Total pages in book: 32
Estimated words: 29978 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 150(@200wpm)___ 120(@250wpm)___ 100(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 29978 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 150(@200wpm)___ 120(@250wpm)___ 100(@300wpm)
I tuck myself into bed, letting my eyes fall closed as I imagine his warm body curled against mine, our heated breaths mingling as I come down from an orgasm under his body.
I love him, I know that now. Maybe I always did, and in loving him, the only person I was ever running from was myself. As I fall asleep, I vow to get to the bottom of this thing that pulses between us. Come morning light, I’ll find him and tell him how I’m feeling. If I don’t, I may never do it. The idea of leaving Copper Mountain without revealing my heart to the man I love feels like a risk I’m no longer willing to take.
Chapter Thirteen
Barron
The late morning sun casts long shadows over the trees, stretching their limbs across the dirt like dark fingers. I grip the handle of my axe, feeling the rough wood bite into my palms, the weight of it steady and familiar. But no matter how much I swing, no matter how hard the axe bites into the tree trunks, I can’t shake this feeling clawing at my insides. My thoughts keep circling back to her—Tamlyn.
I’ve been avoiding her. It’s what I’m best at. Avoid, deflect, shut down before anyone can get too close. But with Tamlyn, it’s different. She’s under my skin, in a way that has me tied up in knots, and no matter how much distance I try to put between us, it’s never enough.
I swing the axe again, the sharp crack of wood splitting echoing in the quiet. My muscles burn, sweat trickling down my back, but it’s not enough to clear my head. I should’ve known from the moment she showed up here that this wouldn’t end well. She’s too smart, too ambitious, too different from the world I know. She’ll leave—of course, she will. People like her don’t stay in places like this, tied to land and timber. They have their sights set on bigger things, brighter futures. And where does that leave me? Standing here, swinging an axe into trees, just another man she’ll leave behind. I shouldn’t have let things go as far as they did in the woods yesterday, her naked form quivering beneath mine was intoxicating. Everything I cant’ stand to lose in the body of the most luscious woman I’ve ever seen.
I wipe the sweat from my brow, my breathing heavy. This whole thing with Tamlyn… it’s been a mistake. That kiss. Damn it, I still feel it. The heat of her lips, the way her body pressed against mine, the movement of her hips under my palms, the fire in her eyes when she challenged me. It’s like she lit something inside me that I can’t put out, no matter how hard I try.
I hear footsteps behind me, soft but deliberate. I don’t need to turn around to know it’s her. Tamlyn’s got this way of moving—strong, purposeful, like she’s always on a mission. My grip tightens on the axe as I stare at the tree in front of me, refusing to turn around. Maybe if I ignore her, she’ll get the message. Maybe she’ll leave.
“Barron.”
Her voice cuts through the air, sharp but with an edge of something I can’t quite place. Hurt, maybe. I keep my back to her, swinging the axe again, letting the crack of wood fill the silence between us.
“Why have you been avoiding me?” she asks, her voice harder now, more direct. She’s not going to let this go, not without answers.
I grit my teeth, pulling the axe from the trunk and resting it on my shoulder. “I’ve been busy,” I say, my voice rough. A lie. A pathetic one at that, but I’m not in the mood for a heart-to-heart.
“Busy doing what? Chopping wood? Because it seems to me like you’ve been avoiding me.”
I finally turn to face her, my chest tight as I take her in. She’s standing there, arms crossed, eyes narrowed at me, her hair wild from the wind. There’s something about her that’s always so damn infuriating and intoxicating at the same time. I don’t know if I want to kiss her or yell at her.
“Why are you here, Tamlyn?” I ask, my voice low, but I can’t hide the frustration in it.
“I’m here because I’m not stupid, Barron. I know you’re pulling away, and I want to know why.”
I let out a breath, running a hand through my hair. Of course she wants to know why. Tamlyn always needs to know the reasons behind everything, like everything has to be part of some bigger plan. But life isn’t like that—not for me, anyway.
“You don’t get it,” I mutter, turning back to the tree, lifting the axe again. “This isn’t going to work.”
“What isn’t going to work?” she challenges, stepping closer. I feel her presence behind me like a heat I can’t escape. “You and me? You’ve already decided that, have you?”