My Mountain Man’s Desire (Rock Creek #1)

Chapter 3

CHAPTER THREE

Griffin

T he drive to my cabin doesn’t take much longer than ten minutes or so, but with Sophie—even her name is sweet and soft—sitting so close to me on the bench seat of the truck, bracing herself against every rock and bump I drive over, trying her best to swallow the pain of her ankle jarring on the rough road, it feels like hours.

I just want to get my girl into my cabin where she can put her foot up and be comfortable.

My girl.

My brain slips so easily into thinking of Sophie as mine but I can’t help it. I want to protect her and care for her. Maybe I didn’t directly cause her injury, but the fact that I had anything to do with it kills me. I don’t know anything about this girl, but I know enough to know I want to keep her safe.

And close.

The desire to touch her, hold her, kiss her is almost overwhelming as I navigate the truck through the dark twisty roads to my cabin, tucked up on the backside of the mountain. Who was this woman? And what the hell is she doing to me?

I’d expected her to balk when I suggested taking her back to my place. But it wasn’t a suggestion so much as the only option available since there’s no way I was going to leave her at The Den all by herself. Not right after shift change at the mill on a Friday night. No way in hell was I going to drop her into that snake pit.

“Here we are.” I put the track in park, kill the engine and move quickly around to Sophie’s door before she can get out. “Let me.” I unbuckle her and pull her into my arms before she can object. “You need to stay off that ankle.”

“I’m sure I can walk, Griff.”

Maybe she can. But I’m not about to find out. I tighten my grip on her, holding her closer as I grab her pack in my other hand and stride up the walk to the wrap around porch.

“You live up here all by yourself? It’s so…” she swallows hard. “Isolated.”

I grunt a response because there’s no way I can begin to explain to this sweet girl whose probably surround by family and friends back in the city, how if I had it my way, it would be even more isolated. As it is, I can’t get any further away from town with William. It’s not fair to my son to be so far out now that he’s starting school. Besides, I’m pretty sure that if I ever tried to move any further away, my entire family would stage some kind of intervention. There’s no way Ma will let me take her only grandchild further away.

Even I had to admit that having a close family was good for my boy. And me. Although there’s no way I’ll ever admit that out loud.

I push the door open and step over the threshold into the cozy cabin before flicking on the light switch.

“Wow.”

Still in my arms, Sophie twists around to take in the space and I can’t help but feel a surge of pride. The cabin had been a labor of love. I’d built it myself, with a lot of help from my brothers and father. And of course, Ma helping out with William. It’s not easy to be a single dad, let alone one who’s also working full-time building a new business.

“Thanks.”

She spins around and gives me all her attention. “You mean, you built it? By yourself?”

I shrug and still don’t make a move to put her down. “With my brother Jaxon. It’s one of our family businesses. TimberWolf Log Homes.”

It’s actually kind of a full family affair, but mostly only Jaxon and myself run the home building business while the others focus on different ventures. But she doesn’t need to know the details.

“It’s incredible.”

Is it my imagination, or did she just snuggle closer to me?

I’m enjoying the weight of her in my arms. Maybe a little too much. When was the last time I held a woman so close? It’s been years. And even then, it never felt like this. Like she’s made to fit.

Still, as much as I might like to I can’t hold her forever. Besides, I need to take care of her ankle and as nice as it is to have her pressed up against me, I have a duty to care for her.

“You can sleep in here.” I take her straight to my bedroom. There’s no way she’s sleeping anywhere else. She deserves comfort. Reluctantly, I set her down on the edge of the bed and move to the attached bathroom before I give into my urges to press her down on the plaid quilt and strip all her muddy clothes off layer by layer until I get a good look at those soft curves close up.

“There are fresh towels in here if you want to clean up a little. The taps can be a little tricky to get the water hot. Let me just…” I reach in and got the water running for her which I instantly recognize as a mistake when I pictured Sophie naked standing under the rainfall shower head.

My dick twitches and I force the thoughts from my head. Unsure of where they’ve even come from. I’ve never been so drawn to a woman before. Especially one I’d only just met.

When I step out of the bathroom, the shower already steaming behind me, Sophie’s standing next to the bed. She’s shed my flannel shirt and in the proper light I can see clearly just how thin her t-shirt is and how perfectly it hugs her big, heavy tits.

There’s no doubt she sees me looking at her, and despite knowing I need to be a gentleman and give her the space she needs to be comfortable, it’s becoming increasingly difficult to remember why. After a moment, I clear my throat and in a voice rougher than intended, ask, “Do you have everything you need?”

She looks like she might ask for something more, but after a moment, she bites her bottom lip between her teeth and nods. “For now.”

Sophie

The shower is hot and steamy and doing nothing to cool down the heat that’s rushing through my veins. My entire body feels like it’s on fire when Griff looks at me. Never mind when he touches me. And don’t get me started on the easy way he held me in his arms as if I weighed nothing.

With more than generous thighs, huge boobs and a stomach that has more padding than I would like, I’m not a small girl and I’ve never been the girl that boys pick up, let alone carry around like it’s no big deal.

The thing is, Griff is so big and strong I feel downright tiny when I’m near him. It’s not a feeling I’m used to.

Then again, there’s a whole lot of feelings I’m not used to when it comes to Griff.

Maybe if I had any real experience with guys, no, correction—with men—I might know if it was normal to have my stomach flip and something low in my belly contract when he looks at me.

I hardly even know the man, but when he touched me with his strong yet gentle hands, there was an unfamiliar ache between my legs that made me want things I had no business wanting with someone I’d just met.

But why not?

Why not indeed? I’ve spent so much time living for other people—my dad and step mom specifically—it was going to take some time to remember who I am and what it was that I want now that I’ve made the decision to walk away from law school and a future I never wanted.

Maybe now is finally a good time to start tuning into my instincts and listening to my gut.