Page 30 of Beastly Mountain Man

Lucky stood with me in his arms.

A laugh escaped me as my feet left the floor, and instinct made my hands catch his shoulders.

For half a second, the familiar response appeared: I could walk. I had two functioning legs. There was no reason for another adult to carry me down a hallway I had successfully crossed dozens of times.

Then Lucky adjusted his hold beneath my thighs, steady and effortless.

I looked at him.

He looked back.

“Want me to put you down?”

I wrapped my arms around his neck.

“No. Keep going.”

His smile spread slowly.

“That I can do.”

The perspective from six feet four inches was surprisingly satisfying.

I kissed him all the way to the bedroom.

Lucky set me on my feet beside the bed instead of deciding what happened next. His palms rested loosely at my waist while both of us caught our breath.

“I want to cover something before we get too far to have a sensible conversation.”

“Protection.”

“Yeah.”

“I have an IUD. I was tested recently, everything was clear, and there hasn’t been anyone since.”

Lucky nodded. “Same. Recently tested, clean, nobody since. I have condoms if you want one anyway.”

I held his gaze. “I don’t.”

“Neither do I. But it needed to be your choice too.”

“It is.”

I tugged lightly at the hem of his henley. “Now I would like this off.”

Lucky’s smile returned. “That sounded like a direction.”

“I’m excellent at directions.”

He pulled the shirt over his head.

Any witty response I might have had became temporarily unavailable.

I had seen the shape of him under clothes for two days. That had not adequately prepared me for broad bare shoulders, a muscular chest dusted with dark hair, or the strong narrowing line of his abdomen disappearing beneath his jeans.

I reached for him because looking was no longer sufficient.

His skin was hot beneath my palms. I moved over his chest and shoulders, enjoying the simple fact that I finally could. Lucky’s stomach tightened when my fingertips traveled lower.