A Bride for the Mountain Man

by Tracy Madison

  “Oh, is it?” he asked with a smile born of pure anticipation. Excitement was there, too, along with that desire and heat. “Well, if you’re sure, I won’t object.”

  “I insist.” Lightly—ever so lightly—she trailed her fingers up his arms to his shoulders, leaned forward and brushed her hair across his chest, eliciting a delicious-sounding sigh. And that sound resonated just as strongly, just as deeply as what she experienced, with how he made her feel. Like he had done with her, she used her tongue to taste, to explore.

  And everywhere she touched, his skin warmed, muscles tensed and released and then tensed and released again.

  Yes.

  Giving him pleasure was just as—if not more—satisfying than receiving pleasure. She kissed his chest, his stomach. He wove his fingers into her hair as she did, as she continued downward to his hips and his thighs, his hands tightening incrementally as she licked and tasted and pleasured and...loved.

  Slowly, she crawled her way back up his body, one enticing inch at a time, to kiss him fully on the lips.

  “You win,” Liam said against her mouth as he gripped her waist. She did not object. She did not mind winning this particular battle in any way whatsoever. Together, they rolled, switching places. “No more waiting. No more teasing. You’re going to kill me if this keeps up.”

  Oh. Here they were. Now. “If I remember correctly, you started the temptation game.”

  “You weren’t supposed to turn the tables.”

  “Well, guess you have more to learn about me.”

  “Maybe I do.”

  The talking stopped again as he kissed her hard and then looked straight into her eyes as she opened her legs to him, for him.

  He entered her in one long slide that, yes, stole whatever breath she had remaining clean from her lungs. And his eyes, hooded and dark and intense and beautiful, remained locked with hers. As if he couldn’t bear to turn away.

  Connected as one and so freaking intimate.

  His hips moved against hers, over and over. She wrapped her legs tightly around him and pushed him in deeper. And then deeper still. Their bodies merged in perfect synchronicity, and Meredith gave herself to the sensations, lost in the power of the moment, in the pleasure swimming through her blood.

  And all the while, Liam’s gaze never left hers even for a millisecond. She kept her gaze on his, too, in the hopes she would remember every second of this encounter. Because forever and a day from now, she wanted to be able to pull it to her memory and see it exactly as she saw it now. Feel everything she felt now.

  Impossible, of course, but she had to try. Had to.

  Friction. Heat. Desire. All right here, all for the taking. The pleasure built and built and built and built some more, and then all at once, every sensation gathered into a tight ball, pulsated once...twice...three times before she gave up the fight.

  She moaned and pushed herself against Liam, taking him as far as she could while the truest form of pleasure rippled and flowed through her body. This was...beautiful and sexy and somehow pure.

  It was what was supposed to be. She believed this. She knew this.

  Liam’s body tensed, stilled and then he drove into her again as he found his release. His hands came to her arms, and he held on tight as he shuddered, as his eyelids drooped and one more long, satisfied groan rumbled from his throat.

  Collapsing on top of her, he rested his head on her breasts, ran his fingers down her arms and together they lay there, still entwined.

  Still one.

  She wondered if he knew they belonged together. And if he didn’t yet know this, if he would eventually come to the same conclusion. Because she was, without doubt, his. And he was, also without doubt, hers. Knowing what she did about this man, it might take him a while to figure this out, but she would wait. She would be patient. She would...

  Do exactly as she had with Rico? Keep herself open and available in the hopes that he’d one day show up at her door, announce his love and carry her away?

  Oh. Lord. No. She couldn’t allow herself to fall into old patterns just as she was trying to find her own way in this world.

  Meredith kissed Liam’s shoulder, and while she didn’t say anything, her soul mourned. Her heart broke. Because she wouldn’t wait like she had with Rico. Not for years. She wouldn’t do that to herself again, for anyone.

  Even for the man she’d dreamed of. Even for the man she knew she belonged with. Even for the man who had just shown her more than she’d ever seen.

  Her life was valuable. And she intended on living it, whether Liam was at her side or not.

  So she would give him a little time, because she also knew he would need some. Demons of one sort or another raged a battle in his brain, his heart, and she couldn’t do anything other than allow him some space to win that war. If he chose to fight it.

  But if he didn’t... If days melted into weeks, weeks into months, she’d force open her eyes, accept the truth and just live her life. If that happened, would she ever stop hoping?

  Eventually, yes. Eventually. The question left unanswered was the precise length of “eventually.” Maybe, if she were very lucky, she wouldn’t have to find out.

  Chapter Nine

  Liam waited for Meredith to fasten her seat belt before he closed the passenger’s side door. It was midafternoon the next day, and while common sense dictated waiting until tomorrow to take her to her friend’s house in Steamboat Springs proper, his heart needed her gone posthaste. Before he dragged her to bed and had his way with her again. It shouldn’t have happened once. Or twice, later last night. Or...well, didn’t matter how many times.

  He couldn’t let it happen again.

  What had occurred between them would stay in his memory for a long while to come, because frankly, he’d never experienced anything like he had with his Goldilocks.

  Not even with Christy. A realization that both stunned and shamed him. No one should be able to hold a candle next to the woman he married. Yet, somehow, this woman had. And that made him feel like a heel.

  His thoughts hadn’t turned that route until this morning, when he woke with Meredith curled against him, her hair in his nose and their bodies spooned. Initially, he’d felt joy and satisfaction and hope. Initially, he’d had the wild idea of asking her to stay.

  But she’d slept for a while in his arms, and as she did, thoughts of his wife returned.

  That was when the guilt set in, quickly followed by all those logical reasons why he was better off alone. Far better to trust in decisions that had already proven beneficial and solid than it was to blindly grab at a smoky, fog-covered dream that held zero substance.

  By the time Meredith awakened, his resolve had become steel. An awkward type of intimacy had set in. There was no denying what they had experienced, and he hadn’t yet figured out how to talk to her about any of it. She couldn’t have expectations. He needed to be sure she realized this, yet...like always, he despised hurting this woman’s feelings.

  There was also a profound sense of emptiness that had set in.

  Nothing new. He’d felt that way before, had combatted that emptiness with work and then later with Fiona and Cassie and eventually with Max and Maggie. He could certainly beat away that emptiness again. The doing shouldn’t be nearly as difficult this time. There wasn’t a comparison to saying goodbye to a woman he’d only just met and the woman he’d planned on spending the entirety of his life with.

  Or there shouldn’t be.

  Max and Maggie pushed at his heels, waiting for him to open the door to the back seat of his truck, knowing they were going for a ride. He did and they jumped in, tails wagging.

  At the driver’s door, he paused, breathed in the cool air and tried to let the serenity of the mountains, of his home, seep into his blood and calm the churning storm. Didn�
��t work. Not yet, anyway.

  But it would. Once he was on his own again.

  He slid into his seat, forced a smile in Meredith’s direction as he put the truck into Drive. He tried not to notice the tense set of her shoulders, the stubborn lift of her chin. Tried not to give in to this instinct to reach over, pull her into his arms and beg her to stay. Offer the world if she’d only stay with him and his dogs here on his mountain. Lord, that temptation was strong, but he resisted. Had to. For her, for him. For his sanity and well-being.

  Hers, too, as far as that went.

  “Bet you’re happy to finally see your friend, huh?” He turned the truck around and headed down the slope of his driveway, taking care to go slow. “Sorry there isn’t phone service yet, but I bet you’ll have a signal on your iPhone soon enough. Can check in with her, then. Let her know you’re safe and sound and on your way.”

  She held up her phone and nodded with an equally forced smile. “I’m ready.”

  “Hey,” he said, turning onto the road, “do you remember where your car is? Might be able to get your luggage if you do. Would be nice to have your stuff back, right?”

  “It wasn’t far down this road, just after that first hill and curve, but...I don’t know if I can remember the exact spot. I would like my clothes, if it isn’t too hard to find the car. Just don’t want you to go out of your way,” she said quietly. “You’ve done more than your fair share.”

  “Well, let’s see what we can do. Try to remember the best you can and tell me when to stop.” What he didn’t say, what he barely admitted to himself, is that he would do almost anything for this woman. Almost. “Maybe we’ll luck out.”

  They did indeed luck out. Her car wasn’t that far off the road, but getting to it would take a fair amount of effort.

  He told her to wait for him in the truck—he didn’t want to see her fall again—and he kept the dogs there, too. For company. And as he made his way through the snow, he couldn’t help but think of her on that night, with the storm raging, all alone and lost and...terrified. He’d known since she’d told him the story that she could’ve died out here by herself, and he’d felt for her, had been damn glad Max and Maggie had come to the rescue.

  But now a different type of terror took hold. He could’ve lost her before he’d ever even known she existed. And while there wasn’t a lick of sense in his next thought, he couldn’t rid himself of it, either: he hadn’t been there to protect her when she needed protecting.

  Ripped him to shreds thinking of that, again, with another woman he...well, cared about. Strongly.

  When he arrived at the car and saw the open suitcase in the back seat, clothes strewn about, he could almost see her, panicking and dressing herself in the layers he found her in, scared and gathering her courage, her strength, to do what she needed.

  It amazed him, really.

  Hurriedly, he shoved the loose clothing back into her suitcase, latched it tight and went back the way he came, toward his truck, his dogs and Goldi. He’d ask her for the rental information, so he could call the company and tell them where the car was located. It wasn’t a lot, but he wanted to take that weight off her shoulders since he couldn’t reverse time and save her from the ordeal to begin with. But yeah, he would if he could.

  He tossed the suitcase in the back seat with the dogs, smiled at Goldi who had pivoted to see him. “Got it,” he said. “Not a problem, and now you’re all set.”

  “Yes,” she said, somewhat faintly. “All set. Thank you, Liam.”

  “Welcome.”

  A minute later, they were once again driving toward Steamboat Springs in silence. Painful silence.

  But hell, he didn’t know what to say. Didn’t have a clue as to how to explain everything in his head and heart. Didn’t know. But he wished he did. Wished he had the words to tell this woman that she had affected him deeply but that his life and future were set. And why. Yeah, he really wished he could tell her the whys. That, he knew, was out of the question.

  He didn’t speak of Christy or their child. Didn’t utter a word of his loss. To anyone.

  “Talk to me,” he said, somewhat gruffly. “You’re too quiet.”

  “Oh, my,” she said with a hint of her old, spunky, adorable self. “I’m too quiet and you’re asking me to talk? Did you fall and bonk your head out there?”

  “No, I just...like hearing your voice.” Oh, hell. Where had that come from? “And it will be slowgoing for a bit here, might as well have a conversation. Right?”

  “Sure. What would you like to talk about?”

  “How about your plans, once everything settles again?” Like how long was she planning on sticking around Steamboat Springs? And did he want to know so he could avoid her or so he could find her? “You never mentioned how long this visit was meant to last.”

  “Anywhere from a few weeks to open-ended. I’m not really sure yet. Will depend on...well, several factors that remain unknown.” Meredith shrugged and closed the heating vent nearest her. “As to my plans, those are rather loose, too. Rachel and I have a lot to catch up on, and I’ve never met her husband. We’ll start with that, I guess, and see where we end up.”

  “Gotcha. Why...ah, did you quit your job?” He just wanted her to talk. Didn’t much care about the topic. Just needed to keep hearing her voice. “Feel like sharing?”

  “Oh. Well, that’s a long story. Are you sure you’re up for it?”

  “Yup. I will listen to anything you want to share.”

  “Okay, then,” she said. “I can’t remember if I already told you, but I grew up in a wealthy family. We never lacked for anything. But my parents—and they’re wonderful people, really, so please don’t think they aren’t—have a view of the world that they wanted me and my brothers to have. So, we were...what’s a good word? Sheltered, yes, but also shown our paths from early on. The paths they decided we were meant to take. And that was that.”

  She continued to talk, weaving the story of her life for Liam’s benefit. How her parents formed decisions for her, their expectations, her desperate want to make them proud even above her own happiness.

  He hated that. Hated that she ever gave up even a second of what would make her happy for another person’s benefit. It didn’t surprise him, though. Not in the least. It was the way this woman was built.

  Kind. Caring. Giving. To a fault.

  “I met Rico in college, and with him, I suddenly no longer cared about what my parents wanted or thought. Love,” she said with a sarcastic edge. “I thought we were in love.”

  The rest of her tale came out in a short, succinct manner. There wasn’t a lick of emotion in Meredith’s voice, but Liam recognized her hurt, her numbing shock, at learning how she’d gotten her job and what had really occurred with this man she’d believed loved her. And frankly, he wanted to punch both her father and this Rico square in the jaw.

  For hurting this woman. She should never be hurt or betrayed. By anyone.

  She wrapped up the story by saying, “So that is why I quit my job. What brought me here, to Steamboat Springs. I am determined to figure out my life without anyone else’s interference. From here on out. My life, my choices and...well, I guess that’s it.”

  “That was a lot, Goldi. And I’m proud of you.” He was. Massively so.

  “Thank you. I...it’s time, I guess. Nothing more, nothing less.”

  “Right. I agree.” Now what? “My parents died when I was a kid,” he said, shocking himself. Where had that come from? And why? He didn’t want to talk about that. Did he? “Doesn’t matter, I guess. It was a long time ago. Not sure why I brought it up.”

  “Probably because some part of you wants to talk about it, and I am more than happy to listen.” He felt more than saw that she angled herself toward him, and he could clearly imagine the look of compassion and sorrow decorating
her features. “Maybe we’re just finishing our conversation from yesterday, when you told me you were raised in Florida with your grandfather. I wondered then how that happened. I’m guessing this is why?”

  “Yup. After our parents’ deaths, Fiona went to live with my mother’s sister. Neither our grandfather or our aunt had the room for both of us, but I know it was a tough decision for them. They hated separating us. They—” Liam cleared his throat “—made sure we spent holidays and summers together, though. Every year. So, that was good. Not the same, but good.”

  “No, not the same.” A heavy sigh, as if she were imagining how that might have affected Liam and Fiona. As if the facts of his childhood somehow hurt her. “I’m so sorry. What happened? Your parents must have been pretty young still, right?”

  He didn’t want to answer. Yet, he did. Since he’d broached the topic, he figured he’d keep talking. Was only fair. More to the point, he couldn’t ignore the sudden desire to let her in, to show her just a sliver of his foundation. Just a little, mind you. Not too much.

  “Well, yeah, they were,” he said, taking a careful right onto a cross street. The roads weren’t in great shape. He should’ve waited until tomorrow for this drive for safety. “It was their anniversary. They went out for an early dinner, and with the sitter’s help, Fiona and I baked a cake. It was rather ugly, actually, but we wanted to surprise them when they came home. Fiona drew a bunch of pictures, and we hung those around the living room.”

  “Sounds perfect. How old were you?”

  He cleared his throat again. “I was ten. Fiona was seven.”

  “So young.”

  “Yeah. Anyway,” Liam said, now wanting to get through the telling of this particular story as quickly as possible, “our plan was to hide when they came home, jump out just as they opened the door and show them the cake we’d made. They...ah, never made it home. It was raining that night, pretty hard. I remember the sound of it hitting the roof, the windows of our house. Found out later that Dad took a curve too fast, lost control of the Jeep.” Here, he stopped. He hadn’t thought about this for most of his adult life. “The car went down a ravine, rolled and crashed at the bottom. We...ah, didn’t even know what happened until the next day.”