to feel so safe with someone you just met?
I’ve never had a panic attack before, but when he ventured further into the woods and I couldn’t see him, my mind played tricks on me. I imagined Hope’s mom and the boyfriend trying to kidnap me all over again, dragging me back to that cabin.
But he knew what to do. He was right there to pull me out of it. Focusing on him when I couldn’t catch my breath calmed me in a way no one’s been able to do.
Now sitting at his kitchen island watching him make blueberry muffins, it all seems so normal. Like my time in that cabin is a million miles away and can’t touch me here.
How badly I want that to be true.
I was surprised last night to find out that Cole can cook and cook well. But I guess that shouldn’t be too surprising. The mountain men out here have to take care of themselves. After all, it’s not like they can pop into the diner every night for dinner. If you want decent food, you have to know how to make it yourself.
‘How do you know Hope and Cash?’ Cole asks as he starts making breakfast.
He may not talk much, but he seems to like me talking. I notice he’s asking me questions and listens intently to what I have to say. I would have thought he’d be more of a silent man and wouldn’t want me filling that silence.
So as long as he wants me to talk, I will because when the silence kicks in is when I start to overthink everything that’s happened.
‘Hope started coming into the cafe and sat in the area attached to the grocery store. She broke out a computer and started working using the free Internet. After seeing her there day after day, I finally approached her and introduced myself. We started talking every time she came in and slowly bonded. She was new in town.’
She may not be the friend I’ve known the longest, but I’d consider her my best friend. She’s a better friend than the people I knew at high school, despite her mother being cuckoo crazy. Thankfully, that doesn’t run in the family.
‘A few months ago, she met Cash. He came into the store after his brother died, and she helped him find what he needed. They bonded. I got to know him as they started dating. He’s always accepted me as part of Hope’s life, even when my ex treated him like crap.’
I frowned, remembering that ill-fated game day where I tried to get Cash to bond with my ex-boyfriend, Alex. It caused a huge fight between not only Hope and Cash but Hope and me. That led to a huge fight between Alex and me that caused us to break up, allowing me to see him for the asshole he was.
‘Ex-boyfriend?’ Cole asks when I stop talking.
‘Yeah. It was Cash who helped me see what an asshole he was. Even if we were still together, I doubt he’d even notice I was missing. He was my longest relationship, just under two years.’
I don’t know why I told him that or why I’m oversharing because he doesn’t seem to like me talking about my ex.
‘Hope and Cash introduced me to the other men and their wives, and I fit in better with them than with my friends in town. So I tend to hang out with them more even though we don’t get together near as much.’
Oddly enough, that seems to make him relax. I’m not going to pretend that I understand mountain men.
‘Working at the only grocery store in town, I’ve seen and met everybody, but I haven’t seen you. Why?’
If he’s been here several years, as he says, I should have seen him in town, at least for some of the basics. Even the most remote mountain men still order flour and sugar and stuff in a bulk order and pick it up once a year.
Cole tilts his head so his scar is facing me as if to say, Are you serious? How did you miss this?
He’s saying he hasn’t been in town to pick up supplies because of his scar? Without thinking, I stand and use the counter to hobble along, keeping the weight off my injured foot. I don’t stop until I’m standing in front of him.
I reach up and gently place my fingers on his chin, turning his head again so his scar Is facing me. I can tell he’s tense, but he doesn’t stop me. Moving slowly so he knows my intent, I reach up and trace the scar on his face.
His hands remain at his side, but he squeezes them into fists. He’s uncomfortable, but I meant what I said earlier. If someone doesn’t like his scar, it’s their problem, not his.
I trace his scar from the tip of his eyebrow, across his cheek, and down his jaw. When I start to slowly trace back up, he reaches and gently wraps his hand around my wrist. He holds my hand and turns his head slightly, placing a kiss on my palm.
His soft lips may be on my hand, but I feel them everywhere. As his lips leave my skin, his eyes lock on mine as his other hand wraps around my waist, gently pulling me closer.
When his head leans down toward me, there’s no shadow of a doubt that he’s going to kiss me. I’ve never wanted a kiss so bad in my life. My heart races because if this kiss is anything like the sensation of his lips on my hand, I’ll never be the same.
When his lips land on mine, my head starts to spin. He slides his hand from my waist around my lower back. He grips the shirt I’m wearing like he is trying hard to be gentle with me when it’s not in his nature. He takes a step forward and presses us together with no space between us.
His erection presses into my belly, and it’s sexy as hell. His lips are soft and hesitant, but there’s no mistaking that he’s the one in control. His other hand releases my wrist and cups the back of my head, pulling me closer. His tongue traces my lips; I’m so wet, I can feel it dripping down my thighs. I’ve never been this turned on by a kiss in my life.
I’m about to get even closer when he pulls back. Only then do I hear the oven timer going off. His eyes linger on me before he looks at the oven and turns it off. He opens it but then turns back to me.
He wraps both hands around my waist and sets me on the kitchen counter in one quick move. I can see the silent warning in his look to stay off my ankle. Once I’m settled on the counter, he turns back the muffins and pulls them out of the oven.
He sets the table before picking me up and carrying me to the chair. I feel like I should reiterate that I can get there myself, but I like having his hands on me, so I keep my mouth shut.
‘What do you like about living in town?’ Cole asks after I take my first bite of food.
‘I like the people. My job allows me to see people regularly. I like being downtown, close to the community garden I set up. My apartment isn’t that bad. The smells of baking from the cafe drift up, so I don’t ever have to buy fufu scented candles. I always smell like coffee and pastries, and my dog loves it.’
I freeze, and my eyes go wide. ‘Shit! Muffin!’ I panic about what a horrible dog mom I am after being kidnapped for several days. I forgot all about my dog when a hunky mountain man fell into my lap.
‘Yes, you’re eating a muffin?’ he says, clearly confused.
‘No, my dog is named Muffin. I forgot all about her. I’m such a horrible person. Who forgets about their dog? I have to go get her. She’s been trapped in the house for days. Who knows what she’s eating for food?’
‘Calm down. It’s perfectly understandable you wouldn’t be thinking of anyone else in your situation,’ he tries to reassure me.
But my panic continues to rise, thinking my dog could be lying there, starving to death. Not to mention all the poop and pee that’s probably covering my apartment. ‘No, you have to take me to her now. We have to go. She hasn’t eaten in days or been outside. If someone calls animal control, they’ll take her from me. I’ll never get her back.’ I start to work myself into another full-blown panic attack.
He’s up from his chair and in front of me in an instant. ‘Breathe in through your nose out through your mouth. Deep breaths.’ He works with me on my breathing again.
‘You’re in no shape to go anywhere. I’ll go get your dog and bring her back here.’
