Branded By The Mountain Man (Thickwood CO)

Ophelia moans, and I feel the vibration as I swallow the sound down. I pillage her mouth, tasting every inch of her I can find. My hand moves under her shirt, my fingers tracing her delicate skin. I let them slide upwards, teasing the underswell of her breasts.

She’s not wearing a bra, and I don’t know why that turns me on like it does, but I growl into her mouth, my hand capping over her breast, squeezing it, as Ophelia’s hard nipple pushes against my palm.

“Braden?”

I hear my name, and I regretfully pull back from Ophelia. We stare at each other, the desire in her eyes, the hunger, unmans me. I lick my lips, still tasting her there despite the rain pouring down. Our breathing is ragged, and I literally feel the adrenaline moving through me. I’m so hungry for her that I can’t think.

“Oh wow! Judd, look!” A woman cries.

I take a deep breath, as I see the moment begin to pass. Ophelia’s eyes close slowly. When she opens them back up, the hunger that was there just moments ago, slowly seeps away.

“Judd, I thought you weren’t going to be here.”

“Hell, Braden, get under the porch out of the rain, before you drown.”

Ophelia surprises me by grabbing my hand and practically pulling me onto the porch. Once we get there, I wipe the rain away from my eyes, and make sure my hair is covering my face once more.

“Why did you ask me to come by, if you were going to be here?” I grumble, not happy. All of this could have been avoided if I’d just kept my ass home.

“I had a small change in plans,” Judd says, his hand coming up to rub the side of his neck. He looks at me, and I can see the tension on his face. Judd is probably the only friend I have left in the world. We go way back, and he knows me better than anyone. We worked together or many years, and because of that, I know him just as well. That means, right now, I can clearly see the tension on his face. Judd is normally a laid-back kind of guy. The saying that nice guys finish last, fits him to a T. He is a nice guy, maybe the best. So, when he gets this upset, I know it’s something big.

“Is this your little piggy?”

When my gaze moves to the woman asking the question, I instantly recognize her and because of that, I know exactly why Judd’s face is covered in stress, his body tense.

“Cora,” I murmur, clearing my throat.

“Hey Braden, long time no see, you’re looking good,” she says, her voice innocent. I snort, my body going tight. I look anything but good. Ophelia must read my tension, because she speaks up before I can respond.

“We try not to use the P word. He’s sensitive, but his name is Bogo,” she replies as she shifts on her feet, her shoulder pressing into my side. Her hand tightens in mine, as if she’s giving me comfort and it’s strange, but it does. Hell, until this moment, I didn’t realize we were even holding hands.“He’s adorable, I’ve always wanted one, any pet really, but my father is allergic to all animals.”

“All animals? “Ophelia questions, disbelieving.

“Oh, he’s not really allergic. He just uses is it that as an excuse, he’s kind of OCD when it comes to cleanliness.”

“I get you. But, Bogo is really clean.”

“It really is a cute name, is it like buy one, get one?” Cora asks.

“More like, bacon on the go,” Ophelia responds, shrugging her shoulders.

Cora and Judd both laugh. The strangest thing happens to me, however. I haven’t felt like laughing since the accident, and right now, I have to look down at my feet, use my hand to cover my mouth, and hide my smile.

I was right.

Ophelia is dangerous. I don’t know what I’m going to do.

“Why don’t you come inside, and we can dry Bogo off?” Cora suggests.

“Well, I don’t know,” Ophelia stalls, looking up at me, silently asking for direction.

I don’t know why I can read her so easily, but I do.

“Go ahead, dry off, “I agree. “You don’t want Bacon to get the swine flu or something.”

“Braden, did you just make a joke?” Ophelia prods, making it clear that she now knows my name.

“Just get inside with the damn pig,” I bark. I make an attempt to sound annoyed, because the truth is I’m not. I don’t understand it. I hate being around people, I despise it. Since my accident, and everything with Heather, I’ve lived a solitary life, and I’ve liked it that way. Judd is probably the only person I’ve had any real contact with. Yet, here I am, relaxed, and fighting a smile. Hell, it’s been a long time, but I could almost say that I’m happy.