Chapter 6
Robin
It surprised me when the half-naked mountain man invited me inside for tea.
I’d half expected Levi to march me off his property. Not treat me to some proper Southern hospitality.
My thighs turned to liquid sugar as a jolt of hunger shot through me. The look on his face told me he felt it, too. There was a connection between us, our molecules aligned.
I should have felt cautious about going into a secluded cabin deep in the woods with a mostly naked man. But I felt safe with Levi.
Without even thinking it through, I followed him up the deck and through the front door, putting my dog down as I stepped over the threshold.
Huh.
Inside it was really nice.
It was a small home, about the size of mine. But very tidy and surprisingly… modern. On the outside, it looked like a barely livable shack. But on the inside he had two cozy couches facing a fireplace and the type of eat-in kitchen I’d always wanted to install in my house.
“Your place is nice,” I told him in surprise as I looked around everywhere.
Then I zoomed in on the Christmas garland hung from his mantel. It looked handmade, with tiny snowflake cutouts interspersed between reindeer and snowmen.
Had he made that?
I looked him up and down again. I couldn’t imagine a giant, burly mountain man like him sitting down for arts-and-crafts hour.
Then my eyes caught his, and I realized he was staring at me with an intensity I’d never seen before.
Clearing his throat, he said, “Get comfy. I’m going to go put some clothes on.”
Oh, he owns clothes. Imagine that.
I watched his fine ass go down the hall, sad that when he came back out, he’d be all covered up. I’d enjoyed the parade of muscle he’d been giving me.
While he was gone I poked around. In addition to the girly garland on his mantel, I spotted a family photo.
There was an older couple who were probably his parents.
Then someone who looked like she could be his sister, based on the strong family resemblance.
And a man who was probably her husband, and a daughter.
I bet that’s Annie.
She had a devious grin on her face, and I could tell she probably gave her parents gray hairs. I liked her already.
Cocoa was done with the sniff-and-greet with his dog. Now they were in the playing stage, chasing each other around the couches, tails wagging fast.
They like each other.
That was pretty awesome. I’d always wondered if Cocoa would like another dog in the house, and based on this, it looked like she would.
A few minutes later, Levi’s bedroom door creaked open, and a fully dressed mountain man stood there staring at me.
He’d thrown on jeans and a flannel shirt, but in his haste, he hadn’t managed to get all the buttons done. I still had a generous view of his chest, and I could see that he was breathing hard. Something had gotten him all worked up.
He almost took my breath away, he was so good-looking.
And that look on his face made me feel like he wanted to pounce on me. For some reason that idea sounded divine.