Admiring the Mountain Man by Julia Stone

She’s the sweet, innocent thing he’s been trying not to taste. But now, she’s stranded with him.

Kelsie:

Hayes Foster is the last man I should want—older, closed-off, with a scowl sharp enough to cut.

But I do want him. Every gruff word. Every lingering glance when he thinks I’m not looking.

He comes to the Hollow Oak every Monday to join the other veterans, and always stays until my shift ends. I pretend it’s a coincidence. He pretends not to care.

Tonight, a double shift and a flash flood warning change everything.

I walked to work in the drizzle. Now, the roads are flooded, the lights are out, and I’m stranded with the one man I can’t stop thinking about.

And this time, he’s not walking away.

Hayes:

My tire’s blown, the roads are flooded, and now I’m stuck here.

With her.

I tell myself I should leave Kelsie alone—that I’m too old, too rough, too far gone for a girl like her.

But the truth? I’ve been coming back every Monday just to see her. Watching the sway of her hips, the way she bites her lip when she’s focused, that smile she throws around like it won’t wreck a man.

Now, we’re alone. Power’s out. Rain’s pounding the windows.

There’s no one here to stop me from finally touching what I’ve been craving.

She’s mine tonight, whether she knows it yet or not.