Total pages in book: 194
Estimated words: 187754 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 939(@200wpm)___ 751(@250wpm)___ 626(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 187754 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 939(@200wpm)___ 751(@250wpm)___ 626(@300wpm)
I try to put a name to it, but it escapes me. It hovers on the tip of my tongue and raises the hairs on my nape whenever I try to force it out—as if simply uttering the word when my mountain men can hear invites danger itself.
Is this what Seth, Zeke, and Bane feel whenever one of them splits?
“What is it?” Seth asks while placing a careful hand on my shoulder.
I barely hold back my flinch when I feel the strength in those fingers, but Seth snatching back his hand tells me he knows. I don’t have to wonder if I hurt his feelings, but since I can’t explain why my entire body feels like it might detonate at any second without sounding like a lunatic, I say nothing.
Pushing past my mountain men, I crawl to the foot of the bed and climb off. None of them speak until I reach the door.
“Where are you going?” Thorin asks. There’s a worried pinch to his brows when I look over my shoulder at them.
“I changed my mind,” I say, watching blue, brown, and green eyes shutter when they mistake my meaning. “I don’t think I’m going to need that nap after all.”
I flee before they can convince me to stay, closing the door to Khalil’s bedroom behind me as I go.
Gasping for air, I stumble up the stairs to the first floor and over to the front door until I’m out of the cabin. I don’t stop running until I’m off the front porch and falling to my knees in the dirt path that’s been hidden under snow all winter.
It’s not until I’ve caught my breath that I realize the path, still partially covered in snow, diverges in two directions. The thinner trail leads straight ahead out of the clearing, and the second, wider path leads around the house toward the cliff, which continues past the gap in the trees that I’m only now noticing.
What…the fuck?
KHALIL
“Where are we going? And why can’t it wait until a more godly hour?” Aurelia huffs, partly from exertion and partly from annoyance at being up this early.
“Because where we’re going and what we’ll do once we get there is not for God’s eyes and ears,” I respond.
My cryptic answer only earns me a scowl from Aurelia.
We haven’t been forthcoming after dragging her out of bed because our destination is a secret. We don’t have many chances to surprise her out here, so as usual, we’re forcing her to indulge us.
At our altitude and being early spring, it’s still a little chilly in the mornings, but it won’t last, which is why we left the moment it was safe to give us time to reach Maia. We’re at the base of her now, making our way up the trail in a single file line.
I chose to walk behind Aurelia so that I could stare at the bottom curve of her plump ass hanging out of her denim shorts. I could kiss Seth for finding them when we scavenged her stuff because the view is better than anything these wilds could offer. I can tell she’s not wearing panties either from the way her ass jiggles, even within the tight confines of her shorts.
I tilt my head to get a better angle and trip over a fucking rock. My stumble draws Aurelia’s knowing gaze over her shoulder. “Now that’s what you get. Pervert.”
She wiggles her ass teasingly, and I groan as I reach down to squeeze my dick. I’ve never wanted anyone as much as I do Aurelia fucking George.
I’m damn near rabid and pitching a noticeable tent by the time we reach the cliffside halfway up the mountain. The travertine terrace overlooking the rushing river underneath has a stunning view of Big Bear to our left and Little Bear to our right and all the wilds in between. It never gets old, but Aurelia doesn’t notice it.
She takes one look at the shallow pools of water with steam rising from the depths and gasps. “Is that what I think it is?” She squeals when I nod and leans over to see more of the hot springs.
“I know it’s not whatever fancy hot tub you have back home, but it will more than do the trick, I promise.”
“And look,” Seth adds while reaching into this pack and pulling out two bottles of cheap wine and champagne. Aurelia had snuck them both onto the supply list before our last run to Hearth. Seth holds them both up now with a grin.
Goldilocks giggles when she sees them. “Seth, I think it’s a little early for wine and champagne.”
“Oh. Really?”
She snorts. “No.”
Seth howls and starts thrusting his hips, making Aurelia laugh even harder.
It’s not until Thorin, Seth, and I remove our clothes, revealing our swimming shorts underneath, that Aurelia sobers.