Chapter 8
GUNNAR
The concern in Everly’s big blue eyes fills me with warmth as we sit together on the picnic blanket, so close our thighs are almost touching. Usually, I can’t stand people looking at me with sympathy. It’s part of why I hated wearing that damn sling for so long.
But it’s different with Everly.
She’s so damn sweet that it’s impossible to be annoyed by her concern.
Hell, the only person I’m annoyed with right now is myself.
Even after all this time, I still forget my limitations.
I move too fast or reach for something I shouldn’t, like I’m still an agile twenty-something instead of a middle-aged man with a bad shoulder.
I’m doing my best to hide it, but shit, it hurts. The muscles have seized up, locking in place, pain shooting all the way down my arm. All because I tried to pick up a stupid fork off the ground.
Goddammit.
“Are you sure you’re okay?” Everly asks in that sweet little voice, her brow furrowed.
“I’m sure.”
I can tell she doesn’t believe me.
“Do you…want me to massage it?” she asks.
The question throws me for a loop. I stare at her, unable to say anything other than, “What?”
She immediately looks embarrassed, her cheeks flaming. “Sorry, was that a weird thing to ask?”
“No,” I clear my throat, trying to stop my voice sounding so hoarse. “Just wasn’t expecting it.”
“I took a few sports massage classes back in Chicago,” she says, talking fast like she’s trying to explain herself. “I wanted to learn how to massage my calves after a run, but we covered shoulders too.”
I nod, swallowing hard. There’s a chance this might hurt like hell, but fuck, it’s worth it for Everly’s hands on me.
“A massage would be great,” I tell her. “Thanks.”
She nods, smiling like she’s happy to be useful.
So adorable.
I can’t get over how she looks in my shirt, the fabric draped over her curves, doing nothing to hide the swell of her breasts.
Her bra and panties are currently drying in the sun, along with her leggings and t-shirt.
My flannel is the only thing she’s wearing, and the thought does nothing to relax my tense muscles.
It winds me up tighter, my whole body fighting for restraint.
I suck in a breath as Everly moves to sit behind me. I can feel her warm breath on the back of my neck, and when her hand settles on my shoulder, I shudder at the contact.
“Do you promise you’ll tell me if I’m hurting you?” she asks.
“Promise.”
She starts to massage my shoulder, her movements firmer and more confident than I was expecting. She’s pretty damn good at this. Her fingers move with just the right amount of pressure, loosening my stiff tendons, gradually easing the pain.
“God, that feels good,” I murmur, letting out a deep groan as she rolls her hand against the perfect spot. The noise sounds suggestive as hell, and I hear Everly suck in a breath before she continues.
Her skin is so damn soft. Baby-smooth, so unlike my calloused hands. I keep catching her scent from behind me—sweet and fresh, like dewy grass and sunshine. A hint of my shampoo. I breathe her in and close my eyes, losing myself in her touch.
“Gunnar…”
My eyes snap open. I know what she’s about to ask me. I can tell from the apologetic way she says my name.
“What happened to your shoulder?” she says quietly, as I knew she would. There’s a pause before she quickly adds, “You don’t have to tell me if you don’t want to. I’m just curious.”
I don’t answer right away. It’s not a story I’m proud of, and I’m reluctant to admit my stupid mistakes to Everly. But she wants to know, and hell, I don’t think I could ever deny this woman anything.
“It happened just over a year ago,” I say, frowning as I cast my mind back. “I was out chopping wood. Had a lumber order to fill. But I shouldn’t have been out there that day.”
“Why not?”
“There was a storm coming.” I heave a sigh, running a hand over my beard. “Could feel it in the air. All the signs were there, but I was a cocky asshole and told myself I could handle it. Made the mistake of underestimating the mountain.”
I feel a surge of anger toward my past self, but Everly’s touch grounds me. Her hands are still moving over my shoulder, kneading gently, and I let the feeling calm me before I continue.
“Sure enough, the storm came. It was a doozy. Blowing like a damn hurricane by the time I finished the job. Torrential rain. But I wasn’t far from home.
I thought I could make it just fine, so I started heading back.
I got as far as my neighbor’s cabin. Then I heard a loud crack.
A tree falling, a big dead oak. I didn’t move fast enough. ”
“Oh God…” Everly breathes.
“My shoulder took the brunt. The tree pinned it to the ground. Crushed it. I couldn’t move.”
I don’t remember the pain. Guess my brain blocked the memory out. But I remember screaming. Really screaming. Sounds I didn’t know my body was capable of. Sounds I was arrogant enough to think I’d never make.
“I was trapped right beside the creek,” I continue, my gaze dropping to the water rushing past us.
“I could see it swelling up fast, about to burst its banks. And I knew I was gonna drown. There was no way I could get myself out from under that tree. I tried anyway. Tried to pull my shoulder out. But I kept blacking out from the pain.”
Everly’s hands are still now. I can tell she’s listening intently, her breathing shallow. “What happened?”
“I got lucky. Really fucking lucky. Like I said, I was right by my neighbor’s cabin when the tree fell. A guy called Hawk. He looked out his window and saw me just in time. Came out and pulled the tree off me. Then risked his neck to drive me to the hospital in the middle of a storm.”
Hawk saved my life that day, risking his own in the process, all because of my arrogance.
My stupidity. Hell, I’ve lived on Cherry Mountain all my life.
Pride myself on knowing this place like the back of my hand.
Yet I still let myself forget how fierce the wilderness can be.
How unforgiving. I was foolish enough to think I could compete, and I paid the price for it.
I’m just lucky I got a second chance. The mountain doesn’t always give them.
Everly lets go of my shoulder and moves to sit beside me, her eyes brimming with sympathy.
“That must have been so terrifying, Gunnar,” she says. “I can’t even imagine…”
I nod. I don’t think I’ll ever forget the feeling of being trapped under that tree, waiting to drown and knowing it was all my own damn fault. But it taught me a lesson, that’s for sure, and it’s a lesson I try to remind all my hiking groups.
Never underestimate the mountains.
“What did the doctor say about your shoulder?” Everly asks gently. “Will it ever recover fully?”
“I hope so.” My hand goes instinctively to my shoulder, fingers tracing the jagged scar where the tree cut into my skin. “There are no guarantees, but my doctor tells me to be patient. Be consistent with my physio. Still, it could be years before I can swing an axe again. Might never happen.”
“I’m sorry, Gunnar.” Her voice is so damn sweet, so earnest, and my heart pulls tight as she reaches for my hand, giving it a reassuring squeeze.
“Don’t be. I deserve it for being an idiot.”
“That’s not fair.” Everly frowns at me. “You made a mistake, that’s all.”
“Mistakes have consequences.”
“Well, yes…sometimes,” she concedes, “but you learned from it. That’s all that matters.” Her eyes spark with defiance, staring me down. “You don’t deserve to be in pain forever because of one bad call.”
I don’t know what to say to that. Hell, I don’t think I could speak even if I wanted to. I’m too fucking mesmerized by the woman sitting next to me. She’s still looking at me with those fierce blue eyes, cheeks flushed with conviction, like she’s daring me to argue with her.
I’ve spent over a year hating myself for what happened that day. Replaying it. Punishing myself with every physio session and telling myself I deserve the pain. But Everly is looking at me like I deserve better, and it cracks something in my chest wide open.
I reach out before I can stop myself, my rough fingers brushing her cheek.
I feel her breath catch. Her whole body goes still at my touch, and I tilt her chin up, my gaze dropping to those plump lips, stained red from cherry pie.
She doesn’t pull away. Doesn’t flinch. Instead, she leans into my touch, her breath coming fast.
It’s all I need.
Desire bubbles to the surface, hot and fast. It pulses through my veins, making my cock strain against my boxers as I inch toward Everly. Her breath is warm against my mouth, her lips parting slightly, and with a groan of need, I close the gap between us.
Our mouths crush together in a desperate kiss that sucks the air from my lungs.
I can hear my heartbeat in my ears as I thread my fingers through Everly’s damp hair, pulling her closer, opening her up to me.
She tastes like cherry pie and something else—something raw and animal that drives me fucking crazy.
Holy shit, this is really happening.
Her hands wrap around my neck, gripping tight like she needs something to hold on to, and the soft moan that escapes her throat unravels whatever’s left of my self-control.
My whole body is roaring with a need so fierce it almost scares me.
Four decades of wanting nothing, not needing anybody, and now this woman has blown it all wide open.
Mine. She’s mine.
I kiss her like I’m trying to make up for lost time. Like I’m staking a claim. Like if I stop, she might disappear into the trees again and never come back. But I won’t let that happen. Not now. Not ever.
I’ve lived forty-four years without this angel.
I’m not losing another damn second.