Total pages in book: 24
Estimated words: 23191 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 116(@200wpm)___ 93(@250wpm)___ 77(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 23191 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 116(@200wpm)___ 93(@250wpm)___ 77(@300wpm)
I’m waiting for him to expand, but he doesn’t. “So, you’re all alone up here?”
“Yeah.” I think I hit a nerve or something. The easy smiles he’s been giving me all night vanish. I hope I didn’t upset him. I wonder what the story behind that is…
“I’ll do the dishes,” I say, trying to cut the awkward silence. “Since you cooked.”
“I already did the dishes,” he says, giving me one of those beautiful smiles again. It makes my chest all light and airy to see him like this. “There’s nothing left to do.”
“Then I should… get to… bed.”
I don’t really want to. I want to spend the whole night talking with this incredible stranger. Or, doing other things…
But it’s our first night and I need some alone time to clear my head. I’m not thinking straight right now thanks to the bottle of wine and Duncan’s devilish smile. I need some sleep and some distance to get my head screwed on right and to get this crush under control.
I thank him for dinner and then hurry off to my room, wondering if I’ll be sleeping in the master bedroom by the end of the week.
Chapter Five
Duncan
“I think my kayak is broken!” Vivian screeches as it wobbles down the river.
I race forward, slicing my paddle into the water to get to my girl as quickly as I can.
She has a panicked look on her face as I slide up beside her, my kayak only a few inches from hers. “Is it supposed to be so wobbly? It keeps trying to tip me over!”
She’s so adorable. I’m falling hard for her. With every second I’m in her presence, I fall a little bit deeper in love.
“You have to stabilize it with your hips.”
Just the thought of her hips and the way she moves them makes me want to moan. This girl has been killing me since she arrived. I keep thinking of her body, standing there in my hallway completely naked… I’m desperate to see her like that again.
“Oh shit!” she shouts as a few little waves come by and rock her. I smile as I grab her kayak, stabilizing her.
“You’re doing great,” I tell her. “For a city girl.”
“I’m going to be so wet by the end of the day.”
That’s the plan…
“Alright,” she says as she straightens her back with a look of resolve in her gorgeous blue eyes. “I’ll try again.”
I sit in my kayak and watch as she begins to paddle. Her brown hair is tied back in a ponytail, which I love on her. It’s the first time I’ve seen her hair pulled back with the enticing sight of her exposed neck and flawless face.
She’s wearing aviator sunglasses, a big orange life jacket, a bikini under her shorts and tank top, and flip-flops. I want to go all ravenous caveman on her and rip it all off her body.
After a few minutes, she gets the hang of it and circles back to me with a triumphant smile on her stunning face.
“Not bad, huh?”
“You’re amazing,” I tell her.
“Stop teasing,” she says, splashing me lightly with her paddle. “It’s not so bad for a city girl.”
We head down the river and she marvels at every spectacular sight we see. This is the most stunning river in Montana. The tall majestic mountains towering into the blue sky, the old trees watching from overhead, the sun sparkling off the water, the adorable animals scurrying along the shore, the families of ducks gliding on the water beside us, the sandy beaches around every bend—this river has it all.
She’s watching everything in wonder, but I’m only watching her.
I know why she’s here. Everything is so fast-paced in her world. Minutes, hours, days, weeks, months, years—they fly by in the city. Everyone is trying to optimize every second. They try to be productive every minute. And then what happens? Years fly by and your stressed-out psyche wonders what it was all for.
My girl is a success in that world, but I can tell she’s yearning for something more. It’s not enough for her. It’s not making her happy.
She’s a mountain girl who was born in the wrong spot.
Maybe she’s not the best on a kayak yet, but I keep seeing the look in her eyes whenever I show her something new. I’m seeing her connect with nature for the very first time and it’s endearing. It warms my heart.
It’s my job this week to show her everything that nature has to offer. I have to present her with the beauty and tranquility of the mountains and hope that’s enough for her to want to stay.
“Can you pass me my sandwich?” she asks as she paddles over.
“You want to eat now?” I ask as I open the cooler and pull out the sandwich I made this morning. “There’s a great spot not too far up the river where we can set up a picnic.”