Rekindled: A Mountain Man Romance Read online

  I smile tightly, not going to explain to this man my original plans for the evening. Finding Rosie and having my way with her.

  Tim leaves and I pace my cabin, shaking my head. Hell, I wanted to see her. And I want her to know I was coming for her. Ready to walk across the dance floor and pull her in my arms, believing that she wants me as bad as I want her.

  Remembering that I have Michele’s phone number, I call her. She was the coordinator for the reunion and maybe she has Rosie’s number. If not, I guess I’ll start stalking her on the Internet. Hell, I’ll even get one of those Facebook accounts if it means seeing her again.

  She doesn’t answer, but I leave a message.

  “This is North. Was just calling to let you know my dog is ill and I won’t be there tonight, I’ve got to stay put in my cabin. But if Rosie McClaire is at the reunion, will you give her my number? Tell her I was only coming tonight to see her.”

  Chapter Four

  Rosie

  I’m just putting the finishing touches on my make-up in Katie’s old bedroom, preparing to leave for the reunion, when Michelle walks in the room holding her phone.

  “Bad news,” she says, frowning.

  “What’s up?” I ask.

  “North left me a voice mail letting me know he isn’t coming. His dog is sick and apparently he has to stay at the cabin, can’t leave him alone. I’m so sorry, Rosie. You were so excited.”

  My heart falls and I feel like a fool. I blink back a rush of tears, embarrassed that all the girls are seeing me this way.

  “Hey, honey,” Katie says. “Don’t cry.”

  “She’s right,” Michelle says. “You shouldn’t cry because in the voice mail, North asked about you. Said he was only coming tonight for you. Specifically.”

  “You swear?” I ask, hope surging through me. “He really said that?”

  “He did.” Michelle shrugs. “Do you want to call him?” She reaches her phone to me.

  I shake my head. “No. It would be awkward to talk on the phone after all this time.”

  “You know what wouldn’t be awkward?” Katie asks. “You going to him. You should go up to his cabin and be like, hey baby, it’s me, Rosie.” Katie laughs, but I know she’s serious. “Don’t look at me like that, Rosie, he wants you, obviously, and you want him. It’s your ten-year reunion. Make this a reunion you’ll both always remember.”

  “You’re saying I should just get in my Jeep and drive into a forest. Park in front of his house and be like …. hey?”

  “That’s exactly what I’m saying.”

  “And what if he tells me I’m a crazy person and that I need to get back in my car?”

  “He said you were the only reason he was coming tonight, Rosie,” Michelle says. “He wants this.”

  Going to his cabin, seeing him in a more intimate space could bolster my courage. Being in front of all our former classmates adds a layer of scrutiny I’m not up for.

  “Okay.” I nod my head, realizing there is no reason on earth why not. It’s exactly what I want. “I’ll do it.”

  “You’ll do him tonight?” Katie asks, eyes wide in delight.

  “Katie.” I scowl. “I’m said I’ll do it, not do him.”

  It’s no secret that I’ve never been laid. But I’ve always been holding out for the perfect moment. The perfect time. The perfect person.

  And yeah, that might sound like a hell of a lot of expectation to put on night of passion, but when I say perfect, it’s not like a cookie-cutter, flawless, do no wrong, Ken and Barbie, perfect.

  I mean perfect like the match. I mean perfect like they’re my person. Perfect like they are worth giving my body over to. And thinking about the other men who will be attending the ten-year reunion … there’s not a single man there who meets the criteria.

  Going to this reunion is just going to confirm what I already know. This isn’t where I belong.

  “Text me the address, Michelle. I’m going to find my true North.”

  I swear I’m lost. I grew up just north of Forks, yeah I know, we’re on the map because of Twilight. But I didn’t go to a vampire-ridden-high school. And I sure as heck don’t live there now.

  As far as Google maps tells me, North lives one hour north of here. About as far north as you can get in Washington State, make that the country.

  I love this region. Though I don’t live here anymore; I live in Olympia. In Olympia I rent a room in a house that is full of other twenty-somethings. Though I’m quite aware of the fact I am inching toward the thirty-something’s range quickly.

  But I can’t think about that right now. Right now I’m thinking about keeping my eyes on the road and not talking myself out of this ridiculous plan.

  Of course I’m wondering what he’s been up to all this time. Why he left in the first place. Why he never came back.

  Came back for me.

  Then I remember back then we were just kids. Half the time, life happened to us, we were minors, after all. I remember the rumors about his father being involved in shady stuff, there was even an article about North’s father after they left, and apparently, the cops were attempting to find him.

  Maybe he has a girlfriend. Maybe he has a kid. Maybe he has both. Maybe he has a lover. Maybe he doesn’t even like women. Maybe he....

  This line of maybes could go on for hours. Well, specifically, one hour. Because that’s as long as the ride is going to take. And we are nearing the end of it. And by we, I mean Justin Bieber and me, because that's what I’m jamming to in my car.

  I know.

  But this is a judgment free zone. Right?

  Siri tells me to turn left. And I do.

  Then she tells me to drive two miles and take a right. And I do.

  Then she tells me the house will be on the left in three hundred feet. And it is.

  And that’s when I start panicking. Wishing I’d gotten a proper bikini wax and wondering if I’ve aged poorly.

  Katie told me my hair and make-up looked hot as fuck. “Should that make me feel better or worse?” I’d asked her.

  “Definitely better.” Then she wiggled her eyebrows and added, “And I don’t think you should wear anything underneath that coat.”

  I had just rolled my eyes at her, knowing I’d never do something like that. Knowing I kind of wish I could. Because it would help with my resolve. Like, showing up here naked would make it more difficult to turn back.

  My tires crunch over the gravel road and I’m in the thick forest, a canopy of trees covers my line of vision and I can’t see the sky. I just followed the route Siri told me to take into the woods to see someone who is basically a stranger.

  North and I had never had a lot of conversations. But, I feel like there were moments when our eyes met and we had a connection. I know we had a connection.

  I don’t even think it would be possible to have this strong of feelings for another person and not have them be reciprocated.

  And yes, I realize I’m setting myself up for a complete and utter disaster.

  But.

  I think the disaster might be worth it. Because waiting ten years for someone who was never yours is a really, really long time. And I’m tired of being a virgin. I’m tired of wondering what if. I’m ready to throw caution to the wind and I’m ready to take the risk.

  Though, I did pack condoms. Ha.

  There’s a pickup truck in the driveway and a very large outbuilding with a sign on it, reading North Star Carpentry. Beyond it, there is a modest cabin with smoke coming from the chimney.

  It’s a late June evening, but the Northwest is known for its wet climate and tonight the air is heavy, and clouds cover the sky. A rainstorm looms.

  I park my Jeep and open the door. It’s not warm out, low sixty’s maybe, and I wonder if I’m wearing the wrong thing entirely. Katie insisted I put on a push-up bra. Thankfully I was already wearing one because I wasn’t really interested in borrowing her underclothes, and I was grateful I’d bought a new pair of panties to g
o with my dress.

  Michelle told me to be liberal with the razor and then she painted my toenails. I slipped on the dress I’d bought for the reunion, and couldn’t help but second-guess my purchase.

  “It’s way too tight in the bust,” I’d told her.

  “That’s the point, Rosie.” Then she slapped my ass.

  And as I step out of the Jeep, I notice that the sleeveless, short tunic dress has two buttons across the chest that are stretched tight. It’s too late to do a costume change, and for a second I wish I’d taken Katie’s advice and not worn a damn thing.

  The chill of the evening rolls over me and I wish I packed the sweater. Though I do have a tote bag, because I’m not totally spontaneous. I have a toothbrush and a change of clothes, basically, all the things I had packed when I left Olympia this morning.

  I shut my door carefully, and hang my purse over my shoulder, setting my phone on vibrate. And walk to North’s front door.

  I swallow. Raise my knuckles and rap them against his door. Nervous as hell. Anxious as all get out. Also, completely ready for this night to begin.

  Chapter Five

  North

  I give Charlie another round of pain meds and now he’s knocked out cold by the fireplace. I jump in the shower for the second time today, turning the heat as high as possible, hoping the steam will clear my head.

  Because damn, I really wanted to see Rosie.

  I’m just out of the shower, my hair wet, my jeans slung low on my hips. I haven’t even pulled a tee shirt over my head when someone knocks at the door.

  Eying my shotgun hanging on the wall, I frown. We don’t get visitors.

  Of course I have customers who come this way to pick up an order. But my pieces are very, very custom. I only do maybe one order every few weeks. Tops. So, the fact that someone is here, at seven PM on a Saturday night, is completely unexpected.

  That’s why I live out here. Down a gravel road far enough away from everything that I won’t be disturbed. Close enough that I’m not a complete recluse.

  I pull open the door, and I kid you not, Rosie McClaire, in the flesh, is before me.

  I blink like a mother fucking fool because I have been dreaming of this for ten years. Seeing this girl again––this woman––because that is exactly what she is. Head to toe woman.

  Her tits are as perky as ever as if a man has never touched them. Her legs shapely under a skin-tight dress, pulling at her hips, tempting me with what’s beneath the fabric. Her hair is long and over her shoulders; in an instant, my eyes gravitate to hers, and while the rest of her body is hot as hell, it’s her eyes I see. Her deep, chocolate eyes. Eyes that see me.

  “Damn, Rosie McClaire, it’s been a long time.”

  Her eyes rise ever so slightly, and her perfect lips drop to an “O”.

  “You remember me?” she asks, but it isn’t really a question. It’s a confirmation. She’s looking for assurance that I haven’t forgotten her.

  “Oh, I remember you, Rosie.”

  She licks her lips. “I really wanted to see you tonight. And then, when I heard you wouldn’t be coming … I thought….” She shakes her head, her hands waving in the air as she speaks. “I’m sorry. This was presumptuous. Your dog is sick … or who knows? Maybe that was an excuse to get out of the reunion. I should go, shouldn’t I? Do you want me to leave?”

  “Rosie?” I cock an eye at her. She looks back at me with such innocent hope it gets me hard as a rock just looking at her sweet, angelic face. “No reason to work yourself up. I’ve been waiting ten years for you, honey.”

  My eyes look down at her finger, and I notice right away there is not a single ring gracing her slender fingers. I let out a low whistle.

  She mistakes my noise for something it sure as fuck isn't.

  “I can go if––”

  I cut her off again “Rosie, you’re not going anywhere but inside.” I hold open the door and she grants me a slight smile before lowering her head, tucking a loose strand of hair behind her ear.

  She ducks inside as if the ceilings are low and this is a cave. But my cabin isn’t a dark dwelling; it’s a sanctuary. God knows I need it after a lifetime of running with my dad.

  The softwoods lining the wall show off the well-honed boards. The cabinetry is custom work and the recessed lighting highlights the carpentry.

  “Wow,” she breathes. “It’s so cozy in here.”

  “Cozy?” I smile, never having had a woman enter this place. I honestly didn’t know what a woman would say if she walked in here. If it was too rustic, too basic. Too rural.

  But Rosie’s sparkling eyes travel up and down the walls eying the skylight as if taking in the details of the place I built from scratch.

  “Thanks for letting me come in. It was kind of a long drive … and a spontaneous one. I was hoping I wasn’t being presumptuous. Well, I know this is presumptuous. I mean, this entire thing is totally outlandish. I haven’t seen you in ten years and I never even knew you were leaving school. And I don’t know if you even want me here. It’s just Michelle said you asked about me and … I hoped….” She bites her lip as if flustered with her gushing.

  I don’t mind. I’ve waited a long time to hear her voice.

  “Don’t stop talking, we can talk all you want, I’m a good listener.”

  She laughs nervously, and when she does, it’s as if her nervous energy dissipates.

  “What else are you good at North?” she asks and I see the tiniest smile in the corner of her mouth. I wonder if she knows how hard my cock is right now. How hard I am for her.

  “Looking around your place, it looks like you’re pretty good with your hands,” she says, looking back up at me with a grin. She’s definitely having fun with her words.

  “Were you this much trouble back in high school?” I ask as I step towards her knowing opportunities like this are once in a lifetime. I’m not going to let space get in between me and what I want.

  “I honestly didn’t know if you’d remember me ... but North, I remember you.”

  “Oh yeah?” My eyes narrow in on her, but they gravitate to her perfect tits. Her chest moves up and down and she breathes heavily.

  “Yeah, I remember you. Back in school, I was too shy to say anything and you always seemed like your mind was somewhere else. Like, high school was actually the least important thing in the world. I liked that about you. Actually, I liked a lot of things about you.”

  She shakes her head, her eyes blinking fast as if she’s embarrassed.

  “I can’t believe I just told you that,” she says. “I swear I’ve been driving for an hour thinking about all the things I didn’t do back then. All the things I want to do right now.” She bites her lip, and damn that swollen piece of flesh turns me on.

  “There were a lot of things I wanted to do also,” I tell her. “You have to understand, back then my dad was all I had, where he went, I went. That’s why I left; he was in trouble and needed my help. My biggest regret is that I left before I had a chance to say goodbye.”

  “And what would you have said, North, if you’d had a chance to say goodbye?” She asks, licking her lips again, and I know she is dripping with the same desire that I have for her.

  There is only one reason a woman shows up somewhere in a tiny dress and a push-up bra. They come to get fucked. Her eyes say take me now and that is exactly what I plan on doing.

  “I would have told you to strip down to nothing so I could memorize your skin.” I step toward her and wrap my arms around her waist, she sucks in a deep breath of air as I do and I swear the temperature raises 15° the moment my hands are on her.

  “I would have run my hands up and down your naked body Rosie, and then I would have run my tongue up and down your bare skin. Because memorizing your skin wouldn’t be enough, I’d need to taste you too.”

  “That’s quite a goodbye,” she says tentatively wrapping her arms around my neck.

  “It’s okay honey,” I tell her. I won’t bite
.” You can touch me as much as you want. I’ve been dreaming of your touch for ten years.”

  “Oh,” she squeaks. “I’ve never done this before and I’m a little ... nervous.”

  “Nervous of what exactly? Nervous of seducing a man in the woods, because honey, you appear pretty damn brave.”

  A smile stretches across her lips and that makes her laugh.

  “I guess it’s kind of true. Honestly, North, I think coming here tonight is destiny. I know that sounds so weird and probably crazy. But, I’ve also been thinking about this moment for ten years. I’ve been waiting for this moment. So when I heard your name tonight, I knew I had to try and see this through.”

  My forehead rests against hers and we both breathe in the moment. “You’re not mad, then?” she asks. “That I basically stalked you and seduced you?”

  “Oh honey, you haven’t seduced anything yet. So far, both of us are fully clothed.” I cup her face with my hand and tilt her chin to mine.

  “Then I guess we have to remedy the situation, don’t we?”

  “No time like the present.” And then I kiss her. My mouth pressing against her warm lips, her lips parting, my tongue sliding in, against hers.

  Warm light surrounds us as our mouths collide. I kiss her deeply and feel her body sink against mine. Did she really say she’s been waiting ten years for me? Did she really save herself the way I saved myself for her?

  Because if so, she’s right. This is destiny.

  I kiss her again; I kiss her hard.

  I kiss her like I’ve wanted to kiss her forever. She moans under me, and damn that gets me excited, that gets my cock rock hard. And all I want to do is see her skin. All I need is to kiss her until we can’t breathe, kiss her until we see stars.

  My hands are on her ass, squeezing those round cheeks as she presses her body against mine.

  I pull away from our kiss for one reason and one reason only. To get her out of those clothes.