Total pages in book: 30
Estimated words: 27760 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 139(@200wpm)___ 111(@250wpm)___ 93(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 27760 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 139(@200wpm)___ 111(@250wpm)___ 93(@300wpm)
She swallows hard, her throat working, and I watch the vulnerability flicker across her face, catching me off guard. “I’m just good at pretending,” she admits, her voice barely more than a whisper. “I have to be. My followers, my whole Holtd—they expect me to have it all together, to be perfect. But sometimes... sometimes it feels like I’m stuck in a role I don’t even want to play anymore.”
Her confession slices through the air between us, cutting through the bravado she wears like armor. It makes me want to pull her closer, to shield her from whatever ghosts she’s battling. Instead, I reach out, tilting her chin up so that her eyes meet mine, our faces inches apart.
“You don’t have to pretend with me, Lila,” I say, the words slipping out before I can think better of them. They come out rough, like gravel, but I don’t try to take them back. “I don’t give a damn about your followers or your perfect image. I just want to know the real you.”
Her breath hitches, and for a heartbeat, I think she’s going to pull back, to hide behind those walls she’s so good at building. But then she leans in, just a fraction, her lips parting as she looks up at me, something wild and desperate in her eyes.
“You don’t know what you’re asking for,” she whispers, her voice trembling with something I recognize all too well—fear, but also a fierce kind of hope, the kind that leaves you raw and aching.
I brush my thumb over the curve of her cheek, tracing the line of her jaw, and my voice comes out low, almost a growl. “I think I do.” My gaze drops to her mouth, and for a moment, everything else fades—the mountain, the past, the future. All I see is her, all I feel is this need that’s been building between us since the day we met.
Before I can second-guess myself, I close the distance, my lips capturing hers in a kiss that’s rough and hungry, like I’m trying to chase away every doubt in my head. She responds with a soft gasp, her hands fisting in the front of my shirt, and I deepen the kiss, pouring weeks of frustration and unspoken desire into the way my mouth moves against hers.
Lila kisses me back like she’s fighting for something, her lips parting under mine, and I groan into her mouth, pressing her back against the rough stone of the ledge. Her body arches into mine, all soft curves and heat, and my mind goes blank, every thought swept away by the need to feel more of her.
When we finally break apart, we’re both breathing hard, our foreheads pressed together as we struggle to catch our breath. Lila’s eyes are wide, her lips swollen from the kiss, and I have to fight the urge to dive back in, to take her right there against the rock. Instead, I cup her face in my hands, my thumb brushing over the curve of her cheek, and force myself to speak.
“This isn’t just a distraction for me, Lila–I’m not that kind of guy.” I admit, my voice rough with the weight of the confession. “I don’t know what the hell I’m doing, but I don’t want to stop.”
She studies me, her gaze searching, and for a second, I’m afraid she’s going to tell me I’ve made a mistake, that this can’t go any further. But then she gives me a small, tentative smile, her fingers threading through my hair, pulling me closer.
“Maybe I don’t want to stop either,” she murmurs, her voice barely more than a breath against my lips.
A rush of something I haven’t felt in years floods through me—hope, need, the terrifying possibility of something real. I press my lips to her forehead, letting the moment settle between us, knowing that whatever comes next, we’ve both crossed a line we can’t uncross.
“Then let’s see where this goes, city girl,” I say, my voice rough with promise. “But don’t think I’m going to go easy on you.”
Her smile widens, a new spark in her eyes, and she tilts her chin up, meeting my challenge head-on. “I wouldn’t expect anything less, mountain man.”
And for the first time in a long time, I feel like I’ve found something worth holding onto, even if it scares the hell out of me.
Chapter Five
Lila
The late afternoon sun slants over Devil’s Peak, painting everything in warm golds and shadowed blues. The air has a bite to it that makes my breath sharper, fresher—like I’m breathing in possibility. I adjust the harness around my hips, trying to ignore the flutter of nerves in my stomach as I stare up at the jagged climb before us. The rock face looms tall, craggy, each ridge a new challenge, but I’m determined to make it to the top.