Sheltered by the Surly Forester (Wolfe Mountain Men #6)

Chapter 6

6

EMIE

J osh really is a master of distraction. He's very careful to stay a step away when I'm wielding a knife or dealing with anything on the stove. But every time I reach for an item in the cupboard, thick fingers slide up my rib cage to "help me". Or when I grate cheese, my hips are gripped so that I can "get my whole body into it."

With all the distractions it's never taken me so long to make simple beef fajitas, but Josh doesn’t seem to mind, constantly making comments about how delicious I am as he nuzzles the side of my neck.

Even though it's just dinner at his house, Josh behaves as if it’s a date. Pulling out my chair. Pouring sparkling water for me. Placing the napkin on my lap. There's an elegance about him that suggests he's been raised from a very young age to use proper manners.

It kind of points out yet again how ridiculously wealthy his family must be. But I don't want to think about that. Or if it turns out I'm not suitable girlfriend material, and this is just temporary.

By the time we're fed and lounging on the couch, we don't even use the pretense of a movie to snuggle together under the blanket.

"You were truly brave coming up in that plane with me today." His deep eyes are bright as he smiles. "You should have told me it was your first flight, though."

"Why? What would you have done differently?"

His hand circles my hip, pulling me closer. "Well, I would've held your hand from the very beginning, for a start."

"You think your magic lumberjack hand would magically take my fears away?"

I expect him to laugh. Instead, his thumb runs gently along the side of my face. "Forester. Not lumberjack. And yes… I really do want to take all of your fears away, Emie." He leans in to kiss the tip of my nose. "And your stress. Your problems. Like…not having a home." His head shakes quickly. "I know. Too early to think like that."

My heart had been racing from him being so close to me. Now it slows down with a hollow, dull thud. He's actually thought about that? Of me…living here? I must not be understanding him. There's no way that a man like him would take in a girl like me that he literally found on the side of the road.

I've read about people becoming incredibly lonely and taking in a shelter dog because playing with it for a while makes them feel more alive. Then it turns out their life isn't set up for a pet so they return it. Usually they make a huge donation to the shelter to assuage their guilt.

Pretty sure that’s what’s going on here.

Which sucks. But on the other hand, if I'm now positive this situation can only be temporary, maybe I can let myself enjoy it while it lasts?

"I'm so sorry I freaked you out earlier, baby." Josh's thumb trails gently across my lower lip.

Nodding, I let myself get lost in his eyes again. "I'd rather concentrate on right now," I murmur, trailing my fingers around the back of his neck, then along his sculpted shoulder. "Like, it's pretty windy and cold tonight. I hope the wind doesn't whistle past my window again."

He smirks. "Whistling wind, huh? Did that frighten you, baby?"

My entire body melts. No man has ever called me baby before, and certainly not with this kind of intensity in their eyes. "What would you do if I said yes?"

His rich chuckle makes me smile. "Well, I would hold your hand, like I should have done from the beginning on the plane."

"That doesn't work if you're in the other?—"

He cuts me off with a kiss. "I want you to sleep in my bed tonight."

A tremor runs through me as his strong hands clutch me, pulling me tighter. Tonight, things are definitely going to be reaching uncharted territory for me.

I kiss his cheek, then tip my lips to breathe into his ear. "Before I get overwhelmed and forget to mention it, my college roommate Katie made me go on the pill as a precaution."

"Note to self: thank Katie," he mutters under his breath.

I gasp as he lifts me in the air, the blanket falling back onto the couch as he carries me to the bedroom. "That said… Yes, I need to share my bed with you." He sets me gently on the edge of the mattress. "But just snuggling. No funny business."

Watching this grouchy stoic mountain man sternly discussing “funny business” in the context of the bedroom sends me into fits of hysterical laughter. Luckily, he laughs with me, then renders me completely silent when he pulls off his shirt and tosses it in the vague direction of a chair.

Holy mother of…

That is a lot of muscles. That is a lot of hard work over many years, and I think I need to take a second to admire every inch of the sexy sculpture in front of me.

He doesn't give me a chance, reaching down to pull off my top and bra together. Before I can stop laughing at the way my hair flies around in a static mess, Josh drops down beside me, kissing me gently.

I'm still getting a feel for his energy, but I do get the sense that he's different around me than he is around anyone else. Even this incredible house is really just set up for one person, as if he never expects company other than in the pool room downstairs.

And from the way his kiss changes from slow and sultry to wild and fiery, I have to wonder how long it's been since he's had a woman in his arms.

Heat blooms through my chest and up my throat as his warm palm caresses my skin. I'm half-naked with a man I've just met, and it feels so right. Sparkles of nervous energy spin through my belly, and my heart begins to flutter.

"Can I take these off?" His thumb hitches in the waistband of my jeans. "You know…to help you get ready to sleep."

Should I spend some time thinking about this situation? I mean, it is my first time.

Nope, I'm going to just go with it. "Yes." Lifting my hips, I help him pull off the rest of my clothing.

His tongue darts out, slowly dragging across his bottom lip as he stares down at my naked body stretched out under him. "Breathtaking," he murmurs. "Just breathtaking."

My brain is crackling with lust, but my body doesn't know quite what to do. Reaching out, I trace the side of Josh's jaw with my fingertips as he settles between my thighs. "Just relax," he says softly, meeting my eyes while he nods. "Apparently, this helps women sleep, and since you won't rest no matter what I say, this will have to be a last resort."

His eyes twinkle up at me, then his gaze drops to stare between my legs. His palms move slowly over my inner thighs, as if he's admiring every inch of me. I've never felt particularly beautiful, but the way he studies me makes me tingle everywhere.

Everything about him is confident. Huge and broad-shouldered, with a deep voice that makes me shiver. I feel so small and delicate next to his rock-hard bulk.

His warm hands take hold of me, gripping my ass to pull me into position. I slide with a gasp, then release a strange chirp that sounds more like a bird than a woman feeling a man's tongue dancing across her clit.

Does Josh hear my heart pounding? Can he tell this is my first time? He releases a warm puff of breath against my open pussy, and my breath sticks in my throat.

"Try to relax," he says soothingly. "Just breathe and let go."

My mouth falls open with a loud gasp as he invades my pussy, his slick, nimble tongue caressing every fold, hitting every nerve ending. His hands latch onto my hip bones to try to stop my squirming as I stare wild-eyed around the room, unable to focus. Then something shifts, low and dark and heavy, in my core and just below. A pressure that begins to twist, then deepen.

"That's it." His gravelly purr turns me on even more. "Come on my mouth, baby."

Hearing that command sends my mind reeling. The slippery ache between my thighs becomes more urgent. Demanding. At the same time, for the first time ever, I feel completely and totally grounded.

The deep sensation washes through me, spinning me around as Josh's deep forest green eyes stare at me with a hypnotic sense of calm even as I scream out to the ceiling, body pulsing and hot, trembling from head to toe. The climax leaves me seeing stars, then I collapse back against the bed.

Josh kisses a slow path up my entire body, then catches my lips against his. It feels like my muscles are still twitching when he pulls the blankets over me. He gets up just long enough to drop his jeans, getting back into bed wearing soft cotton boxers.

As we snuggle together, my breath still uneven, Josh murmurs across my hair. "So soft and pretty and delicious. And an incredible cook." His lips press to my forehead. "And now, my personal squeezy pillow."

He cuddles me tightly while I laugh softly, his palm curving around my butt cheek perfectly as we scoop together.

Maybe it's the aftermath of the adrenaline rush, or the complete amazement of feeling so connected to someone, but my mind short-circuits and I fall into a deep, dreamless sleep while breathing in his spicy, masculine scent all night long.