Chapter 6
Amelia
The hot water lapped against my shoulders as I tried to figure out my next move.
Grayson wasn’t making this easy. He sat across from me, all brooding intensity and careful distance, and I had absolutely no idea how to bridge the gap between us.
My eyes kept drifting to his chest where a broad expanse of tanned skin was on display above the waterline.
Water droplets clung to his skin, catching the dappled sunlight that filtered through the pine branches overhead.
The scar on his face should have made him look dangerous, and it did, but there was something else there too. Something that made me want to trace my fingers along that jagged line and soothe whatever old pain still lingered beneath it.
He shifted, propping his muscular arms up on the rocky bank behind him. I forgot how to form words for a moment.
“So tell me more about these plants of yours,” he said, his deep voice cutting through my distracted thoughts. “You said you sell them online?”
The question caught me off guard, but talking about plants was something I could do. It was familiar ground.
“I started small,” I said, settling more comfortably against the smooth rocks beneath me. “Just propagating cuttings from my own collection and selling them on Etsy at first. But then I got into some of the rarer cultivars and things kind of took off.”
“Rarer cultivars?”
His genuine curiosity surprised me. Most people’s eyes glazed over when I started talking about plants.
“Philodendrons mostly. There’s this one called a Pink Princess that can sell for hundreds of dollars if the variegation is good.
And Monstera Thai Constellations?” I shook my head, warming to the subject.
“People go crazy for those. The variegation is so beautiful, they have creamy white splashes against deep green. I’ve been building up my mother plants for two years now, taking cuttings, rooting them, growing them out. ”
“Hundreds of dollars for one plant?”
“Sometimes thousands, depending on the variety. Not that I’ve personally sold any for that amount before. But I can dream. There’s a Philodendron Spiritus Sancti that sold for nearly thirty thousand dollars once.”
His eyebrows shot up. “You’re shitting me.”
“I’m not.” I laughed at his expression. “I don’t have anything that rare.
But I’ve got some nice specimens. Philodendron Gloriosum, Monstera Albo, a few Anthurium varieties.
And I’ve been thinking about expanding into orchids.
The rare species market is insane, and they’re actually easier to ship than aroids because they can handle being bare root longer. ”
I realized I was rambling and felt heat creep into my cheeks that had nothing to do with the hot spring.
“Sorry. I get carried away.”
“Don’t be. It’s interesting. I’m not a grower like you, but I can identify most of the plants out here in these woods.
Sometimes I even take tourists out on plant identification hikes if that’s what they’re into.
” His brown eyes held mine. “So you’re planning to settle down somewhere warm, then? For the plants?”
There was something in his voice. A careful neutrality that felt deliberate.
“That’s not really on my radar,” I admitted.
“The plants are important, but they’re not the deciding factor.
I’m looking for a place that feels like home.
Somewhere I can put down roots.” I smiled at my own unintentional pun.
“The human kind, not the plant kind. I can always propagate indoors. The right place matters more than the climate.”
He seemed to absorb that, his jaw working slightly.
“How long are you visiting Iron Peak?”
“Not long.” I sighed. “I can’t afford to stay at the Summit House for more than a day or two. It’s a beautiful place, but my savings won’t stretch that far if I’m paying bed-and-breakfast prices.”
Something shifted in his expression. A flicker of disappointment that he quickly masked.
“What about you?” I asked, eager to turn the conversation away from my impending departure. “What got you started as a trail guide?”
He was quiet for a long moment, his gaze drifting to the trees beyond the spring.
“Spent more time in these woods than with people growing up. The mountains are in my blood.” He shrugged those massive shoulders. “Guiding just made sense. I get paid to do what I was already doing, anyway.”
“Did you always want to be a guide?”
“Started building something a while back,” he rumbled slowly. “A survival school. Bought land. Put up a structure. It’s… still a work in progress.”
“That sounds exciting. When are you opening it up?”
His eyes tightened, and he barked out a laugh. “When my partner comes back.”
Oh. There’s a woman in his life.
The burn of disappointment coursed through me.
Of course, there is. The man’s a catch.
Keeping my voice light, I asked, “When is she coming back?”
His brow raised in question.
“Your partner,” I clarified.
His jaw flexed. For a second, I thought he might ignore the question.
“Not a woman. And he’s not coming back.”
“Oh,” I’d wandered into dangerous territory. I could tell by how stiff he was all of a sudden.
“Guy bailed,” Grayson said, his voice flat. “Took some money. Left me holding the bill.”
“That’s awful.”
“It’s business,” he muttered, like that was the end of it. He shrugged one shoulder dismissively, but his eyes stayed fixed on the water instead of me. “You learn who people are real quick when money’s involved.”
The words felt like a wall sliding into place.
Grayson glanced back at me, something guarded settling over his features. “Enough about that. Tell me more about those plants of yours.”
But I didn’t like seeing him shut me out.
The old me would have kept my mouth closed and let this moment slip by.
But the new me, the one who was open to adventure, softly asked, “Did it cost you a lot?”
He let out a quiet breath through his nose. “Cost me plenty.” A pause. “Had to give up my cabin to keep the school.”
The way he said it. Quiet, matter-of-fact, like losing a home was something that happened to everyone, made my chest tighten. “Grayson…”
“It’s done,” he cut in, his voice firm. “No use digging in old holes.”
He shifted in the water, shoulders rolling like he was shaking something off. “I’m still here. Still building. That’s what matters.”
“Sounds like you’ll finish it if it’s what you want.”
“Yup.”
I leaned forward, “I don’t know you well yet…
but you don’t seem like someone who gives up.
And I can tell that you’re the kind of man who gets whatever he goes after in life.
You survived a mountain lion attack. You help rescue people in these mountains.
You’re still here, still working toward something, even after everything that’s happened. ”
Grayson’s eyes locked onto mine, something unreadable flickering across his face before it vanished again.
He studied me for a second, like he wasn’t used to being seen that clearly. Then his mouth twitched, almost a smile, and he leaned back against the rock.
“You always this determined to fix people you just met?” he asked.
“Only the stubborn ones.”
A low huff of laughter escaped him, but the tension in his shoulders stayed. “Good thing I’m not looking to be fixed.”
The air between us felt charged, electric with possibility.
Maybe this was my moment.
My heart pounded against my ribs. I’d never been good at this. But sitting here with this man, on this gorgeous day, I knew I had to try.
“I don’t want to fix you,” I said, my voice coming out breathier than I intended, “I just want to fuck you.”
It was clumsy. Probably the worst seduction line in the history of seduction lines. But I was already moving, closing the distance between us through the warm water before I could lose my nerve.
It didn’t take but a moment for me to reach him and grab hold of his thick shoulders.
Grayson had a surprised look on his face, and he opened his mouth to say something, but I blocked him, pressing my lips to his.
I’d never done something so bold before in my life. Men kissed me. Not the other way around.
For one heart-stopping moment, he went completely still. Then his hands came up, gripping my waist beneath the water, and he hauled me against him.
That’s when our kiss ignited.
His mouth moved over mine with a hunger that stole my breath. One of his hands slid up my back, pressing me closer until my breasts were crushed against the hard planes of his chest.
His other hand tangled in my hair, tilting my head to deepen the kiss. His tongue swept against mine, tasting, claiming, and I melted into him completely.
Heat flooded through me that had nothing to do with the spring. I could feel him hard against my stomach. There was a barely restrained power in the arms wrapped around me. A small moan escaped my throat, and he swallowed it, kissing me harder.
I straddled him in the water, and our hips pulsed as we kissed. I slid my hips up and down slowly, dragging my core against him until he groaned and gripped my hips, thrusting up towards me.
Two thin layers of underwear were the only thing separating us, and I was already plotting how to remove the final barrier between him and me.
I was ready to feel his cock inside me.
He’s going to be the ride of my life.
After a few minutes he pulled his lips away, both of us breathing raggedly.
I looked up at his face.
The expression there made my heart stutter.
His eyes were dark with lust, but there was something else too. Wonder. Like he couldn’t quite believe I was real. This rugged, scarred mountain man was looking at me with so much raw emotion that I felt tears prick at the corners of my eyes.
Then his expression clouded over.
His hands gentled on my waist, and he eased me back, putting space between us that felt like miles.
“What’s a beautiful young woman like you doing trying to kiss a man like me?” he growled out. “You can’t just throw yourself on top of a man before you know him well, or you’re going to find yourself getting fucked, hon. How old are you, Amelia?”