Sneak Peek: Stalked by the Mountain Man

Chapter One

Ace

This is wrong. I shouldn’t be here. It’s what I tell myself as I pull my pickup truck to a stop in front of the hardware store on the edge of town. The prettiest woman in all of Courage County works here. It’s more than her blue eyes, luscious lips, or even those curves that feature in all of my dirty dreams. It’s the way she bounces through life, full of enthusiasm and light.

I want to take her to my cabin, tie her to my bed, and never let her leave. I’ll keep her satisfied until she’s growing my babies. It’s a terrible way to think about my best friend’s daughter.

I never thought about her before she kissed me. Never even realized she was a grown woman. Then about four years ago at her mom’s funeral, she pressed those soft pink lips against mine. Pushing her away was the last thing I wanted to do.

Unfortunately, it was the start of my obsession. From that moment on, I’ve wanted Mackenzie day and night with a need so strong that it torments me. It drives me to make these lumber deliveries in the middle of the day when the sun is high in the sky, and her customers are less likely to be around.

I could push her up against the nearest wall. I could kiss her breathless. Would she shove me away? Would she slap my face? The thought of her fighting back makes more heat flood through my veins. I want to earn the right to claim her, the right to devour and consume her.

I shake my head at the foolish ideas and put the first pile of lumber on my shoulder. I’m bringing it around back where deliveries go. I’m making the delivery for Rogue, taking the leftover lumber he didn’t use on a recent project and returning it to the hardware store he owns.

She does videos online. She teaches single girls how to do home repair projects. It turns me on like nothing else to see her holding that power drill and explaining the different bits to her audience.

As it is, every time I plan to visit the hardware store, I have to take myself in hand at least once. Usually twice. It’s the only thing that helps me get through seeing her.

She’s my dark obsession. My need to claim her is a daily battle. One day, I’ll lose that battle. I’ll sweep her into my arms and carry her back to my cabin where I can shelter her. Soothe her. Seduce her.

A noise stops me in my tracks and interrupts my thoughts. It’s Mackenzie’s voice, strong and firm. But there’s a note of something else underneath it, something I don’t like. I pause to listen as she says, “If you put the money back, I won’t tell my dad.”

“Your old man won’t miss it.” I don’t recognize the voice, but I suspect it’s the part-time employee that Rogue hired last month. I had a bad feeling about the shifty-eyed kid, but I didn’t intervene. Figured it was better not to stick my nose in.

“That’s not the point. He’s taken you under his wing. It would break his heart if he found out you did this.” She’s being way too soft on him. I’d have already wrung the skinny kid’s neck by now. Some people only learn when you teach them the hard way. It’s why I got those scars from the boys’ home. I got taught a thing or two about minding my tongue and my temper.

Slowly, I set the lumber I’m carrying on the ground. Years of undercover missions have taught me how to infiltrate even the most heavily fortified buildings. Moving around the corner of the hardware store undetected isn’t difficult.

“Who’s going to tell him?” The kid’s voice is getting more belligerent as I approach. I know why Rogue hired him. Our time together in the boys’ home made me harder, meaner. But for some reason, it didn’t have that effect on Rogue. Gave him a heart for the underdog.

“I won’t lie for you.” There’s no mistaking the anxiety in her voice now. She’s covering it with a layer of bravado. But I can read between the lines. Years spent studying her have made me an expert on Mackenzie.

I creep closer as the little weasel says, “That’s because you’re a dumb bitch.”

There’s the distinct sound of flesh hitting flesh, and I see fucking red. I race for the jackass, not caring that I’ve lost the element of surprise.

Within two seconds, I tackle him and pin him against the wall. My hand is around his throat. His feet dangle, and he tries to scrabble for purchase. He claws at my hand, but I ignore him as if he’s nothing more than a buzzing fly. Instead, I look to Mackenzie.

She’s bleeding.

She’s fucking bleeding.

I glance at the bastard’s hand and see he’s wearing rings. He hit her with rings on. “You die today, motherfucker.”

My vision tunnels to this one moment, to this one threat. I have to keep her safe. I always have to keep her safe. Ever since the moment she kissed me, something flipped inside my head. I don’t think of her as my friend’s innocent daughter. I think of her as what she is—my woman.

“Don’t hurt him, Ace,” Mackenzie calls out. She’s the one bleeding, and she’s concerned about this lowlife who’s wet his pants.

“He forfeited the right to his life the moment he put his hands on you,” I growl in response. “No one touches what’s mine. No one hurts you. No one makes you bleed. Not without answering to me.”

“He’s just a kid,” she insists.

He’s maybe a year or two younger than her, so he’s not a kid. He’s a grown man capable of making intelligent decisions. He’s going to die for this dumb one, and if I end up serving time, I’ll do it with a smile.

“Please,” she says the word quietly, and I’m a monster. A monster because the sound goes straight to my cock. I keep imagining her saying that when she’s spread out in my bed, and I’m slamming nine deep.

I release the little shithead. “If I see your face in this town again, I’ll take you apart piece by piece.”

He drops to his knees and gasps, sucking in oxygen. He claws at his neck, sputtering and coughing.

I barely resist rolling my eyes at his theatrics. This kid wouldn’t make it a day in the military. Hell, he wouldn’t make it in the boys’ home that I grew up in.

“Get going now before my restraint snaps,” I grind out the words.

The kid doesn’t need to be told twice. He quickly scurries away.

I turn my attention to Mackenzie. The sight of blood on her face has me wanting to run after the guy and make him nothing more than a stain on the road.

Mackenzie touches the spot and lets out a whimper. That one whimper is the only thing that saves that kid’s life today. Summoning what little humanity I have left, I soften my voice, “Let’s get you patched up.”

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