Epilogue
Delilah
Afew months have flown by in the blink of an eye since I traded in my high-powered city life for this rustic mountain paradise. My days are now filled with the crisp scent of pine, the gentle whispers of the wind dancing through the evergreens, and the warm embrace of a certain rugged mountain man who”s well and truly stolen my heart.
I wake to the soft glow of dawn filtering through the curtains of our cozy cabin, stretching languidly amid the rumpled sheets. A contented sigh escapes my lips as strong arms tighten around my waist, pulling me flush against the solid warmth of Stylz”s bare chest.
”Morning, princess,” that deliciously gravelly voice rumbles in my ear, his lips brushing a path of tender kisses along the curve of my neck. ”Sleep well?”
I hum in blissful affirmation, arching into him like a cat seeking more of his intoxicating touch. ”Like the dead. I swear this mountain air knocks me right out every night.”
He chuckles, the low timbre vibrating against my back in a way that makes me shiver. ”That”s not the only thing putting you into a deep sleep, if I recall correctly.”
Rolling over to face him, I run my fingers through the tousled waves of his copper hair. ”And just what are you implying, Mr. Steele?”
The gleam in those emerald eyes is pure, unapologetic sin. ”I”m pretty sure my stamina had a lot to do with your well-rested glow.”
I gasp in mock outrage, swatting his chest with the back of my hand—but the effect is ruined by the giggle that bubbles up unbidden. God, how did I ever live without this man in my life?
Stylz merely grins, catching my wrist and tugging me closer to nuzzle his scruffy jaw against the sensitive spot just below my ear. ”Face it,” he purrs, his breath fanning hot across my skin. ”You”re a full-blown mountain woman now. Feral, just like me.”
I can”t argue with that—not when every nerve in my body is alight with a simmering wildness I never knew existed until Stylz awoke it. This primal hunger, this blazing passion that feels more vital than the blood pounding through my veins... it”s only grown stronger in the months since we decided to take the plunge and give ”us” a real shot.
Abandoning the big city for this simple, rugged life in the heart of the Rockies was the best decision I ever made. Sure, I had my doubts at first—a few minor meltdowns over the lack of decent Thai delivery and the sheer number of flannel shirts in Stylz”s wardrobe.
But the moment I watched that first alpine sunrise cast its fiery glow over the craggy peaks, I knew I was home.
And when Stylz holds me like this, our bodies slotting together with the same natural ease as two puzzle pieces, I feel a sense of rightness so profound it steals my breath.
Like the universe has finally clicked into its proper alignment.
I groan as the first vibrant rays of sunlight filter through the curtains, beckoning me to start my day. ”Ugh, I have to get ready for work.”
Stylz tightens his arms around my waist, his warm breath tickling the nape of my neck. ”Call out sick. Stay with me instead.”
“And just what did you have in mind for us?”
A slow, wicked grin spreads across his ruggedly handsome features. ”Oh, I can think of a few things to fill our day.” He leans in, lips brushing tantalizingly against my ear. ”But first, how about we go for a little hike?”
Forty minutes later, I”m lacing up a pair of well-worn hiking boots—a far cry from the impractical designer heels I favored not so long ago. My gaze drifts to Stylz, who lounges against the truck with his arms crossed over that broad, muscular chest, watching me.
”What?” I challenge, arching one eyebrow.
The corner of his mouth quirks up in that sexy half-grin. ”Nothing. Just admiring how good you look properly outfitted for the great outdoors, is all.”
I snort, giving his arm a light shove as I brush past him. ”Keep it in your pants. We”ve got trails to hit.”
The rumbling chuckle that follows sends a fresh wave of heat blazing through me. God, I love how easily we”ve fallen into this playful, crackling banter—even when tackling activities entirely outside my former comfort zone.
Like now, as the truck kicks up clouds of dust along the winding mountain roads, carrying us deeper into the vast, unspoiled wilderness. We travel for what seems like an eternity, until Stylz veers off onto a barely-there trail, the truck jostling and bouncing over the uneven terrain.
”You”ve got to be kidding me,” I groan, gripping the door handle in a white-knuckled grip.
Stylz just laughs, eyes sparkling with mischief. ”What, this? This is nothing. Just a nice little warm-up for our hike.”
Sure enough, a few miles later we reach the trailhead—a rugged expanse carved into the side of a mountain. Part of me still balks at the prospect of trekking off into that untamed unknown. But a bigger part thrums with exhilaration.
So I swallow down my token complaint as I follow Stylz”s broad-shouldered form up the winding trail.
For the next hour, we hike in a comfortable silence, the only sounds our boots scuffing against the rocky path and the occasional bird trill piercing the air. My calves burn with the exertion, but there”s something grounding about pushing my body to conquer this rugged terrain, surrounded by the majestic grandeur of the peaks.
When we finally crest a rise, Stylz comes to an abrupt halt, and I nearly plow right into that solid wall of muscle. ”Hey, watch it...” I begin, the words dying on my lips as I take in the breathtaking vista before us.
We”ve emerged onto a rocky ledge jutting out from the mountain, offering a sweeping panorama of the entire Silverpine Valley below. The lush evergreen forests and winding river seem to glow in the morning light, while the jagged peaks slice across the horizon in an endless stretch of snowcapped majesty.
”Wow...” I exhale, the word a reverent whisper as I drink in the splendor. ”It”s... God, Stylz, it”s stunning.”
”Yeah.” His gravelly murmur beside me is soft, weighted with unmistakable emotion. ”Took my breath away the first time I saw it, too.”
My brow furrows as realization trickles in—a vague recollection of another sweeping vista much like this one.
”Stylz,” I begin slowly, turning to face him. ”Is this...?”
He nods, his expression a mixture of tenderness and that blazing intensity that still has the power to liquefy me from the inside out. ”The same spot where I took you on our first hike.”
“While we were waiting on the centerpieces,” I recall. How could I have known that impromptu detour would set us on a path leading here, to this incredible life we”ve created together?
Stylz moves closer until he”s directly facing me, taking my hands in his calloused ones. His eyes are shining with emotion and certainty. ”This is where I first knew.”
“First knew?” I ask.
“When you took those ridiculous high heels off and stomped up to this lookout in your bare feet, that’s when I knew I was done for. That’s when I knew you were it for me.”
He trails off, digging into the pocket of his well-worn hiking pack until he pulls out a small box. My breath catches in my throat as he opens it to reveal a stunning diamond ring nestled inside.
Oh my god.
Stylz drops to one knee there on the rocky lookout point. ”Delilah Delgado, will you make me the luckiest mountain man alive and marry me?”
I drop down to meet Stylz at his level, cradling his face in my hands as I lean in to kiss him deeply, pouring every ounce of love and devotion and blazing need into that embrace. When we finally part, breathless and flushed, my answer is simple.
”Of course I will.”
And with that vow hanging in the crystalline mountain air, we tumble back onto the sun-drenched rocks, shedding clothes and inhibitions alike as we give into that feral temptation. Our joining is wild, uninhibited, fueled by the knowledge that life”s greatest adventures have only just begun.
Afterward, I lay in the shelter of Stylz”s arms, my fingers tracing idle patterns across the tanned, muscular expanse of his chest as I gaze up at him with a tender smile.
”What?” he asks.
I shake my head, marveling at the unexpected twist my life has taken. ”Just thinking about how this all started. If I hadn”t allowed myself to get swept up in the heat of the moment with you...”
His fingers gently tilt my chin until I meet that piercing green stare. ”I would have found a way to you no matter what, Delilah. You and I...” He pauses, seeming to savor the weight of his next words. ”We”re written in the stars, baby. Inevitable as the tides or the turning of the seasons.”
His words pierce me with their raw, unvarnished truth—because I”ve felt it too, that profound sense of rightness, of finding my way home to a place I never knew existed.
So rather than deflecting with another teasing quip, I simply lean up to brush my lips against his once more, savoring the taste of the man who”d upended my world and shown me a love deeper, more vital, more wildly passionate than anything I”d ever dared dream.