Chapter 4
Wyatt
Abone-rattling gust hammers the taut nylon walls of our tiny shelter, the deafening roar of wind and pelting rain assaulting my senses. I blink awake with a start, instinctively reaching for the comforting weight of—
My hand stills as my drowsy mind catches up, registering the unmistakable softness pressed against me. Daisy”s back rises and falls with each deep, even breath, her body a delicious weight against my chest.
Shit... how the hell did I let myself get this twisted up with her already?
I squeeze my eyes shut, willing the fog to clear as fragments of memories drift back. The merciless climb up to basecamp, her boldness keeping pace with my grueling strides, that playful spark in her eyes daring me at every turn.
My jaw tightens as a new wave of recollection washes over me—the way she damn near tumbled off that ridge, only my grip anchoring her to safety. Just the memory of her curves crushed against me has my pulse kicking up a notch.
Easy, Croft. Getting tangled up with a woman like this is a sure recipe for complications.
But as my stare traces the delicate curve of her shoulder, I can”t deny the simmering craving still pulsing through my veins. Christ, this woman”s like a drug—the more I get, the more I need a hit.
Daisy stirs beside me with a throaty murmur, eyelids fluttering. For an instant, she goes rigid, every muscle pulled taut. Then her gaze meets mine, and her body instantly softens, melting back into me as realization dawns.
”Well, good morning to you too, Grumpy.” Her voice is low and raspy, still thick with sleep.
I grunt in response, not about to admit how her tousled curls and sleepy smile are doing things to me they definitely shouldn”t. ”Sleep okay?”
She lets out an exaggerated groan, stretching in a way that has those soft curves pressing against me from shoulder to hip. ”Like a rock.”
I force myself to shift back just an inch, putting some much-needed space between us before I do something stupid. ”I”m surprised the storm didn”t wake you.”
As if on cue, the roar of howling wind and pounding rain redoubles in a deafening onslaught against the thin nylon walls.
”Shit,” she says. ”Sounds like Mother Nature has other plans for us this morning.”
I can”t resist a low, rumbling chuckle at her nonchalance, even in the face of this hellish maelstrom bearing down on us. ”Yeah, sounds like it.”
Another thunderous gust shudders through the flimsy shelter, the entire structure flexing and groaning in protest. I instinctively tighten my grip around Daisy, anchoring her against me as the storm rages.
She doesn”t resist, her body melting into mine as she meets my stare, eyes dark and smoldering in a way that has my pulse hammering triple-time.
”What do you say we find a way to pass the time?”
There it is again—that mischievous spark dancing in her eyes that I somehow can”t resist, no matter how hard I try. My body”s already betraying me, arousal thrumming hot and insistent as my stare drifts from that coy smile down to the swell of her breasts rising with each breath...
”You”re trouble, you know that?” The words come out more gravelly than I intended.
Rather than looking deterred, Daisy simply quirks one dark brow higher. ”You say that like it”s a bad thing.”
Then, she sits up and scoots to her pack, retrieving a worn deck of cards.
A low, rumbling chuckle rises unbidden from my chest.
”What”s the game?” she asks. ”Go Fish? Crazy Eights?”
The question hangs thick between us, the air practically crackling as the storm howls and roars outside our tiny sanctuary. Part of me knows I should shut this down before it goes any further.
But another part, a bigger and much more primal part, is intrigued despite my best efforts. This woman has been baiting me since the second she strutted into that gear shop, with her wild curls, audacious curves, and untamed spirit.
Well, two can play at that game.
Reaching out, I pluck the deck from her fingers and begin laying out the familiar spread. ”Strip poker.”
Daisy”s eyes widen a fraction before that devilish grin stretches across her face. ”Deal me in.”
There”s no going back now.
I deal the first hand. Daisy studies her cards, biting her lip again as she mulls her next move. The simple act has heat unfurling low in my core. This woman is a living, breathing temptation.
A sly smile plays across her lips as she lays down a card. My jaw tightens as I match her bet, the game officially underway. With each discarded card, the stakes grow higher, the tension building like a coiled spring between us.
Soon, the tent grows stifling, our layers of clothing gradually being shed one by one. A flannel here, a thermal top there—each article hitting the floor with a heavy thud that seems to echo through the cramped space.
By the time we”re stripped down to our base layers, sweat beads across Daisy”s brow despite the chill still whipping outside. My stare traces her chest”s rapid rise and fall, lingering on the dusky nipples straining against that thin fabric. It”d be so easy to reach out and cup one in my palm, to brush the pad of my thumb over that pebbled peak and watch her breath hitch...
Clearing my throat roughly, I force my focus back to the game at hand, determined not to let her get under my skin any further.
But Daisy seems to read my mind, that devilish grin stretching across her face as she rakes her stare over my bare chest in a slow once-over. ”How about we up the stakes a little?”
My brow furrows slightly, but I say nothing, waiting for her to continue as that wicked gleam dances in her eyes.
”Loser...” She leans in impossibly closer, those full lips ghosting along the shell of my ear as she breathes the words. ”...goes down on the winner.”
The world around us seems to grind to a halt. The storm outside fades away until I can no longer hear anything but the thunderous pounding of my own pulse. My body has already decided for me, arousal thrumming hot and insistent as I give in to this undeniable pull.
Reaching out in one fluid motion, I curl my fingers around the back of Daisy”s neck and crush her mouth to mine.
She lets out a muffled gasp of surprise that instantly melts into a low moan as those soft curves press flush against me, and her tongue sweeps past my lips, stealing what little breath I have left.
A deafening crack of thunder booms through the small space as I haul Daisy into my lap, my hands spanning the flare of her hips as her thighs bracket my waist. She grinds down shamelessly, swallowing my guttural groan with her mouth as I thrust up to meet that delicious friction.
My fingers tangle in her curls, angling her head for deeper exploration as our tongues duel with heated urgency. She tastes of campfire smoke and musky desire, and I can”t get enough of her intoxicating flavor.
With a deft roll of her hips, the hard ridge of my cock aligns perfectly with the heat of her center through those soaked panties. Daisy breaks the kiss with a ragged gasp, dark eyes hooded and glazed with naked want.
”God... don”t stop,” she breathes, nails scoring lines of delicious fire along the taut muscles of my shoulders. ”Don”t you dare stop.”
I growl against the swell of her breast, nipping at the rapidly beating pulse point along the column of her throat. ”You think you”re ready for this, Delgado?”
She whimpers, hips rolling in that maddening rhythm as her head lolls back in wanton abandon. ”Make me yours, mountain man. I want to feel that mouth everywhere.”
Well, shit. If the lady insists.
With a low, feral groan, I reverse our positions in one sinuous motion. Daisy”s back hits the bedroll with a breathless oof as I settle between her thighs, trailing a blazing path of kisses down the valley between her breasts.
She arches into me eagerly, fingers burying in my hair to hold me against that rapidly beating heart. ”Yes... Wyatt, please...”
The sound of my name on her lips in that desperate rasp damn near makes me come undone right then and there. Gritting my teeth, I fight for the barest thread of control as I lave one taut, dusky nipple with my tongue.
Daisy”s back bows off the bedroll as a broken whine tears from her throat. I move lower with my lips and tongue. Her skin is salty with a sheen of sweat, that rich, musky aroma of arousal clinging to her. I breathe her in deeply, savoring the scent as my mouth explores those soft, feminine curves.
Lower still, until the coarse hair at the apex of her thighs teases my cheek in the most delicious way.
”Wyatt...” Daisy”s voice is a low, needy whimper as she gazes down at me.
I growl against the silken heat between her thighs. ”You want my mouth on you, Delgado? Beg for it.”
She lets out a strangled whine, hips bucking upward shamelessly to meet my lips. ”Please... god, I”m begging you... I need to feel that tongue inside me...”
Well, I never could resist a woman who asks so sweetly.
With one last smoldering look up the line of her body, I seal my mouth over the slick, swollen bud of her clit. Daisy cries out, her throaty moans blending with the howling tempest raging outside, fueling me like a shot of high-octane adrenaline straight to the veins. I devour her with ravenous hunger, my tongue swirling and probing as her thighs quake around my head.
”Oh god... fuck, Wyatt...” Her breathy pants come in staccato bursts.
Nails dig into my shoulders as she writhes beneath my relentless onslaught. I groan against her pussy, savoring every nuance of her intoxicating flavor as she grinds shamelessly against my mouth.
”Don”t stop... please, I”m so close...”
Her desperate plea ignites something primal, stoking the raging inferno already blazing through me. Hands spanning those lush hips, I increase the pace, lashing her clit in firm, deliberate strokes.
Daisy”s back arches clean off the bedroll as a guttural cry tears from her throat. Her release crashes over her in shattering waves, body seized by violent tremors as she shatters apart.
I keep up my ministrations, coaxing her through the ebbing pulses with broad, soothing strokes until her quivering gradually subsides. Only then do I pull away, dragging the back of my hand across my lips as I gaze up at the delicious sight of her sprawled out in boneless satiation.
”Holy hell...” she rasps, chest still heaving with each ragged breath.
Shifting onto my knees, I hover over her limp form with a wolfish grin. Daisy”s eyes slit open, that rich gaze still glazed with lingering desire.
”I hate you.”
My laughter rumbles low and deep from my chest as I lean in, lips brushing the damp hollow of her throat. ”Liar.”
Before she can fire back a breathy retort, a brilliant shaft of sunlight pierces the tent, bathing the cramped interior in its golden glow. Squinting against the glare, I glance over to find the dark clouds finally parting, the storm”s fury ebbing.
Daisy follows my line of sight, brows lifting. ”Damn. Way to try and throw me off my game before the big climb.”
I shoot her a sidelong look, unable to resist the smirk tugging my lips. ”I believe that whole thing was your idea.”
She laughs—a bright, carefree sound that sends an unexpected tremor through my core. ”Well played. But just remember...” Leaning up, she brushes her lips in a feather-light caress along the line of my jaw. ”...this isn”t over.”
Rather than rising to the bait, I simply huff out a gruff chuckle and sit up, reaching for my shirt. ”We should get moving if we want to make the summit before nightfall.”
Daisy sits up and begins pulling on her layers. I can”t resist sneaking sidelong glances as she dresses, taking in the graceful shift of those curves beneath the snug, moisture-wicking fabric. My fingers itch with the urge to reach out and tug her back against me, to lose myself in her intoxicating warmth once more.
But no—that”s exactly the kind of distraction that”ll get us both killed out on the Fang.
With a grim set to my jaw, I shoulder my pack, forcing my mind back into that razor-sharp focus I”ll need to lead us through the hellish climb ahead. Daisy may have proven her skills getting up to the campsite, but that was just the opening act.
My gaze cuts over to Daisy as she secures her pack, eyes blazing with determination. Yeah, this wild, unpredictable woman will be put to the ultimate test out there.
And I”d be lying through my teeth if I said I”m not dying to see how she handles it.
With a resolute nod, I turn and unzip the tent flap, letting the crisp mountain air flood our tiny sanctuary. Daisy”s right behind me as I step out into the dazzling morning sunlight now bathing our grassy ledge. Shielding my eyes against the glare, I take in the towering granite monolith stabbing the horizon.
A low chuckle rumbles up from my chest as Daisy comes to stand beside me, following my stare upward. ”Last chance to back out, Delgado. Things are about to get real gnarly from here on out.”
She shoots me a sidelong look, dark eyes glinting with defiance. Then, without a word, she simply shoulders past me and starts off down the narrow path leading toward the base of the climb, hips swaying.
My stare traces the sway of those lush curves for a few lingering beats before I shake my head, unable to stifle the grin tugging at my lips. This woman really is something else.
Shouldering my own pack, I set off after her, the morning sun already baking the granite ramparts with its relentless glare. The real test is about to begin—and something tells me we”re both ready to face it head on.