Page 31 of Mountain Man's Darlin'
“Is it okay if I hug you?”
Her blink of surprise is quickly followed by her teeth sinking into her plush bottom lip.
Zoe isgorgeous. The fact rolls through my mind in slow waves. It’s not just her long, wavy chestnut hair and heart-stoppingly perky breasts. It’s the light smattering of freckles across the bridge of her nose. The graceful line of her cheekbones and full, berry-stained lips. Not to mention those lovely gray eyes, which are currently smiling up at me.
“Sure. Go for it.”
My arms wrap around her, turning us slightly. As I hold her close, my palm gently rubbing up and down her back, I makesure my gaze lands on each man on the street. When I kiss the top of Zoe’s glossy hair, each of them gets the message with razor-sharp clarity.
This girl ismine. And she will be treated with the same respect that people afford me.
I continue hugging her, making sure the ladies in the window of Fran’s Diner get a good look too. Although this is all a performance for her benefit, feeling her warmth against me is stirring up a tornado of brand-new emotions.
Not just lust and desire. She’s sexy as hell, and of course my body craves hers. That part isn’t a mystery.
It’s more than that, though. I want to know her through and through: her favorite food and color. What movie to put on if she’s ever sad, and how to make her laugh. What wildflowers she likes, so I can plan a hike that goes past a field of them.
What’s in her heart.
That she seems to trust me already feels like a wonderful first step. If we’re drawn together so quickly, that has to be a good sign, right?
Finally I release her, keeping her hands in mine. Zoe smiles up at me, looks around to see the street has cleared, then bursts into laughter. “Okay, that was a super cozy hug, but why did it make all those guys take off?”
“I’m a Wolfe,” I explain, shrugging.
Her head tilts. “Like the mountain?”
Oh wow…She has no idea.
It’s like a weight has lifted. My limbs feel lighter. Zoe doesn’t know me, my family, or my four brothers.
This is perfect. We can start fresh.
I have a chance of getting to know this incredibly gorgeous woman’s heart.
And then, making her mine.
