Chapter 6
GUNNAR
I pull Everly toward the lakeside, where a thicket of black cottonwoods bends toward the water, like animals leaning in to drink. Their branches provide some cover, and I guide Everly behind them, not letting go of her hand.
Goddammit.
I feel a rush of anger as I listen to the group of people approaching.
They’re so damn loud, their shrieking voices echoing around the lake.
It sounds like a group of rowdy young guys, and I want to get out and face them—tell them to fuck off and go somewhere else.
But I’m not sure Everly would appreciate me making a scene.
She looks uneasy, shrinking closer to the cottonwood branches when the men reach the lakeside.
“I hope they don’t stay too long,” she murmurs. “I don’t want to get out in my bra and underwear in front of them.”
I see red, a sharp burst of rage sparking in my veins. The thought of other men seeing Everly like this, raking their filthy eyes over her perfect curves, makes my skin fucking crawl.
“Don’t worry,” I tell her, my jaw tight. “I’ll bring your clothes over if they don’t leave soon.”
Her features soften and she smiles at me. “Thanks, Gunnar.”
Then, to my surprise, she giggles. The sound is so damn sweet that it takes a second for me to recover.
“What’s funny?”
She shakes her head, grinning to herself. “It’s dumb. I was just imagining the look on their faces if you suddenly appeared from the lake.”
“Yeah?”
Everly giggles again, then puts on a voice, like she’s in a nature documentary. “A wild mountain man emerging from his natural habitat.”
“Wild, huh?”
She smiles at me sheepishly.
Hell, she’s not wrong…I’m wild as hell about her.
The young men have reached the lake now, voices closer than ever.
But the noise melts away as I look at Everly.
She’s so fucking adorable. I think back to how excited she looked when she told me about wanting to become a wildlife biologist. The way she lit up, speaking with so much passion about the creatures and habitats of the mountain.
I want to hear more. I want to know what else lights her up like that—what excites her, makes her happy.
We’re so close now, floating barely a foot apart, holding to the cottonwood’s branches for balance. The green bra and panties she’s wearing are the only thing between me and Everly’s gorgeous curves: plump, sun-kissed, and dripping wet. Begging to be claimed.
Fuck.
I’ve been staring at her for too long. But I can’t look away.
Desire thrums through my veins as I let my gaze linger on her pouty pink lips.
I want to kiss her so badly it hurts. It’s a risk.
She could push me away. Tell me what I already know—that I’m too old for her, too broken, too bitter.
But fuck, this angel is worth taking a risk for, and I’m already drifting closer, inching forward—
A scream shatters the silence, piercing the air like a gunshot.
Everly and I both jump, and I whip toward the sound. A dozen possibilities spring to my head. Bears. Mountain lions. Instinctively, I move toward Everly, ready to protect her from whatever caused that scream. Then it comes again.
“AHHH!” A pause. “Oh my God! Dude, there’s something in my hair!”
The cry is met with a chorus of laughter.
“Kyle, it’s a fucking leaf.”
“It’s not!”
“It’s a leaf, man. I can see it.”
As the young men bicker, the adrenaline seeps out of me as fast as it arrived, replaced with a surge of annoyance.
For God’s sake.
Just kids messing around. Being dumb. To my relief, their voices are moving around the lake now, like they’re heading to the next part of the trail. They’re all still laughing at Kyle, who keeps whining, “Stop fucking laughing, assholes! I thought it was a bug.”
Everly isn’t looking at me anymore. She’s craning her head around the branches, making sure the group has left, eyeing the place where our clothes are piled up. Then she turns to me, her cheeks pink.
“Uh, I better go get dressed. They might come back.”
I try to hide my disappointment as she moves past me, away from the cover of the tree branches. I follow her, flinching as the cold water laps my shoulder, my eyes fixed on Everly as she swims toward the shore ahead.
As she pushes herself out of the water, I don’t look away. I glimpse her thick, rounded ass, the green fabric of her panties almost transparent, and a deep groan tears from my throat.
God help me.
I shouldn’t be looking. But it’s like I’m hypnotized, the world moving in slow motion as Everly towels herself dry with her t-shirt, pulling on her leggings. Then she ties the t-shirt around her waist and turns to look at me, her hair dripping lake water down her face.
There’s a heavy silence—nothing but the sound of birdsong and the gentle lapping of lake water. With a jolt of panic, I realize she’s probably about to head home. Disappear through the trees again, just like yesterday. I can’t let that happen.
“My cabin’s not far,” I tell her, trying to keep my voice calm. “Want some lunch?”
She looks down at me, bathed in sunlight, and I swear she looks like a fucking goddess. Too damn perfect to be real. Too perfect for a man like me.
I hold my breath as she glances toward the trail, biting her lip. Then she turns back to me and smiles hesitantly.
“That would be great.”
My chest soars, heart thudding like it’s trying to escape my rib cage.
Everly has had plenty of opportunities to walk away from me.
But she came back to the lake today. She joined me in the water.
Now she’s willing to follow me home. I don’t know what I did to deserve that, but I’m sure as hell not complaining.
All that matters is that she said yes.
And that means I’m one step closer to making her mine.