think of a way to tell her that won't hurt her or make her question our relationship.

It's just a stupid website. Sure, it brought us together. And I'm grateful for that, of course. I never would have met Ella otherwise, but that's it. The questionnaire, whatever it is, doesn't mean anything. Not to me. I don't need any kind of algorithm or matching technology or anything else to tell me that Ella is the one for me.

But I can see how much it means to her.

"You give the website too much credit," I grumble. "Our connection is because of us and the fact that we are and have always been meant for each other. It's fate."

It's the most I've ever said against Mountain Mates.

"How can you say that? If it weren't for the site, I wouldn't be here right now, ."

I can hear the distress in her voice, and I hate that I had anything to do with it, so I drop the subject and instead pull her feet into my lap again and start giving her a foot rub, the way I know she likes.

"That feels so good." She drops her head back and moans. "I could get used to this."

And she will. Because I don't plan on living one more day without her right here with me.