Page 23 of The Mountain Man's Retribution
Chapter Eleven
FAWN
Bodie’s energy feels muted and heavy as we drive in silence. He clenches his jaw, and when I speak, thanking him again for the purchases, a strange look fills his eyes. In ardent tones, he swears, “Next time we shop, it’ll be Bloomingdale’s, Saks, Chanel, Gucci. I promise.”
I shrug, the conversation over my head, but the meaning not lost on me. “Thank you,” I say quietly.
The truck goes wordless again, and I can feel Bodie’s mind at work, his face strained, his teeth grinding. I wonder what possibly could have changed since returning from Mrs. McCartney’s house.
“Where are we going next?”
“Home,” he grunts, face torn.
He’s ending early with three more neighbors left to visit. I lean against him, not sure what to say. I notice the giant’s shoulders don’t relax at my touch.
Finally, he mutters, “There was someone else in her house. Watching us.”
The hairs on the back of my neck rise. He glares sidelong at me, asking, “Have you ever seen Mrs. McCartney? Does she look familiar to you?”
“No, I never saw women. Just Big Man and his sons.”
“Did Big Man speak of friends or relatives around here?”
“Only townspeople.”
Bodie rubs his hand over his beard. “She has to be one of the oldest residents up here. I don’t know why I didn’t think about it. I guess I always assumed the people here didn’t mix with the backwoods folk. But now I’m second-guessing myself. You showed up at my cabin in men’s clothes. But what did you normally wear? Did Big Man bring you female clothes?”
“Never. Always men’s clothes. Said it helped keep the devil at bay,” I answer. “I’ve never seen that woman before,” I repeat, seeking to calm him.
“Maybe we’re okay, then,” he says, patting my knee and making me melty and warm. “But something felt sinister in there. Bad energy.”
I nod.
Quiet overtakes the cab again, and I can feel his thoughts roiling. After a long pause, he confesses, “I want you, Fawn. With every ounce of my being. I want to make you my girl forever. In one week, you’ve stolen my heart and my mind, and I can’t imagine my life without you. I feel like I was made to be your man, though it sounds completely irrational. I can protect you and shield you from pain while introducing you to the world in a way that won’t crush you. That still allows the best parts of you, your kindness, your generosity, and your giant heart to remain soft, natural, and unjaded. But I’m torn. I fear someday, when you’ve awakened to things, and you don’t need me anymore, that you’ll leave me. I don’t know if I could handle that.”
My heart thrills at his words. They sound like a proposal Mr. Darcy or Mr. Rochester might say.
I confess, “And I fear you will stop wanting me when I grow strong. Because you will think I no longer need you, though Ialways will. Fate put me in the hollow of your tree. Have you asked yourself why?”
“A thousand times this week. Can you believe how much has passed between us in such a short time? But what pains me, Fawn, to my very core is knowing you were locked away, enslaved by Big Man and his sons, less than ten miles from my cabin. God, the thought of what might have happened to you if you hadn’t escaped …” His hand grips my thigh, making it impossible to breathe.
“But I did survive, and fate brought me to you,” I whisper, the ache between my legs fierce and all-powerful. What will satisfy it? I don’t know. But I must try. “The past is dead, and the future doesn’t exist. Let’s enjoy the life we have with each other right now.”
Sliding his hand under my skirt, I bring him to the place where my legs clench, moist and needy. Exhaling long and ragged as his fingers nestle into the wet hair of my mound, Bodie groans, “Is this what you want?”
“Not what I want. It’s what I need, Bodie. Like life or death. Please help me.”
“Has a man ever touched you here before?” he asks. I shake my head, frustrated by the question. “I have told you this repeatedly. No touching. Ever.”
“I just want to know how slow to take things.” He groans, letting his thick, rough fingers slide through my desire. I gasp. “Damn, Fawn, you feel so amazing. You’re fucking drenched.”
Whimpering, I let my head loll back. “This need for you hurts so much.”
“I can help you,” he answers, voice booming as we barrel down the road to his cabin, his fingers gliding through my folds. Covering himself in my honey until he feels slick and juicy, he finds the nub at the top of my pussy, circling it slowly andsensually, finding the perfect pressure and pace as my breath comes faster, and I spread my legs, inviting him deeper.
“Have you done this for yourself before?” he asks.
I shake my head, cheeks burning as I surrender to him, leaving hesitancy, embarrassment, and inexperience behind. My eyes roll back in my head, and I cry out. His truck thunders down the driveway, and he pulls his fingers from me, licking them clean before coming to a stop in front of the porch. Looking around quickly, he unbuckles his seatbelt and then mine before sweeping my legs up onto the bench seat.
